--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No one can persuade another to change…" description: "\"No one can persuade another to change. Each of us guards a gate of change that can only be opened from the inside. We cannot open the gate of another, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/marilyn-ferguson-4496_appeal_no-one-can-persuade-another-to-change-ea_702651.jpg" --- # No one can persuade another to change. Each of us guards a… ![“No one can persuade another to change. Each of us guards a gate of change that can only be opened from the inside. We cannot open the gate of another, either by argument or emotional appeal.” quote by Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/marilyn-ferguson-4496_appeal_no-one-can-persuade-another-to-change-ea_702651.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/marilyn-ferguson-4496_appeal_no-one-can-persuade-another-to-change-ea_702651.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/marilyn-ferguson-4496_appeal_no-one-can-persuade-another-to-change-ea_702651.jpg) > “No one can persuade another to change. Each of us guards a gate of change that can only be opened from the inside. We cannot open the gate of another, either by argument or emotional appeal.” [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Change cannot be forced from outside; each person must open their own internal gate to transformation. **In simple terms:** External persuasion fails; inner willingness matters. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner openness. Themes change personal growth autonomy Mood introspective encouraging Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - therapy - coaching - self‑help literature Key Concepts gate metaphor self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - What internal barriers stop you? - How can you help others open their gate? A Different Perspective Ignores influence of supportive environments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ## Related quotes > [No one can persuade another to change. Each of us guards a gate of change that can only be opened from the inside. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/no-one-can-persuade-another-to-change-each-of-us-guards-a-gate-of-2/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [“as Marilyn Ferguson observed, “No one can persuade another to change. Each of us guards a gate of change that can only be opened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/as-marilyn-ferguson-observed-no-one-can-persuade-another-to-change/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [My teaching influences who you are and who you become, I said, because insofar as I persuade you to change what you know, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-gregory/my-teaching-influences-who-you-are-and-who-you-become-i-said-because/) [Marshall Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-gregory/) > [Each of us guard a gate of change that can only be opened from the inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/each-of-us-guard-a-gate-of-change-that-can-only-be-opened-from-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If luck has not yet knocked your gate, change the gate”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/qaiser-abbas-author-of-tick-tick-dollar/if-luck-has-not-yet-knocked-your-gate-change-the-gate/) Qaiser Abbas - Author of 'Tick Tick Dollar > [Decide, before you start, that you're going to change three things about what you do all day at work. Then, as you're reading, find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/decide-before-you-start-that-you-re-going-to-change-three-things/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Losing can persuade you to change what doesn't need to be changed, and winning can convince you everything is fine even if you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/losing-can-persuade-you-to-change-what-doesn-t-need-to-be-changed-and/) [Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/) > [If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect. We are advertis'd by our loving friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/if-you-would-persuade-you-must-appeal-to-interest-rather-than/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I have noticed that no sooner do people embark on a course of action which they do not find wholly satisfactory than they muster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morice/i-have-noticed-that-no-sooner-do-people-embark-on-a-course-of-action/) Anne Morice > [One of the best ways to persuade others is with your ears by listening to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-rusk/one-of-the-best-ways-to-persuade-others-is-with-your-ears-by/) [Dean Rusk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-rusk/) > [Presidents are evaluated not by what they did by the stroke of their own pen; it's what they persuade Congress to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/presidents-are-evaluated-not-by-what-they-did-by-the-stroke-of-their/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [“And if I am asked today to advise a young writer who has not yet made up his mind what way to go, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/and-if-i-am-asked-today-to-advise-a-young-writer-who-has-not-yet-made/) [Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/) > [To design is much more than simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit: it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rand/to-design-is-much-more-than-simply-to-assemble-to-order-or-even-to/) [Paul Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rand/) > [I always believed as a speechwriter that if you could persuade the president to commit himself to certain words, he would feel himself committed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/i-always-believed-as-a-speechwriter-that-if-you-could-persuade-the/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [“Don't think you can persuade me with appeals to my intellectual vanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/don-t-think-you-can-persuade-me-with-appeals-to-my-intellectual-vanity/) [Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/) ## More by Marilyn Ferguson > [Evolution happens in jumps, very rapidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/evolution-happens-in-jumps-very-rapidly/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Ultimately we know deeply that the other side of every fear is freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/ultimately-we-know-deeply-that-the-other-side-of-every-fear-is-freedom/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [People are seeking more power in the individual and less in government and institutions; they want more cooperation and less competition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/people-are-seeking-more-power-in-the-individual-and-less-in/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [You can be more productive, confident, comfortable with insecurity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/you-can-be-more-productive-confident-comfortable-with-insecurity/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Whatever the rationale, the suppression of unorthodox cancer therapies and the sustained persecution of their proponents by government and colleagues runs counter to freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/whatever-the-rationale-the-suppression-of-unorthodox-cancer-therapies/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Making mental connections is our most crucial learning tool, the essence of human intelligence; to forge links; to go beyond the given; to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/making-mental-connections-is-our-most-crucial-learning-tool-the/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [ General Systems Theory, a related modern concept \[to holism\], says that each variable in any system interacts with the other variables so thoroughly that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/general-systems-theory-a-related-modern-concept-to-holism-says-that/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [The East contemplated the forest the West counted the trees...the mind that knows that trees and the forest is a new mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/the-east-contemplated-the-forest-the-west-counted-the-trees-the-mind/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [The difference between transformation by accident and transformation by a system is like the difference between lightning and a lamp. Both give illumination, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/the-difference-between-transformation-by-accident-and-transformation/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Most of us are having to invent, discover, and create the next steps of our lives without a light, a map, or a relevant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/most-of-us-are-having-to-invent-discover-and-create-the-next-steps-of/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Cynics know the answers without having penetrated deeply enough to know the questions. When challenged by mysterious truths, they marshall 'facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/cynics-know-the-answers-without-having-penetrated-deeply-enough-to/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Many artists have said that when life itself becomes fully conscious, art as we know it will vanish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/many-artists-have-said-that-when-life-itself-becomes-fully-conscious/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Spirituality is a kind of virgin wisdom, a knowing that comes prior to experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/spirituality-is-a-kind-of-virgin-wisdom-a-knowing-that-comes-prior-to/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [Fear is a question: What are you afraid of and why? Just as the seed of health is in illness, because illness contains information,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/fear-is-a-question-what-are-you-afraid-of-and-why-just-as-the-seed-of/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) > [The struggle to make people understand the need for change is over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/the-struggle-to-make-people-understand-the-need-for-change-is-over/) [Marilyn Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) [Explore all 110 Marilyn Ferguson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/) ## More Appeal quotes > [Trump's enduring appeal is a resource to be harnessed by the Republican Party, not a burden to be jettisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-devine/trump-s-enduring-appeal-is-a-resource-to-be-harnessed-by-the/) [Miranda Devine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-devine/) > [You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to surmise that war has a perverse appeal for the human race, nor is the attraction limited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/you-don-t-have-to-be-sigmund-freud-to-surmise-that-war-has-a-perverse/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [Chicks who dig home runs aren't the ones who appeal to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ichiro-suzuki/chicks-who-dig-home-runs-aren-t-the-ones-who-appeal-to-me/) [Ichiro Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ichiro-suzuki/) > [The dictum of the industry is such that I can't only do films that appeal to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/biju-menon/the-dictum-of-the-industry-is-such-that-i-can-t-only-do-films-that/) [Biju Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/biju-menon/) > [There was such mass appeal for 'Sharknado.' It went over so well - not just here in the United States but globally - that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-ziering/there-was-such-mass-appeal-for-sharknado-it-went-over-so-well-not/) [Ian Ziering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-ziering/) > [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sends forth to you an earnest appeal. Open your doors to the missionaries. Open your minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/the-church-of-jesus-christ-of-latter-day-saints-sends-forth-to-you-an/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [I'm not going to appeal to violence or aggression - of course not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexei-navalny/i-m-not-going-to-appeal-to-violence-or-aggression-of-course-not/) [Alexei Navalny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexei-navalny/) > [I'm sorry, but Juicy Couture tracksuits and Ugg boots don't move me in any way, shape or form. I refuse to wear them. Modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imelda-may/i-m-sorry-but-juicy-couture-tracksuits-and-ugg-boots-don-t-move-me-in/) [Imelda May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imelda-may/) > [I think Trump is a very interesting candidate in this sense: I think he has cross-party appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/i-think-trump-is-a-very-interesting-candidate-in-this-sense-i-think/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [I think great songs appeal to people at any age. Kids love the Beatles, too. Kids love Tom T. Hall. Of course, Tom T.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/i-think-great-songs-appeal-to-people-at-any-age-kids-love-the-beatles/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [When you are producing for ABC, you are producing for a big tent network. So when you are thinking about your story lines and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sweeney/when-you-are-producing-for-abc-you-are-producing-for-a-big-tent/) [Anne Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sweeney/) > [In the long run, the people are our only appeal. The only ones who can free us are ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/in-the-long-run-the-people-are-our-only-appeal-the-only-ones-who-can/) [Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/) > [Barbarism is the absence of standards to which appeal can be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/barbarism-is-the-absence-of-standards-to-which-appeal-can-be-made/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [There is a certain androgyny to my appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-barkin/there-is-a-certain-androgyny-to-my-appeal/) [Ellen Barkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-barkin/) > [As a kid, there was a painting of 'Appeal to the Great Spirit' that I would see when I would get oatmeal bowls out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-henriksen/as-a-kid-there-was-a-painting-of-appeal-to-the-great-spirit-that-i/) [Lance Henriksen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-henriksen/) Browse all 432 Appeal quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No one can persuade another to change. Each of us guards a gate of change that can only be opened from the inside. We cannot open the gate of another, either by argument or emotional appeal.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marilyn Ferguson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/no-one-can-persuade-another-to-change-each-of-us-guards-a-gate-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appeal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/no-one-can-persuade-another-to-change-each-of-us-guards-a-gate-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/marilyn-ferguson-4496_appeal_no-one-can-persuade-another-to-change-ea_702651.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/marilyn-ferguson-4496_appeal_no-one-can-persuade-another-to-change-ea_702651.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b50/marilyn-ferguson-4496_appeal_no-one-can-persuade-another-to-change-ea_702651.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No one can persuade another to change. Each of us guards a gate of change that can only be opened from the…” — Marilyn Ferguson", "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": "Marilyn Ferguson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-ferguson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "No one can persuade another to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/no-one-can-persuade-another-to-change-each-of-us-guards-a-gate-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-ferguson/no-one-can-persuade-another-to-change-each-of-us-guards-a-gate-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 } } ] } ```