--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Left to my own devices, my first…" description: "\"Left to my own devices, my first inclination is to mess in other people's lives. I secretly believe my whole family, and really the whole world, is my ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b92/anne-lamott-188_believe_left-to-my-own-devices-my-first-inclinat_1217995.png" --- # Left to my own devices, my first inclination is to mess in… ![“Left to my own devices, my first inclination is to mess in other people's lives. I secretly believe my whole family, and really the whole world, is my responsibility.” quote by Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b92/anne-lamott-188_believe_left-to-my-own-devices-my-first-inclinat_1217995.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b92/anne-lamott-188_believe_left-to-my-own-devices-my-first-inclinat_1217995.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b92/anne-lamott-188_believe_left-to-my-own-devices-my-first-inclinat_1217995.png) > “Left to my own devices, my first inclination is to mess in other people's lives. I secretly believe my whole family, and really the whole world, is my responsibility.” [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels an instinctive urge to intervene in others' affairs, seeing the world as a personal responsibility. **In simple terms:** I feel compelled to meddle and care for everyone. Key Takeaway Recognize boundaries and channel care constructively. Themes responsibility intervention family worldview Mood reflective concerned Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - family gatherings - community projects - volunteering - online activism Key Concepts psychology ethics personal duty Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance caring for others with respecting autonomy? - When does responsibility become control? A Different Perspective Overstepping can breed resentment and burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Whole family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-family/) [Whole world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [My whole family is really close. I'm lucky for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/landon-liboiron/my-whole-family-is-really-close-i-m-lucky-for-that/) [Landon Liboiron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/landon-liboiron/) > [Family really meant almost nothing to me for many years but then, to my enormous surprise, when I met my partner James I found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-starkey/family-really-meant-almost-nothing-to-me-for-many-years-but-then-to/) [David Starkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-starkey/) > [My whole family is really tight-knit. We're a really good team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-henderson/my-whole-family-is-really-tight-knit-we-re-a-really-good-team/) [Logan Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-henderson/) > [When a person has cancer, the whole family really suffers with her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-jillian/when-a-person-has-cancer-the-whole-family-really-suffers-with-her/) [Ann Jillian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-jillian/) > [Why are all these refugees rushing to the beauty and strength of Europe and to the United States and not rushing to their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-t-flynn/why-are-all-these-refugees-rushing-to-the-beauty-and-strength-of/) [Michael T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-t-flynn/) > [A tiny blue dot set in a sunbeam. Here it is. That's where we live. That's home. We humans are one species and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/a-tiny-blue-dot-set-in-a-sunbeam-here-it-is-that-s-where-we-live-that/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [The only way we can change our world is to take responsibility for our part in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-bermingham/the-only-way-we-can-change-our-world-is-to-take-responsibility-for/) [Rachael Bermingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-bermingham/) > [Education is the best way to train ourselves that we will secure our own well-being by concerning ourselves with others. It is possible to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/education-is-the-best-way-to-train-ourselves-that-we-will-secure-our/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [“To make good environmental decision, we must stop focusing on trying to remove or undo human influence, on turning back time or freezing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-marris/to-make-good-environmental-decision-we-must-stop-focusing-on-trying/) [Emma Marris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-marris/) > [If you bring a child into the world, you have a responsibility to that child in every sense of the word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-r-jaffe/if-you-bring-a-child-into-the-world-you-have-a-responsibility-to-that/) [Stanley R. Jaffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-r-jaffe/) > [You ask why London has to 'stand for' anything. One response is that in fact it always inevitably does. One could say at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-massey/you-ask-why-london-has-to-stand-for-anything-one-response-is-that-in/) [Doreen Massey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-massey/) > [We do not have to accept the world as we find it. And we have a responsibility to leave our world a better place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-miliband/we-do-not-have-to-accept-the-world-as-we-find-it-and-we-have-a/) [Ed Miliband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-miliband/) > [“Now especially since man has the strength to destroy the world, it is the responsibility of man to keep it alive, in all its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cooper/now-especially-since-man-has-the-strength-to-destroy-the-world-it-is/) [Susan Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cooper/) > [All that means to me is that people who have a vision of a better world have a responsibility to open their eyes, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/all-that-means-to-me-is-that-people-who-have-a-vision-of-a-better/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [The world is our responsibility. We cannot evade it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/the-world-is-our-responsibility-we-cannot-evade-it/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) ## More by Anne Lamott > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [It's funny where we look for salvation, and where we actually find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/it-s-funny-where-we-look-for-salvation-and-where-we-actually-find-it/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Publication is not all that it is cracked up to be. But writing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/publication-is-not-all-that-it-is-cracked-up-to-be-but-writing-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/your-problem-is-how-you-are-going-to-spend-this-one-odd-and-precious/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. What I resist is not the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/and-yet-i-do-believe-there-is-ultimately-meaning-in-the-chaos-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Raising a child, whether or not it is yours, is like Nautilus of the heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/raising-a-child-whether-or-not-it-is-yours-is-like-nautilus-of-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I heard a preacher say recently that hope is a revolutionary patience; let me add that so is being a writer. Hope begins in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-heard-a-preacher-say-recently-that-hope-is-a-revolutionary-patience/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-think-perfectionism-is-based-on-the-obsessive-belief-that-if-you/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [All criticism hurts me. I'm so in the wrong business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/all-criticism-hurts-me-i-m-so-in-the-wrong-business/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [We are going to die, as is everyone we adore - I hate this! But the question is, how do we live as women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-going-to-die-as-is-everyone-we-adore-i-hate-this-but-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You will go through your life thinking there was a day in second grade that you must have missed, when the grown-ups came in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-will-go-through-your-life-thinking-there-was-a-day-in-second/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You begin to string words together like beads to tell a story. You are desperate to communicate, to edify or entertain, to preserve moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-begin-to-string-words-together-like-beads-to-tell-a-story-you-are/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You lose the known package of your nice organized self almost instantly here. Overeating is one way back, the way it is at funerals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-lose-the-known-package-of-your-nice-organized-self-almost/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) [Explore all 976 Anne Lamott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Left to my own devices, my first inclination is to mess in other people's lives. I secretly believe my whole family, and really the whole world, is my responsibility.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Lamott" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/left-to-my-own-devices-my-first-inclination-is-to-mess-in-other/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/left-to-my-own-devices-my-first-inclination-is-to-mess-in-other/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b92/anne-lamott-188_believe_left-to-my-own-devices-my-first-inclinat_1217995.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b92/anne-lamott-188_believe_left-to-my-own-devices-my-first-inclinat_1217995.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b92/anne-lamott-188_believe_left-to-my-own-devices-my-first-inclinat_1217995.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Left to my own devices, my first inclination is to mess in other people's lives. I secretly believe my whole…” — Anne Lamott", "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 Lamott", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Left to my own devices, my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/left-to-my-own-devices-my-first-inclination-is-to-mess-in-other/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/left-to-my-own-devices-my-first-inclination-is-to-mess-in-other/#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 } } ] } ```