--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Same as what they taught you as a…" description: "\"“Same as what they taught you as a lifeguard- you have to save yourself before you can save anyone else. ”\" — Philipp Meyer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/philipp-meyer-4254_drowning_same-as-what-they-taught-you-as-a-lifegu_1783421.png" --- # Same as what they taught you as a lifeguard- you have to… ![“Same as what they taught you as a lifeguard- you have to save yourself before you can save anyone else.” quote by Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/philipp-meyer-4254_drowning_same-as-what-they-taught-you-as-a-lifegu_1783421.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/philipp-meyer-4254_drowning_same-as-what-they-taught-you-as-a-lifegu_1783421.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/philipp-meyer-4254_drowning_same-as-what-they-taught-you-as-a-lifegu_1783421.png) > ““Same as what they taught you as a lifeguard- you have to save yourself before you can save anyone else. ”” [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑preservation is essential before one can effectively help others. **In simple terms:** Help others only after you’re stable yourself. Key Takeaway Secure your own wellbeing first. Themes self‑care leadership responsibility Mood empathetic pragmatic Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - emergency response - mental health - team leadership - volunteering Key Concepts psychology ethical duty Questions to Reflect On - What personal boundaries protect you while aiding others? - How do you recognize when you need help yourself? A Different Perspective Self‑sacrifice can be noble but may lead to burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drowning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drowning/) [Lifeguard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifeguard/) [Lifeguard Save](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifeguard-save-1882866/) [Save Save](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/save-save-1120086/) [Save yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/save-yourself/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Taught Lifeguard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught-lifeguard-1882865/) ## Related quotes > [You are your own refuge There is no other You cannot save another You can only save yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillaume-musso/you-are-your-own-refuge-there-is-no-other-you-cannot-save-another-you/) [Guillaume Musso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillaume-musso/) > [“The game had changed.Her against them.Save herself to save herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-jackson/the-game-had-changed-her-against-them-save-herself-to-save-herself/) [Holly Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-jackson/) > [“Their purpose isn't to save you but to show you how to save yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lang-leav/their-purpose-isn-t-to-save-you-but-to-show-you-how-to-save-yourself/) [Lang Leav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lang-leav/) > [“You save yourself. That's all. You save yourself, or you're damned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/you-save-yourself-that-s-all-you-save-yourself-or-you-re-damned/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) > [I cant save you, you have to save yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-michaels/i-cant-save-you-you-have-to-save-yourself/) [Jillian Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-michaels/) > [Drowning is the only thing I do when I'm around you, please become a LifeGuard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-davis/drowning-is-the-only-thing-i-do-when-i-m-around-you-please-become-a/) [Marie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-davis/) > [Save it for, save it for the bedroom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/you-me-at-six/save-it-for-save-it-for-the-bedroom/) [You Me At Six](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/you-me-at-six/) > [“even perhaps something about how love can both save us and not save us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/even-perhaps-something-about-how-love-can-both-save-us-and-not-save-us/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I'm here to save you but who's to save me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eazy-e/i-m-here-to-save-you-but-who-s-to-save-me/) [Eazy-E](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eazy-e/) > [“Before I save someone else, I have to save myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-sheeran/before-i-save-someone-else-i-have-to-save-myself/) [Ed Sheeran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-sheeran/) > [“Love, save the empty and save me”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-mccarley/love-save-the-empty-and-save-me/) [Erin McCarley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-mccarley/) > [When you take the people who most need work and connect them with the work that most needs doing, you save. You save that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/when-you-take-the-people-who-most-need-work-and-connect-them-with-the/) [Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/) > [“I am the one who needs rescuing. Save me (…) Save me from going back to being the man I was before I came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-medeiros/i-am-the-one-who-needs-rescuing-save-me-save-me-from-going-back-to/) [Teresa Medeiros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-medeiros/) > [I live by the ten percent rule. Save one, you save a thousand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-gates/i-live-by-the-ten-percent-rule-save-one-you-save-a-thousand/) [Kevin Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-gates/) > [“You can’t save everyone. But if you can save even one… it’s enough to make the world a little better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vionel-lars/you-can-t-save-everyone-but-if-you-can-save-even-one-it-s-enough-to/) [Vionel Lars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vionel-lars/) ## More by Philipp Meyer > [Your job as a writer is to find storylines, narrative structures, and characters to show the things that you believe rather than saying them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/your-job-as-a-writer-is-to-find-storylines-narrative-structures-and/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“but I rarely did anything I didn't feel like doing, and maybe this was the main difference between the whites and the Comanches, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/but-i-rarely-did-anything-i-didn-t-feel-like-doing-and-maybe-this-was/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [When novels deal in abstractions, they generally go off the rails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/when-novels-deal-in-abstractions-they-generally-go-off-the-rails/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“resacas have all gone dry. The entire earth, it seems, is being slowly transformed into”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/resacas-have-all-gone-dry-the-entire-earth-it-seems-is-being-slowly/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [I just assume that I'll fail at something for several years - that I'll try my hardest and still fail for several years. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/i-just-assume-that-i-ll-fail-at-something-for-several-years-that-i-ll/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“They all want to be rich, same as we do, but they do not admit to themselves that you only get rich by taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/they-all-want-to-be-rich-same-as-we-do-but-they-do-not-admit-to/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“The strong took from the weak, only the weak believed otherwise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/the-strong-took-from-the-weak-only-the-weak-believed-otherwise/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“Of course you wanted your children to have it better than you had. But at what point was it not better at all?