--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can spend our entire life betraying…" description: "\"“We can spend our entire life betraying ourself and choosing fitting in over standing alone. But once we've stood up for ourself and our beliefs, the b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1a/bren-brown-280_betrayal_we-can-spend-our-entire-life-betraying-o_1198296.jpg" --- # We can spend our entire life betraying ourself and… ![“We can spend our entire life betraying ourself and choosing fitting in over standing alone. But once we've stood up for ourself and our beliefs, the bar is higher. A wild heart fights fitting in and grieves betrayal.” quote by Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1a/bren-brown-280_betrayal_we-can-spend-our-entire-life-betraying-o_1198296.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1a/bren-brown-280_betrayal_we-can-spend-our-entire-life-betraying-o_1198296.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1a/bren-brown-280_betrayal_we-can-spend-our-entire-life-betraying-o_1198296.jpg) > ““We can spend our entire life betraying ourself and choosing fitting in over standing alone. But once we've stood up for ourself and our beliefs, the bar is higher. A wild heart fights fitting in and grieves betrayal.”” [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing conformity over authenticity leads to self‑betrayal; standing up for oneself raises personal standards and fuels a rebellious spirit. **In simple terms:** Being true to yourself is hard but rewarding. Key Takeaway Embrace authenticity, raise your standards. Themes authenticity self‑respect rebellion personal growth Mood reflective determined Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - career decisions - relationships - creative projects - social activism Key Concepts self‑identity social pressure inner conflict Questions to Reflect On - What beliefs are you willing to defend? - How does conformity limit your potential? A Different Perspective Standing alone can be isolating and risky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Betrayal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayal/) [Betraying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betraying/) [Betraying Ourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betraying-ourself-3583421/) [Entire life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire-life/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Grieves Betrayal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grieves-betrayal-3583420/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Betraying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-betraying-3583419/) [Standing alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standing-alone/) ## Related quotes > [My values are the basic foundations of my life; betraying them means betraying my own life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-values-are-the-basic-foundations-of-my-life-betraying-them-means/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/true-belonging-is-the-spiritual-practice-of-believing-in-and/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“And yet we cannot define as skillful killing one's fellow citizens, betraying one's friends, and showing no loyalty, mercy, or moral obligation. These means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/and-yet-we-cannot-define-as-skillful-killing-one-s-fellow-citizens/) [Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [One of the worst things is one of your friends betraying your trust these days you dont know who you can trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alanna/one-of-the-worst-things-is-one-of-your-friends-betraying-your-trust/) [Alanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alanna/) > [Those who feel guilty contemplating "betraying" the tradition they love by acknowledging their disapproval of elements within it should reflect on the fact that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/those-who-feel-guilty-contemplating-betraying-the-tradition-they-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love doesn’t stop people from betraying each other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/love-doesn-t-stop-people-from-betraying-each-other/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [I think my love of truth and honesty forces me to notice that the liberal intelligentsia of Western countries is betraying itself where Islam…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-think-my-love-of-truth-and-honesty-forces-me-to-notice-that-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“Betraying someone once can be a mistake. Betraying someone twice is a choice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garima-soni-words-world/betraying-someone-once-can-be-a-mistake-betraying-someone-twice-is-a/) [Garima Soni - words world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garima-soni-words-world/) > [Any who may wish to profit himself alone from the knowledge given him, rather than serve others through the knowledge he has gained from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haile-selassie/any-who-may-wish-to-profit-himself-alone-from-the-knowledge-given-him/) [Haile Selassie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haile-selassie/) > [“Tears welled in Penelope's eyes, making the blue even darker. Then she reeled back and slapped him hard enough that his cheek stung. "That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-michaels/tears-welled-in-penelope-s-eyes-making-the-blue-even-darker-then-she/) [Jess Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-michaels/) > [“That’s very trusting.” Iris watches Anke search our backpacks. “We’re saving people’s lives. We thought we could be,”Anke says. I’m more fixated on her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-duyvis/that-s-very-trusting-iris-watches-anke-search-our-backpacks-we-re/) [Corinne Duyvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-duyvis/) > [Indifference must be a crime in us, to be ranked but one degree below treachery; for deserting the commonwealth is next to betraying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/indifference-must-be-a-crime-in-us-to-be-ranked-but-one-degree-below/) [Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/) > [God makes me play well. That is why I always make the sign of a cross when I walk out on to the pitch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-maradona/god-makes-me-play-well-that-is-why-i-always-make-the-sign-of-a-cross/) [Diego Maradona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-maradona/) > [“If you don't use your experience, your past is wasted, and you are betraying yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-shepard/if-you-don-t-use-your-experience-your-past-is-wasted-and-you-are/) [Alan Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-shepard/) > [I can be taken away from myself quite easily, I kind of start betraying myself and compromising my integrity, to keep someone else happy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-lou-wood/i-can-be-taken-away-from-myself-quite-easily-i-kind-of-start/) [Aimee Lou Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-lou-wood/) ## More by Brené Brown > [We're raising children who have little tolerance for disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-raising-children-who-have-little-tolerance-for-disappointment/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“always put off writing by reorganizing my entire house and spending way too much time and money buying office supplies and organizing systems. