--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: when we’re focusing our attention too…" description: "\"“when we’re focusing our attention too much on another person, it’s a sure sign that we need to look within ourselves. There’s likely to be something m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/louise-watson-47218_attention_when-we-re-focusing-our-attention-too-mu_644232.jpg" --- # when we’re focusing our attention too much on another… ![“when we’re focusing our attention too much on another person, it’s a sure sign that we need to look within ourselves. There’s likely to be something missing from our lives, even though we may not even realise it; there’s a hole that we’re convinced can only be filled by another person.” quote by Louise Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/louise-watson-47218_attention_when-we-re-focusing-our-attention-too-mu_644232.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/louise-watson-47218_attention_when-we-re-focusing-our-attention-too-mu_644232.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea4/louise-watson-47218_attention_when-we-re-focusing-our-attention-too-mu_644232.jpg) > ““when we’re focusing our attention too much on another person, it’s a sure sign that we need to look within ourselves. There’s likely to be something missing from our lives, even though we may not even realise it; there’s a hole that we’re convinced can only be filled by another person.”” [Louise Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-watson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focusing on others often signals unmet inner needs, prompting self‑reflection to fill the void. **In simple terms:** Looking outward shows inner gaps. Key Takeaway Explore your own needs before seeking others. Themes self‑awareness relationships personal growth Mood introspective thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - dating - career choices - friendship - personal development Key Concepts psychology attachment theory Questions to Reflect On - What inner needs are you ignoring? - How can you nurture yourself? A Different Perspective External validation can’t replace internal fulfillment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Focus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/focus/) ## Related quotes > [“Think of focusing your attention as a way of consciously choosing your own best timeline.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-luckman/think-of-focusing-your-attention-as-a-way-of-consciously-choosing/) [Sol Luckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-luckman/) > [“SImplicity is focusing my attention on what I want to create and experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candy-paull/simplicity-is-focusing-my-attention-on-what-i-want-to-create-and/) [Candy Paull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candy-paull/) > [Television and radio do a wonderful job in focusing attention on the problems of our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-j-daley/television-and-radio-do-a-wonderful-job-in-focusing-attention-on-the/) [Richard J. Daley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-j-daley/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [“Maybe the ability to confer attention to another person was not simply common courtesy, but was the fundamental act of humanity. When it came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-jourdan/maybe-the-ability-to-confer-attention-to-another-person-was-not/) [Carolyn Jourdan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-jourdan/) > [“There is no reason why mindfulness should be different from focusing all one’s attention on one’s work, to be alert and to be using…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/there-is-no-reason-why-mindfulness-should-be-different-from-focusing/) [Thich Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/th-ch-nh-t-h-nh/) > [“The best part of silence is that the ego is switched off at least for a while, and we are focusing our attention inwards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-j-p-vaswani-3/the-best-part-of-silence-is-that-the-ego-is-switched-off-at-least-for/) Dada J. P. Vaswani > [Central to our work and our goal of finding solutions to global problems is the concept of mindfulness, a technique for focusing attention objectively…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldie-hawn/central-to-our-work-and-our-goal-of-finding-solutions-to-global/) [Goldie Hawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldie-hawn/) > [The studies indicate that focusing our attention on someone else, takes our mind off of our own problems. We stay healthier and thereby live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-klein/the-studies-indicate-that-focusing-our-attention-on-someone-else/) [Allen Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-klein/) > [“As we shall see, small and apparently insignificant details can have major impacts on people’s behavior. A good rule of thumb is to assume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-shall-see-small-and-apparently-insignificant-details-can-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In one of its aspects, art is a technique for focusing attention, for teaching skills of attention. The history of the arts is tantamount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/in-one-of-its-aspects-art-is-a-technique-for-focusing-attention-for/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [The focusing of attention on the breath is perhaps the most universal of the many hundreds of meditation subjects used worldwide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/the-focusing-of-attention-on-the-breath-is-perhaps-the-most-universal/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [Giving all of your attention to a person that isn't giving you any attention is a waste of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/giving-all-of-your-attention-to-a-person-that-isn-t-giving-you-any/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Thus every matter, if it is to be done well, calls for the attention of the whole person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/thus-every-matter-if-it-is-to-be-done-well-calls-for-the-attention-of/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [I tend not to pay too much attention to the person marking me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-van-basten/i-tend-not-to-pay-too-much-attention-to-the-person-marking-me/) [Marco van Basten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-van-basten/) ## More by Louise Watson > [“She was lovely, but she was draining. Sometimes I just wanted to shake her and shout, ‘Get a backbone, woman!’ Of course, I didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-watson/she-was-lovely-but-she-was-draining-sometimes-i-just-wanted-to-shake/) [Louise Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-watson/) > [“When you’re always trying to improve on your ‘weaknesses’, your work can only suffer as you’re constantly fretting over what you’re not naturally good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-watson/when-you-re-always-trying-to-improve-on-your-weaknesses-your-work-can/) [Louise Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-watson/) > [“It’s not that the negative thoughts and feelings don’t arise, but when you meditate regularly, they are allowed to just be there and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-watson/it-s-not-that-the-negative-thoughts-and-feelings-don-t-arise-but-when/) [Louise Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-watson/) > [“Katherine Woodward Thomas (2004) writes, “What you have is a reflection of what you believe you can have, and your relationships are a prefect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-watson/katherine-woodward-thomas-2004-writes-what-you-have-is-a-reflection/) [Louise Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-watson/) > [“When you decide what your boundaries are and let people know that you expect to be treated with respect, you’ll find that your relationships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-watson/when-you-decide-what-your-boundaries-are-and-let-people-know-that-you/) [Louise Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-watson/) > [“Try to see yourself through the other person’s eyes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-watson/try-to-see-yourself-through-the-other-person-s-eyes/) [Louise Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-watson/) > [“Life was so much simpler when everyone else was to blame for my problems.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-watson/life-was-so-much-simpler-when-everyone-else-was-to-blame-for-my/) [Louise Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-watson/) [Explore all 8 Louise Watson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-watson/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“when we’re focusing our attention too much on another person, it’s a sure sign that we need to look within ourselves. 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