--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A long time ago I realized that, as…" description: "\"“A long time ago I realized that, as psychiatrists, we had to have a healthy respect for our own humanness, and our own smallness in the face of what w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/lori-schiller-51532_health_a-long-time-ago-i-realized-that-as-psych_15610.jpg" --- # A long time ago I realized that, as psychiatrists, we had… ![“A long time ago I realized that, as psychiatrists, we had to have a healthy respect for our own humanness, and our own smallness in the face of what we were dealing with. If a person got better, we could appreciate that we had done a good job, but we also needed to realize that God – or luck – was…” quote by Lori Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/lori-schiller-51532_health_a-long-time-ago-i-realized-that-as-psych_15610.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/lori-schiller-51532_health_a-long-time-ago-i-realized-that-as-psych_15610.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5eb/lori-schiller-51532_health_a-long-time-ago-i-realized-that-as-psych_15610.jpg) > ““A long time ago I realized that, as psychiatrists, we had to have a healthy respect for our own humanness, and our own smallness in the face of what we were dealing with. If a person got better, we could appreciate that we had done a good job, but we also needed to realize that God – or luck – was on our side. If the person got worse and had to go to a state hospital, we had to keep ourselves from feeling that we hadn’t done enough. For the truth is, we were powerless in so many of these situations. We did what we could, but sometimes the illness was just bigger than we were.”” [Lori Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-schiller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Psychiatrists must recognize their limits, credit successes, and accept that outcomes often exceed their control, tempered by humility and external forces. **In simple terms:** Humility in mental health practice Key Takeaway Accept limits, avoid self‑blame Themes humility professional boundaries psychology uncertainty ethical practice Mood reflective cautious empathetic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - clinical success - treatment failure - hospitalization decisions - professional burnout Key Concepts self‑awareness patient agency external factors Practical Applications - supervision training - self‑care protocols Questions to Reflect On - How can clinicians balance confidence with humility? - What safeguards prevent over‑identification with patient outcomes? A Different Perspective null ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Psychiatrists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychiatrists/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Judge Roberts has assured me personally that he has a healthy respect for precedent and the hard-won rights of Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-baucus/judge-roberts-has-assured-me-personally-that-he-has-a-healthy-respect/) [Max Baucus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-baucus/) > [I have a healthy respect. 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