QuoteProject
When you say 'yes' to others, make sure you are not saying 'no' to yourself.
Paulo Coelho
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Prioritizing others should not come at the expense of your own needs and desires.

This quote emphasizes the importance of maintaining a balance between helping others and taking care of oneself. While it's good to be supportive and agreeable, one must ensure that self-neglect does not occur as a result of always saying 'yes' to others, as this can lead to resentment and unhappiness in the long run.

Themes

Self-CareBoundariesRelationshipsPersonal GrowthSelf-Respect

In practice

Example use cases

During a team meeting when discussing workload, I might say this quote to remind everyone to maintain their personal boundaries.

More from Paulo Coelho

I'm not doing anything, and yet I'm also doing the most important thing a man can do: I'm listening to what I needed to hear from myself.
Paulo CoelhoRead
Each stone, each bend cries welcome to him. He identifies with the mountains and the streams, he sees something of his own soul in the plants and the animals and the birds of the field.
Paulo CoelhoRead
We need to clear our minds of bad thoughts.
Paulo CoelhoRead
Having the courage to take the steps we always wanted to take is the only way of showing that we trust in God.
Paulo CoelhoRead
The fool who loves giving advice on our garden never tends his own plants
Paulo CoelhoRead
Sometimes the Warrior feels as if he were living two lives at once.
Paulo CoelhoRead

Similar quotes

You’re lost in your own world, in the things that happen there, and you’ve locked all the doors. Sometimes I look at you sleeping. I wake up and look at you and I feel closer to you when you’re like that, unguarded, than when you’re awake. When you’re awake you’re like someone with her eyes closed, watching a movie on the inside of your eyelids. I can’t reach you anymore. Once upon a time I could, but not now, and not for a long time.
Nicole KraussRead
Not gay, just never met the right woman.
Neil GaimanRead
The amount of love, kindness, patience I have for others is is directly proportional to how much love I have for myself, because we cannot give others what we ourselves do not have. And, unsurprisingly, the amount of love, respect, support, and compassion I receive from others is also in direct proportion to how much I love myself.
Anita MoorjaniRead
You can have no influence over those for whom you have underlying contempt.
Martin Luther King, Jr.Read
One minute of reconciliation is worth more than a whole life of friendship!
Gabriel Garcia MarquezRead
Bumble gives men a chance to take a step back and not be the macho aggressor that they may not want to be but were socialized to be. We think it makes for a better and more peaceful environment for everyone.
Whitney Wolfe HerdRead

A little wisdom, now and then

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