--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Face your embarrassment at being human…" description: "\"“Face your embarrassment at being human, and you’ll uncover a deep well of passion and compassion. It’s a great power, your Open Secret. When your hear..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/elizabeth-lesser-1683_compassion_face-your-embarrassment-at-being-human-a_382620.png" --- # Face your embarrassment at being human, and you’ll uncover… ![“Face your embarrassment at being human, and you’ll uncover a deep well of passion and compassion. It’s a great power, your Open Secret. When your heart is undefended, you make it safe for whomever you meet to put down his burden of hiding, and then you both can walk through the open door.” quote by Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/elizabeth-lesser-1683_compassion_face-your-embarrassment-at-being-human-a_382620.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/elizabeth-lesser-1683_compassion_face-your-embarrassment-at-being-human-a_382620.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/elizabeth-lesser-1683_compassion_face-your-embarrassment-at-being-human-a_382620.png) > ““Face your embarrassment at being human, and you’ll uncover a deep well of passion and compassion. It’s a great power, your Open Secret. When your heart is undefended, you make it safe for whomever you meet to put down his burden of hiding, and then you both can walk through the open door.”” [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acknowledging human vulnerability reveals compassion and shared humanity, creating mutual support and openness. **In simple terms:** Embracing flaws builds connection and compassion. Key Takeaway Be open about imperfections to foster empathy. Themes vulnerability compassion humanity Mood reflective empathetic Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - therapy - team building - personal growth Key Concepts psychology emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - What fears arise when you reveal weakness? - How can you balance openness with boundaries? A Different Perspective Over‑emphasis on vulnerability may lead to oversharing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Heart Undefended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-undefended-3467449/) [Open Door](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-door/) [Open Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-secret-295598/) [Passion Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion-compassion-728358/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) ## Related quotes > [“Rumi speaks of the Open Secret. He says that each one of us is trying to hide a secret—not a big bad secret, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/rumi-speaks-of-the-open-secret-he-says-that-each-one-of-us-is-trying/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [“How can it be when we’re all safeguarding the very same story? That’s why Rumi calls it an Open Secret.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/how-can-it-be-when-we-re-all-safeguarding-the-very-same-story-that-s/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [Love is that condition in the human spirit so profound that it allows me to survive, and better than that, to thrive with passion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/love-is-that-condition-in-the-human-spirit-so-profound-that-it-allows/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [It is an open secret that Jews do not work, but rather let others work for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-streicher/it-is-an-open-secret-that-jews-do-not-work-but-rather-let-others-work/) [Julius Streicher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-streicher/) > [Art like life is an open secret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/art-like-life-is-an-open-secret/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [Reason is like an open secret that can become known to anyone at any time; it is the quiet space into which everyone can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-jaspers/reason-is-like-an-open-secret-that-can-become-known-to-anyone-at-any/) [Karl Jaspers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-jaspers/) > [The open secret of real success is to throw your whole personality into your problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/the-open-secret-of-real-success-is-to-throw-your-whole-personality/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [“But open secret is a lie we like to tell ourselves. It's a lie we often told ourselves, in sickness and in health. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/but-open-secret-is-a-lie-we-like-to-tell-ourselves-it-s-a-lie-we/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Open Secret boasts a nifty plot and, in Coroner Fortin, a fascinating protagonist who will likely be around for a long time. Deryn Collier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-blunt/open-secret-boasts-a-nifty-plot-and-in-coroner-fortin-a-fascinating/) [Giles Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-blunt/) > [Love is an open secret, the most obvious thing in the world and the most hidden, with no why to how it keeps its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/love-is-an-open-secret-the-most-obvious-thing-in-the-world-and-the/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [The secret of Masonry, like the secret of life, can be known only by those who seek it, serve it, live it. It cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-howard-taft/the-secret-of-masonry-like-the-secret-of-life-can-be-known-only-by/) [William Howard Taft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-howard-taft/) > [The best part of life is not just surviving, but thriving with passion, compassion, humor, generosity, and kindness, and using these tools to improve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/the-best-part-of-life-is-not-just-surviving-but-thriving-with-passion-2/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [A religious man is a person... whose greatest passion is compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/a-religious-man-is-a-person-whose-greatest-passion-is-compassion/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [The question is not how to survive, but how to thrive with passion, compassion, humor and