---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But today I'm indifferent. And with this…"
description: "\"“But today I'm indifferent. And with this comes a glimmer of understanding: I can pick and choose what I absorb and what I deflect. This is how the col..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/katie-hafner-41251_learning_but-today-i-m-indifferent-and-with-this_310380.jpg"
---

#  But today I'm indifferent. And with this comes a glimmer…

![“But today I'm indifferent. And with this comes a glimmer of understanding: I can pick and choose what I absorb and what I deflect. This is how the color spectrum works: Some colors absorb light, while others deflect it, depending on where they are on the spectrum. Earlier in my life, when it came…” quote by Katie Hafner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/katie-hafner-41251_learning_but-today-i-m-indifferent-and-with-this_310380.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/katie-hafner-41251_learning_but-today-i-m-indifferent-and-with-this_310380.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/katie-hafner-41251_learning_but-today-i-m-indifferent-and-with-this_310380.jpg)

> ““But today I'm indifferent. And with this comes a glimmer of understanding: I can pick and choose what I absorb and what I deflect. This is how the color spectrum works: Some colors absorb light, while others deflect it, depending on where they are on the spectrum. Earlier in my life, when it came to hurtful words from my mother, I was more like an off-shade of brown, absorbing most of them. Now, with experience, wisdom, and a little more self-confidence, my spectrum is shifting. I'm making a choice to be less absorptive. And her comment... is one for which I choose to become pure white.””

[Katie Hafner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hafner/)

## About This Quote

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

Choosing what emotional inputs to absorb shapes personal growth and self‑identity.

**In simple terms:** Decide what to let affect you.

Key Takeaway

Selectively absorb positive influences.

Themes

self‑awareness boundaries growth

Mood

introspective hopeful

Type

inspirational reflective

When to use this quote

- family dynamics
- therapy
- career stress
- social media consumption

Key Concepts

psychology emotional intelligence personal development

Questions to Reflect On

- Which “colors” of influence will you filter out?
- How can you reinforce your new “white” mindset?

A Different Perspective

Changing habits can be difficult; old patterns persist.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Hurtful words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurtful-words/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Making a choice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-a-choice/)

## Related quotes

> [Nature has put itself the problem how to catch in flight light streaming to the earth and to store the most elusive of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mayer/nature-has-put-itself-the-problem-how-to-catch-in-flight-light/)

[Robert Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mayer/)

> [Cryptochrome harnesses the energy of incoming blue light, but other molecules are probably needed to absorb light of other colors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-c-hall/cryptochrome-harnesses-the-energy-of-incoming-blue-light-but-other/)

[Jeffrey C. Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-c-hall/)

> [If you're trying to get your point across using profanity, hurtful words, and violence, you're not getting your point across at all. Period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-re-trying-to-get-your-point-across-using-profanity-hurtful/)

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

> [You need all the room in your heart to store GOD'S Word. Your heart has no room to hold grudges or hurtful words spoken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-need-all-the-room-in-your-heart-to-store-god-s-word-your-heart/)

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

> [Hurtful words, From my enemies of the last five years, What's it like to die alone?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/escape-the-fate/hurtful-words-from-my-enemies-of-the-last-five-years-what-s-it-like/)

[Escape The Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/escape-the-fate/)

> [“You’re too sensitive’ victims of sexual abuse are told over and over by those whose reality depends on being insensitive. Most adults who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-fredrickson/you-re-too-sensitive-victims-of-sexual-abuse-are-told-over-and-over/)

Renee Fredrickson

> [Do you know how hard it is to not let hurtful words get to me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-know-how-hard-it-is-to-not-let-hurtful-words-get-to-me/)

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

> [“You can never be annoyed by anyone when you are just alone, insults comes from being too familiar even with the most respectful persons.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/you-can-never-be-annoyed-by-anyone-when-you-are-just-alone-insults/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [Learn to love yourself and no ones hurtful words can have power over you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/learn-to-love-yourself-and-no-ones-hurtful-words-can-have-power-over/)

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

> [It's such a wonderful thing to be uniquely different, be who God called you to be regardless of your knowing or unknowing mistakes. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-lynn/it-s-such-a-wonderful-thing-to-be-uniquely-different-be-who-god/)

