--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Be messy and complicated and afraid and…" description: "\"“Be messy and complicated and afraid and show up anyways.”\" — Glennon Doyle Melton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/glennon-doyle-melton-3408_complicated_be-messy-and-complicated-and-afraid-and_528597.jpg" --- # Be messy and complicated and afraid and show up anyways. ![“Be messy and complicated and afraid and show up anyways.” quote by Glennon Doyle Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/glennon-doyle-melton-3408_complicated_be-messy-and-complicated-and-afraid-and_528597.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/glennon-doyle-melton-3408_complicated_be-messy-and-complicated-and-afraid-and_528597.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/glennon-doyle-melton-3408_complicated_be-messy-and-complicated-and-afraid-and_528597.jpg) > ““Be messy and complicated and afraid and show up anyways.”” [Glennon Doyle Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle-melton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Embrace messiness, complexity, fear, and still show up, because showing up matters more than perfection. **In simple terms:** Be imperfect and present despite fear. Key Takeaway Show up, regardless of how messy you feel. Themes courage authenticity vulnerability Mood inspirational motivational Type personal empowering When to use this quote - public speaking - creative projects - personal challenges - daily routines Key Concepts Self‑acceptance resilience Questions to Reflect On - What messy situation will you face today? - How does fear motivate you to act? 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I knew it was just where I lived.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-granduciel/i-d-think-the-house-was-the-source-of-great-sadness-or-pressure-i/) [Adam Granduciel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-granduciel/) > [“It’s the difference between dancing along the eggshell crust of acquaintance and diving into the messy center of a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-s-the-difference-between-dancing-along-the-eggshell-crust-of/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More by Glennon Doyle Melton > [“Just do the next right thing, one thing at a time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/just-do-the-next-right-thing-one-thing-at-a-time/) [Glennon Doyle Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle-melton/) > [Sometimes the rewards of risk don't leave us wrecked. Sometimes we find our passion, our purpose, courage, connection, and comfort. Every good thing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/sometimes-the-rewards-of-risk-don-t-leave-us-wrecked-sometimes-we/) [Glennon Doyle Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle-melton/) > [“Grief is nothing but a painful waiting, a horrible patience. Grief cannot be torn down or scaled or overcome or outsmarted. 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We are stuck with our self all day, so let's be kinder, gentler, more amusing company. Let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/we-need-to-make-friends-with-ourselves-we-are-stuck-with-our-self-all/) [Glennon Doyle Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle-melton/) > [The truth is that cleaning up socks and trying to get someone to really listen to you is marriage. It's less sweep you off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/the-truth-is-that-cleaning-up-socks-and-trying-to-get-someone-to/) [Glennon Doyle Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle-melton/) > [“If you can’t beat fear, just do it scared.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/if-you-can-t-beat-fear-just-do-it-scared/) [Glennon Doyle Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle-melton/) > [“The sun shows up every morning, no matter how bad youve been the night before. It shines without judgment. It never withholds. It warms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/the-sun-shows-up-every-morning-no-matter-how-bad-youve-been-the-night/) [Glennon Doyle Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle-melton/) > ['Brave' is very specific and extremely personal. It can't be judged by people on the outside. Just can't. Sometimes brave means letting everyone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/brave-is-very-specific-and-extremely-personal-it-can-t-be-judged-by/) [Glennon Doyle Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle-melton/) > [I know how I like my house. I like it cute and cozy and a little funky, and I like it to feel lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/i-know-how-i-like-my-house-i-like-it-cute-and-cozy-and-a-little-funky/) [Glennon Doyle Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle-melton/) > [I think of love and marriage in the same way I do plants: We have perennials and annuals. The perennial plant blooms, goes away,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/i-think-of-love-and-marriage-in-the-same-way-i-do-plants-we-have/) [Glennon Doyle Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle-melton/) [Explore all 131 Glennon Doyle Melton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle-melton/) ## More Complicated quotes > [Of course I like you. It's because I like you I don't wanna be with you. It's a complicated emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlin/of-course-i-like-you-it-s-because-i-like-you-i-don-t-wanna-be-with/) [Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlin/) > [“Why the hell did he have to be so complicated? One minute he was charming, the next he withdrew behind his internal walls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lia-davis/why-the-hell-did-he-have-to-be-so-complicated-one-minute-he-was/) [Lia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lia-davis/) > [Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [“Just because it's complicated, just because you think you can't ever know everything about another person, it doesn't mean you can't try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-semple/just-because-it-s-complicated-just-because-you-think-you-can-t-ever/) [Maria Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-semple/) > [The one thing I absolutely hate about social media are the people who abuse it. Whenever I see a person who constantly posts negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmin-garcia/the-one-thing-i-absolutely-hate-about-social-media-are-the-people-who/) [Jazmin Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmin-garcia/) > [I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spottiswoode/i-think-the-ethics-and-morals-of-genetic-engineering-are-very/) [Roger Spottiswoode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spottiswoode/) > [Your Starbucks order is directly proportional to how complicated your personality is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin/your-starbucks-order-is-directly-proportional-to-how-complicated-your/) [Kevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) > [I have learned so much from my dad. 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They're not complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-maxwell/two-people-could-build-an-outhouse-in-four-hours-they-re-not/) [Robert Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-maxwell/) [Browse all 3,190 Complicated quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complicated/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Be messy and complicated and afraid and show up anyways.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Glennon Doyle Melton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/be-messy-and-complicated-and-afraid-and-show-up-anyways/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Complicated" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/be-messy-and-complicated-and-afraid-and-show-up-anyways/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/glennon-doyle-melton-3408_complicated_be-messy-and-complicated-and-afraid-and_528597.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/glennon-doyle-melton-3408_complicated_be-messy-and-complicated-and-afraid-and_528597.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14b/glennon-doyle-melton-3408_complicated_be-messy-and-complicated-and-afraid-and_528597.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Be messy and complicated and afraid and show up anyways.” — Glennon Doyle Melton", "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": "Glennon Doyle Melton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle-melton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Be messy and complicated and afraid...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/be-messy-and-complicated-and-afraid-and-show-up-anyways/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/be-messy-and-complicated-and-afraid-and-show-up-anyways/#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 } } ] } ```