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/of-course-you-wanted-your-children-to-have-it-better-than-you-had-but/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“I might be killed any day, by whites or hostile Indians, I might be run down by a grizzly or a pack of buffalo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/i-might-be-killed-any-day-by-whites-or-hostile-indians-i-might-be-run/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“You could not measure yourself against the dead, they retained their perfection while your flesh got weaker and weaker.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/you-could-not-measure-yourself-against-the-dead-they-retained-their/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“I have always found it interesting that white children take so quickly to Indian ways, while Indian children, when brought to be raised in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/i-have-always-found-it-interesting-that-white-children-take-so/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [Life throws up enough road blocks to keep you from writing; you can't be adding to them yourself by saying you can only write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/life-throws-up-enough-road-blocks-to-keep-you-from-writing-you-can-t/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“There had been a time when this was not unusual. A time when the wealthy were exemplars. When you held yourself to a higher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/there-had-been-a-time-when-this-was-not-unusual-a-time-when-the/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [You ought to be able to grow up in a place and not have to get the hell out of it when you turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/you-ought-to-be-able-to-grow-up-in-a-place-and-not-have-to-get-the/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) [Explore all 113 Philipp Meyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) ## More Drowning quotes > [Our world is drowning in a sea of self-centeredness. You can make yourself quite unique right away by leaving this ocean of selfishness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/our-world-is-drowning-in-a-sea-of-self-centeredness-you-can-make/) [John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/) > [The world around us is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-world-around-us-is-an-increasingly-hostile-and-sinful-place/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Beloved, let your eyes half close, and your heart beat Over my heart, and your hair fall over my breast, Drowning love's lonely hour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/beloved-let-your-eyes-half-close-and-your-heart-beat-over-my-heart/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [“unsignificantly off the coast there was a splash quite unnoticed this was Icarus drowning”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carlos-williams/unsignificantly-off-the-coast-there-was-a-splash-quite-unnoticed-this/) [William Carlos Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carlos-williams/) > [Here is the boy, drowning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/here-is-the-boy-drowning/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [You cannot sink someone else's end of the boat and still keep your own afloat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bower/you-cannot-sink-someone-else-s-end-of-the-boat-and-still-keep-your/) [Charles Bower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bower/) > [You can swim in life and seawater, but both are hard to swallow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/you-can-swim-in-life-and-seawater-but-both-are-hard-to-swallow/) [Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/) > [Why all these signs around us that make me doubt language and submerge me in meanings, drowning reality instead of extracting it from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/why-all-these-signs-around-us-that-make-me-doubt-language-and/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [There are many ways to drown, only the most obvious wave their arms as they're going under.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-flynn/there-are-many-ways-to-drown-only-the-most-obvious-wave-their-arms-as/) [Nick Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-flynn/) > [I know that look, Blake. You are a drowning woman, and the only way out is down the aisle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/i-know-that-look-blake-you-are-a-drowning-woman-and-the-only-way-out/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [“Shame isn't a quiet grey cloud, shame is a drowning man who claws his way on top of you, scratching and tearing your skin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/shame-isn-t-a-quiet-grey-cloud-shame-is-a-drowning-man-who-claws-his/) [Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/) > [You are not drowned when u fall into the water but u are when you stay in there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/psalmgreat/you-are-not-drowned-when-u-fall-into-the-water-but-u-are-when-you/) [Psalmgreat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/psalmgreat/) > [“Sure, I wouldn’t be in range to do more than dial 911 if she slipped and hit her head and fell into the water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-monroe/sure-i-wouldn-t-be-in-range-to-do-more-than-dial-911-if-she-slipped/) [Max Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-monroe/) > [I'm always looking for sounds that are pleasing at the time. The sound of a helicopter is really annoying until you're drowning, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-m-always-looking-for-sounds-that-are-pleasing-at-the-time-the-sound/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I got to a point where I had no self-esteem and I just felt like I was drowning, and I had no way out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-anderson/i-got-to-a-point-where-i-had-no-self-esteem-and-i-just-felt-like-i/) [Megan Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-anderson/) [Browse all 868 Drowning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drowning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Same as what they taught you as a lifeguard- you have to save yourself before you can save anyone else. ”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philipp Meyer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/same-as-what-they-taught-you-as-a-lifeguard-you-have-to-save-yourself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Drowning" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/same-as-what-they-taught-you-as-a-lifeguard-you-have-to-save-yourself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/philipp-meyer-4254_drowning_same-as-what-they-taught-you-as-a-lifegu_1783421.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/philipp-meyer-4254_drowning_same-as-what-they-taught-you-as-a-lifegu_1783421.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/577/philipp-meyer-4254_drowning_same-as-what-they-taught-you-as-a-lifegu_1783421.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Same as what they taught you as a lifeguard- you have to save yourself before you can save anyone else.” — Philipp Meyer", "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": "Philipp Meyer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Same as what they taught you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/same-as-what-they-taught-you-as-a-lifeguard-you-have-to-save-yourself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/same-as-what-they-taught-you-as-a-lifeguard-you-have-to-save-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 } } ] } ```