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/always-put-off-writing-by-reorganizing-my-entire-house-and-spending/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [When you ask people about love, they tell you about heartbreak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/when-you-ask-people-about-love-they-tell-you-about-heartbreak/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“I can recognize shame when it’s happening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/i-can-recognize-shame-when-it-s-happening/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [I carry a small sheet of paper in my wallet that has written on it the names of people whose opinions of me matter.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/i-carry-a-small-sheet-of-paper-in-my-wallet-that-has-written-on-it/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/courage-starts-with-showing-up-and-letting-ourselves-be-seen/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Waking up every day and loving someone who may or may not love us back, whose safety we can't ensure, who may stay in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/waking-up-every-day-and-loving-someone-who-may-or-may-not-love-us/) [Brene Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“No matter how separated we are by what we think and believe, we are part of the same spiritual story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/no-matter-how-separated-we-are-by-what-we-think-and-believe-we-are/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Perfectionism is self-destructive simply because there is no such thing as perfect. Perfection is an unattainable goal. Additionally, perfectionism is more about perception -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/perfectionism-is-self-destructive-simply-because-there-is-no-such/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Shame corrodes the very part of us that believes we are capable of change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/shame-corrodes-the-very-part-of-us-that-believes-we-are-capable-of/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [If you're also in the arena and you're putting your ideas out and you're owning them and you're saying "I disagree with you about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/if-you-re-also-in-the-arena-and-you-re-putting-your-ideas-out-and-you/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“I found that men and women with high levels of shame resilience share these four elements: They understand shame and recognize what messages and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/i-found-that-men-and-women-with-high-levels-of-shame-resilience-share/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Connection gives purpose and meaning to our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/connection-gives-purpose-and-meaning-to-our-lives/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“But here’s the tricky part about compassion and connecting: We can’t call just anyone. It’s not that simple. I have a lot of good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/but-here-s-the-tricky-part-about-compassion-and-connecting-we-can-t/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [“It turns out to be the place of true belonging, and it's the bravest and most sacred place you'll stand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/it-turns-out-to-be-the-place-of-true-belonging-and-it-s-the-bravest/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) [Explore all 759 Brené Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) ## More Betrayal quotes > [“That's the catch about betrayal, of course: that it feels good, that there's something immensely pleasurable about moving from a complicated relationship which involves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/that-s-the-catch-about-betrayal-of-course-that-it-feels-good-that/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [God’s faithfulness is stronger than our unfaithfulness and our infidelities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-s-faithfulness-is-stronger-than-our-unfaithfulness-and-our/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“Flattery looks like friendship, just like a wolf looks like a dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice/flattery-looks-like-friendship-just-like-a-wolf-looks-like-a-dog/) [Oscar Auliq-Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-auliq-ice/) > [There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though ... betrayal is the willful slaughter of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/km-ii/there-is-no-deceit-in-death-it-delivers-precisely-what-it-has/) [KM II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/km-ii/) > [If you leave someone for another person, don't be surprised if that person leaves you for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-leave-someone-for-another-person-don-t-be-surprised-if-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As they say in New York, Get over it and, if you can't get over it, Get over talking about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/as-they-say-in-new-york-get-over-it-and-if-you-can-t-get-over-it-get/) [Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/) > [“He returned her gaze, yearning for sentimental solace; love which emanated from a familiar source, mattered little how bedevilling. They shared an intimate moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-h-septimius/he-returned-her-gaze-yearning-for-sentimental-solace-love-which/) [A. H. Septimius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-h-septimius/) > [I was always here for you,you knew you could count on me and trust me blindly, and you knew that I would never tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hayssus/i-was-always-here-for-you-you-knew-you-could-count-on-me-and-trust-me/) [Michael Hayssus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hayssus/) > [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/joy-doesn-t-betray-but-sustains-activism-and-when-you-face-a-politics/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Betrayal and love are not mutually exclusive." (Mordred)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-mercer/betrayal-and-love-are-not-mutually-exclusive-mordred/) [Aldous Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-mercer/) > [Love comes exactly... To those who still hope, even though they've been disappointed. To those who still believe, even though they've been betrayed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mizhan/love-comes-exactly-to-those-who-still-hope-even-though-they-ve-been/) [Mizhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mizhan/) > [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [Betrayal is a serious thing in this world,you know what else is serious? Being lied to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina/betrayal-is-a-serious-thing-in-this-world-you-know-what-else-is/) [Sabrina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina/) > [The greatest temptation for the like of us is: to renounce violence, to repent, to make peace with oneself. Most revolutionaries fell before this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-greatest-temptation-for-the-like-of-us-is-to-renounce-violence-to/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [“Sarai, you never know who might betray you until it’s too late.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-redmerski/sarai-you-never-know-who-might-betray-you-until-it-s-too-late/) [J.A. Redmerski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-redmerski/) [Browse all 2,050 Betrayal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We can spend our entire life betraying ourself and choosing fitting in over standing alone. But once we've stood up for ourself and our beliefs, the bar is higher. 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