--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like to say that before we can create…" description: "\"I like to say that before we can create an external space in which to receive people, we have to create an internal space in which to receive them.\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/parker-j-palmer-2983_internals_i-like-to-say-that-before-we-can-create_2807640.png" --- # I like to say that before we can create an external space… ![“I like to say that before we can create an external space in which to receive people, we have to create an internal space in which to receive them.” quote by Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/parker-j-palmer-2983_internals_i-like-to-say-that-before-we-can-create_2807640.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/parker-j-palmer-2983_internals_i-like-to-say-that-before-we-can-create_2807640.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/860/parker-j-palmer-2983_internals_i-like-to-say-that-before-we-can-create_2807640.png) > “I like to say that before we can create an external space in which to receive people, we have to create an internal space in which to receive them.” [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creating inner openness is prerequisite to building welcoming external environments for others. **In simple terms:** You must first be open inside before you can welcome others outside. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner space before external outreach. Themes self-awareness community hospitality Mood reflective empathetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - counseling sessions - team building workshops - community events - personal therapy Key Concepts psychology mindfulness social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you make space for others internally? - What habits block your inner openness? A Different Perspective Inner work can be difficult and may reveal uncomfortable truths. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Create Internal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/create-internal-3497008/) [External Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/external-space-2262383/) [Internal Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internal-space-3497006/) [Internals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internals/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Receive People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/receive-people-573421/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Space Receive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-receive-3497007/) ## Related quotes > [“When someone genuinely laughs with you, it’s proof that you share a certain internal space. 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You have to give people the benefit of the doubt & know that everything happens for a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/release-positive-energy-you-will-receive-it-you-have-to-give-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We only perceive God when we receive people”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/we-only-perceive-god-when-we-receive-people/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [I think it's artist's role to give and to receive and the people to give it, hear it, vibe on it, and give it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narada-michael-walden/i-think-it-s-artist-s-role-to-give-and-to-receive-and-the-people-to/) [Narada Michael Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narada-michael-walden/) > [I always find the greatest help I receive is from people who have been where I have been, but now they're no longer there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/i-always-find-the-greatest-help-i-receive-is-from-people-who-have/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [“When you ask for what you need and receive what people and the world have to give, you reduce stress and gain energy. ~Amanda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-owen/when-you-ask-for-what-you-need-and-receive-what-people-and-the-world-2/) [Amanda Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-owen/) > [“When you ask for what you need and receive what people and the world have to give, you open up pathways you couldn’t see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-owen/when-you-ask-for-what-you-need-and-receive-what-people-and-the-world/) [Amanda Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-owen/) > [The internal peace of every country depends upon the knowledge that force is available to uphold law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/the-internal-peace-of-every-country-depends-upon-the-knowledge-that/) [Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/) > [Funny how internal scars never healed. They were the souvenirs of the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/funny-how-internal-scars-never-healed-they-were-the-souvenirs-of-the/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [I think the biggest problem working with me would be that I'm an only child, and so I have an internal dialogue that goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/i-think-the-biggest-problem-working-with-me-would-be-that-i-m-an-only/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [There is an idea that you can take the spiritual teachings of a religion outside of a religion and practice them; these ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/there-is-an-idea-that-you-can-take-the-spiritual-teachings-of-a/) [Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/) > [I have three words for you," EMT Guy said. "Possible internal bleeding." I turned back to him. "Don't you think if I was bleeding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/i-have-three-words-for-you-emt-guy-said-possible-internal-bleeding-i/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) ## More by Parker J. Palmer > [“The God I know is the source of reality, rather than morality; the source of 'what is' rather than the source of 'what ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/the-god-i-know-is-the-source-of-reality-rather-than-morality-the/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [One of the hardest things we must do sometimes is to be present to another person's pain without trying to "fix" it, to simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/one-of-the-hardest-things-we-must-do-sometimes-is-to-be-present-to/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Opposing what's wrong is a halfway measure at best. A rebel must also have a vision for something better, a strategy for moving toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/opposing-what-s-wrong-is-a-halfway-measure-at-best-a-rebel-must-also/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one's inwardness, for better or worse. As I teach I project the condition of my soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/teaching-like-any-truly-human-activity-emerges-from-one-s-inwardness/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [If my life is any example, the work that youth workers are doing is very, very important. It tends to get marginalized in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/if-my-life-is-any-example-the-work-that-youth-workers-are-doing-is/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Self-care is never a selfish act - it is only good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/self-care-is-never-a-selfish-act-it-is-only-good-stewardship-of-the/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [The spiritual life is about becoming more at home in your own skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/the-spiritual-life-is-about-becoming-more-at-home-in-your-own-skin/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [“Formation may be the best name for what happens in a circle of trust, because the word refers, historically, to soul work done in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/formation-may-be-the-best-name-for-what-happens-in-a-circle-of-trust/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Don't let anyone or anything rob you of the beauty and meaning at the heart of life. It's your birthright gift.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/don-t-let-anyone-or-anything-rob-you-of-the-beauty-and-meaning-at-the/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [“Citizenship is a way of being in the world rooted in the knowledge that I am a member of a vast community of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/citizenship-is-a-way-of-being-in-the-world-rooted-in-the-knowledge/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [I think the church needs to be much more countercultural than that and invite people into slowing down, into a "Be-still-and-know-that-I-am-God" mindset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/i-think-the-church-needs-to-be-much-more-countercultural-than-that/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [My high school, like most high schools, had a pretty rigid stratification system. Kids were clustered into groups - the studious ones, the athletes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/my-high-school-like-most-high-schools-had-a-pretty-rigid/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Death in various forms is sometimes comforting, while resurrection and new life can be demanding and threatening. If I lived as if resurrection were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/death-in-various-forms-is-sometimes-comforting-while-resurrection-and/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [Discovering vocation does not mean scrambling toward some prize just beyond my reach but accepting the treasure of true self I already posses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/discovering-vocation-does-not-mean-scrambling-toward-some-prize-just-2/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [It is because as we are, our hearts are closed, and we cannot place the holy words in our hearts. So we place them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/it-is-because-as-we-are-our-hearts-are-closed-and-we-cannot-place-the/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) [Explore all 143 Parker J. Palmer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) ## More Internals quotes > [I have three words for you," EMT Guy said. "Possible internal bleeding." I turned back to him. 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They were the souvenirs of the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/funny-how-internal-scars-never-healed-they-were-the-souvenirs-of-the/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [The internal peace of every country depends upon the knowledge that force is available to uphold law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/the-internal-peace-of-every-country-depends-upon-the-knowledge-that/) [Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/) > [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [Not everyone likes the stable, gradual rise of our country. There are some who are using the democratic ideology to interfere in our internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/not-everyone-likes-the-stable-gradual-rise-of-our-country-there-are/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [And I could see his internal struggle become an all out war. "It wouldn't have made a difference. Not with Adrian involved," he said……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/and-i-could-see-his-internal-struggle-become-an-all-out-war-it-wouldn/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [About 120 million of us place the big bang 2,500 years after the Babylonians and Sumerians learned to brew beer. 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