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You have to meet people where they are, and sometimes you have to leave them there.
Iyanla Vanzant
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Understanding others requires accepting their current state, and sometimes, moving on is necessary for personal growth.

This quote by Iyanla Vanzant emphasizes the importance of empathy and acceptance in relationships. It suggests that to truly connect with others, we must understand their circumstances and perspectives. However, it also highlights that there are times when we need to recognize that we cannot change others and must prioritize our own well-being, which may involve leaving them in their current state.

Themes

EmpathyUnderstandingRelationshipsPersonal GrowthAcceptance

In practice

Example use cases

During a workshop on interpersonal skills, one can use this quote to illustrate the importance of meeting people on their level.

More from Iyanla Vanzant

Why can't women get along? Because we're afraid. We're afraid to be vulnerable. We're afraid to be soft. We're afraid to be hurt. But most of all, we're afraid of our power. So we become controlling and aggressive and vicious.
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Challenges come so we can grow and be prepared for things we are not equipped to handle now. When we face our challenges with faith, prepared to learn, willing to make changes, and if necessary, to let go, we are demanding our power be turned on.
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Feminine power is silent, dark, mysterious, healing, nurturing. A woman can walk into a room and control it. She doesn't even have to open her mouth if she knows where her power is.
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You know when I was 20 and 30, they were insecurities. Now they're just a new normal. I'm 60 years old, so my expectations of who I am and how I look and how I show up in the world had to shift. Not because I couldn't help it, or not because I did anything wrong, but because I had to get into the natural flow of my being as a woman.
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Your greatest adversary is also your greatest teacher. Like it or not, it is the job of certain people to bring out the worst in you. What they trigger is already in you. They are here to reveal the sore, tender wounded places in your heart and mind, and they are providing you with a wonderful and divine opportunity for healing.
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You have a right to say no. Most of us have very weak and flaccid 'no' muscles. We feel guilty for saying no. We get ostracized and challenged for saying no, so we forget it's our choice. Your 'no' muscle has to be built up to get to a place where you can say, 'I don't care if that's what you want. I don't want that. No.'
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