QuoteProject
We must give up the vain idea of trying to please everybody. That is impossible, and the attempt is a mere waste of time. We must be content to walk in Christ's steps, and let the world say what it likes.
J. C. Ryle
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Striving to please everyone is futile and unproductive; instead, focus on personal integrity and values.

The quote emphasizes that seeking approval from everyone can lead to disappointment and wasted efforts. Instead of attempting to conform to others' expectations, one should prioritize following their own principles, in this case, represented by walking in Christ's steps, thereby suggesting that true fulfillment comes from self-acceptance and authenticity.

Themes

Pleasing OthersIntegrityAuthenticitySelf-Acceptance

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be used during a motivational speech about personal growth.

More from J. C. Ryle

The minister who keeps back hell from his people in his sermons is neither a faithful nor a charitable man.
J. C. RyleRead
Good hymns are an immense blessing to the Church. They train people for heaven, where praise is one of the principal occupations.
J. C. RyleRead
When I speak of a man growing in grace, I mean simply this - that his sense of sin is becoming deeper, his faith stronger, his hope brighter, his love more extensive, his spiritual mindedness more marked.
J. C. RyleRead
Those who confine God's love exclusively to the elect appear to me to take a narrow and contracted view of God's character and attributes....I have long come to the conclusion that men may be _x000D_ more systematic in their statements than the Bible, and may be led into grave error by idolatrous veneration of a system
J. C. RyleRead
Never be satisfied with the world's standard of Christianity!
J. C. RyleRead
Sunday morning, before we go to hear the Word of God preached...let us not rush into God’s presence careless, reckless, and unprepared, as if it mattered not in what way such work was done. Let us carry with us faith, reverence, and prayer. If these three are our companions, we will hear with profit, and return with praise.
J. C. RyleRead

Similar quotes

Tantra says be real, be authentic to yourself. Your happiness is not bad; it is good. It is not sin! Only sadness is sin, only to be miserable is sin. To be happy is virtue because a happy person will not create unhappiness for others. Only a happy person can be a ground for others' happiness.
RajneeshRead
Unless virtue guide us our choice must be wrong.
William PennRead
You can ensure the success of your attacks if you only attack places that are undefended. You can ensure the safety of your defense if you only hold positions that cannot be attacked. Therefore, that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.
Sun TzuRead
Ultimately, we all have to decide for ourselves what constitutes failure, but the world is quite eager to give you a set of criteria if you let it.
J. K. RowlingRead
It's rare to find a consistently creative or insightful person who is also an angry person. They can't occupy the same space, and if your anger moves in, generosity and creativity often move out. It's difficult to use revenge or animus to fuel great work.
Seth GodinRead
As far as I remember, even younger than eight, I have always been guided by reason. Not cold reason, but that which leads to the truth, to the real, and to sane Justice.
Albert ClaudeRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.