---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's our responsibility to sift the…"
description: "\"“It's our responsibility to sift the beliefs we've been given through the lens of self-sacrificing love- because it's not love if it only serves itself..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/diana-oestreich-37675_faith_it-s-our-responsibility-to-sift-the-beli_2040348.jpg"
---

#  It's our responsibility to sift the beliefs we've been…

![“It's our responsibility to sift the beliefs we've been given through the lens of self-sacrificing love- because it's not love if it only serves itself.” quote by Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/diana-oestreich-37675_faith_it-s-our-responsibility-to-sift-the-beli_2040348.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/diana-oestreich-37675_faith_it-s-our-responsibility-to-sift-the-beli_2040348.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/diana-oestreich-37675_faith_it-s-our-responsibility-to-sift-the-beli_2040348.jpg)

> ““It's our responsibility to sift the beliefs we've been given through the lens of self-sacrificing love- because it's not love if it only serves itself.””

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Love must be selfless; otherwise it is not true love.

**In simple terms:** Self-sacrificing love defines genuine affection.

Key Takeaway

Practice empathy and prioritize others' well-being.

Themes

love selflessness ethics

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- relationships
- volunteering
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

philosophy of love moral psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we balance self-care with selfless love?
- When does selflessness become unhealthy?

A Different Perspective

Self-sacrifice can lead to self-neglect.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Inspiring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiring/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Peacemaking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peacemaking/) [Responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/responsibility/) [Sacrificing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrificing/) [Sacrificing Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sacrificing-love/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Veteran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veteran/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/)

## Related quotes

> [“If choosing to love first can change enemies into friends on the battlefield of Iraq, I know that it can right here, in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/if-choosing-to-love-first-can-change-enemies-into-friends-on-the/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [“The amount of violence against another human being we are willing to accept is a litmus test for our own freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/the-amount-of-violence-against-another-human-being-we-are-willing-to/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [“Showing up when violence wounds a community is what love looks like in public. Loving first, with our presence instead of only our prayers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/showing-up-when-violence-wounds-a-community-is-what-love-looks-like/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [“Waging peace means we erase lines that tell us whose children are worthy to survive and whose children are disposable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/waging-peace-means-we-erase-lines-that-tell-us-whose-children-are/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [“Love is what I'm arming my sons with to go out in an angry and hurting world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/love-is-what-i-m-arming-my-sons-with-to-go-out-in-an-angry-and/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [“I'll never stop acknowledging the pain of others, because empathy is the flashlight leading us toward wholeness and healing. If we ignore those in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/i-ll-never-stop-acknowledging-the-pain-of-others-because-empathy-is/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [“You can build something new, one person, one relationship, one meal at a time. You can build friendships instead of watering the flowers alongside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/you-can-build-something-new-one-person-one-relationship-one-meal-at-a/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [I'm proud, I've been working with this kind of self-sacrificing people like you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/islom-karimov/i-m-proud-i-ve-been-working-with-this-kind-of-self-sacrificing-people/)

[Islom Karimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/islom-karimov/)

> [If you begin by sacrificing yourself to those you love, you will end by hating those to whom you have sacrificed yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/if-you-begin-by-sacrificing-yourself-to-those-you-love-you-will-end/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [The world is perishing from an orgy of self-sacrificing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/the-world-is-perishing-from-an-orgy-of-self-sacrificing/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [Love is sacrificing everything for the one you love no matter what the circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/love-is-sacrificing-everything-for-the-one-you-love-no-matter-what/)

[Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/)

> [Today, society is sacrificing love, values and dharma in its pursuit of materialistic gains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/today-society-is-sacrificing-love-values-and-dharma-in-its-pursuit-of/)

[Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/)

> [Being a mother has been my greatest teacher and also the most self-sacrificing thing I've ever done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katey-sagal/being-a-mother-has-been-my-greatest-teacher-and-also-the-most-self/)

[Katey Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katey-sagal/)

> [You're born to die, but you die to live by sacrificing everything. Love is sacrificial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/you-re-born-to-die-but-you-die-to-live-by-sacrificing-everything-love/)

[Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/)

> [Sacrificing in love is a sweetest sacrifice...!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sacrificing-in-love-is-a-sweetest-sacrifice/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Diana Oestreich

