---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the first things we learn from our…"
description: "\"“One of the first things we learn from our teachers is discernment: the ability to tell truth from fiction, to know when we have lost our center and ho..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/anne-hill-104036_discernment_one-of-the-first-things-we-learn-from-ou_1618040.jpg"
---

#  One of the first things we learn from our teachers is…

![“One of the first things we learn from our teachers is discernment: the ability to tell truth from fiction, to know when we have lost our center and how to find it again. Discernment is also one of the last things we learn, when we feel our paths diverge and we must separate from our mentors in…” quote by Anne Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/anne-hill-104036_discernment_one-of-the-first-things-we-learn-from-ou_1618040.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/anne-hill-104036_discernment_one-of-the-first-things-we-learn-from-ou_1618040.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/anne-hill-104036_discernment_one-of-the-first-things-we-learn-from-ou_1618040.jpg)

> ““One of the first things we learn from our teachers is discernment: the ability to tell truth from fiction, to know when we have lost our center and how to find it again. Discernment is also one of the last things we learn, when we feel our paths diverge and we must separate from our mentors in order to stay true to ourselves.””

[Anne Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hill/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Discernment teaches truth from falsehood and guides personal growth; it’s learned early and revisited later.

**In simple terms:** Learn to tell truth from false.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate discernment throughout life.

Themes

self growth truth spirituality ment mentment discernment ability center discernment

Mood

thoughtful reflective

Type

discernment:1 first things:0 spiritual growth:1 spirituality:1 stay true:1 teachers:0 truth:1 teachers discernment:0 discernment ability:1 discernment things:0 center discernment:1

When to use this quote

- reading
- reflection
- mentor discussions
- life transitions

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology spiritual development

Questions to Reflect On

- What truth do you need to discern now?
- How does discernment shape your decisions?

A Different Perspective

Discernment can be abstract for some.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Center Discernment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/center-discernment-231166/) [Discernment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discernment/) [Discernment Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discernment-ability-231164/) [Discernment Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discernment-things-231165/) [First things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-things/) [Spiritual growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-growth/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Stay true](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay-true/) [Teachers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teachers/) [Teachers Discernment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teachers-discernment-231163/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [The supreme end of education is expert discernment in all things-the power to tell the good from the bad, the genuine from the counterfeit,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-supreme-end-of-education-is-expert-discernment-in-all-things-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Discernment is the ability to judge a situation accurately—to see the full reality of a situation, relationship, experience, or circumstance. It is the capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-f-stanley/discernment-is-the-ability-to-judge-a-situation-accurately-to-see-the/)

[Charles F. Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-f-stanley/)

> [“The dictionary defines discretion as the quality of showing discernment, the ability to make responsible decisions, and behaving or speaking in such a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/the-dictionary-defines-discretion-as-the-quality-of-showing/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

> [“One of the first things every trainee is taught is that an FBI agent only shoots to kill. The thinking that went into this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-e-douglas/one-of-the-first-things-every-trainee-is-taught-is-that-an-fbi-agent/)

[John E. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-e-douglas/)

> [Putting first things first means organizing and executing around your most important priorities. It is living and being driven by the principles you value…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/putting-first-things-first-means-organizing-and-executing-around-your/)

[Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/)

> [Happy people tend to believethey're more in control of their lives. In doing so, they're more likely to take anactive approach to solving problems.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohit-baloria/happy-people-tend-to-believethey-re-more-in-control-of-their-lives-in/)

[Rohit Baloria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohit-baloria/)

> [The word priority was singular for 500 years—what does priorities mean—'many many first things.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mckeown/the-word-priority-was-singular-for-500-years-what-does-priorities/)

[Greg McKeown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mckeown/)

> [I was always under the impression that acting is an innate gift. One of the first things I heard them say at Koothu-P-Pattarai was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-sethupathi/i-was-always-under-the-impression-that-acting-is-an-innate-gift-one/)

[Vijay Sethupathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-sethupathi/)

> [“And this is one of the first things one learns from Musk’s example—he is relentless in his pursuit of the bold and, the bigger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-diamandis/and-this-is-one-of-the-first-things-one-learns-from-musk-s-example-he/)

[Peter H. Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-diamandis/)

> [Best start putting first things first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-chesney/best-start-putting-first-things-first/)

[Kenny Chesney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-chesney/)

> [“People who live at subsistence level want first things to be put first. They are not particularly interested in freedom of religion, freedom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-marshall/people-who-live-at-subsistence-level-want-first-things-to-be-put/)

[Sebastian Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-marshall/)

> [The older I get, the more wisdom I find in the ancient rule of taking first things first - a process which often reduces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-david-eisenhower/the-older-i-get-the-more-wisdom-i-find-in-the-ancient-rule-of-taking/)

[Dwight David Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-david-eisenhower/)

> [One of the first things we did was to find role models or mentors at companies that had achieved what we wanted to do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-harper/one-of-the-first-things-we-did-was-to-find-role-models-or-mentors-at/)

[Mitch Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-harper/)

> [One of the first things one notices in a backward country is that children are still obeying their parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-first-things-one-notices-in-a-backward-country-is-that/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't fall in love easily. It's odd; one of the first things I think about when I go out with a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-dillon/i-don-t-fall-in-love-easily-it-s-odd-one-of-the-first-things-i-think/)

