--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Real safety is your willingness to not…" description: "\"“Real safety is your willingness to not run away from yourself.”\" — Pema Chödrön" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/pema-ch-dr-n-327_safety_real-safety-is-your-willingness-to-not-r_612266.png" --- # Real safety is your willingness to not run away from… ![“Real safety is your willingness to not run away from yourself.” quote by Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/pema-ch-dr-n-327_safety_real-safety-is-your-willingness-to-not-r_612266.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/pema-ch-dr-n-327_safety_real-safety-is-your-willingness-to-not-r_612266.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/pema-ch-dr-n-327_safety_real-safety-is-your-willingness-to-not-r_612266.png) > ““Real safety is your willingness to not run away from yourself.”” [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True safety comes from staying present with oneself instead of fleeing inner discomfort. **In simple terms:** Facing yourself is the real safety. Key Takeaway Embrace inner discomfort. Themes mindfulness spirituality self‑acceptance Mood calm encouraging Type spiritual inspirational When to use this quote - meditation practice - therapy - journaling - stressful situations Key Concepts impermanence fear inner work Questions to Reflect On - What does “not running away” look like for you? - How can you practice staying present in anxiety? A Different Perspective May be challenging for trauma survivors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) [Willingness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willingness/) ## Related quotes > [When I could no longer cling to my normal supports I discovered that true support and real safety lie far beyond the structures of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/when-i-could-no-longer-cling-to-my-normal-supports-i-discovered-that/) [Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/) > [“The real safety net of life is community, family and nature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/the-real-safety-net-of-life-is-community-family-and-nature/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [We will never have real safety and security for wage earners unless we provide for safety and security for the wage payers and wage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-h-boetcker/we-will-never-have-real-safety-and-security-for-wage-earners-unless/) [William J. H. Boetcker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-h-boetcker/) > [When the safety of America is threatened, we will spend any amount of money. The real safety of our nation is preparing this next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-canada/when-the-safety-of-america-is-threatened-we-will-spend-any-amount-of/) [Geoffrey Canada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-canada/) > [I don't think the game needs to be changed unless there's a real safety concern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-tucker/i-don-t-think-the-game-needs-to-be-changed-unless-there-s-a-real/) [Justin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-tucker/) > [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [I approach all of my movies with an open mind and a willingness to dive in and do what's asked of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-heard/i-approach-all-of-my-movies-with-an-open-mind-and-a-willingness-to/) [Amber Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-heard/) > [Chances are that any helpful two-year-old will break some eggs. We are often not very good at things when we are new. But there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/chances-are-that-any-helpful-two-year-old-will-break-some-eggs-we-are/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [The answer to any challenge you are having has nothing to do with God's willingness to help. 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Pain is always a sign that we are holding on to something - usually ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-generosity-is-letting-go-pain-is-always-a-sign-that-we/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“If the object of meditation were something concrete, something solid and graspable - an image or a statue or a dot on the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-the-object-of-meditation-were-something-concrete-something-solid/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately fill up the space. By waiting, we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-a-transformative-experience-to-simply-pause-instead-of/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“The essence of life is that it’s challenging. Sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is bitter. Sometimes your body tenses, and sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-life-is-that-it-s-challenging-sometimes-it-is-sweet/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-run-a-hundred-miles-an-hour-to-the-other-end-of-the-continent/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“But in this meditation technique, we are with the out-breath; there's no particular instruction about what to do until the next out-breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/but-in-this-meditation-technique-we-are-with-the-out-breath-there-s/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/nothing-ever-goes-away-until-it-has-taught-us-what-we-need-to-know/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [So even if the hot loneliness is there, and for 1.6 seconds we sit with that restlessness when yesterday we couldn't sit for even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/so-even-if-the-hot-loneliness-is-there-and-for-1-6-seconds-we-sit/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If you have rage and righteously act it out and blame it all on others, it's really you who suffers. The other people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-you-have-rage-and-righteously-act-it-out-and-blame-it-all-on/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“When we realize that the path is the