Maya Angelou Quote
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Join Date: Mar 2013
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Posts: 11,481
Maya Angelou Quote
Anybody who's been around SR for any length of time has seen it posted here numerous times:
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them .”
~Maya Angelou
That's b/c it's a great quote, a powerful quote for many of us. However, I researched this quote on a number of sites, and the FULL QUOTE is this:
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time .”
Those 3 words are the difference between taking action to save myself promptly and hanging around for months, years, decades, trying to make sure of what I saw, checking the lighting, the angle of view, etc., all the while allowing my self-confidence, my sanity, my courage, my soul, to be nibbled away.
What I hope for myself, what I'm working toward, what I think will truly signal a giant step forward in my growth and healing, will be to be able to do exactly THAT--to believe what I see the first time.
Certainly there is a place for forgiveness, for compassion, for understanding that mistakes can and will be made; we are all too human and can't always act from our highest and best self. I think this quote may be a good way to look at those occurrences:
One event is an anomaly, two is a coincidence, and three a pattern.
~ William Alexander
But I am working toward growing the courage to make choices based on what I truly want in my life, not on what I'm afraid to be without. I want to learn to trust what I see w/my own eyes, to be able to ask others for their opinions if I'm looking for a wider view but to ultimately be able to go w/what I feel within myself.
"Sometimes giving someone a second chance is like giving them an extra bullet for their gun because they missed the first time."
~ Unknown
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them .”
~Maya Angelou
That's b/c it's a great quote, a powerful quote for many of us. However, I researched this quote on a number of sites, and the FULL QUOTE is this:
“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time .”
Those 3 words are the difference between taking action to save myself promptly and hanging around for months, years, decades, trying to make sure of what I saw, checking the lighting, the angle of view, etc., all the while allowing my self-confidence, my sanity, my courage, my soul, to be nibbled away.
What I hope for myself, what I'm working toward, what I think will truly signal a giant step forward in my growth and healing, will be to be able to do exactly THAT--to believe what I see the first time.
Certainly there is a place for forgiveness, for compassion, for understanding that mistakes can and will be made; we are all too human and can't always act from our highest and best self. I think this quote may be a good way to look at those occurrences:
One event is an anomaly, two is a coincidence, and three a pattern.
~ William Alexander
But I am working toward growing the courage to make choices based on what I truly want in my life, not on what I'm afraid to be without. I want to learn to trust what I see w/my own eyes, to be able to ask others for their opinions if I'm looking for a wider view but to ultimately be able to go w/what I feel within myself.
"Sometimes giving someone a second chance is like giving them an extra bullet for their gun because they missed the first time."
~ Unknown
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Midwest
Posts: 11,481
Ack, sorry for the mistake w/the title. No mods/admins online right now but I have a request in to have them fix the title since once the post is up, the OP can't edit the title, a feature that has annoyed me more than once....
Nature Girl
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: By The Lake
Posts: 60,328
Excellent ponderings, HP, I heard that expression in my early days here and have repeated it many times, but not with those last words that are most important.
Can I just add that I absolutely love this that you posted as well...
This one I hadn't heard before but just love the take on second chances. In hindsight, most second (and third and fourth) chances I ever gave did not go well at all. I think a second chance must be earned over time with actions and not pathetic words. Like "Come back when you have a solid year of clean time AND a recovery program firmly in place". Then I just might, no promises but maybe, consider a second chance. Or not. 
Can I just add that I absolutely love this that you posted as well...
"Sometimes giving someone a second chance is like giving them an extra bullet for their gun because they missed the first time."
~ Unknown
~ Unknown
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