---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most times when folks ask for advice…"
description: "\"“Most times when folks ask for advice, they already know what they should do. They just want to hear it from someone else.”\" — Jeannette Walls (Author"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/jeannette-walls-author-62675_advice_most-times-when-folks-ask-for-advice-the_61497.jpg"
---

#  Most times when folks ask for advice, they already know…

![“Most times when folks ask for advice, they already know what they should do. They just want to hear it from someone else.” quote by Jeannette Walls (Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/jeannette-walls-author-62675_advice_most-times-when-folks-ask-for-advice-the_61497.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/jeannette-walls-author-62675_advice_most-times-when-folks-ask-for-advice-the_61497.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/jeannette-walls-author-62675_advice_most-times-when-folks-ask-for-advice-the_61497.jpg)

> ““Most times when folks ask for advice, they already know what they should do. They just want to hear it from someone else.””

[Jeannette Walls (Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls-author/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People often seek validation for a decision they’ve already made, using external advice as confirmation rather than guidance.

**In simple terms:** Advice as validation

Key Takeaway

Seek inner certainty

Themes

self‑awareness decision‑making psychology communication confidence

Mood

reflective cautious

Type

observation insight

When to use this quote

- career choices
- relationship dilemmas
- personal projects
- health decisions

Key Concepts

confirmation bias social proof self‑efficacy

Practical Applications

- coaching
- leadership training

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we need others to affirm our choices?
- How can we trust our own judgment?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advice/) [Advice Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advice-know-836168/) [Ask Advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ask-advice/) [Folks Ask](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folks-ask-836167/) [Intuition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intuition/) [Know Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-just/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Want Hear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-hear/)

## Related quotes

> [Most of us ask for advice when we know the answer but we want a different one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivern-ball/most-of-us-ask-for-advice-when-we-know-the-answer-but-we-want-a/)

[Ivern Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivern-ball/)

> [I lay very little stress either upon asking or giving advice. Generally speaking, they who ask advice know what they wish to do, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-von-humboldt/i-lay-very-little-stress-either-upon-asking-or-giving-advice/)

[Wilhelm von Humboldt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-von-humboldt/)

> [These are beautiful days. Folks ask what I'm doing. I tell them I'm doing family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-nimoy/these-are-beautiful-days-folks-ask-what-i-m-doing-i-tell-them-i-m/)

[Leonard Nimoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-nimoy/)

> [I tell people, Don't take my advice. What do I know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-lachey/i-tell-people-don-t-take-my-advice-what-do-i-know/)

[Nick Lachey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-lachey/)

> [I have experienced a lot in football and if the young players need advice, they know they can ask me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kolo-toure/i-have-experienced-a-lot-in-football-and-if-the-young-players-need/)

[Kolo Toure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kolo-toure/)

> [My rule is to just be who I am. Sometimes I don't take my own advice, but I know that no matter what, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-michael-murray/my-rule-is-to-just-be-who-i-am-sometimes-i-don-t-take-my-own-advice/)

[Chad Michael Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-michael-murray/)

> [I got this advice that if you know a panic attack is happening, just sit back and go, 'Okay, this is happening to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shura/i-got-this-advice-that-if-you-know-a-panic-attack-is-happening-just/)

[Shura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shura/)

> [When I give people advice; It's not because I know everything or I know better than them. Mainly it's because I have done the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/when-i-give-people-advice-it-s-not-because-i-know-everything-or-i/)

[London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/)

> [I have never yet figured out what to do about good advice that you get, and that you know right away would help you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-lisle/i-have-never-yet-figured-out-what-to-do-about-good-advice-that-you/)

[Holly Lisle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-lisle/)

> [I hope I can help guys coming out of high school, if they need advice. I know the ins and outs of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebron-james/i-hope-i-can-help-guys-coming-out-of-high-school-if-they-need-advice/)

[LeBron James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebron-james/)

> [We hate to have some people give us advice because we know how badly they need it themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/we-hate-to-have-some-people-give-us-advice-because-we-know-how-badly/)

[Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/)

> [My job is to give the president and secretary of defense military advice before they know they need it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-w-vessey-jr/my-job-is-to-give-the-president-and-secretary-of-defense-military/)

[John W. Vessey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-w-vessey-jr/)

> [I think Joan's advice would be: always know more than anyone else, always be discreet as possible. And never cry at work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-hendricks/i-think-joan-s-advice-would-be-always-know-more-than-anyone-else/)

[Christina Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-hendricks/)

> [It takes nearly as much ability to know how to profit by good advice as to know how to act for one's self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/it-takes-nearly-as-much-ability-to-know-how-to-profit-by-good-advice/)

[Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/)

