--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We can't control what other people do and…" description: "\"We can't control what other people do and how they treat us, but we can control our response to them.\" — Joyce Meyer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/joyce-meyer-123_people_we-can-t-control-what-other-people-do-an_1160682.jpg" --- # We can't control what other people do and how they treat… ![“We can't control what other people do and how they treat us, but we can control our response to them.” quote by Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/joyce-meyer-123_people_we-can-t-control-what-other-people-do-an_1160682.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/joyce-meyer-123_people_we-can-t-control-what-other-people-do-an_1160682.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/joyce-meyer-123_people_we-can-t-control-what-other-people-do-an_1160682.jpg) > “We can't control what other people do and how they treat us, but we can control our response to them.” [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People cannot control others' actions, but they can choose their own reactions, empowering personal agency. **In simple terms:** Control your response. Key Takeaway Choose your reaction. Themes personal responsibility emotional control empowerment Mood calm empowered Type self‑help spiritual When to use this quote - conflict resolution - stress management - personal growth Key Concepts reactivity mindset inner peace Questions to Reflect On - What strategies help you shift responses? - Can you separate feeling from reaction? A Different Perspective External events may still cause distress despite internal control. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/control/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“You cannot control the way people treat you, but you can control how you respond to their treatment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rohrmayer/you-cannot-control-the-way-people-treat-you-but-you-can-control-how/) [Gary Rohrmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rohrmayer/) > [“We can’t always control what happens in our lives- things will go well, things will go poorly-but what we can control is our response…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-blanchard/we-can-t-always-control-what-happens-in-our-lives-things-will-go-well/) Kenneth Blanchard > [You cannot control how others treat you. But you can control what you tolerate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-cannot-control-how-others-treat-you-but-you-can-control-what-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We cannot control how others treat us but we can control the way we react to them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-tse/we-cannot-control-how-others-treat-us-but-we-can-control-the-way-we/) [Sarah Tse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-tse/) > [You can't control how some people will treat you or what they'll say about you. But you can control how you react to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/you-can-t-control-how-some-people-will-treat-you-or-what-they-ll-say/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Today's circumstances are out of your control but you CAN control your response. Don't let a negative outlook kill your joy today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/today-s-circumstances-are-out-of-your-control-but-you-can-control/) [LeCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [You might not be able to control your circumstances, but you can control your response to your circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-might-not-be-able-to-control-your-circumstances-but-you-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We can't always control what happens but we can control our response](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-harding/we-can-t-always-control-what-happens-but-we-can-control-our-response/) [Phil Harding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-harding/) > [Get to know yourself well enough to not only expect, but also control, your response to the unexpected challenges in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/get-to-know-yourself-well-enough-to-not-only-expect-but-also-control/) Senoraroy > [Since you cannot control the weather, or the traffic, or the one you love, or your neighbors, or your boss, then you must learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/since-you-cannot-control-the-weather-or-the-traffic-or-the-one-you/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [You set the standards for how you will be treated. People will treat you the exact way you treat yourself. So be good to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/you-set-the-standards-for-how-you-will-be-treated-people-will-treat/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [People treat life as though it's the dress rehearsal for some big show. It's not. This is it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-seymour/people-treat-life-as-though-it-s-the-dress-rehearsal-for-some-big/) [Jane Seymour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-seymour/) > [When you treat people well, those same people might not treat you the same way. But if you pay attention, you'll notice that God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-treat-people-well-those-same-people-might-not-treat-you-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can't change how people treat you or what they say about you. All you can do is change how you react to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicky-gumbel/you-can-t-change-how-people-treat-you-or-what-they-say-about-you-all/) [Nicky Gumbel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicky-gumbel/) > [Many people treat their bodies as if they were rented from Hertz - something they are using to get around in but nothing they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chungliang-al-huang/many-people-treat-their-bodies-as-if-they-were-rented-from-hertz/) [Chungliang Al Huang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chungliang-al-huang/) ## More by Joyce Meyer > [Grace is the power of the Holy Spirit coming to us free of charge to enable you to do with ease what you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/grace-is-the-power-of-the-holy-spirit-coming-to-us-free-of-charge-to/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [God doesn't love me any more or less because I had some work done on my face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/god-doesn-t-love-me-any-more-or-less-because-i-had-some-work-done-on/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [I encourage you to be a person who is not afraid of responsibility. In meeting resistance you will build your strength. If you only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/i-encourage-you-to-be-a-person-who-is-not-afraid-of-responsibility-in/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Have God make a message out of your mess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/have-god-make-a-message-out-of-your-mess/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Forgiveness is not a feeling - it's a decision we make because we want to do what's right before God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/forgiveness-is-not-a-feeling-it-s-a-decision-we-make-because-we-want/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [The Bible says that Christians are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. 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I was abused by my father, abandoned by my mother and ended up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/early-on-in-my-life-i-had-a-broken-soul-i-was-abused-by-my-father/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [frustration, complication and misery are available in abundance, but so is God's grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/frustration-complication-and-misery-are-available-in-abundance-but-so/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [There is no power shortage in heaven, and God is never in a recession. But His grace is sufficient to meet every need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/there-is-no-power-shortage-in-heaven-and-god-is-never-in-a-recession/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Stop being tomented by everyone else's reaction to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/stop-being-tomented-by-everyone-else-s-reaction-to-you/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“… about midnight, as Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God…. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/about-midnight-as-paul-and-silas-were-praying-and-singing-hymns-of/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“As a Spirit-filled believer, you need to take the initiative to treat people the way you want to be treated, not the way they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/as-a-spirit-filled-believer-you-need-to-take-the-initiative-to-treat/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) [Explore all 1,221 Joyce Meyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) ## More Control quotes > [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/) [Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/) > [Grit and self-control are related, but they're not the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-duckworth/grit-and-self-control-are-related-but-they-re-not-the-same-thing/) [Angela Duckworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-duckworth/) > [“You can't control who loves you...you can't let someone love you anymore than you can make someone love you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/you-can-t-control-who-loves-you-you-can-t-let-someone-love-you/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) > [I thought I fought a really good Orlando Salido. 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But when God makes it known to you that you're not the one steering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmin-mogahed/many-of-us-rely-on-our-own-illusion-of-control-but-when-god-makes-it/) [Yasmin Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmin-mogahed/) > [In Congress, Florida Republicans worked with the Trump administration to secure funding for coastal restoration projects following the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/in-congress-florida-republicans-worked-with-the-trump-administration/) [Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/) > [“He who can destroy a thing has the real control of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/he-who-can-destroy-a-thing-has-the-real-control-of-it/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Sometimes you have to laugh to keep from crying or getting overly angry or to maintain control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-haysbert/sometimes-you-have-to-laugh-to-keep-from-crying-or-getting-overly/) [Dennis Haysbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-haysbert/) > [My sister-in-law works for a group that supports orphanages in Cairo. 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