--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are times when each of us has to…" description: "\"There are times when each of us has to have some gumption to take a stand as to what we wish to preserve or change in order to maintain our self-respec..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cd/james-e-faust-1274_balance_there-are-times-when-each-of-us-has-to-h_655763.png" --- # There are times when each of us has to have some gumption… ![“There are times when each of us has to have some gumption to take a stand as to what we wish to preserve or change in order to maintain our self-respect and not be as "a reed shaken with the wind" (Matt. 11:7) . . . . We lose much credibility and strength, and we risk being weighed on an uneven…” quote by James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cd/james-e-faust-1274_balance_there-are-times-when-each-of-us-has-to-h_655763.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cd/james-e-faust-1274_balance_there-are-times-when-each-of-us-has-to-h_655763.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cd/james-e-faust-1274_balance_there-are-times-when-each-of-us-has-to-h_655763.png) > “There are times when each of us has to have some gumption to take a stand as to what we wish to preserve or change in order to maintain our self-respect and not be as "a reed shaken with the wind" (Matt. 11:7) . . . . We lose much credibility and strength, and we risk being weighed on an uneven balance, when, Don Quixote-like, we go around "tilting windmills".” [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Standing up for one’s principles requires courage and self‑respect, avoiding being swayed like a reed or chasing futile battles. **In simple terms:** Courage protects self‑respect and credibility. Key Takeaway Act with conviction, not empty gestures. Themes courage integrity self‑respect Mood determined reflective Type advice motivational When to use this quote - leadership decisions - personal boundaries - ethical dilemmas - conflict resolution Key Concepts principles credibility balance Questions to Reflect On - What principles are worth defending today? - How do you balance firmness with flexibility? A Different Perspective Over‑assertion can alienate allies and cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Credibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credibility/) [Gumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gumption/) [Like Tilting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-tilting-5234614/) [Lose Credibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lose-credibility-716061/) [Loses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loses/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Preserves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preserves/) [Reeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reeds/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-respect/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) [Tilting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tilting-335408/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Uneven Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uneven-balance-4964756/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) [Windmills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/windmills/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [Tilting at windmills hurts you more than the windmills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/tilting-at-windmills-hurts-you-more-than-the-windmills/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [...in certain moods, no man can weigh this world without throwing in something, somehow like Original Sin, to strike the uneven balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/in-certain-moods-no-man-can-weigh-this-world-without-throwing-in/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“And though history sadly doesn't credit the man who first thought of tilting a bicycle's steering axis, it is more likely to be because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn/and-though-history-sadly-doesn-t-credit-the-man-who-first-thought-of/) [Robert Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn/) > [“You don’t understand. The closer I get to the edge, the more it feels like the ground is tilting. Like it’s getting steeper and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-morgan/you-don-t-understand-the-closer-i-get-to-the-edge-the-more-it-feels/) [Rachel Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-morgan/) > [She felt as if the world were tilting and she was clinging on helplessly, trying to keep from tumbling into a black abyss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/she-felt-as-if-the-world-were-tilting-and-she-was-clinging-on/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [The world isn't fair, but as long as it's tilting in my direction, I find that there's a natural cap to my righteous indignation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-world-isn-t-fair-but-as-long-as-it-s-tilting-in-my-direction-i/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [“I don’t want this to be it.” He cups the back of my head, tilting his chin up to give me more of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-salsbury/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-it-he-cups-the-back-of-my-head-tilting-his/) [J.B. Salsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-salsbury/) > [“Tilting Your Nipple”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-leche-league-international/tilting-your-nipple/) [La Leche League International](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-leche-league-international/) > [“When a body is acted upon by external forces besides its weight it tips over on one side of the base if the (so-called)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bernhard/when-a-body-is-acted-upon-by-external-forces-besides-its-weight-it/) [Thomas Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bernhard/) > [“The world is like a seesaw out of balance: on one side is a box of big rocks, tilting it its way. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/the-world-is-like-a-seesaw-out-of-balance-on-one-side-is-a-box-of-big/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [“The horizontal world I had thought I occupied was tilting, dumping me somewhere else, somewhere new.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/the-horizontal-world-i-had-thought-i-occupied-was-tilting-dumping-me/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [“When you go into a room, you knock first. If you start asking people questions and they start tilting back in their chairs, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-plum-ucci/when-you-go-into-a-room-you-knock-first-if-you-start-asking-people/) [Carol Plum-Ucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-plum-ucci/) > [“Even If I Don’t See it Again Even if I don’t see it again.–nor ever feel it I know it is–and that if once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-howe/even-if-i-don-t-see-it-again-even-if-i-don-t-see-it-again-nor-ever/) [Marie Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-howe/) > [It's one thing to say, 'I don't like what you said to me and I find it rude and offensive,' but the moment you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-s-one-thing-to-say-i-don-t-like-what-you-said-to-me-and-i-find-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I want to be real and relatable, because if I am not, then I lose my credibility among audiences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayushmann-khurrana/i-want-to-be-real-and-relatable-because-if-i-am-not-then-i-lose-my/) [Ayushmann Khurrana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayushmann-khurrana/) ## More by James E. Faust > [Leadership is about three-fourths show-the-way and about one-fourth follow-up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/leadership-is-about-three-fourths-show-the-way-and-about-one-fourth/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [The Holy Ghost is the greatest guarantor of inward peace in our unstable world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/the-holy-ghost-is-the-greatest-guarantor-of-inward-peace-in-our/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [I personally claim no special insight into Satan's methods, but I have at times been able to identify his influence and his actions in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/i-personally-claim-no-special-insight-into-satan-s-methods-but-i-have/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [I hope that each of you girls will become an individual of significant worth and a person of virtue so that your contributions are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/i-hope-that-each-of-you-girls-will-become-an-individual-of/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [For women, the important ingredients for happiness are to forge an identity, serve the Lord, get an education, develop your talents, serve your family,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/for-women-the-important-ingredients-for-happiness-are-to-forge-an/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [You want to make your own decisions, but you ought to make those decisions with an eternal perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/you-want-to-make-your-own-decisions-but-you-ought-to-make-those/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [ Satan had two conditions \[to his plan\]: the first was the denial of agency, and the second, that he would have the honor. In… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/satan-had-two-conditions-to-his-plan-the-first-was-the-denial-of/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [Just as order gave life and beauty to the earth when it was dark and void, so it does to us. Obedience helps us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/just-as-order-gave-life-and-beauty-to-the-earth-when-it-was-dark-and/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [Integrity is the value we set on ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/integrity-is-the-value-we-set-on-ourselves/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [Your criticism may be worse than the conduct you are trying to correct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/your-criticism-may-be-worse-than-the-conduct-you-are-trying-to-correct/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [You cannot convert people beyond your own conversion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/you-cannot-convert-people-beyond-your-own-conversion/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [In order to do well, missionary work has to be totally positive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/in-order-to-do-well-missionary-work-has-to-be-totally-positive/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [We were called, male and female, to do great works with separate approaches and separate assignments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/we-were-called-male-and-female-to-do-great-works-with-separate/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [It is not good practice to become intrigued by Satan and his mysteries. No good can come from getting close to evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/it-is-not-good-practice-to-become-intrigued-by-satan-and-his/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [As children of the Lord we should strive every day to rise to a higher level of personal righteousness in all of our actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/as-children-of-the-lord-we-should-strive-every-day-to-rise-to-a/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) [Explore all 263 James E. Faust quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are times when each of us has to have some gumption to take a stand as to what we wish to preserve or change in order to maintain our self-respect and not be as \"a reed shaken with the wind\" (Matt. 11:7) . . . . We lose much credibility and strength, and we risk being weighed on an uneven balance, when, Don Quixote-like, we go around \"tilting windmills\".", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James E. 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