--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Compromise is necessary ... so long as…" description: "\"Compromise is necessary ... so long as you never give up who you are. That isn't compromise; that's spiritual death. You have to remain true to yoursel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98c/charles-de-lint-1481_compromise_compromise-is-necessary-so-long-as-you-n_891274.png" --- # Compromise is necessary ... so long as you never give up… ![“Compromise is necessary ... so long as you never give up who you are. That isn't compromise; that's spiritual death. You have to remain true to yourself.” quote by Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98c/charles-de-lint-1481_compromise_compromise-is-necessary-so-long-as-you-n_891274.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98c/charles-de-lint-1481_compromise_compromise-is-necessary-so-long-as-you-n_891274.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98c/charles-de-lint-1481_compromise_compromise-is-necessary-so-long-as-you-n_891274.png) > “Compromise is necessary ... so long as you never give up who you are. That isn't compromise; that's spiritual death. You have to remain true to yourself.” [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Compromise that forces you to abandon your core identity is not true compromise but self‑destruction; stay authentic. **In simple terms:** Never sacrifice your true self for false compromise. Key Takeaway Guard your identity. Themes authenticity integrity self‑respect Mood reflective determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - relationships - career decisions - social pressures Key Concepts existentialism personal values Questions to Reflect On - When have you felt pressured to change who you are? - What boundaries protect your sense of self? A Different Perspective Compromise may be necessary, but not at the cost of core values. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compromise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compromise/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-up/) [Negotiation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negotiation/) [Never giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-giving-up/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Spiritual death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual-death/) [True to yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-to-yourself/) ## Related quotes > [Put crudely, one is left with a choice between two unsatisfactory combinations: artistic integrity married to spiritual compromise; and spiritual integrity married to artistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-walford/put-crudely-one-is-left-with-a-choice-between-two-unsatisfactory/) [John Walford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-walford/) > [For the young people here: practicality is a good thing. There are times where compromise is necessary. That's part of wisdom. But it's also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/for-the-young-people-here-practicality-is-a-good-thing-there-are/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Many of us have convinced ourselves that compromise is necessary to achieve our goals, that all of our goals are not attainable so we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/many-of-us-have-convinced-ourselves-that-compromise-is-necessary-to/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [Prudence and compromise are necessary means, but every man should have an impudent end which he will not compromise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-horton-cooley/prudence-and-compromise-are-necessary-means-but-every-man-should-have/) [Charles Horton Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-horton-cooley/) > [I believe there are two sides to the phenomenon known as death, this side where we live, and the other side where we shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/i-believe-there-are-two-sides-to-the-phenomenon-known-as-death-this-2/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [Begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it were the only one we had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/begin-to-live-each-day-to-the-fullest-as-if-it-were-the-only-one-we/) [Elisabeth Kubler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [“Thus the whole death is not the biological phenomenon of death but the spiritual reality whose "sting... is sin" (1 Cor. 15:56) - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-schmemann/thus-the-whole-death-is-not-the-biological-phenomenon-of-death-but/) [Alexander Schmemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-schmemann/) > [There is little hope for us until we become tough-minded enough to break loose from the shackles of prejudice, half-truths, and downright ignorance. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/there-is-little-hope-for-us-until-we-become-tough-minded-enough-to-2/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [After death the soul possesses self-consciousness, otherwise, it would be the subject of spiritual death, which has already been disproved. With this self-consciousness necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/after-death-the-soul-possesses-self-consciousness-otherwise-it-would/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [“Birth in the physical is death in the spiritual. Death in the physical is birth in the spiritual.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/birth-in-the-physical-is-death-in-the-spiritual-death-in-the-physical/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [“A person whom is dissatisfied with the existing constitution of the self might wish to eradicate the self. A spiritual death can take the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/a-person-whom-is-dissatisfied-with-the-existing-constitution-of-the/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“We tend to have a limited concept of spiritual death as saying no only to things we want or covet -- our guilty pleasures…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pearcey/we-tend-to-have-a-limited-concept-of-spiritual-death-as-saying-no/) [Nancy Pearcey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pearcey/) > [I do have commitment phobia, which I think is underlied by death anxiety. I feel that if you are in a relationship, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-karpovsky/i-do-have-commitment-phobia-which-i-think-is-underlied-by-death/) [Alex Karpovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-karpovsky/) > [A nation that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/a-nation-that-continues-to-produce-soft-minded-men-purchases-its-own/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/a-nation-or-civilization-that-continues-to-produce-soft-minded-men/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) ## More by Charles de Lint > [The family we choose for ourselves is more important than the one we were born into; that people have to earn our respect and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/the-family-we-choose-for-ourselves-is-more-important-than-the-one-we/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [Every time you do a good deed you shine the light a little farther into the dark. And the thing is, when you're gone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/every-time-you-do-a-good-deed-you-shine-the-light-a-little-farther/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [The road leading to a goal does not separate you from the destination; it is essentially a part of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/the-road-leading-to-a-goal-does-not-separate-you-from-the-destination/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [“Maybe she couldn’t go. Maybe she wanted him to stay. But she knew enough not to try to hold him back if