--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have failed to practise ourselves the…" description: "\"We have failed to practise ourselves the kind of behaviour we expect from other people.\" — C. S. Lewis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/c-s-lewis-2-132_behaviour_we-have-failed-to-practise-ourselves-the_1661140.png" --- # We have failed to practise ourselves the kind of behaviour… ![“We have failed to practise ourselves the kind of behaviour we expect from other people.” quote by C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/c-s-lewis-2-132_behaviour_we-have-failed-to-practise-ourselves-the_1661140.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/c-s-lewis-2-132_behaviour_we-have-failed-to-practise-ourselves-the_1661140.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66a/c-s-lewis-2-132_behaviour_we-have-failed-to-practise-ourselves-the_1661140.png) > “We have failed to practise ourselves the kind of behaviour we expect from other people.” [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A critique of hypocrisy, highlighting that we often fail to model the behavior we demand from others. **In simple terms:** We don’t practice what we expect from others. Key Takeaway Lead by example and embody desired behavior. Themes ethics leadership hypocrisy Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - team management - parenting - public service - community building Key Concepts moral philosophy social modeling Questions to Reflect On - What behavior do you expect from others? - How can you model it consistently? A Different Perspective Changing personal behavior can be challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Behaviour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behaviour/) [Behaviour Expect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behaviour-expect-760470/) [Expect People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expect-people/) [Failed Practise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failed-practise-760472/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Kind Behaviour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind-behaviour-760471/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Practise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practise/) ## Related quotes > [There's something about trying to figure out why someone is doing something that on the outside is horrible - what drives them to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-strahovski/there-s-something-about-trying-to-figure-out-why-someone-is-doing/) [Yvonne Strahovski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-strahovski/) > [“I am only trying to call attention to a fact; the fact that this year, or this month, or, more likely, this very day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-only-trying-to-call-attention-to-a-fact-the-fact-that-this-year/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In a Society in which there is no law, and in theory no compulsion, the only arbiter of behaviour is public opinion. But public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-a-society-in-which-there-is-no-law-and-in-theory-no-compulsion-the/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [You can't just trot out a brown face or a Spanish surname and expect people are going to vote for your party or your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-villaraigosa/you-can-t-just-trot-out-a-brown-face-or-a-spanish-surname-and-expect/) [Antonio Villaraigosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-villaraigosa/) > [I think disparaging something you don't understand, while a very normal thing - I expect more from serious people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zal-batmanglij/i-think-disparaging-something-you-don-t-understand-while-a-very/) [Zal Batmanglij](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zal-batmanglij/) > [When you give, expect nothing from people and everything from Allah.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-suleiman/when-you-give-expect-nothing-from-people-and-everything-from-allah/) [Omar Suleiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-suleiman/) > [All the work that I have done is the type I would want to watch. 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I am who I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bowman/i-don-t-expect-people-to-know-me-i-am-just-someone-you-need-to-get/) [Bowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bowman/) ## More by C. S. Lewis > [One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/one-of-our-great-allies-at-present-is-the-church-itself-do-not/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Either Jesus is the Son of God ; or a madman or worse. But His being just a great teacher? He's not left that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/either-jesus-is-the-son-of-god-or-a-madman-or-worse-but-his-being/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [To every soul, God will look like its first love because He IS its first love. Your place in heaven will seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/to-every-soul-god-will-look-like-its-first-love-because-he-is-its/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Don't you understand anything? Isn't it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/don-t-you-understand-anything-isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“Really great moral teachers never do introduce new moralities: it is quacks and cranks who do that. As”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/really-great-moral-teachers-never-do-introduce-new-moralities-it-is/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“When He died in the Wounded World He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/when-he-died-in-the-wounded-world-he-died-not-for-men-but-for-each/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [All I am in private life is a literary critic and historian, that's my job...And I'm prepared to say on that basis if anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/all-i-am-in-private-life-is-a-literary-critic-and-historian-that-s-my/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [If a man is going to write on chemistry, he learns chemistry. The same is true of Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/if-a-man-is-going-to-write-on-chemistry-he-learns-chemistry-the-same/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [The first fact in the history of Christendom is a number of people who say they have seen the Resurrection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-first-fact-in-the-history-of-christendom-is-a-number-of-people/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [I#pray because the need flows out of me all the time-walking and sleeping. It does not change # God - it changes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/i-pray-because-the-need-flows-out-of-me-all-the-time-walking-and/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Are the gods not just?' 'Oh no, child. What would become us us if they were?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/are-the-gods-not-just-oh-no-child-what-would-become-us-us-if-they-were/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Love is more than an emotion, it is a decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/love-is-more-than-an-emotion-it-is-a-decision/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Ink is the great cure for all human ills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/ink-is-the-great-cure-for-all-human-ills/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [A man may have to die for our country: but no man must, in any exclusive sense, live for his country. He who surrenders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/a-man-may-have-to-die-for-our-country-but-no-man-must-in-any/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [War creates no absolutely new situation: it simply aggravates the permanent human situation so that we can no longer ignore it. Human life has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/war-creates-no-absolutely-new-situation-it-simply-aggravates-the/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) [Explore all 1,190 C. S. Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) ## More Behaviour quotes > [Nobody has the right to put another under such a difficulty that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth or hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nobody-has-the-right-to-put-another-under-such-a-difficulty-that-he/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“Do you keep pace with those around you, or do you decide yourself just how you will live your life? The truth is...only you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/do-you-keep-pace-with-those-around-you-or-do-you-decide-yourself-just/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [I don't see much future for the Americans ... it's a decayed country. And they have their racial problem, and the problem of social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-don-t-see-much-future-for-the-americans-it-s-a-decayed-country-and/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [“To live without any regret is to act right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/to-live-without-any-regret-is-to-act-right/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [High testosterone levels have been proven to make men more likely to commit crimes. The tendency in men toward risky behaviour keeps turning up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-stark/high-testosterone-levels-have-been-proven-to-make-men-more-likely-to/) [Rodney Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-stark/) > [No one likes to admit they are racist or bear prejudices. 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I can't bear it, I can't bear inequality, I can't bear bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-suzman/i-think-it-s-a-very-central-tenet-to-it-yes-it-is-i-can-t-bear-it-i/) [Janet Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-suzman/) > [Look, I was only given a year or two to come up with tunes for this record, and when all but eight of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gorrie/look-i-was-only-given-a-year-or-two-to-come-up-with-tunes-for-this/) [Alan Gorrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gorrie/) > [Behaviour is a mirror in which everyone shows his image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinesh/behaviour-is-a-mirror-in-which-everyone-shows-his-image/) [Vinesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinesh/) > [There's a wow factor associated with my name. 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