--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We keep people down by lowering our…" description: "\"“We keep people down by lowering our expectations of them and then forcing them to live down to them.”\" — Debby Irving" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/debby-irving-25569_quote_we-keep-people-down-by-lowering-our-expe_2101423.jpg" --- # We keep people down by lowering our expectations of them… ![“We keep people down by lowering our expectations of them and then forcing them to live down to them.” quote by Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/debby-irving-25569_quote_we-keep-people-down-by-lowering-our-expe_2101423.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/debby-irving-25569_quote_we-keep-people-down-by-lowering-our-expe_2101423.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/debby-irving-25569_quote_we-keep-people-down-by-lowering-our-expe_2101423.jpg) > ““We keep people down by lowering our expectations of them and then forcing them to live down to them.”” [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lowering expectations limits people, causing them to conform to reduced standards and stifling potential. **In simple terms:** Low expectations trap people. Key Takeaway Raise expectations to empower others. Themes psychology motivation leadership Mood inspirational reflective Type motivational self‑help When to use this quote - education - workplace management - personal development Key Concepts self‑fulfilling prophecy empowerment Questions to Reflect On - What expectations are you setting for yourself? - How can you challenge limiting beliefs? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Expectations Forcing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations-forcing-4199466/) [Lowering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lowering/) [Lowering Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lowering-expectations-227489/) [People Lowering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-lowering-4199465/) ## Related quotes > [“Lowering expectations might spare your feelings, but it also limits your results.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/lowering-expectations-might-spare-your-feelings-but-it-also-limits/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [I don't see any reason to be lowering my expectations or my goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefanos-tsitsipas/i-don-t-see-any-reason-to-be-lowering-my-expectations-or-my-goals/) [Stefanos Tsitsipas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefanos-tsitsipas/) > [If we are going to compete in this world we're in today, there is no possible way we can do it with lowering expectations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/if-we-are-going-to-compete-in-this-world-we-re-in-today-there-is-no/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [The fact is that I'm interested in getting on with my job of holding the Government to account and I think that the Government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/the-fact-is-that-i-m-interested-in-getting-on-with-my-job-of-holding/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [“Choose one: chronic disappointment or lowering your expectations to the point where nothing can disappoint you. But consider also that you might miss feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/choose-one-chronic-disappointment-or-lowering-your-expectations-to/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [Good therapy, gently but firmly, moves people out of denial and compartmentalization. It helps clients to develop richer inner lives and greater self-knowledge. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pipher/good-therapy-gently-but-firmly-moves-people-out-of-denial-and/) [Mary Pipher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pipher/) > [“Somehow we've come to believe that greatness is only for the chosen few, for the superstars.The truth is, greatness is for us all. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nike/somehow-we-ve-come-to-believe-that-greatness-is-only-for-the-chosen/) [Nike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nike/) > [“If “ship early, ship often” is interpreted as the willingness to expose not-quite-feature-complete but well-tested products to the healthy pressures of real users, everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lucas/if-ship-early-ship-often-is-interpreted-as-the-willingness-to-expose/) [Peter Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lucas/) > [Lord knows I'm all for lowering rates and simplifying the tax code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wilson/lord-knows-i-m-all-for-lowering-rates-and-simplifying-the-tax-code/) [Rick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wilson/) > [The tax code is very inefficient. Both the personal tax code and the corporate tax code. By closing loopholes and lowering rates, you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/the-tax-code-is-very-inefficient-both-the-personal-tax-code-and-the/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [Business cycles lengthened greatly during the 20th century, as central banks learned to manage national economies by raising and lowering interest rates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/business-cycles-lengthened-greatly-during-the-20th-century-as-central/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [Putting his hope in certain death, lowering his head again to the grass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-levertov/putting-his-hope-in-certain-death-lowering-his-head-again-to-the-grass/) [Denise Levertov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-levertov/) > [When Gingrich attacked CNN's John King for bringing up his alleged proposal of an open marriage to his second wife, Gingrich accused him of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/when-gingrich-attacked-cnn-s-john-king-for-bringing-up-his-alleged/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [The Affordable Care Act has been designed to provide health security by driving competition, lowering premiums, and protecting families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-b-rangel/the-affordable-care-act-has-been-designed-to-provide-health-security/) [Charles B. Rangel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-b-rangel/) > [If the cost is lowering one's ego and a bit of money, so be it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayib-bukele/if-the-cost-is-lowering-one-s-ego-and-a-bit-of-money-so-be-it/) [Nayib Bukele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayib-bukele/) ## More by Debby Irving > [“Only a small part of reality, for a human being, is what is actually going on; the greater part is what he imagines in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/only-a-small-part-of-reality-for-a-human-being-is-what-is-actually/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“Be it Europeans’ initial assumption of the right to invade in the 1600s, the Indian Removal Act in the 1800s, or the English-only acts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/be-it-europeans-initial-assumption-of-the-right-to-invade-in-the/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“Shifting from a superior/inferior paradigm to a strength-in-difference paradigm was kind of a good news/bad news situation. On the downside, I had to admit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/shifting-from-a-superior-inferior-paradigm-to-a-strength-in/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“Any cycle that traps someone in a state of perpetual disadvantage is the real issue for the person experiencing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/any-cycle-that-traps-someone-in-a-state-of-perpetual-disadvantage-is/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [ “Eduardo Bonilla-Silva