--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The event is not what you should be…" description: "\"The event is not what you should be working on. You should be working on your response or reaction to an event. You either react to it - that means you..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e8/iyanla-vanzant-557_appropriateness_the-event-is-not-what-you-should-be-work_524977.png" --- # The event is not what you should be working on. You should… ![“The event is not what you should be working on. You should be working on your response or reaction to an event. You either react to it - that means you become victimized, and you say this thing is happening to you - or you respond to it and say the solution must come through you - that's where you…” quote by Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e8/iyanla-vanzant-557_appropriateness_the-event-is-not-what-you-should-be-work_524977.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e8/iyanla-vanzant-557_appropriateness_the-event-is-not-what-you-should-be-work_524977.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e8/iyanla-vanzant-557_appropriateness_the-event-is-not-what-you-should-be-work_524977.png) > “The event is not what you should be working on. You should be working on your response or reaction to an event. You either react to it - that means you become victimized, and you say this thing is happening to you - or you respond to it and say the solution must come through you - that's where you stay focused, not on the rightness, wrongness, fairness of the event, but on the appropriateness of your response.” [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focus on your reaction rather than the event itself to stay empowered. **In simple terms:** Control your response, not the event. Key Takeaway Choose proactive responses over victimhood. Themes empowerment reaction vs event mindfulness Mood thoughtful empowering Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - conflict resolution - stress management - personal growth - leadership decisions Key Concepts agency personal responsibility emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How can you cultivate a habit of thoughtful response? - What tools help shift from reacting to responding? A Different Perspective Changing reactions can be challenging without support or awareness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appropriateness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appropriateness/) [Event Appropriateness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/event-appropriateness-4421833/) [Event Working](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/event-working-4421835/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Fairness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairness/) [Focused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focused/) [Happening Respond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happening-respond-3460054/) [Happenings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happenings/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Reaction Event](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reaction-event-4421834/) [Reactions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reactions/) [Response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/response/) [Response Reaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/response-reaction-4139197/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Solutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solutions/) [Stay focused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stay-focused/) ## Related quotes > [“Always give response rather than reaction".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaibhav-soni/always-give-response-rather-than-reaction/) [Vaibhav Soni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaibhav-soni/) > [Politics is topical - it's what's happening now, and we can either respond in the present or avoid it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-azaria/politics-is-topical-it-s-what-s-happening-now-and-we-can-either/) [Hank Azaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-azaria/) > [When the words are fuzzy, the programmers reflexively retreat to the most precise method of articulation available: source code. Although there is nothing more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amari-cooper/when-the-words-are-fuzzy-the-programmers-reflexively-retreat-to-the/) [Amari Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amari-cooper/) > [Rather than me sort of characterize the appropriateness or inappropriateness of what Donald Trump is doing at the moment, I think what we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/rather-than-me-sort-of-characterize-the-appropriateness-or/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I'm a big, big blues fan and the last several years I've really invested in the blues a lot, and I think my playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-campbell/i-m-a-big-big-blues-fan-and-the-last-several-years-i-ve-really/) [Vivian Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-campbell/) > [I do object to the assumption that anything that might be outside of nature is ruled out of the conversation. That's an impoverished view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-do-object-to-the-assumption-that-anything-that-might-be-outside-of/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Here's the acid test for appropriateness: Pretend that someone near and dear to you is witnessing what you are writing or sending, or knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/here-s-the-acid-test-for-appropriateness-pretend-that-someone-near/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [There is no constitutional or legal requirement that the President shall take the oath of office in the presence of the People but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-harrison/there-is-no-constitutional-or-legal-requirement-that-the-president/) [Benjamin Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-harrison/) > [The first principle of architectural beauty is that the essential lines of a construction be determined by a