he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/maybe-she-couldn-t-go-maybe-she-wanted-him-to-stay-but-she-knew/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [The magic in this world seems to work in whispers and small kindnesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/the-magic-in-this-world-seems-to-work-in-whispers-and-small-kindnesses/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [You can take the woman outta the trash, but you can't take the trash out a the woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/you-can-take-the-woman-outta-the-trash-but-you-can-t-take-the-trash/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [“You hear this kind of thing, rednecks and their guys and--" "Don't call them that," I say. "They're just assholes. Most people you run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/you-hear-this-kind-of-thing-rednecks-and-their-guys-and-don-t-call/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [Fortune-telling doesn't reveal the future; it mirrors the present. It resonates against what your subconscious already knows and hauls it up out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/fortune-telling-doesn-t-reveal-the-future-it-mirrors-the-present-it/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [When you're touched by magic, nothing's ever quite the same again. What really makes me sad is all those people who never have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/when-you-re-touched-by-magic-nothing-s-ever-quite-the-same-again-what/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [There are few joys to compare with the telling of a well-told tale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/there-are-few-joys-to-compare-with-the-telling-of-a-well-told-tale/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [How hard would it be to ask children what they see in their heads? How big should the house be in comparison to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/how-hard-would-it-be-to-ask-children-what-they-see-in-their-heads-how/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [... we chase after ghosts and spirits and are left holding only memories and dreams. It's not that we want what we can't have;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/we-chase-after-ghosts-and-spirits-and-are-left-holding-only-memories/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [Writing music uses a whole different process that involves a lot of noodling and just seeing what comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/writing-music-uses-a-whole-different-process-that-involves-a-lot-of/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [The real problem is, people think life is a ladder, and it's really a wheel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/the-real-problem-is-people-think-life-is-a-ladder-and-it-s-really-a/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [Tattoos...are the stories in your heart, written on your skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/tattoos-are-the-stories-in-your-heart-written-on-your-skin/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) [Explore all 237 Charles de Lint quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) ## More Compromise quotes > [Leaders need to compromise, negotiate with members of both parties and ideologies, and reform health care the right way - by developing a strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-boustany/leaders-need-to-compromise-negotiate-with-members-of-both-parties-and/) [Charles Boustany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-boustany/) > [A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-erhard/a-compromise-is-the-art-of-dividing-a-cake-in-such-a-way-that/) Ludwig Erhard > [Real love is not based upon romance,candle light,dinner and walk along beach.Infact,It's based on care,compromise,respect and trust..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/real-love-is-not-based-upon-romance-candle-light-dinner-and-walk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Simple answers, reductionist politics, are the most prone to compromise, to saying we’re addressing the essential issue and all that other stuff can slide.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/simple-answers-reductionist-politics-are-the-most-prone-to-compromise/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“I’m not sure sex qualifies as R and R, but it’s a compromise I can live with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-morgen/i-m-not-sure-sex-qualifies-as-r-and-r-but-it-s-a-compromise-i-can/) Shelby Morgen > [You know what the Englishman's idea of compromise is? He says, Some people say there is a God. Some people say there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/you-know-what-the-englishman-s-idea-of-compromise-is-he-says-some/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [But if you get chronically, psychosocially stressed, you're going to compromise your health. So, essentially, we've evolved to be smart enough to make ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/but-if-you-get-chronically-psychosocially-stressed-you-re-going-to/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [The human spirit will not invest itself in a compromise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fritz/the-human-spirit-will-not-invest-itself-in-a-compromise/) [Robert Fritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fritz/) > [No relationship is perfect, ever. There are always some ways you have to bend, to compromise, to give something up in order to gain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/no-relationship-is-perfect-ever-there-are-always-some-ways-you-have/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“And what would you like, Sharie?" asked Miss Mush. "What do you have?" asked Sharie. "Potato salad". "What else is there?" asked Sharie. "Nothing"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-sachar/and-what-would-you-like-sharie-asked-miss-mush-what-do-you-have-asked/) [Louis Sachar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-sachar/) > [A lasting relationship consists of the 3 C's: Commitment. Communication. Compromise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/a-lasting-relationship-consists-of-the-3-c-s-commitment-communication/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [As a politician - particularly as a politician in a coalition - you quickly realise that compromise is a part of the game. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-davey/as-a-politician-particularly-as-a-politician-in-a-coalition-you/) [Edward Davey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-davey/) > [“The fact that I can get away with something is the very reason why I shouldn’t do it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-fact-that-i-can-get-away-with-something-is-the-very-reason-why-i/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [There could be some compromise, but I think we have to stick to the provisions of the treaty, and the provisions of the treaty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-santer/there-could-be-some-compromise-but-i-think-we-have-to-stick-to-the/) [Jacques Santer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-santer/) > [Love is not only about romance, candle-lit dinners and walking hand in hand. In fact, real love is about a lifetime of compromise, commitment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aarti-khurana/love-is-not-only-about-romance-candle-lit-dinners-and-walking-hand-in/) [Aarti Khurana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aarti-khurana/) [Browse all 2,076 Compromise quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compromise/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Compromise is necessary ... so long as you never give up who you are. 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