--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In every encounter we either give life or…" description: "\"In every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange.\" — Brennan Manning" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/brennan-manning-959_drains_in-every-encounter-we-either-give-life-o_265121.png" --- # In every encounter we either give life or we drain it… ![“In every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange.” quote by Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/brennan-manning-959_drains_in-every-encounter-we-either-give-life-o_265121.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/brennan-manning-959_drains_in-every-encounter-we-either-give-life-o_265121.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/brennan-manning-959_drains_in-every-encounter-we-either-give-life-o_265121.png) > “In every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange.” [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Every interaction either energizes or depletes, leaving no neutral ground; our exchanges have inherent impact. **In simple terms:** Encounters either give life or drain it. Key Takeaway Choose to uplift others. Themes relationships energy interaction impact Mood reflective empathetic Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - teamwork - customer service - friendship - counseling Key Concepts psychology social dynamics intentionality Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn a draining interaction into a positive one? - What habits help you maintain energetic exchanges? A Different Perspective It ignores neutral or passive exchanges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drain Neutral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drain-neutral-2604976/) [Drains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drains/) [Encounter Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounter-life-1055824/) [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Exchanging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exchanging/) [Fresh start](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-start/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Drain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-drain-421291/) [Neutral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neutral/) [Neutral Exchange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neutral-exchange-2604975/) [Neutrality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neutrality/) [Wise words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wise-words/) [Words of wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-of-wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [“there is no such thing as a neutral exchange. You leave someone either a little better or a little worse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-neutral-exchange-you-leave-someone-either/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Anyone we come in contact with, we either offer them life, or we drain them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/anyone-we-come-in-contact-with-we-either-offer-them-life-or-we-drain/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [If you are a successful person and you let a lot of people in and around your life, they can drain your power. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-are-a-successful-person-and-you-let-a-lot-of-people-in-and/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“To feel someone’s life drain from their body by your hands . . . bad, bad people who need to be plucked from this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-cole/to-feel-someone-s-life-drain-from-their-body-by-your-hands-bad-bad/) [Tillie Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-cole/) > [“Perfect. Welcome to life at the bottom of the drain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-michaels/perfect-welcome-to-life-at-the-bottom-of-the-drain/) [Kris Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-michaels/) > [You need to shelter yourself from the abrasive forces of life that drain you and keep you in a lower state of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-need-to-shelter-yourself-from-the-abrasive-forces-of-life-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Every friend you encounter in life has a role to play in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaitan-fagbamila/every-friend-you-encounter-in-life-has-a-role-to-play-in-our-lives/) [OLAITAN FAGBAMILA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaitan-fagbamila/) > [You have been the one encounter in my life that can never be repeated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/you-have-been-the-one-encounter-in-my-life-that-can-never-be-repeated/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [“The most intriguing people you will encounter in this life are the people who had insights about you, that you didn't know about yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/the-most-intriguing-people-you-will-encounter-in-this-life-are-the/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Everything that we encounter in life is the result of our own actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hart/everything-that-we-encounter-in-life-is-the-result-of-our-own-actions/) [William Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hart/) > [“Enjoy each moment and each encounter throughout your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-don-brown/enjoy-each-moment-and-each-encounter-throughout-your-life/) [Asa Don Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-don-brown/) > [I think it's very important to grow as a person from the experiences you encounter in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raashi-khanna/i-think-it-s-very-important-to-grow-as-a-person-from-the-experiences/) [Raashi Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raashi-khanna/) > [“It is only when we stop that we can encounter life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/it-is-only-when-we-stop-that-we-can-encounter-life/) [Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [Everything you encounter is your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kosho-uchiyama/everything-you-encounter-is-your-life/) [Kosho Uchiyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kosho-uchiyama/) > [I know the situations that we do every week are all ones that I encounter in my life or will encounter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-heaton/i-know-the-situations-that-we-do-every-week-are-all-ones-that-i/) [Patricia Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-heaton/) ## More by Brennan Manning > [Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Judas could not face his shadow; Peter could. The latter befriended the impostor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/accepting-the-reality-of-our-sinfulness-means-accepting-our-authentic/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Trust is our gift back to God, and he finds it so enchanting that Jesus died for love of it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/trust-is-our-gift-back-to-god-and-he-finds-it-so-enchanting-that/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Genuine self-acceptance is not derived from the power of positive thinking, mind games or pop psychology. IT IS AN ACT OF FAITH in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/genuine-self-acceptance-is-not-derived-from-the-power-of-positive/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [That which is denied cannot be healed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/that-which-is-denied-cannot-be-healed/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“It is not objective proof of God’s existence that we want but the experience of God’s presence. That is the miracle we are really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/it-is-not-objective-proof-of-god-s-existence-that-we-want-but-the/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“He who is alone with his sins is utterly alone. It may be that Christians, notwithstanding corporate worship, common prayer, and all their fellowship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/he-who-is-alone-with-his-sins-is-utterly-alone-it-may-be-that/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [God not only loves me as I am, but also knows me as I am. Because of this I don't need to apply spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/god-not-only-loves-me-as-i-am-but-also-knows-me-as-i-am-because-of/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Grace abounds in contemporary movies, books, novels, films and music. If God is not in the whirlwind, He may be in a Woody Allen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/grace-abounds-in-contemporary-movies-books-novels-films-and-music-if/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [My trust in God flows out of the experience of his loving me, day in and day out, whether the day is stormy or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/my-trust-in-god-flows-out-of-the-experience-of-his-loving-me-day-in/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [I you think you've done it, then you're wrong. Because you're not finished until you have achieved everything that you never thought you could.