Patricia Lynn

> [Racism is not about hurtful words, bruised feelings, political correctness, or refusing to call short people 'vertically challenged.' Racism is about the power to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-zirin/racism-is-not-about-hurtful-words-bruised-feelings-political/)

[Dave Zirin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-zirin/)

> [“Majority of people prefer a good name to a bad name, but to me, anyone can call me anything, as long as it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/majority-of-people-prefer-a-good-name-to-a-bad-name-but-to-me-anyone/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [I hate fake people who are nice to my face, but horrible about me behind my back. I'd rather you actually say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-fake-people-who-are-nice-to-my-face-but-horrible-about-me/)

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

> [I remember being really hurt by a relative of a good friend of mine when I mentioned that someone was a great wrestler -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-foley/i-remember-being-really-hurt-by-a-relative-of-a-good-friend-of-mine/)

[Mick Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-foley/)

> [“Mason knew what it was like to say things you didn’t mean, to just have them vomit out, and then feel that crushing ache…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-krokos/mason-knew-what-it-was-like-to-say-things-you-didn-t-mean-to-just/)

[Dan Krokos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-krokos/)

## More by Katie Hafner

> [“Doing a geographic” is a term alcoholics often use for acting on the impulse to start over by moving to a new town, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hafner/doing-a-geographic-is-a-term-alcoholics-often-use-for-acting-on-the/)

[Katie Hafner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hafner/)

> [“My mother has always loved piano music and hungered to play. When she was in her early sixties, she retired from her job as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hafner/my-mother-has-always-loved-piano-music-and-hungered-to-play-when-she/)

[Katie Hafner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hafner/)

> [“Suddenly life was good, even glamorous. We were poor but didn’t know it, or maybe we did know, but we didn’t care, because my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hafner/suddenly-life-was-good-even-glamorous-we-were-poor-but-didn-t-know-it/)

[Katie Hafner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hafner/)

> [“Stately and commanding, the house I found on Sacramento Street, in Lower Pacific Heights, was an architectural jewel; tour buses drove down the street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hafner/stately-and-commanding-the-house-i-found-on-sacramento-street-in/)

[Katie Hafner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hafner/)

> [“When I was five and Sarah seven, my mother went on a trip. She was gone from our home in Rochester, New York, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hafner/when-i-was-five-and-sarah-seven-my-mother-went-on-a-trip-she-was-gone/)

[Katie Hafner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hafner/)

> [“I usually enjoy setting up a new kitchen, but this has become a joyless and highly charged task. My mother and I each have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hafner/i-usually-enjoy-setting-up-a-new-kitchen-but-this-has-become-a/)

[Katie Hafner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hafner/)

> [“That night, I take Wallerstein's book from my bedside table and re-read something she mentioned only in passing: the ambivalence that many adult children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hafner/that-night-i-take-wallerstein-s-book-from-my-bedside-table-and-re/)

[Katie Hafner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hafner/)

> [“It’s one thing when you plug into a socket in the wall and electrons flow,” said Bob Kahn. “It’s another thing when you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hafner/it-s-one-thing-when-you-plug-into-a-socket-in-the-wall-and-electrons/)

[Katie Hafner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hafner/)

> [“For years, whenever I told people about my childhood but assured them that my mother and I were now close, that I held no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hafner/for-years-whenever-i-told-people-about-my-childhood-but-assured-them/)

[Katie Hafner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hafner/)

[Explore all 10 Katie Hafner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hafner/)

## More Hurtful words quotes

> [If you're trying to get your point across using profanity, hurtful words, and violence, you're not getting your point across at all. Period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-re-trying-to-get-your-point-across-using-profanity-hurtful/)

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

> [I remember being really hurt by a relative of a good friend of mine when I mentioned that someone was a great wrestler -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-foley/i-remember-being-really-hurt-by-a-relative-of-a-good-friend-of-mine/)

[Mick Foley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-foley/)

> [I hate fake people who are nice to my face, but horrible about me behind my back. I'd rather you actually say it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-fake-people-who-are-nice-to-my-face-but-horrible-about-me/)

