--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The answer doesn't lie in learning how to…" description: "\"The answer doesn't lie in learning how to protect ourselves from life-it lies in learning how to become strong enough to let a bit more of it in.\" — Me..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/merle-shain-11858_answers_the-answer-doesn-t-lie-in-learning-how-t_2955850.png" --- # The answer doesn't lie in learning how to protect… ![“The answer doesn't lie in learning how to protect ourselves from life-it lies in learning how to become strong enough to let a bit more of it in.” quote by Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/merle-shain-11858_answers_the-answer-doesn-t-lie-in-learning-how-t_2955850.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/merle-shain-11858_answers_the-answer-doesn-t-lie-in-learning-how-t_2955850.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/merle-shain-11858_answers_the-answer-doesn-t-lie-in-learning-how-t_2955850.png) > “The answer doesn't lie in learning how to protect ourselves from life-it lies in learning how to become strong enough to let a bit more of it in.” [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Argues that true resilience comes from openness to life’s challenges, not just self‑protection. **In simple terms:** Strength is openness. Key Takeaway Embrace vulnerability. Themes resilience vulnerability strength life philosophy growth Mood reflective inspirational hopeful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal crises - relationship building - mental health practice Key Concepts psychology self‑development emotional intelligence Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance protection and openness? - What does “strong enough” mean? A Different Perspective May risk overexposure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Strong enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-enough/) ## Related quotes > [“You need to start learning how to protect yourself because nobody here is going to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nezumi/you-need-to-start-learning-how-to-protect-yourself-because-nobody/) nezumi > [I'm learning how strong I am, how resilient I am. I'm learning my weaknesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-purdy/i-m-learning-how-strong-i-am-how-resilient-i-am-i-m-learning-my/) [Amy Purdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-purdy/) > [Always be strong enough to let go, and be smart enough to wait for what you deserve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-hunter/always-be-strong-enough-to-let-go-and-be-smart-enough-to-wait-for/) [Lucas Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-hunter/) > [Giving up doesn't always mean you are weak so sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/giving-up-doesn-t-always-mean-you-are-weak-so-sometimes-it-means-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Be strong enough to let go and wise enough to fight for what you deserve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/be-strong-enough-to-let-go-and-wise-enough-to-fight-for-what-you/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [Giving up doesn't always means that you are weak it can sometimes mean that you are strong enough to let go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/human-clyde-adams-mamre/giving-up-doesn-t-always-means-that-you-are-weak-it-can-sometimes/) Human Clyde Adams Mamre > [I was strong enough not to let them get the best of me, but I'm definitely one who has taken what people say to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverley-mitchell/i-was-strong-enough-not-to-let-them-get-the-best-of-me-but-i-m/) [Beverley Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverley-mitchell/) > [Letting go doesn't always mean that we are weak. Sometimes it means that we are strong enough to let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-mamerto/letting-go-doesn-t-always-mean-that-we-are-weak-sometimes-it-means/) [Edwin Mamerto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-mamerto/) > [Giving up doesn't always mean ur weak sometimes it just means that ur strong enough to let go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/giving-up-doesn-t-always-mean-ur-weak-sometimes-it-just-means-that-ur/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Giving up doesnt always mean you are weak; sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/giving-up-doesnt-always-mean-you-are-weak-sometimes-it-means-that-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes being strong means being able to cry. Sometimes moving on means being strong enough to let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-being-strong-means-being-able-to-cry-sometimes-moving-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I didn't know if I was too weak to keep him, or strong enough to let him go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-didn-t-know-if-i-was-too-weak-to-keep-him-or-strong-enough-to-let/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Life gets harder and harder. They say we have a lot of people in this country. And the most abundant are the poor. Hordes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manlio-argueta/life-gets-harder-and-harder-they-say-we-have-a-lot-of-people-in-this/) [Manlio Argueta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manlio-argueta/) > [If the Negro in the ghetto must eternally be fed by the hand that pushes him into the ghetto, he will never become strong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-g-woodson/if-the-negro-in-the-ghetto-must-eternally-be-fed-by-the-hand-that/) [Carter G. Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carter-g-woodson/) > [If you don't appreciate what you have in life right now, whatever it is, you will never realize your purpose. Without appreciation, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/if-you-don-t-appreciate-what-you-have-in-life-right-now-whatever-it/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) ## More by Merle Shain > [One often learns more from ten days of agony than ten years of contentment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/one-often-learns-more-from-ten-days-of-agony-than-ten-years-of/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [Feelings take you into uncharted territory from time to time it's true, but you almost always benefit from the journey one way or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/feelings-take-you-into-uncharted-territory-from-time-to-time-it-s/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [The act is unjustifiable that either begs for a blessing, or, having succeeded gives no thanksgiving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/the-act-is-unjustifiable-that-either-begs-for-a-blessing-or-having/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [Some men are more perfect than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/some-men-are-more-perfect-than-others/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [Loving someone means helping them to be more themselves, which can be different from being what you’d like them to be, although often they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/loving-someone-means-helping-them-to-be-more-themselves-which-can-be/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [Anger is a passion, so it makes people feel alive and makes them feel they matter and are in charge of their lives. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/anger-is-a-passion-so-it-makes-people-feel-alive-and-makes-them-feel/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [It can be much harder to be on the receiving end of a transaction than to be the one who gets to give. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/it-can-be-much-harder-to-be-on-the-receiving-end-of-a-transaction/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [Love is short, forgetting is long, and understanding longer still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/love-is-short-forgetting-is-long-and-understanding-longer-still/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [The roots of love sink down and deep and strike out far, and they are arteries that feed our lives, so we must see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/the-roots-of-love-sink-down-and-deep-and-strike-out-far-and-they-are/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [Friends are people who help you be more yourself, more the person you are intended to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/friends-are-people-who-help-you-be-more-yourself-more-the-person-you/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [“ Whether the melon falls on the knife or the knife falls on the melon, it's the melon that suffers." And so it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/whether-the-melon-falls-on-the-knife-or-the-knife-falls-on-the-melon/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [when you put something good into the world, something good comes back to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/when-you-put-something-good-into-the-world-something-good-comes-back/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [Our times are obsessed with finding fulfillment, so there are times when some people try too hard, and there are people who want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/our-times-are-obsessed-with-finding-fulfillment-so-there-are-times/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [The day you spend hoping, the day you spend waiting, the day you spend in despair, is a day in your life as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/the-day-you-spend-hoping-the-day-you-spend-waiting-the-day-you-spend/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [Marriage is supposed to do everything, like Duz, which is more than half its problem. It is said to save us, define us, give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/marriage-is-supposed-to-do-everything-like-duz-which-is-more-than/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) [Explore all 57 Merle Shain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) ## More Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/) [Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/) [Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/) Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The answer doesn't lie in learning how to protect ourselves from life-it lies in learning how to become strong enough to let a bit more of it in.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Merle Shain" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/the-answer-doesn-t-lie-in-learning-how-to-protect-ourselves-from-life/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Answers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/the-answer-doesn-t-lie-in-learning-how-to-protect-ourselves-from-life/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/merle-shain-11858_answers_the-answer-doesn-t-lie-in-learning-how-t_2955850.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/merle-shain-11858_answers_the-answer-doesn-t-lie-in-learning-how-t_2955850.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a66/merle-shain-11858_answers_the-answer-doesn-t-lie-in-learning-how-t_2955850.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The answer doesn't lie in learning how to protect ourselves from life-it lies in learning how to become…” — Merle Shain", "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": "Merle Shain", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The answer doesn't lie in learning...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/the-answer-doesn-t-lie-in-learning-how-to-protect-ourselves-from-life/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/the-answer-doesn-t-lie-in-learning-how-to-protect-ourselves-from-life/#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 } } ] } ```