> [“If choosing to love first can change enemies into friends on the battlefield of Iraq, I know that it can right here, in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/if-choosing-to-love-first-can-change-enemies-into-friends-on-the/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [“You can build something new, one person, one relationship, one meal at a time. You can build friendships instead of watering the flowers alongside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/you-can-build-something-new-one-person-one-relationship-one-meal-at-a/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [“I'll never stop acknowledging the pain of others, because empathy is the flashlight leading us toward wholeness and healing. If we ignore those in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/i-ll-never-stop-acknowledging-the-pain-of-others-because-empathy-is/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [“Love is what I'm arming my sons with to go out in an angry and hurting world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/love-is-what-i-m-arming-my-sons-with-to-go-out-in-an-angry-and/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [“Waging peace means we erase lines that tell us whose children are worthy to survive and whose children are disposable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/waging-peace-means-we-erase-lines-that-tell-us-whose-children-are/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [“Showing up when violence wounds a community is what love looks like in public. Loving first, with our presence instead of only our prayers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/showing-up-when-violence-wounds-a-community-is-what-love-looks-like/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [“The amount of violence against another human being we are willing to accept is a litmus test for our own freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/the-amount-of-violence-against-another-human-being-we-are-willing-to/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [“We were outsider, yes, but insiders to a hard-won truth: giving your life away is the only way to truly find it. Loving our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/we-were-outsider-yes-but-insiders-to-a-hard-won-truth-giving-your/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [“I'm fighting for your freedom and my freedom. We must have Brave conversations. We must find out what we don't know. Waging peace requires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/i-m-fighting-for-your-freedom-and-my-freedom-we-must-have-brave/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [“Love is what I'm arming my son's with to go out in an angry and hurting world. This is the truest gift I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/love-is-what-i-m-arming-my-son-s-with-to-go-out-in-an-angry-and/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

> [“Violence isn't only bombs and bullets, it can be speaking words that dehumanize and looking away when someone needs you to lean in and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/violence-isn-t-only-bombs-and-bullets-it-can-be-speaking-words-that/)

[Diana Oestreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

[Explore all 12 Diana Oestreich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/)

## More Faith quotes

> [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/)

[Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/)

> [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/)

[St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/)

> [Keep the faith, and keep going strong!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/keep-the-faith-and-keep-going-strong/)

[Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/)

> [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/)

[John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/)

> [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/)

Riffat Hassan

> [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/)

[Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [“No man is prejudiced in favour of a thing, knowing it to be wrong. He is attached to it on the belief of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/no-man-is-prejudiced-in-favour-of-a-thing-knowing-it-to-be-wrong-he/)

[Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [Holiness sincerity, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/holiness-sincerity-and-faith/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [“The only limitations for your life are the limiting beliefs in your mind. —Matt Morris”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-morris-1/the-only-limitations-for-your-life-are-the-limiting-beliefs-in-your/)

Matt Morris (1

> [“Just because your faith is shaken doesn’t mean the faith is shaken. The eternal truths of the Kingdom aren’t altered or affected by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-arthur/just-because-your-faith-is-shaken-doesn-t-mean-the-faith-is-shaken/)

[Sarah Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-arthur/)

> [Grit, determination, the right amount of crazy, self belief - everything it takes to be a champion. I have that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/grit-determination-the-right-amount-of-crazy-self-belief-everything/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/)

[Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/)

> [Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/once-you-pull-the-trigger-you-ve-got-to-throw-balls-aggressively-and/)

[Alex Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-smith/)

[Browse all 37,796 Faith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It's our responsibility to sift the beliefs we've been given through the lens of self-sacrificing love- because it's not love if it only serves itself.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Diana Oestreich"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/it-s-our-responsibility-to-sift-the-beliefs-we-ve-been-given-through/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Faith"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/it-s-our-responsibility-to-sift-the-beliefs-we-ve-been-given-through/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/diana-oestreich-37675_faith_it-s-our-responsibility-to-sift-the-beli_2040348.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/diana-oestreich-37675_faith_it-s-our-responsibility-to-sift-the-beli_2040348.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/869/diana-oestreich-37675_faith_it-s-our-responsibility-to-sift-the-beli_2040348.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's our responsibility to sift the beliefs we've been given through the lens of self-sacrificing love…” — Diana Oestreich",
                "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": "Diana Oestreich",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-oestreich/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It's our responsibility to sift the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/it-s-our-responsibility-to-sift-the-beliefs-we-ve-been-given-through/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-oestreich/it-s-our-responsibility-to-sift-the-beliefs-we-ve-been-given-through/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