comments: “\[The\] melting pot never included people of color. Blacks, Chinese, Puerto Ricans, et cetera, could not melt into the pot. They… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/eduardo-bonilla-silva-comments-the-melting-pot-never-included-people/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“The story of race has become a self-fulfilling, self-perpetuating prophecy as the story creates the ideas, which then reinforce the story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/the-story-of-race-has-become-a-self-fulfilling-self-perpetuating/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“Choosing to engage in the effort to dismantle racism promises to bring with it discomfort, yet how can I compare my discomfort to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/choosing-to-engage-in-the-effort-to-dismantle-racism-promises-to/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“Racism demands an artificial and divisive construction of humanity, in terms of how I make sense of others and also how I envision myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/racism-demands-an-artificial-and-divisive-construction-of-humanity-in/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“Understanding whiteness, regardless of class, is key to understanding racism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/understanding-whiteness-regardless-of-class-is-key-to-understanding/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“I now understand that acting like a white American wasn’t just a “When in Rome do as the Romans do” cultural sensibility, but a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/i-now-understand-that-acting-like-a-white-american-wasn-t-just-a-when/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“I’ve heard it said that conversations are the way human beings think together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/i-ve-heard-it-said-that-conversations-are-the-way-human-beings-think/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“If there’s a place for tolerance in racial healing, perhaps it has to do with tolerating my own feelings of discomfort that arise when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/if-there-s-a-place-for-tolerance-in-racial-healing-perhaps-it-has-to/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“My white skin, an epidermal gold card, has greased the skids for a life full of opportunities and rewards”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/my-white-skin-an-epidermal-gold-card-has-greased-the-skids-for-a-life/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“Each cultural norm motivated me to fit in while judging others who didn’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/each-cultural-norm-motivated-me-to-fit-in-while-judging-others-who/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) > [“dysfunctional rescuing,” helping people in ways that actually disempower them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/dysfunctional-rescuing-helping-people-in-ways-that-actually/) [Debby Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) [Explore all 23 Debby Irving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/) ## More Expectations quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I say this all the time: I've always been really good at managing my expectations so that I'm not let down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-young/i-say-this-all-the-time-i-ve-always-been-really-good-at-managing-my/) [Brett Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-young/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [Keeping up with everybody's expectation is soooo hard!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi/keeping-up-with-everybody-s-expectation-is-soooo-hard/) [Naomi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi/) > [I recognize I am essentially a failed human being in the sense that I can't possibly live up to the expectations of an Almighty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-recognize-i-am-essentially-a-failed-human-being-in-the-sense-that-i/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [We're wired to expect the world to be brighter and more meaningful and more obviously interesting than it actually is. And when we realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/we-re-wired-to-expect-the-world-to-be-brighter-and-more-meaningful/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“Does your reality match your expectations? If not it's time to change either your expectations or your reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/does-your-reality-match-your-expectations-if-not-it-s-time-to-change/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [Jesus' kingdom was not like the popular expectation. He used the phrase 'kingdom of God' with a different meaning. His kingdom was not of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harpur/jesus-kingdom-was-not-like-the-popular-expectation-he-used-the-phrase/) [Tom Harpur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harpur/) > [Disappointment contains an appointment for doing much better. High expectations mean your higher capacity and belief in abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/disappointment-contains-an-appointment-for-doing-much-better-high/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [It's a good place when all you have is hope and not expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-boyle/it-s-a-good-place-when-all-you-have-is-hope-and-not-expectations/) [Danny Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-boyle/) > [When we give from a place of love, rather than from a place of expectation, more usually comes back to us than we could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/when-we-give-from-a-place-of-love-rather-than-from-a-place-of/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [Everybody out there watches the show and has expectations of wanting to be an 'Idol', but we're going to teach them how much hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-bice/everybody-out-there-watches-the-show-and-has-expectations-of-wanting/) [Bo Bice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-bice/) > [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) [Browse all 4,210 Expectations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We keep people down by lowering our expectations of them and then forcing them to live down to them.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Debby Irving" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/we-keep-people-down-by-lowering-our-expectations-of-them-and-then/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Expectations" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/we-keep-people-down-by-lowering-our-expectations-of-them-and-then/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/debby-irving-25569_quote_we-keep-people-down-by-lowering-our-expe_2101423.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/debby-irving-25569_quote_we-keep-people-down-by-lowering-our-expe_2101423.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/995/debby-irving-25569_quote_we-keep-people-down-by-lowering-our-expe_2101423.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We keep people down by lowering our expectations of them and then forcing them to live down to them.” — Debby Irving", "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": "Debby Irving", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-irving/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We keep people down by lowering...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/we-keep-people-down-by-lowering-our-expectations-of-them-and-then/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-irving/we-keep-people-down-by-lowering-our-expectations-of-them-and-then/#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 } } ] } ```