--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you stop expecting people to be…" description: "\"When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are. And when you stop expecting material possessions to complete you, you..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e5/donald-miller-607_ends_when-you-stop-expecting-people-to-be-per_710769.png" --- # When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like… ![“When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are. And when you stop expecting material possessions to complete you, you'd be surprised at how much pleasure you get in material possessions. And when you stop expecting God to end all your troubles, you'd be surprised…” quote by Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e5/donald-miller-607_ends_when-you-stop-expecting-people-to-be-per_710769.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e5/donald-miller-607_ends_when-you-stop-expecting-people-to-be-per_710769.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e5/donald-miller-607_ends_when-you-stop-expecting-people-to-be-per_710769.png) > “When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are. And when you stop expecting material possessions to complete you, you'd be surprised at how much pleasure you get in material possessions. And when you stop expecting God to end all your troubles, you'd be surprised how much you like spending time with God.” [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Releasing unrealistic expectations of people, possessions, and divine intervention leads to genuine contentment. **In simple terms:** Let go of perfection and material dependence. Key Takeaway Cultivate realistic expectations. Themes contentment expectations spirituality materialism Mood reflective hopeful Type self‑help philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - financial planning - spiritual practice - mental health Key Concepts psychology philosophy spiritual growth Questions to Reflect On - What expectations limit your happiness? - How can you find balance between desire and acceptance? A Different Perspective May underestimate systemic issues affecting well‑being. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Material possessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/material-possessions/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Possession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possession/) [Possessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possessions/) [Spending time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spending-time/) [Time with god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-with-god/) ## Related quotes > [“When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you like them for who they are. And when you stop expecting material possessions to complete…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/when-you-stop-expecting-people-to-be-perfect-you-like-them-for-who/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [Am I as spontaneously kind to God as I used to be, or am I only expecting God to be kind to me? Am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/am-i-as-spontaneously-kind-to-god-as-i-used-to-be-or-am-i-only/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [I've done everything for the wrong reasons. All the good works people credit to me are nothing because I did them expecting God to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/i-ve-done-everything-for-the-wrong-reasons-all-the-good-works-people/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [Stop judging God based on what others do or don't do for you. 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We must search for some other coin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cudahy/our-greatest-illusion-is-reliance-upon-the-security-and-permanence-of/) John Cudahy > [“If he so much as mentioned the absence of any trunks or material possessions that constituted things she could attend to, by God, she'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christi-caldwell/if-he-so-much-as-mentioned-the-absence-of-any-trunks-or-material/) [Christi Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christi-caldwell/) > [Men are not great or small because of their material possessions. 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We do not own them, but they can own us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillon-burroughs/it-is-foolish-to-hold-tightly-to-material-possessions-we-do-not-own/) [Dillon Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillon-burroughs/) > [How you spend your time is far more important than all the material possessions you may own or positions you may attain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/how-you-spend-your-time-is-far-more-important-than-all-the-material/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [In sports teams, apart from talk of sporting prowess and the imparting of inspirational thought, an extraordinary amount of time is spent discussing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harsha-bhogle/in-sports-teams-apart-from-talk-of-sporting-prowess-and-the-imparting/) [Harsha Bhogle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harsha-bhogle/) ## More by Donald Miller > [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. 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