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/i-you-think-you-ve-done-it-then-you-re-wrong-because-you-re-not/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [May all your expectations be frustrated, may all your plans be thwarted, may all your desires be withered into nothingness, that you may experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/may-all-your-expectations-be-frustrated-may-all-your-plans-be/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [Our identity rests in God's relentless tenderness for us revealed in Jesus Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/our-identity-rests-in-god-s-relentless-tenderness-for-us-revealed-in/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“When I get honest I admit that I am a bundle of paradoxes. I believe and I doubt, I hope and I get discouraged.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/when-i-get-honest-i-admit-that-i-am-a-bundle-of-paradoxes-i-believe/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“At Sunday worship, as in every dimension of our existence, many of us pretend to believe we are sinners. Consequently, all we can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/at-sunday-worship-as-in-every-dimension-of-our-existence-many-of-us/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“You tell others about Me - that I am a loving God. Your words are glib. My words are written in the blood of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/you-tell-others-about-me-that-i-am-a-loving-god-your-words-are-glib/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) [Explore all 320 Brennan Manning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) ## More Drains quotes > [When they started to drain a swamp where birds and fish had lived, for a new housing development down the road from his apartment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maile-meloy/when-they-started-to-drain-a-swamp-where-birds-and-fish-had-lived-for/) [Maile Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maile-meloy/) > [People project a grey energy that is very destructive to weaken you, to drain you - just as the snake uses position to capture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/people-project-a-grey-energy-that-is-very-destructive-to-weaken-you/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It was October again ... a glorious October, all red and gold, with mellow mornings when the valleys were filled with delicate mists as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/it-was-october-again-a-glorious-october-all-red-and-gold-with-mellow/) [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/) > [Whatever excites you, go do it. Whatever drains you, stop doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/whatever-excites-you-go-do-it-whatever-drains-you-stop-doing-it/) [Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/) > [I find Nigeria very frustrating. I am not alone in this. There are many Nigerians abroad. As you know, the brain drain is just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/i-find-nigeria-very-frustrating-i-am-not-alone-in-this-there-are-many/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [Ender stepped under the water and rinsed himself, took the sweat of combat and let it run down the drain. All gone, except they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/ender-stepped-under-the-water-and-rinsed-himself-took-the-sweat-of/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Holy is the dish and drain, the soap and sink, and the cup and plate and the warm wool socks, and the cold white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-newcomer/holy-is-the-dish-and-drain-the-soap-and-sink-and-the-cup-and-plate/) [Carrie Newcomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-newcomer/) > [If Under fell, if Over leaped, If death was life and Death life reaped, Something rises from the gloom, To make the Underland a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/if-under-fell-if-over-leaped-if-death-was-life-and-death-life-reaped/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [The culture of independent film criticism has totally gone down the drain and this seems to come with the territory of the consumer age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/the-culture-of-independent-film-criticism-has-totally-gone-down-the/) [Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/) > [Common courtesy dictates that we never drain the lifeblood of anyone to whom we've been formally introduced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/common-courtesy-dictates-that-we-never-drain-the-lifeblood-of-anyone/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [People only love you as long as they're getting something of you, but the minute you say something they don't want to hear or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-colfer/people-only-love-you-as-long-as-they-re-getting-something-of-you-but/) [Chris Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-colfer/) > [Jace looked as if she had slapped him. "Why are you determined not to believe us?" "Because she loves you," said Valentine. Clary felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/jace-looked-as-if-she-had-slapped-him-why-are-you-determined-not-to/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I'm not suggesting our music is the only music, but I am suggesting that there are certain elements in America's culture that are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-otis/i-m-not-suggesting-our-music-is-the-only-music-but-i-am-suggesting/) [Johnny Otis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-otis/) > [If a country can't save itself through the volunteer service of its own free people, then I say : Let the damned thing go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/if-a-country-can-t-save-itself-through-the-volunteer-service-of-its/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [I have already settled it for myself so flattery and criticism go down the same drain and I am quite free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-already-settled-it-for-myself-so-flattery-and-criticism-go/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 338 Drains quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drains/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brennan Manning" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/in-every-encounter-we-either-give-life-or-we-drain-it-there-is-no/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Drains" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/in-every-encounter-we-either-give-life-or-we-drain-it-there-is-no/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/brennan-manning-959_drains_in-every-encounter-we-either-give-life-o_265121.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/brennan-manning-959_drains_in-every-encounter-we-either-give-life-o_265121.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/418/brennan-manning-959_drains_in-every-encounter-we-either-give-life-o_265121.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange.” — Brennan Manning", "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": "Brennan Manning", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In every encounter we either give...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/in-every-encounter-we-either-give-life-or-we-drain-it-there-is-no/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/in-every-encounter-we-either-give-life-or-we-drain-it-there-is-no/#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 } } ] } ```