--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I learned one thing, it is that…" description: "\"If I learned one thing, it is that self-doubt is one of the most destructive forces. It makes you defensive instead of open, reactive instead of active..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/jennifer-lee-14174_active_if-i-learned-one-thing-it-is-that-self-d_2458148.png" --- # If I learned one thing, it is that self-doubt is one of… ![“If I learned one thing, it is that self-doubt is one of the most destructive forces. It makes you defensive instead of open, reactive instead of active. Self-doubt is consuming and cruel. And my hope today is that we can all collectively agree to ban it. . . . Think to the moments of your life…” quote by Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/jennifer-lee-14174_active_if-i-learned-one-thing-it-is-that-self-d_2458148.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/jennifer-lee-14174_active_if-i-learned-one-thing-it-is-that-self-d_2458148.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/471/jennifer-lee-14174_active_if-i-learned-one-thing-it-is-that-self-d_2458148.png) > “If I learned one thing, it is that self-doubt is one of the most destructive forces. It makes you defensive instead of open, reactive instead of active. Self-doubt is consuming and cruel. And my hope today is that we can all collectively agree to ban it. . . . Think to the moments of your life when you forgot to doubt yourself. When you were so inspired that you were just living and creating and working. Pay attention to those moments because they're trying to reach you through those lenses of doubt and trying to show you your potential."” [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑doubt erodes confidence and blocks creativity; recalling moments of confidence can counteract it. **In simple terms:** Self‑doubt hurts; remember confidence. Key Takeaway Recall confident moments to combat doubt. Themes confidence creativity self‑esteem Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational motivational When to use this quote - public speaking - personal coaching - team meetings Key Concepts psychology mindset motivation Questions to Reflect On - When have you felt most confident? - How can you nurture that feeling daily? A Different Perspective Self‑doubt can be reinforced by external criticism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Graduation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduation/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-doubt/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [“Doubt is destructive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/doubt-is-destructive/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [When you are free from self-doubt, you fail better. You accept criticism and listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/when-you-are-free-from-self-doubt-you-fail-better-you-accept/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [We should totally ban for-profit charters. For-profit's first obligation is to its stockholders, not to its children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ravitch/we-should-totally-ban-for-profit-charters-for-profit-s-first/) [Diane Ravitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ravitch/) > [The bill would ban human cloning, and any attempts at human cloning, for both reproductive purposes and medical research. Also forbidden is the importing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-calvert/the-bill-would-ban-human-cloning-and-any-attempts-at-human-cloning/) [Ken Calvert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-calvert/) > [When observers look back 50 years from now, the arguments supporting Florida's ban on same-sex marriage, though just as sincerely held \[as views of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lewis-hinkle/when-observers-look-back-50-years-from-now-the-arguments-supporting/) Robert Lewis Hinkle > [The most damaging prejudice consists of banning any kind of investigation of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-most-damaging-prejudice-consists-of-banning-any-kind-of/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Banning guns, drugs, alcohol, premarital sex, political incorrectness, and gay marriage hasn't worked. We should ban Life. So long as even one of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rock-cowles/banning-guns-drugs-alcohol-premarital-sex-political-incorrectness-and/) [Rock Cowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rock-cowles/) > [It is cruel for you to leave your daughter, so full of hopeand resolve, to suffer the humiliations of disfranchisement she already feels so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-b-anthony/it-is-cruel-for-you-to-leave-your-daughter-so-full-of-hopeand-resolve/) [Susan B. Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-b-anthony/) > [My argument is focused on the fact that a relatively small percentage of the world's Muslim countries are impacted by this order. Stated differently,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-rivkin/my-argument-is-focused-on-the-fact-that-a-relatively-small-percentage/) [David B. 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Hillary Clinton doesn't. I want to raise the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/i-want-to-break-up-the-wall-street-banks-hillary-clinton-doesn-t-i/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [Why dost thou shrink from my approach, O Man? Why dost thou ever flee in fear, and cling To my false rival, Life? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/why-dost-thou-shrink-from-my-approach-o-man-why-dost-thou-ever-flee/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [ Ben Carson also denounced \[Donald\] Trump's ban all Muslims proposal saying we do not and would not advocate being selective on one's religion. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/ben-carson-also-denounced-donald-trump-s-ban-all-muslims-proposal/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) ## More by Jennifer Lee > [Truth is, people like buying things for $0.99 and $1.99 for their digital devices. We know that from iTunes. We know that from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/truth-is-people-like-buying-things-for-0-99-and-1-99-for-their/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [ Loneliness is something we \[all people\] go through. We go through mourning and longing. We make some bad choices sometimes because we're desperate for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/loneliness-is-something-we-all-people-go-through-we-go-through/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [Let your heart beat for music. Don't be a DJ for the wrong reasons, do it because you have a passion for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/let-your-heart-beat-for-music-don-t-be-a-dj-for-the-wrong-reasons-do/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [There's a lot of responsibility involved in sharing a very personal story with a lot of people, and it's easier for others not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/there-s-a-lot-of-responsibility-involved-in-sharing-a-very-personal/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [Headline writing is tough because often times you are given a predetermined number of spaces and words depending on the layout and the type…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/headline-writing-is-tough-because-often-times-you-are-given-a/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [I like to say, Chop sueys the biggest culinary joke that one culture has ever played on another, because chop suey, if you translate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/i-like-to-say-chop-sueys-the-biggest-culinary-joke-that-one-culture/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [“I represent everything that distances Richard Pryor from Peoria, Illinois' ghettos.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/i-represent-everything-that-distances-richard-pryor-from-peoria/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [People think of fortune cookies as being Chinese, but in essence, they are fundamentally American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/people-think-of-fortune-cookies-as-being-chinese-but-in-essence-they/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [Some books that I've read on the Kindle, I've been like, 'I want that on my shelf.' Because it says, 'I'm the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/some-books-that-i-ve-read-on-the-kindle-i-ve-been-like-i-want-that-on/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [I think if you create well balanced characters that are well represented, boys and girls relate to them whether they're boys or girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/i-think-if-you-create-well-balanced-characters-that-are-well/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [Don't lose faith in what you are trying to do, even though you will get pummeled emotionally left and right. There are a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/don-t-lose-faith-in-what-you-are-trying-to-do-even-though-you-will/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [I'm always open to questions asked, and it will be up to me at that moment to decide if I want to answer or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/i-m-always-open-to-questions-asked-and-it-will-be-up-to-me-at-that/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [My siblings and I are known as ABCs, American-born Chinese.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/my-siblings-and-i-are-known-as-abcs-american-born-chinese/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [With wok cooking, you chop things up into little pieces for maximum surface area, so they can cook in minutes, if not seconds. Sauteing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/with-wok-cooking-you-chop-things-up-into-little-pieces-for-maximum/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) > [The Chinese use every spare bit of an animal: cow lungs, pig ears, chicken feet, duck blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lee/the-chinese-use-every-spare-bit-of-an-animal-cow-lungs-pig-ears/) [Jennifer Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) [Explore all 47 Jennifer Lee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lee/) ## More Active quotes > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. 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Whole foods are the best for you when you are super active, so I get plenty of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/witney-carson/i-eat-healthy-most-of-the-time-whole-foods-are-the-best-for-you-when/) [Witney Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/witney-carson/) > [Art shows us how to see things that are constructive and good, and to be an active part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-richter/art-shows-us-how-to-see-things-that-are-constructive-and-good-and-to/) [Gerhard Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-richter/) > [Love, like truth and beauty, is concrete. Love is not fundamentally a sweet feeling; not, at heart, a matter of sentiment, attachment, or being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-heyward/love-like-truth-and-beauty-is-concrete-love-is-not-fundamentally-a/) [Carter Heyward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-heyward/) > [Studying Sol's interior by looking for analogous patterns on its incandescent face is known as helioseismology, an active - if largely unpronounceable - research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/studying-sol-s-interior-by-looking-for-analogous-patterns-on-its/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Science manipulates things and gives up living in them. 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Because essentially they were a three-piece band and the way he structured his chords and took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-lifeson/pete-townsend-for-me-was-a-huge-influence-because-essentially-they/) [Alex Lifeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-lifeson/) > [There is an enemy. There is an intelligent, active, malign force working against us. Step one is to recognize this. This recognition alone is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/there-is-an-enemy-there-is-an-intelligent-active-malign-force-working/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [Few, if any, creatures are equally active all night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/few-if-any-creatures-are-equally-active-all-night/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [You need to enjoy yourself and just get into the routine of keeping fit and enjoying being active. That's always easier once you've made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-brownlee/you-need-to-enjoy-yourself-and-just-get-into-the-routine-of-keeping/) [Alistair Brownlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-brownlee/) Browse all 2,212 Active quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I learned one thing, it is that self-doubt is one of the most destructive forces. It makes you defensive instead of open, reactive instead of active. Self-doubt is consuming and cruel. And my hope today is that we can all collectively agree to ban it. . . . Think to the moments of your life when you forgot to doubt yourself. When you were so inspired that you were just living and creating and working. 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