---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: a sure antidote to comparison is…"
description: "\"“a sure antidote to comparison is encouragement. Choosing to encourage instead of compare is a powerful defensive play. But”\" — Lisa-Jo Baker"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/lisa-jo-baker-27488_encouragement_a-sure-antidote-to-comparison-is-encoura_1890065.jpg"
---

#  a sure antidote to comparison is encouragement. Choosing…

![“a sure antidote to comparison is encouragement. Choosing to encourage instead of compare is a powerful defensive play. But” quote by Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/lisa-jo-baker-27488_encouragement_a-sure-antidote-to-comparison-is-encoura_1890065.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/lisa-jo-baker-27488_encouragement_a-sure-antidote-to-comparison-is-encoura_1890065.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/lisa-jo-baker-27488_encouragement_a-sure-antidote-to-comparison-is-encoura_1890065.jpg)

> ““a sure antidote to comparison is encouragement. Choosing to encourage instead of compare is a powerful defensive play. But””

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

## About This Quote

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

Encouragement counters the harmful habit of comparing oneself to others, serving as a protective strategy against insecurity.

**In simple terms:** Encouragement protects against comparison.

Key Takeaway

Use encouragement as a shield.

Themes

self-esteem comparison encouragement

Mood

supportive reflective

Type

motivational advice

When to use this quote

- team meetings
- parenting
- coaching
- friendship

Key Concepts

psychology defensive strategies

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you encourage others without fostering competition?
- When does comparison become useful?

A Different Perspective

Encouragement may not address underlying insecurities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Encouragement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encouragement/)

## Related quotes

> [Encourage instead complain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevi/encourage-instead-complain/)

[Kevi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevi/)

> [One of the most crucial but hardest things to do as part of turning your life around is to get rid of all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-boortz/one-of-the-most-crucial-but-hardest-things-to-do-as-part-of-turning/)

[Neal Boortz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-boortz/)

> [If people are kicking you in the behind, at least you're in front of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/if-people-are-kicking-you-in-the-behind-at-least-you-re-in-front-of/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [I really want people to know that I've worked hard, very hard, to get to where I am today.. this didn't just happen overnight.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magic-johnson/i-really-want-people-to-know-that-i-ve-worked-hard-very-hard-to-get/)

[Magic Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magic-johnson/)

> [“Don’t be afraid of your struggles, they are making you dangerously strong and wise. They are preparing you for your superpowers. Let them happen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-lee/don-t-be-afraid-of-your-struggles-they-are-making-you-dangerously/)

[Melody Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-lee/)

> [“Intercourse is one thing, Intimacy is everything. Be encouraged”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-e-wagner/intercourse-is-one-thing-intimacy-is-everything-be-encouraged/)

[Kerry E. Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-e-wagner/)

> [“I have learned that positive encouragement and positive advice is limited to the believers not the masses”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-edgar-alamo/i-have-learned-that-positive-encouragement-and-positive-advice-is/)

Herbert Edgar Alamo

> [“What would you think if I told you that, yes, your bad choices and decisions have had a part in your ending up under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-andrews/what-would-you-think-if-i-told-you-that-yes-your-bad-choices-and/)

[Andy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-andrews/)

> [Instruction does much, but encouragement everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/instruction-does-much-but-encouragement-everything/)

[Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [God's plans are never beyond your reach, sometimes you just have to move closer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-lee-riner/god-s-plans-are-never-beyond-your-reach-sometimes-you-just-have-to/)

[Justin Lee Riner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-lee-riner/)

> [It isn't bad judgment to make a man believe he is something. He is by nature inclined to it, and a little encouragement is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-langley-bosher/it-isn-t-bad-judgment-to-make-a-man-believe-he-is-something-he-is-by/)

[Kate Langley Bosher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-langley-bosher/)

> [If You want to be Awesome, You have to kick all the negative and boring people out of your life and arm yourself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajdeep-sarkar/if-you-want-to-be-awesome-you-have-to-kick-all-the-negative-and/)

[Rajdeep Sarkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajdeep-sarkar/)

> [Great people are not people who have never fallen down. Greatness has to do with how you get back up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/great-people-are-not-people-who-have-never-fallen-down-greatness-has/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [“Today if anything is trying to hold you back, give no attention to it. Get your hopes up, get your faith up, look up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/today-if-anything-is-trying-to-hold-you-back-give-no-attention-to-it/)

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

> [Change your attitude and gain some altitude. Believe me, you'll love it up here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/change-your-attitude-and-gain-some-altitude-believe-me-you-ll-love-it/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

## More by Lisa-Jo Baker

> [“Friendship isn't something we passively receive. Friendship is something we actively do. It's a gift we offer for free, not a demand we make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/friendship-isn-t-something-we-passively-receive-friendship-is/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

> [“This is the secret to finding and keeping lasting friendships: become women who want to see the women around them flourish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/this-is-the-secret-to-finding-and-keeping-lasting-friendships-become/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

> [“Grace and chocolate cake can cover a world of awkwardness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/grace-and-chocolate-cake-can-cover-a-world-of-awkwardness/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

> [“If I wait for my house or my life to be perfect before inviting someone into it, I might never let anyone come through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/if-i-wait-for-my-house-or-my-life-to-be-perfect-before-inviting/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

> [“Friends carry our sadness for us when we're terrified we'll be crushed under the weight of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/friends-carry-our-sadness-for-us-when-we-re-terrified-we-ll-be/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

> [“The moment I start to feel that sinking feeling of dissatisfaction welling up in me, I know I need to message a friend, give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/the-moment-i-start-to-feel-that-sinking-feeling-of-dissatisfaction/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