goal, there’s a sense of workability. Trungpa Rinpoche said, “Whatever occurs in the confused mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/when-we-realize-that-the-path-is-the-goal-there-s-a-sense-of/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Every day is a new opportunity to work with what you have inside toward enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-is-a-new-opportunity-to-work-with-what-you-have-inside/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-someone-comes-along-and-shoots-an-arrow-into-your-heart-it-s/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) [Explore all 664 Pema Chödrön quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## More Safety quotes > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [ Vote for Donald Trump. You're going to see something and you'll be so happy, you'll be so thrilled. This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“the higher the psychological safety in a unit, the fewer errors they made. Why? In the units that lacked psychological safety, health care professionals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-m-grant/the-higher-the-psychological-safety-in-a-unit-the-fewer-errors-they/) [Adam M. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-m-grant/) > [“Most of the time they buy what other people buy. They move in great schools, like bluefish, all identical. There is safety in numbers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hughes/most-of-the-time-they-buy-what-other-people-buy-they-move-in-great/) [Robert Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hughes/) > [We are Bay Aryans from Berkeley: prepare to be reengineered in an attractive range of color schemes for your safety and comfort!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/we-are-bay-aryans-from-berkeley-prepare-to-be-reengineered-in-an/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [Khatron Ke Khiladi' lets you do the best adventure games in the world with the best safety possible. It's severe but a once-in-a-lifetime experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/khatron-ke-khiladi-lets-you-do-the-best-adventure-games-in-the-world/) [Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/) > [Nerves are always a big problem for me, which is why I loved doing American sitcoms. Because you know when you do the take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/nerves-are-always-a-big-problem-for-me-which-is-why-i-loved-doing/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [I'm not at all against white people adopting black children, because we're all human beings who need to give love and be nurtured in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kola-boof/i-m-not-at-all-against-white-people-adopting-black-children-because/) [Kola Boof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kola-boof/) > [“When traversing the vast sea of loneliness, Oneness is the only true safe harbor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-hopkins/when-traversing-the-vast-sea-of-loneliness-oneness-is-the-only-true/) [Gary Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-hopkins/) > [It is easy to give advice from a port of safety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/it-is-easy-to-give-advice-from-a-port-of-safety/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [We don't have a farm-to-table food safety system. I keep saying this. It came as a big surprise to the FDA that tomatoes were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-nestle/we-don-t-have-a-farm-to-table-food-safety-system-i-keep-saying-this/) [Marion Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-nestle/) > [I want regulation. I want to protect our environment. I want regulations for safety. I want all of the regulations that we need, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-want-regulation-i-want-to-protect-our-environment-i-want/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I want to thank the Greek people publicly for their humanitarian response to the crisis of so many migrants and refugees seeking safety in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-want-to-thank-the-greek-people-publicly-for-their-humanitarian/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Knowledge is power...knowled ge is safety...knowle dge is happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/knowledge-is-power-knowled-ge-is-safety-knowle-dge-is-happiness/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [When I was very young my mother sang to me at bedtime and my dad would often play the banjo or fiddle in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-block/when-i-was-very-young-my-mother-sang-to-me-at-bedtime-and-my-dad/) Rory Block [Browse all 2,926 Safety quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Real safety is your willingness to not run away from yourself.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pema Chödrön" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/real-safety-is-your-willingness-to-not-run-away-from-yourself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Safety" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/real-safety-is-your-willingness-to-not-run-away-from-yourself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/pema-ch-dr-n-327_safety_real-safety-is-your-willingness-to-not-r_612266.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/pema-ch-dr-n-327_safety_real-safety-is-your-willingness-to-not-r_612266.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/pema-ch-dr-n-327_safety_real-safety-is-your-willingness-to-not-r_612266.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Real safety is your willingness to not run away from yourself.” — Pema Chödrön", "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": "Pema Chödrön", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Real safety is your willingness to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/real-safety-is-your-willingness-to-not-run-away-from-yourself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/real-safety-is-your-willingness-to-not-run-away-from-yourself/#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 } } ] } ```