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

> [“Majority of people prefer a good name to a bad name, but to me, anyone can call me anything, as long as it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/majority-of-people-prefer-a-good-name-to-a-bad-name-but-to-me-anyone/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [Racism is not about hurtful words, bruised feelings, political correctness, or refusing to call short people 'vertically challenged.' Racism is about the power to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-zirin/racism-is-not-about-hurtful-words-bruised-feelings-political/)

[Dave Zirin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-zirin/)

> [It's such a wonderful thing to be uniquely different, be who God called you to be regardless of your knowing or unknowing mistakes. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-lynn/it-s-such-a-wonderful-thing-to-be-uniquely-different-be-who-god/)

Patricia Lynn

> [Learn to love yourself and no ones hurtful words can have power over you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/learn-to-love-yourself-and-no-ones-hurtful-words-can-have-power-over/)

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

> [“You can never be annoyed by anyone when you are just alone, insults comes from being too familiar even with the most respectful persons.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/you-can-never-be-annoyed-by-anyone-when-you-are-just-alone-insults/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [Do you know how hard it is to not let hurtful words get to me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-know-how-hard-it-is-to-not-let-hurtful-words-get-to-me/)

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

> [“You’re too sensitive’ victims of sexual abuse are told over and over by those whose reality depends on being insensitive. Most adults who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-fredrickson/you-re-too-sensitive-victims-of-sexual-abuse-are-told-over-and-over/)

Renee Fredrickson

> [Hurtful words, From my enemies of the last five years, What's it like to die alone?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/escape-the-fate/hurtful-words-from-my-enemies-of-the-last-five-years-what-s-it-like/)

[Escape The Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/escape-the-fate/)

> [You need all the room in your heart to store GOD'S Word. Your heart has no room to hold grudges or hurtful words spoken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-need-all-the-room-in-your-heart-to-store-god-s-word-your-heart/)

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

> [“Mason knew what it was like to say things you didn’t mean, to just have them vomit out, and then feel that crushing ache…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-krokos/mason-knew-what-it-was-like-to-say-things-you-didn-t-mean-to-just/)

[Dan Krokos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-krokos/)

> [“In the future, I hope you'll remember to think before you speak. You can't take back hurtful words after they've been spoken. Painful words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mccoy-miller/in-the-future-i-hope-you-ll-remember-to-think-before-you-speak-you/)

[Judith McCoy Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mccoy-miller/)

> [To state the obvious time was never on our side. Me reflecting on this emotional night really opened my eyes. I hate that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dul/to-state-the-obvious-time-was-never-on-our-side-me-reflecting-on-this/)

Dul

[Browse all 66 Hurtful words quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurtful-words/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“But today I'm indifferent. And with this comes a glimmer of understanding: I can pick and choose what I absorb and what I deflect. This is how the color spectrum works: Some colors absorb light, while others deflect it, depending on where they are on the spectrum. Earlier in my life, when it came to hurtful words from my mother, I was more like an off-shade of brown, absorbing most of them. Now, with experience, wisdom, and a little more self-confidence, my spectrum is shifting. I'm making a choice to be less absorptive. And her comment... is one for which I choose to become pure white.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Katie Hafner"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hafner/but-today-i-m-indifferent-and-with-this-comes-a-glimmer-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Hurtful words"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hafner/but-today-i-m-indifferent-and-with-this-comes-a-glimmer-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/katie-hafner-41251_learning_but-today-i-m-indifferent-and-with-this_310380.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/katie-hafner-41251_learning_but-today-i-m-indifferent-and-with-this_310380.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/442/katie-hafner-41251_learning_but-today-i-m-indifferent-and-with-this_310380.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But today I'm indifferent. And with this comes a glimmer of understanding: I can pick and choose what I…” — Katie Hafner",
                "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": "Katie Hafner",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hafner/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“But today I'm indifferent. And with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hafner/but-today-i-m-indifferent-and-with-this-comes-a-glimmer-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hafner/but-today-i-m-indifferent-and-with-this-comes-a-glimmer-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