> [Careful with fire is good advice we know. Careful with words is ten times doubly so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carleton/careful-with-fire-is-good-advice-we-know-careful-with-words-is-ten/)

[William Carleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carleton/)

## More by Jeannette Walls (Author

> [“Don't be afraid of your dark places. If you can shine a light on them, you can find treasure in there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls-author/don-t-be-afraid-of-your-dark-places-if-you-can-shine-a-light-on-them-2/)

[Jeannette Walls (Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls-author/)

> [“In my opinion, trying to guess what readers want is the wrong approach. You have to tell your story as best you can and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls-author/in-my-opinion-trying-to-guess-what-readers-want-is-the-wrong-approach/)

[Jeannette Walls (Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls-author/)

> [“Wondering why you survived don't help you survive”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls-author/wondering-why-you-survived-don-t-help-you-survive/)

[Jeannette Walls (Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls-author/)

> [“People these days run to the hospital every time they skin their knees, we're becoming a nation of sissies”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls-author/people-these-days-run-to-the-hospital-every-time-they-skin-their/)

[Jeannette Walls (Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls-author/)

[Explore all 5 Jeannette Walls (Author quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls-author/)

## More Advice quotes

> [The sensible person is always serious about sensible advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/the-sensible-person-is-always-serious-about-sensible-advice/)

[Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/)

> [I ask for tips, for advice. What I have also learnt is that I need to do things that are good for me. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthijs-de-ligt/i-ask-for-tips-for-advice-what-i-have-also-learnt-is-that-i-need-to/)

[Matthijs de Ligt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthijs-de-ligt/)

> [Don't get too attached to someone you know you can't be together with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/don-t-get-too-attached-to-someone-you-know-you-can-t-be-together-with/)

[Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/)

> [A low-minded person should not be given good advice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanakya/a-low-minded-person-should-not-be-given-good-advice/)

[Chanakya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanakya/)

> [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [When I was in my twenties and just so sexually prolific, the first time I went to Machu Picchu, this guy, a spiritual teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-and-just-so-sexually-prolific-the-first/)

[Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/)

> [The best way to succeed in this world is to act on the advice you give to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-best-way-to-succeed-in-this-world-is-to-act-on-the-advice-you/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [Time is priceless. You have it, but you don't own it. You spend it, but you can't keep it. And once it's gone, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/time-is-priceless-you-have-it-but-you-don-t-own-it-you-spend-it-but/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You don't need to take a persons advice to make him feel good, just ask him for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/you-don-t-need-to-take-a-persons-advice-to-make-him-feel-good-just/)

[Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/)

> [Some of the things that we hold onto the most, are the things that we need to let go of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryaj-ablando-catayas/some-of-the-things-that-we-hold-onto-the-most-are-the-things-that-we/)

[Ryaj Ablando Catayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryaj-ablando-catayas/)

> [“If your clothes are enough to drive would-be friends away, they're not the kind of friends you want." Typical mother advice. Sweet, honest, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aprilynne-pike/if-your-clothes-are-enough-to-drive-would-be-friends-away-they-re-not/)

[Aprilynne Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aprilynne-pike/)

> [“My kingdom not for a horse, but for a good piece of advice!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/my-kingdom-not-for-a-horse-but-for-a-good-piece-of-advice/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [I always advise people not to act upon the advice that I give them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/i-always-advise-people-not-to-act-upon-the-advice-that-i-give-them/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/)

[Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/)

> [My relationship with Ibrahimovic was completely neutral. He is not the type of player to approach the younger players and give them advice. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-coman/my-relationship-with-ibrahimovic-was-completely-neutral-he-is-not-the/)

[Kingsley Coman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-coman/)

[Browse all 8,535 Advice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advice/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Most times when folks ask for advice, they already know what they should do. They just want to hear it from someone else.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jeannette Walls (Author"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls-author/most-times-when-folks-ask-for-advice-they-already-know-what-they/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Advice"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls-author/most-times-when-folks-ask-for-advice-they-already-know-what-they/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/jeannette-walls-author-62675_advice_most-times-when-folks-ask-for-advice-the_61497.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/jeannette-walls-author-62675_advice_most-times-when-folks-ask-for-advice-the_61497.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/jeannette-walls-author-62675_advice_most-times-when-folks-ask-for-advice-the_61497.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Most times when folks ask for advice, they already know what they should do. They just want to hear it from…” — Jeannette Walls (Author",
                "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": "Jeannette Walls (Author",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls-author/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Most times when folks ask for...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls-author/most-times-when-folks-ask-for-advice-they-already-know-what-they/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls-author/most-times-when-folks-ask-for-advice-they-already-know-what-they/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
