--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Finally, you had to measure yourself by…" description: "\"Finally, you had to measure yourself by other people - there really was nothing else. every now and then, quite unintentionally, someone taught you som..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/ian-mcewan-494_about-yourself_finally-you-had-to-measure-yourself-by-o_3019752.png" --- # Finally, you had to measure yourself by other people… ![“Finally, you had to measure yourself by other people - there really was nothing else. every now and then, quite unintentionally, someone taught you something about yourself.” quote by Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/ian-mcewan-494_about-yourself_finally-you-had-to-measure-yourself-by-o_3019752.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/ian-mcewan-494_about-yourself_finally-you-had-to-measure-yourself-by-o_3019752.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/ian-mcewan-494_about-yourself_finally-you-had-to-measure-yourself-by-o_3019752.png) > “Finally, you had to measure yourself by other people - there really was nothing else. every now and then, quite unintentionally, someone taught you something about yourself.” [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑knowledge often arrives indirectly, through others’ perspectives and unexpected lessons. **In simple terms:** We learn about ourselves from others. Key Takeaway Seek feedback to discover hidden strengths. Themes selfdiscovery learning relationships Mood curious introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - teamwork - mentorship - personal development Key Concepts empathy growth introspection Questions to Reflect On - Who has unintentionally taught you something valuable? - How do you verify that insight? A Different Perspective Relying solely on external validation can distort self‑image. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about-yourself/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“Every now and then, quite unintentionally, someone taught you something about yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/every-now-and-then-quite-unintentionally-someone-taught-you-something/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [Don't let our outside labels or how fervent we look or zealous we are or how righteous we seem; that's not how you measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/don-t-let-our-outside-labels-or-how-fervent-we-look-or-zealous-we-are/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [One of the best ways to measure people is to watch the way they behave when something free is offered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-best-ways-to-measure-people-is-to-watch-the-way-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One of the best ways to measure people is how they behave when something free is offered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-landers/one-of-the-best-ways-to-measure-people-is-how-they-behave-when/) [Ann Landers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-landers/) > [We don't measure our people's success in how they're doing in government. We measure how they are doing in the real world and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-jindal/we-don-t-measure-our-people-s-success-in-how-they-re-doing-in/) [Bobby Jindal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-jindal/) > [“You can't measure other people's love, Sugar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-palmieri/you-can-t-measure-other-people-s-love-sugar/) [Suzanne Palmieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-palmieri/) > [Everyone tends to measure people on points and shots and not the all-around game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-thibodeau/everyone-tends-to-measure-people-on-points-and-shots-and-not-the-all/) [Tom Thibodeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-thibodeau/) > [You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/you-measure-yourself-by-the-people-who-measure-themselves-by-you/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [You measure your people and you take action on those that don't measure up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-welch/you-measure-your-people-and-you-take-action-on-those-that-don-t/) [Jack Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-welch/) > [“The measure of a people is found in how it treats those who have sacrificed for its survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-scull/the-measure-of-a-people-is-found-in-how-it-treats-those-who-have/) [Luke Scull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-scull/) > [“You measure yourself by the people who measure themselves by you.” I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-knight/you-measure-yourself-by-the-people-who-measure-themselves-by-you-i/) [Phil Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-knight/) > [In art, one does not aim for simplicity; one achieves it unintentionally as one gets closer to the real meaning of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constantin-brancusi/in-art-one-does-not-aim-for-simplicity-one-achieves-it/) [Constantin Brancusi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constantin-brancusi/) > [A gentleman is someone who never gives offense unintentionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-brann/a-gentleman-is-someone-who-never-gives-offense-unintentionally/) [Eva Brann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-brann/) > [Sometimes when people start dating a hot piece, they take on some of their boo's characteristics unintentionally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-robinson/sometimes-when-people-start-dating-a-hot-piece-they-take-on-some-of/) [Phoebe Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-robinson/) > [A gentleman never offends unintentionally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/a-gentleman-never-offends-unintentionally/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) ## More by Ian Mcewan > [“As you will see, we do not believe that artists have an obligation to strike up attitudes to the war. Indeed, they are wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/as-you-will-see-we-do-not-believe-that-artists-have-an-obligation-to/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [You could say that all novels are spy novels and all novelists are spy masters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/you-could-say-that-all-novels-are-spy-novels-and-all-novelists-are/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I've never had a moment's doubt. I love you. I believe in you completely. You are my dearest one. My reason for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-ve-never-had-a-moment-s-doubt-i-love-you-i-believe-in-you/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“It is shaming sometimes, how the body will not, or cannot, lie about emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-is-shaming-sometimes-how-the-body-will-not-or-cannot-lie-about/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“While my friends struggled and calculated, I reached a solution by a set of floating steps that were partly visual, partly just a feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/while-my-friends-struggled-and-calculated-i-reached-a-solution-by-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Once, on a walk by a river- Eskdale in low reddish sunlight, with a dusting of snow- his daughter quoted to him an opening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/once-on-a-walk-by-a-river-eskdale-in-low-reddish-sunlight-with-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Perhaps it's one of those cases of a microcosm giving you the whole world. Like a spode dinner plate. Or a single cell. Or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/perhaps-it-s-one-of-those-cases-of-a-microcosm-giving-you-the-whole/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [Who you get, and how it works out- there's so much luck involved, as well as the million branching consequences of your conscious choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/who-you-get-and-how-it-works-out-there-s-so-much-luck-involved-as/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“On Chesil Beach he could have called out to Florence, he could have gone after her. He did not know, or would not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/on-chesil-beach-he-could-have-called-out-to-florence-he-could-have/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [It was always the view of my parents...that hot weather encouraged loose morals among young people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-was-always-the-view-of-my-parents-that-hot-weather-encouraged/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I apologize for being obvious, but every time I watch the curtain come down on even a halfway decent production of a Shakespeare play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-apologize-for-being-obvious-but-every-time-i-watch-the-curtain-come/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I would rather be physically disabled obviously than mentally. I would rather be paraplegic than nuts. And it is a terrifying prospect and actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-would-rather-be-physically-disabled-obviously-than-mentally-i-would/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Words, as I'm beginning to appreciate, can make things true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/words-as-i-m-beginning-to-appreciate-can-make-things-true/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I couldn't think about novels at all. It seemed the only writing that was appropriate to that horrendous event was journalism, reportage. And, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-couldn-t-think-about-novels-at-all-it-seemed-the-only-writing-that/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I did not kill my father, but I sometimes felt I had helped him on his way. And but for the fact that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-did-not-kill-my-father-but-i-sometimes-felt-i-had-helped-him-on-his/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) [Explore all 496 Ian Mcewan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## More About yourself quotes > [“they all have always loved you Will Herondale, for you cannot hide what is good about yourself, however har you try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/they-all-have-always-loved-you-will-herondale-for-you-cannot-hide/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/if-you-can-t-love-yourself-how-in-the-hell-you-gonna-love-somebody/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [People are in denial all the time, hiding things. If I tell you a racist or dirty joke and you laugh, you're telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/people-are-in-denial-all-the-time-hiding-things-if-i-tell-you-a/) [Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/) > [Change your thoughts, change your life. —LAO TZU When I was fighting depression, I remember hearing this expression and not understanding it at first.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/change-your-thoughts-change-your-life-lao-tzu-when-i-was-fighting/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [Dreams really tell you about yourself more than anything else in this world could ever tell you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-browne/dreams-really-tell-you-about-yourself-more-than-anything-else-in-this/) [Sylvia Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-browne/) > [Celebrate all the things you don't like about yourself. love yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/celebrate-all-the-things-you-don-t-like-about-yourself-love-yourself/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [Start enjoying the things you like about yourself, and if there are things you want to change, either get to work on it or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/start-enjoying-the-things-you-like-about-yourself-and-if-there-are/) [Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/) > [Always be yourself. There's only one you. You should embrace anything that you don't like about yourself because that's individual and that's you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesy-nelson/always-be-yourself-there-s-only-one-you-you-should-embrace-anything/) [Jesy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesy-nelson/) > [It's too distracting to read about yourself. You want to be perfect and you want everyone to love you, and that's never going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/it-s-too-distracting-to-read-about-yourself-you-want-to-be-perfect/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [If you want to know how to make people shun you and laugh at you behind your back and even despise you, here is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-want-to-know-how-to-make-people-shun-you-and-laugh-at-you/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [The only thing a master can teach is how to learn about yourself. There are no secrets. They are only techniques to waken yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/the-only-thing-a-master-can-teach-is-how-to-learn-about-yourself/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [I don't want to sell myself short. You hurt your spouse, not so much by the infidelity, but by the negative feelings about yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zaslow/i-don-t-want-to-sell-myself-short-you-hurt-your-spouse-not-so-much-by/) [Michael Zaslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zaslow/) > [A stranger can see in an instant something in you that you might spend years learning about yourself. How awful we all are when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-elliott/a-stranger-can-see-in-an-instant-something-in-you-that-you-might/) [Stephen Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elliott/) > [Knowing is the most profound kind of love, giving someone the gift of knowledge about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsha-norman/knowing-is-the-most-profound-kind-of-love-giving-someone-the-gift-of/) [Marsha Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsha-norman/) > [Start telling the truth now and never stop. Begin by telling the truth to yourself about yourself. Then tell the truth to yourself about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/start-telling-the-truth-now-and-never-stop-begin-by-telling-the-truth/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) [Browse all 770 About yourself quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about-yourself/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Finally, you had to measure yourself by other people - there really was nothing else. every now and then, quite unintentionally, someone taught you something about yourself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ian Mcewan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/finally-you-had-to-measure-yourself-by-other-people-there-really-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About yourself" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/finally-you-had-to-measure-yourself-by-other-people-there-really-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/ian-mcewan-494_about-yourself_finally-you-had-to-measure-yourself-by-o_3019752.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/ian-mcewan-494_about-yourself_finally-you-had-to-measure-yourself-by-o_3019752.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2d1/ian-mcewan-494_about-yourself_finally-you-had-to-measure-yourself-by-o_3019752.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Finally, you had to measure yourself by other people - there really was nothing else. every now and then…” — Ian Mcewan", "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": "Ian Mcewan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Finally, you had to measure yourself...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/finally-you-had-to-measure-yourself-by-other-people-there-really-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/finally-you-had-to-measure-yourself-by-other-people-there-really-was/#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 } } ] } ```