--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Early in my career, I formed a personal…" description: "\"“Early in my career, I formed a personal motto, one by which I continue to live: If offering a criticism, accompany it with one potential solution. In ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/john-herrick-23597_negative-comments_early-in-my-career-i-formed-a-personal-m_632136.jpg" --- # Early in my career, I formed a personal motto, one by… ![“Early in my career, I formed a personal motto, one by which I continue to live: If offering a criticism, accompany it with one potential solution. In the case I described, the individual didn’t want to work together to find a solution. Unfortunately, I’ve never found an effective way to deal with…” quote by John Herrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/john-herrick-23597_negative-comments_early-in-my-career-i-formed-a-personal-m_632136.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/john-herrick-23597_negative-comments_early-in-my-career-i-formed-a-personal-m_632136.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e5/john-herrick-23597_negative-comments_early-in-my-career-i-formed-a-personal-m_632136.jpg) > ““Early in my career, I formed a personal motto, one by which I continue to live: If offering a criticism, accompany it with one potential solution. In the case I described, the individual didn’t want to work together to find a solution. Unfortunately, I’ve never found an effective way to deal with adults who exhibit immaturity. The Bible offers a bit of interesting insight that I consider applicable: “Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, or desire his delicacies; for as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, ‘Eat and drink!’ but his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten, and waste your compliments. Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words” (Proverbs 23:6-9). The Bible also says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men” (Romans 12:18). It saddens me to say, but in that individual’s case, peace meant limiting my interactions with him. To foster peace, I stopped saying hello in the mornings. Not out of spite, but because friendly conversation led to comfort, and comfort, I noticed, opened the door for negative comments. Rarely do I take such an extreme measure, but sometimes distance is helpful. His visits ended. My peace and fervor began to reemerge.”” [John Herrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-herrick/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When criticizing, pair feedback with a constructive solution; if the other party remains immature, limit interaction to preserve personal peace. **In simple terms:** Give feedback with solutions, and distance yourself from immature people to keep peace. Key Takeaway Offer solutions, set boundaries, protect your peace. Themes communication conflict resolution personal boundaries peacekeeping spirituality Mood reflective calm determined Type advice personal development spiritual reflection When to use this quote - workplace - family - friendships - team projects - spiritual communities Key Concepts constructive criticism emotional intelligence boundary setting Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance honesty with compassion? - When is distance more helpful than dialogue? A Different Perspective If you avoid all interaction, you may miss opportunities for growth or reconciliation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bible Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible-says/) [Bread Selfish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bread-selfish-5092595/) [Negative comments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negative-comments/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Personal motto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-motto/) [Proverbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proverbs/) [Saying hello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-hello/) [Selfish Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selfish-man/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) [Wisdom Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom-words-455212/) [Work together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-together/) ## Related quotes > [“There is nothing in the world, I venture to say, that would so effectively help one to survive even the worst conditions as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/there-is-nothing-in-the-world-i-venture-to-say-that-would-so/) [Viktor E. 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It's like everybody loves to put negative comments on the Internet under the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-legend/you-can-always-find-a-stray-negative-comment-on-the-internet-it-s/) [John Legend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-legend/) [Browse all 63 Negative comments quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negative-comments/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Early in my career, I formed a personal motto, one by which I continue to live: If offering a criticism, accompany it with one potential solution. In the case I described, the individual didn’t want to work together to find a solution. Unfortunately, I’ve never found an effective way to deal with adults who exhibit immaturity. The Bible offers a bit of interesting insight that I consider applicable: “Do not eat the bread of a selfish man, or desire his delicacies; for as he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, ‘Eat and drink!’ but his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the morsel you have eaten, and waste your compliments. Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words” (Proverbs 23:6-9). The Bible also says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men” (Romans 12:18). It saddens me to say, but in that individual’s case, peace meant limiting my interactions with him. To foster peace, I stopped saying hello in the mornings. Not out of spite, but because friendly conversation led to comfort, and comfort, I noticed, opened the door for negative comments. Rarely do I take such an extreme measure, but sometimes distance is helpful. His visits ended. 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