> [“Christ's Kingdom is always intended to be a co-op and never a competition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/christ-s-kingdom-is-always-intended-to-be-a-co-op-and-never-a/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

> [“If we make loving people a strategy for something else, it isn’t love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/if-we-make-loving-people-a-strategy-for-something-else-it-isn-t-love/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

> [“Before you were born, you were already known and seen and set apart for specific, profound purposes. So there is no way that your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/before-you-were-born-you-were-already-known-and-seen-and-set-apart/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

> [“But love, love equals, “I want the best for you no matter how it makes me feel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/but-love-love-equals-i-want-the-best-for-you-no-matter-how-it-makes/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

> [“There's enough work in the Kingdom for everyone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/there-s-enough-work-in-the-kingdom-for-everyone/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

> [“The Never Unfriended Promise I promise I will never unfriend you. Not with the swipe of my finger, not with the roll of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/the-never-unfriended-promise-i-promise-i-will-never-unfriend-you-not/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

> [“Because when you tell your stories, you start to recognize yourself in the stories of others. You start to discover that you are both,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/because-when-you-tell-your-stories-you-start-to-recognize-yourself-in/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

> [“Because here’s the thing I’m finally getting savvy to: just because I think it, doesn’t make it true. Every thought that comes through my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/because-here-s-the-thing-i-m-finally-getting-savvy-to-just-because-i/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

> [“our quest for perfection is a gift to no one. Real”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/our-quest-for-perfection-is-a-gift-to-no-one-real/)

[Lisa-Jo Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

[Explore all 20 Lisa-Jo Baker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/)

## More Encouragement quotes

> [Change your attitude and gain some altitude. Believe me, you'll love it up here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/change-your-attitude-and-gain-some-altitude-believe-me-you-ll-love-it/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [“Today if anything is trying to hold you back, give no attention to it. Get your hopes up, get your faith up, look up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/today-if-anything-is-trying-to-hold-you-back-give-no-attention-to-it/)

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

> [Great people are not people who have never fallen down. Greatness has to do with how you get back up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/great-people-are-not-people-who-have-never-fallen-down-greatness-has/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [If You want to be Awesome, You have to kick all the negative and boring people out of your life and arm yourself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajdeep-sarkar/if-you-want-to-be-awesome-you-have-to-kick-all-the-negative-and/)

[Rajdeep Sarkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajdeep-sarkar/)

> [It isn't bad judgment to make a man believe he is something. He is by nature inclined to it, and a little encouragement is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-langley-bosher/it-isn-t-bad-judgment-to-make-a-man-believe-he-is-something-he-is-by/)

[Kate Langley Bosher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-langley-bosher/)

> [God's plans are never beyond your reach, sometimes you just have to move closer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-lee-riner/god-s-plans-are-never-beyond-your-reach-sometimes-you-just-have-to/)

[Justin Lee Riner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-lee-riner/)

> [Instruction does much, but encouragement everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/instruction-does-much-but-encouragement-everything/)

[Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [“What would you think if I told you that, yes, your bad choices and decisions have had a part in your ending up under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-andrews/what-would-you-think-if-i-told-you-that-yes-your-bad-choices-and/)

[Andy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-andrews/)

> [“I have learned that positive encouragement and positive advice is limited to the believers not the masses”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-edgar-alamo/i-have-learned-that-positive-encouragement-and-positive-advice-is/)

Herbert Edgar Alamo

> [“Intercourse is one thing, Intimacy is everything. Be encouraged”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-e-wagner/intercourse-is-one-thing-intimacy-is-everything-be-encouraged/)

[Kerry E. Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-e-wagner/)

> [“Don’t be afraid of your struggles, they are making you dangerously strong and wise. They are preparing you for your superpowers. Let them happen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-lee/don-t-be-afraid-of-your-struggles-they-are-making-you-dangerously/)

[Melody Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-lee/)

> [I really want people to know that I've worked hard, very hard, to get to where I am today.. this didn't just happen overnight.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magic-johnson/i-really-want-people-to-know-that-i-ve-worked-hard-very-hard-to-get/)

[Magic Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magic-johnson/)

> [If people are kicking you in the behind, at least you're in front of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/if-people-are-kicking-you-in-the-behind-at-least-you-re-in-front-of/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [Our words are very powerful, always make sure that you use the right words, which encourages people instead of discouraging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/our-words-are-very-powerful-always-make-sure-that-you-use-the-right/)

[Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/)

> [When we start focusing on things we can do and don't think so much about the things we can't do, things really start to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/when-we-start-focusing-on-things-we-can-do-and-don-t-think-so-much/)

[Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/)

[Browse all 2,407 Encouragement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encouragement/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“a sure antidote to comparison is encouragement. Choosing to encourage instead of compare is a powerful defensive play. But”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lisa-Jo Baker"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/a-sure-antidote-to-comparison-is-encouragement-choosing-to-encourage/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Encouragement"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/a-sure-antidote-to-comparison-is-encouragement-choosing-to-encourage/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/lisa-jo-baker-27488_encouragement_a-sure-antidote-to-comparison-is-encoura_1890065.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/lisa-jo-baker-27488_encouragement_a-sure-antidote-to-comparison-is-encoura_1890065.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/010/lisa-jo-baker-27488_encouragement_a-sure-antidote-to-comparison-is-encoura_1890065.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“a sure antidote to comparison is encouragement. Choosing to encourage instead of compare is a powerful…” — Lisa-Jo Baker",
                "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": "Lisa-Jo Baker",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jo-baker/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“a sure antidote to comparison is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/a-sure-antidote-to-comparison-is-encouragement-choosing-to-encourage/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jo-baker/a-sure-antidote-to-comparison-is-encouragement-choosing-to-encourage/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```