perfect appropriateness to its use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-eiffel/the-first-principle-of-architectural-beauty-is-that-the-essential/) [Gustave Eiffel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-eiffel/) > [A good surgeon doesn't just concentrate on technical ability, but also on the appropriateness of what you're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/a-good-surgeon-doesn-t-just-concentrate-on-technical-ability-but-also/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dudley-warner/the-excellence-of-a-gift-lies-in-its-appropriateness-rather-than-in/) [Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) > [ \[Children\] receive direct instruction from time to time about the appropriateness of various social comparisons ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-bandura/children-receive-direct-instruction-from-time-to-time-about-the/) [Albert Bandura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-bandura/) > [Nursing encompasses an art, a humanistic orientation, a feeling for the value of the individual, and an intuitive sense of ethics, and of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrtle-aydelotte/nursing-encompasses-an-art-a-humanistic-orientation-a-feeling-for-the/) [Myrtle Aydelotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrtle-aydelotte/) > [ “My dear friend, clear your mind of cant \[excessive thought\]. You may talk as other people do: you may say to a man, "Sir,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/my-dear-friend-clear-your-mind-of-cant-excessive-thought-you-may-talk/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [In the 1998 Oscars, I found myself in the bathroom in a stall, next to Tom Selleck. So I leaned over and I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/in-the-1998-oscars-i-found-myself-in-the-bathroom-in-a-stall-next-to/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) ## More by Iyanla Vanzant > [For some reason,we keep forgetting some of our experience. We look back but don't bring the value forward. We bring the anger, the upset.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/for-some-reason-we-keep-forgetting-some-of-our-experience-we-look/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [All things are lessons that God would have us learn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/all-things-are-lessons-that-god-would-have-us-learn/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [“Life would be so much easier if, when we hit a snag in a relationship, any relationship, we would stop, address it, and move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/life-would-be-so-much-easier-if-when-we-hit-a-snag-in-a-relationship/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [How do you spell peace? P-R-A-Y-E-R! Anything you believe you need is available to you through prayer. We are not talking here about a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/how-do-you-spell-peace-p-r-a-y-e-r-anything-you-believe-you-need-is/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [We are distracted from our greatness because are greatness is what scares us. Right where you are…God is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/we-are-distracted-from-our-greatness-because-are-greatness-is-what/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [Some children do what they’re told to do; some children do what they’re told not to do; all children do what they’re parents have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/some-children-do-what-they-re-told-to-do-some-children-do-what-they/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [Life doesn't have to be hard, life is on your side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/life-doesn-t-have-to-be-hard-life-is-on-your-side/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [You can accept or reject the way you are treated by other people, but until you heal the wounds of your past, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/you-can-accept-or-reject-the-way-you-are-treated-by-other-people-but/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [We must each learn to feel comfortable in our own uniqueness by rising above the fear of being wrong and the aversion to being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/we-must-each-learn-to-feel-comfortable-in-our-own-uniqueness-by/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [I am not seeking anything but service to my creator. I do not need a house, I do not need a car, I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/i-am-not-seeking-anything-but-service-to-my-creator-i-do-not-need-a/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [The remedy for life's broken pieces is not classes, workshops or books. Don't try to heal the broken pieces. Just forgive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/the-remedy-for-life-s-broken-pieces-is-not-classes-workshops-or-books/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [When someone entrusts their heart to you they are giving you a piece of their soul. You cannot treat the soul casually. You must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/when-someone-entrusts-their-heart-to-you-they-are-giving-you-a-piece/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [When you have something to do life will not allow you to ove foward until you do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/when-you-have-something-to-do-life-will-not-allow-you-to-ove-foward/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [Have you doubted your progress, regretted your choices, put yourself down? Remember that you are doing just fine. Remind yourself right now that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/have-you-doubted-your-progress-regretted-your-choices-put-yourself/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [The only relationship we can have in this life is the relationship we have with ourselves. We cannot love anybody more than we love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/the-only-relationship-we-can-have-in-this-life-is-the-relationship-we/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) [Explore all 476 Iyanla