---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't judge anyone for what they've…"
description: "\"You can't judge anyone for what they've done, because people change.\" — Leighton Meester"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/leighton-meester-3954_change_you-can-t-judge-anyone-for-what-they-ve_2314853.jpg"
---

#  You can't judge anyone for what they've done, because…

![“You can't judge anyone for what they've done, because people change.” quote by Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/leighton-meester-3954_change_you-can-t-judge-anyone-for-what-they-ve_2314853.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/leighton-meester-3954_change_you-can-t-judge-anyone-for-what-they-ve_2314853.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/leighton-meester-3954_change_you-can-t-judge-anyone-for-what-they-ve_2314853.jpg)

> “You can't judge anyone for what they've done, because people change.”

[Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/)

## About This Quote

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

People evolve, so judging past actions ignores personal growth.

**In simple terms:** People change, so don’t judge them by past deeds.

Key Takeaway

Accept change, judge less.

Themes

growth judgment empathy

Mood

reflective empathetic

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- relationships
- friendships
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

personal development ethical humility

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you recognize genuine change?
- What biases affect your judgments?

A Different Perspective

Change can be superficial or temporary, not always lasting.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-change/)

## Related quotes

> [Part of America is we've always had people that can get things done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-pagliuca/part-of-america-is-we-ve-always-had-people-that-can-get-things-done/)

[Stephen Pagliuca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-pagliuca/)

> [I've had people turn me down. Not all that many, but certainly it happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/i-ve-had-people-turn-me-down-not-all-that-many-but-certainly-it/)

[Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/)

> [I've had people ask me to do their shopping for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-ford/i-ve-had-people-ask-me-to-do-their-shopping-for-them/)

[Rob Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-ford/)

> [I don't know what I've done that has made people so interested in me, more than anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-lambert-mellon/i-don-t-know-what-i-ve-done-that-has-made-people-so-interested-in-me/)

[Rachel Lambert Mellon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-lambert-mellon/)

> [You are what you can prove you've done. That's how people judge you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-marling/you-are-what-you-can-prove-you-ve-done-that-s-how-people-judge-you/)

[Laura Marling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-marling/)

> [I've always been a people pleaser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-ve-always-been-a-people-pleaser/)

[AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/)

> [I've always made people eat their words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-poole/i-ve-always-made-people-eat-their-words/)

[Jordan Poole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-poole/)

> [Conscience warns us as a friend before it punishes us as a judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/conscience-warns-us-as-a-friend-before-it-punishes-us-as-a-judge/)

[Stanisław I Leszczyński](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanis-aw-i-leszczy-ski/)

> [I judge people by their own principles..not by my own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-judge-people-by-their-own-principles-not-by-my-own/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [Do not mind anything that anyone tells you about anyone else. Judge everyone and everything for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-mind-anything-that-anyone-tells-you-about-anyone-else-judge/)

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

> [Powers Hapgood had just come from court because there was some kind of dust-up on a picket line. The judge was so curious about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/powers-hapgood-had-just-come-from-court-because-there-was-some-kind/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [“While you judge me by my outward appearance I am silently doing the same to you, even though there's a ninety-percent chance that in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/while-you-judge-me-by-my-outward-appearance-i-am-silently-doing-the/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [I have no faith in my ability to judge things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/i-have-no-faith-in-my-ability-to-judge-things/)

[Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/)

> [Don't judge everyone else by your own limited experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/don-t-judge-everyone-else-by-your-own-limited-experience/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [They judge lest they be judged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/they-judge-lest-they-be-judged/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

## More by Leighton Meester

> [Sometimes you're a little too close for comfort, and I think anybody can relate to that, whether you're in college or just moving out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/sometimes-you-re-a-little-too-close-for-comfort-and-i-think-anybody/)

[Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/)

> [I used to buy everything at garage sales. It was hard to give up! I’d be like, ‘But this crazy sweater is amazing, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/i-used-to-buy-everything-at-garage-sales-it-was-hard-to-give-up-i-d/)

[Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/)

> [There's no sense in trying to be or look like anyone other than yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/there-s-no-sense-in-trying-to-be-or-look-like-anyone-other-than/)

[Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/)

> [I'm a grown woman and sometimes, I might be a little fat, you know? Am I alone there? Not really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/i-m-a-grown-woman-and-sometimes-i-might-be-a-little-fat-you-know-am-i/)

[Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/)

> [Don’t try to be anything but yourself, and find success as yourself. Otherwise, you won’t be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/don-t-try-to-be-anything-but-yourself-and-find-success-as-yourself/)

[Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/)

> [S exciting and thrilling as playing Rebecca was in The Roommate, I wouldn't do it again. Just like Blair, I probably won't ever play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/s-exciting-and-thrilling-as-playing-rebecca-was-in-the-roommate-i/)

[Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/)

> [Any fear of aging, I think, is simply vanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/any-fear-of-aging-i-think-is-simply-vanity/)

[Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/)

> [I love New York. You're never alone, but you're always on your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/i-love-new-york-you-re-never-alone-but-you-re-always-on-your-own/)

[Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/)

> [I've gotten to wear such beautiful clothes and had such a variety and it's just been so nice because I feel like I've grown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/i-ve-gotten-to-wear-such-beautiful-clothes-and-had-such-a-variety-and/)

[Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/)

> [I really like those days when I can just wear sweatpants, to be honest. And when I'm actually going to go somewhere, I like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/i-really-like-those-days-when-i-can-just-wear-sweatpants-to-be-honest/)

[Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/)

> [You can take what is handed to you and use it as an excuse to mess up. But I've always handled what was given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/you-can-take-what-is-handed-to-you-and-use-it-as-an-excuse-to-mess-up/)

[Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/)

> [I dont listen to compliments too much! I want an identity outside of my work. Fame is not what I want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/i-dont-listen-to-compliments-too-much-i-want-an-identity-outside-of/)

[Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/)

> [I've been so happy with how everything has gone so far, and I'm ecstatic with the direction I'm headed at the moment. I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/i-ve-been-so-happy-with-how-everything-has-gone-so-far-and-i-m/)

[Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/)

> [Success to me is being happy, truly fulfilled, being proud of myself, and doing different things all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/success-to-me-is-being-happy-truly-fulfilled-being-proud-of-myself/)

[Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/)

> [I think you have to know how you feel when you're sad and it's healthy to mourn if a relationship ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/i-think-you-have-to-know-how-you-feel-when-you-re-sad-and-it-s/)

[Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/)

[Explore all 118 Leighton Meester quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/)

## More Change quotes

> [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

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

> [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/)

Phil Hogan

> [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/)

[William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/)

[Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/)

> [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/)

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

> [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/)

[Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/)

> [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/)

[Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/)

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

> [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/)

[Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/)

> [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

[Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You can't judge anyone for what they've done, because people change.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Leighton Meester"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/you-can-t-judge-anyone-for-what-they-ve-done-because-people-change/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Change"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/you-can-t-judge-anyone-for-what-they-ve-done-because-people-change/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/leighton-meester-3954_change_you-can-t-judge-anyone-for-what-they-ve_2314853.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/leighton-meester-3954_change_you-can-t-judge-anyone-for-what-they-ve_2314853.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/935/leighton-meester-3954_change_you-can-t-judge-anyone-for-what-they-ve_2314853.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You can't judge anyone for what they've done, because people change.” — Leighton Meester",
                "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": "Leighton Meester",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "You can't judge anyone for what...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/you-can-t-judge-anyone-for-what-they-ve-done-because-people-change/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/you-can-t-judge-anyone-for-what-they-ve-done-because-people-change/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