[Matt Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-dillon/)

## More by Anne Hill

> [“If you are interested in equality at all costs, you should never have gone looking for your power in the first place. Holding authority…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hill/if-you-are-interested-in-equality-at-all-costs-you-should-never-have/)

[Anne Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hill/)

[Explore all 2 Anne Hill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hill/)

## More Discernment quotes

> [“Discernment is first of all a habit, a way of seeing that eventually permeates our whole life. It is the journey from spiritual blindness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-haley-barton/discernment-is-first-of-all-a-habit-a-way-of-seeing-that-eventually/)

[Ruth Haley Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-haley-barton/)

> [“Age doesn't mean Maturity but Senescence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-asumadu-sarkodie/age-doesn-t-mean-maturity-but-senescence/)

[Samuel Asumadu-Sarkodie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-asumadu-sarkodie/)

> [You must teach yourself how to eat less, but with discernment, insofar as your work allows. The measure of temperance should be such that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silouan-the-athonite/you-must-teach-yourself-how-to-eat-less-but-with-discernment-insofar/)

[Silouan the Athonite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silouan-the-athonite/)

> [“I choose Legacy over Lucre”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-asumadu-sarkodie/i-choose-legacy-over-lucre/)

[Samuel Asumadu-Sarkodie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-asumadu-sarkodie/)

> [“Discernment could be likened to distinguishing a light in the distance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-bevere/discernment-could-be-likened-to-distinguishing-a-light-in-the-distance/)

[Lisa Bevere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-bevere/)

> [“The word of wisdom is missing,” he continued. “We need the gift of discernment again in our pulpits. It is not ability to predict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-w-tozer/the-word-of-wisdom-is-missing-he-continued-we-need-the-gift-of/)

[a.w. tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-w-tozer/)

> [Yet you must not cling to the words of the old sages either; they, too, may not be right. Even if you believe them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/yet-you-must-not-cling-to-the-words-of-the-old-sages-either-they-too/)

[Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/)

> [It is an unquestionable truth, that the body of the people in every country desire sincerely its prosperity. But it is equally unquestionable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/it-is-an-unquestionable-truth-that-the-body-of-the-people-in-every/)

[Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/)

> [“And, to be true, an enemy's lair is an enemy's lair, no matter how comfortable or fancy it might appear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-j-carroll/and-to-be-true-an-enemy-s-lair-is-an-enemy-s-lair-no-matter-how/)

[Steven J. Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-j-carroll/)

> [Children have almost an intuitive discernment between the maxims you bring forward for their use, and those by which you direct your own conduct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-letitia-barbauld/children-have-almost-an-intuitive-discernment-between-the-maxims-you/)

[Anna Letitia Barbauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-letitia-barbauld/)

> [“Jealousy destroys the Moral competence to be Successful”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-asumadu-sarkodie/jealousy-destroys-the-moral-competence-to-be-successful/)

[Samuel Asumadu-Sarkodie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-asumadu-sarkodie/)

> [I began to firmly change my mind when I saw how young Egyptians used Facebook, for example, to begin to coalesce their social justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micheline-aharonian-marcom/i-began-to-firmly-change-my-mind-when-i-saw-how-young-egyptians-used/)

[Micheline Aharonian Marcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micheline-aharonian-marcom/)

> [To make a covenant with the Lord to always keep His commandments is a serious obligation, and to renew that covenant by partaking of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-w-hunter/to-make-a-covenant-with-the-lord-to-always-keep-his-commandments-is-a/)

[Howard W. Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-w-hunter/)

> [“Life is worth living when God throws His Divine dice in your favor. HE has slow-stirred my life with Wisdom and discernment about all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-bond/life-is-worth-living-when-god-throws-his-divine-dice-in-your-favor-he/)

[Tracey Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-bond/)

> [“Never in the history of the world have we had easier access to more information - some of it true, some of it false,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/never-in-the-history-of-the-world-have-we-had-easier-access-to-more/)

[Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/)

[Browse all 326 Discernment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discernment/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“One of the first things we learn from our teachers is discernment: the ability to tell truth from fiction, to know when we have lost our center and how to find it again. Discernment is also one of the last things we learn, when we feel our paths diverge and we must separate from our mentors in order to stay true to ourselves.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anne Hill"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hill/one-of-the-first-things-we-learn-from-our-teachers-is-discernment-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Discernment"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hill/one-of-the-first-things-we-learn-from-our-teachers-is-discernment-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/anne-hill-104036_discernment_one-of-the-first-things-we-learn-from-ou_1618040.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/anne-hill-104036_discernment_one-of-the-first-things-we-learn-from-ou_1618040.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/anne-hill-104036_discernment_one-of-the-first-things-we-learn-from-ou_1618040.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“One of the first things we learn from our teachers is discernment: the ability to tell truth from fiction…” — Anne Hill",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Anne Hill",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hill/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“One of the first things we...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hill/one-of-the-first-things-we-learn-from-our-teachers-is-discernment-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hill/one-of-the-first-things-we-learn-from-our-teachers-is-discernment-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