Vanzant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) ## More Appropriateness quotes > [In the 1998 Oscars, I found myself in the bathroom in a stall, next to Tom Selleck. So I leaned over and I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/in-the-1998-oscars-i-found-myself-in-the-bathroom-in-a-stall-next-to/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) > [ “My dear friend, clear your mind of cant \[excessive thought\]. You may talk as other people do: you may say to a man, "Sir,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/my-dear-friend-clear-your-mind-of-cant-excessive-thought-you-may-talk/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Nursing encompasses an art, a humanistic orientation, a feeling for the value of the individual, and an intuitive sense of ethics, and of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrtle-aydelotte/nursing-encompasses-an-art-a-humanistic-orientation-a-feeling-for-the/) [Myrtle Aydelotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrtle-aydelotte/) > [ \[Children\] receive direct instruction from time to time about the appropriateness of various social comparisons ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-bandura/children-receive-direct-instruction-from-time-to-time-about-the/) [Albert Bandura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-bandura/) > [The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dudley-warner/the-excellence-of-a-gift-lies-in-its-appropriateness-rather-than-in/) [Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) > [A good surgeon doesn't just concentrate on technical ability, but also on the appropriateness of what you're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-carson/a-good-surgeon-doesn-t-just-concentrate-on-technical-ability-but-also/) [Benjamin Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-carson/) > [The first principle of architectural beauty is that the essential lines of a construction be determined by a perfect appropriateness to its use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-eiffel/the-first-principle-of-architectural-beauty-is-that-the-essential/) [Gustave Eiffel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-eiffel/) > [There is no constitutional or legal requirement that the President shall take the oath of office in the presence of the People but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-harrison/there-is-no-constitutional-or-legal-requirement-that-the-president/) [Benjamin Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-harrison/) > [Here's the acid test for appropriateness: Pretend that someone near and dear to you is witnessing what you are writing or sending, or knows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-pinsky/here-s-the-acid-test-for-appropriateness-pretend-that-someone-near/) [Drew Pinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-pinsky/) > [I do object to the assumption that anything that might be outside of nature is ruled out of the conversation. That's an impoverished view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-do-object-to-the-assumption-that-anything-that-might-be-outside-of/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I'm a big, big blues fan and the last several years I've really invested in the blues a lot, and I think my playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-campbell/i-m-a-big-big-blues-fan-and-the-last-several-years-i-ve-really/) [Vivian Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-campbell/) > [Rather than me sort of characterize the appropriateness or inappropriateness of what Donald Trump is doing at the moment, I think what we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/rather-than-me-sort-of-characterize-the-appropriateness-or/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [When the words are fuzzy, the programmers reflexively retreat to the most precise method of articulation available: source code. Although there is nothing more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amari-cooper/when-the-words-are-fuzzy-the-programmers-reflexively-retreat-to-the/) [Amari Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amari-cooper/) > [rejected both the appropriateness of an apology and of monetary redress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-j-mccloy/rejected-both-the-appropriateness-of-an-apology-and-of-monetary/) [John J. McCloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-j-mccloy/) > [There is little evidence that other animals judge the appropriateness of actions that do not directly affect themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/there-is-little-evidence-that-other-animals-judge-the-appropriateness/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) [Browse all 37 Appropriateness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appropriateness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The event is not what you should be working on. You should be working on your response or reaction to an event. You either react to it - that means you become victimized, and you say this thing is happening to you - or you respond to it and say the solution must come through you - that's where you stay focused, not on the rightness, wrongness, fairness of the event, but on the appropriateness of your response.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Iyanla Vanzant" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/the-event-is-not-what-you-should-be-working-on-you-should-be-working/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appropriateness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/the-event-is-not-what-you-should-be-working-on-you-should-be-working/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e8/iyanla-vanzant-557_appropriateness_the-event-is-not-what-you-should-be-work_524977.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e8/iyanla-vanzant-557_appropriateness_the-event-is-not-what-you-should-be-work_524977.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e8/iyanla-vanzant-557_appropriateness_the-event-is-not-what-you-should-be-work_524977.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The event is not what you should be working on. 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