style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-question-is-not-how-to-survive-but-how-to-thrive-with-passion/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-mission-in-life-is-not-merely-to-survive-but-to-thrive-and-to-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Elizabeth Lesser > [“too—I realized that my only hope was to give up the life that had been, in order to make room for the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/too-i-realized-that-my-only-hope-was-to-give-up-the-life-that-had/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [“logotherapy,” which, in a nutshell, is about searching for the meaning packed in one’s baggage, something”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/logotherapy-which-in-a-nutshell-is-about-searching-for-the-meaning/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [“He was training people to become “sacred warriors”—not so that they could do battle with others but so that they could develop the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/he-was-training-people-to-become-sacred-warriors-not-so-that-they/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [“Rumi tells us that moment we accept what troubles we’ve been given, the door will open.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/rumi-tells-us-that-moment-we-accept-what-troubles-we-ve-been-given/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [If I pull from places of faith, joy and gratitude, then I have the wind of creativity behind me. And, my work in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/if-i-pull-from-places-of-faith-joy-and-gratitude-then-i-have-the-wind/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [I think as women and men become more conscious, the terms "woman/man" begin to lose meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/i-think-as-women-and-men-become-more-conscious-the-terms-woman-man/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [I actually don't think we're more divided than we were. I think it's more evident. It's more evident because of the internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/i-actually-don-t-think-we-re-more-divided-than-we-were-i-think-it-s/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [We think that maybe feminism isn't appropriate anymore, since Western women have really made enormous strides. But check out the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/we-think-that-maybe-feminism-isn-t-appropriate-anymore-since-western/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [Life is like a school; one can learn, one can graduate, one can skip a grade or stay behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/life-is-like-a-school-one-can-learn-one-can-graduate-one-can-skip-a/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [We must pay attention to the voice that calls us out of the safety zone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/we-must-pay-attention-to-the-voice-that-calls-us-out-of-the-safety/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [When we descend all the way down to the bottom of loss, and dwell patiently, with an open heart, in the darkness and pain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/when-we-descend-all-the-way-down-to-the-bottom-of-loss-and-dwell/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [The great loneliness- like the loneliness a caterpillar endures when she wraps herself in a silky shroud and begins the long transformation from chrysalis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/the-great-loneliness-like-the-loneliness-a-caterpillar-endures-when/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [“I accept now that the point of life is not to reach perfection but to befriend the fact that human beings are works in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/i-accept-now-that-the-point-of-life-is-not-to-reach-perfection-but-to/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [When women hear each other's stories, told from the heart, it gives us inspiration to keep on going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/when-women-hear-each-other-s-stories-told-from-the-heart-it-gives-us/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [“Patience is a hard discipline. It is not just waiting until something happens over which we have no control: the arrival of the bus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/patience-is-a-hard-discipline-it-is-not-just-waiting-until-something/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) [Explore all 216 Elizabeth Lesser quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) ## More Compassion quotes > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“If you refuse to use physical force, then you will be at the mercy of your oppressor!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/segun-magbagbeola/if-you-refuse-to-use-physical-force-then-you-will-be-at-the-mercy-of/) [Segun Magbagbeola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/segun-magbagbeola/) > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [“Helpers in every corner, helpers in every hood. That's how we'll make the move, to reform from rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/helpers-in-every-corner-helpers-in-every-hood-that-s-how-we-ll-make/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [May the gods have mercy on whoever pisses them off, because Zarek and Jericho will have none for them. (Madoc) You’d better be glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/may-the-gods-have-mercy-on-whoever-pisses-them-off-because-zarek-and/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [When you need empathy, you cannot give empathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/when-you-need-empathy-you-cannot-give-empathy/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“la ilaha ilallah muhammadun rasulullah, alaihi salatullah wa alihi wal ahibba "shine your mercy like the sun, and be gracious as the earth let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-al-habib/la-ilaha-ilallah-muhammadun-rasulullah-alaihi-salatullah-wa-alihi-wal/) [Talib al Habib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-al-habib/) > [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) [Browse all 9,892 Compassion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Face your embarrassment at being human, and you’ll uncover a deep well of passion and compassion. 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