--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Befriending the life in others is…" description: "\"Befriending the life in others is sometimes a complex matter. There are times when we offer our strength and protection, but these are usually only tem..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/rachel-naomi-remen-3110_accompany_befriending-the-life-in-others-is-someti_1041434.jpg" --- # Befriending the life in others is sometimes a complex… ![“Befriending the life in others is sometimes a complex matter. There are times when we offer our strength and protection, but these are usually only temporary measures. The greatest blessing we offer others may be the belief we have in their struggle for freedom, the courage to support and…” quote by Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/rachel-naomi-remen-3110_accompany_befriending-the-life-in-others-is-someti_1041434.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/rachel-naomi-remen-3110_accompany_befriending-the-life-in-others-is-someti_1041434.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/771/rachel-naomi-remen-3110_accompany_befriending-the-life-in-others-is-someti_1041434.jpg) > “Befriending the life in others is sometimes a complex matter. There are times when we offer our strength and protection, but these are usually only temporary measures. The greatest blessing we offer others may be the belief we have in their struggle for freedom, the courage to support and accompany them as they determine for themselves the strength that will become their refuge and the foundation for their lives. I think it is especially important to believe in someone at a time when they cannot yet believe in themselves. Then your belief will become their lifeline.” [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote emphasizes that offering belief in another’s capacity for freedom can be a profound support, especially when they lack self‑belief, turning belief into a lifeline. **In simple terms:** Believing in others when they doubt themselves provides vital support. Key Takeaway Offer belief as a steady support for others. Themes compassion empowerment belief support resilience Mood hopeful encouraging Type motivational psychological When to use this quote - therapy sessions - mentorship - peer support groups - community building Key Concepts psychology humanistic care self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - When have you been a lifeline for someone? - How can belief be balanced with concrete assistance? A Different Perspective Belief alone may not replace practical help; it must be paired with tangible support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Befriending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/befriending/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Blessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blessing/) [Complexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complexes/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Greatest blessings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatest-blessings/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lifelines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifelines/) [Protection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protection/) [Refuge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuge/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Struggle for freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle-for-freedom/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Befriending life is less a matter of knowledge than a question of wisdom. It is not about mastering life, controlling it or exerting our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/befriending-life-is-less-a-matter-of-knowledge-than-a-question-of/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [There is little favorable to be said about poverty, but it was often an incubator of true friendship. Many people will appear to befriend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/there-is-little-favorable-to-be-said-about-poverty-but-it-was-often/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [Focus enough energy inward. Before befriending others, you have to be your own friend. Before making others happy, you have to make yourself happy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/focus-enough-energy-inward-before-befriending-others-you-have-to-be-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is no halfway or lackadaisical way to fight lust. If you're not fighting your sin, you're befriending your sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trip-lee/there-is-no-halfway-or-lackadaisical-way-to-fight-lust-if-you-re-not/) [Trip Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trip-lee/) > [There are many strengths in modern society, but one of its weaknesses is the breakdown of many of the old structures and networks that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-holloway/there-are-many-strengths-in-modern-society-but-one-of-its-weaknesses/) [Richard Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-holloway/) > [Befriending provides a valuable lifeline to many people who feel isolated in their communities often as a result of ill health or poverty. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kennedy/befriending-provides-a-valuable-lifeline-to-many-people-who-feel/) [Charles Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kennedy/) > [And that law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-smith-jr/and-that-law-of-the-land-which-is-constitutional-supporting-that/) [Joseph Smith, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-smith-jr/) > [Meditation practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already. The ground of practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/meditation-practice-isn-t-about-trying-to-throw-ourselves-away-and/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [ Tony \[Touch\] is like my big brother. He's somebody that I grew up listening to. I've had the fortune of befriending a lot of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-smith/tony-touch-is-like-my-big-brother-he-s-somebody-that-i-grew-up/) [Justin Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-smith/) > [I like befriending my collaborators because I'd rather make music with people I like than people I pretend to like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charli-xcx/i-like-befriending-my-collaborators-because-i-d-rather-make-music/) [Charli XCX](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charli-xcx/) > [My life is simple, my food is plain, and my quarters are uncluttered. In all things, I have sought clarity. I face the troubles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yi-sun-sin/my-life-is-simple-my-food-is-plain-and-my-quarters-are-uncluttered-in/) [Yi Sun-sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yi-sun-sin/) > [“Speaking to him would mean learning about him. Understanding him. Maybe befriending him. I know what it is to travel with someone, to break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabaa-tahir/speaking-to-him-would-mean-learning-about-him-understanding-him-maybe/) [Sabaa Tahir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabaa-tahir/) > [I think first of all, the United States has got to adopt a policy of befriending and creating allies around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-sharpton/i-think-first-of-all-the-united-states-has-got-to-adopt-a-policy-of/) [Al Sharpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-sharpton/) > [When I shot 'Private Practice,' Amy Brenneman made a point of really befriending me before we started shooting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-amell/when-i-shot-private-practice-amy-brenneman-made-a-point-of-really/) [Stephen Amell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-amell/) > [Focus enough energy inward. Before befriending others, you have to be your own friend. Before making others happy, you have to make yourself happy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/focus-enough-energy-inward-before-befriending-others-you-have-to-be/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) ## More by Rachel Naomi Remen > [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/) > [Big messages come in small packages. All it may take to restore someone's trust in life may be returning a lost earring or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/big-messages-come-in-small-packages-all-it-may-take-to-restore/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. 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Labeling sets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/a-label-is-a-mask-life-wears-we-put-labels-on-life-all-the-time-right/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [Healing may not be so much about getting better, as about letting go of everything that isn’t you - all of the expectations, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/healing-may-not-be-so-much-about-getting-better-as-about-letting-go/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [It is said that the Christian mystic Theresa of Avila found difficulty at first in reconciling the vastness of the life of the spirit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/it-is-said-that-the-christian-mystic-theresa-of-avila-found/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [Just Listen an excerpt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/just-listen-an-excerpt/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [Goose bumps happen when your soul is close to you, breathing lightly on the back of your neck, and wakes you up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/goose-bumps-happen-when-your-soul-is-close-to-you-breathing-lightly/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [We have become terribly vulnerable, not because we suffer but because we have separated ourselves from each other. A patient once told me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/we-have-become-terribly-vulnerable-not-because-we-suffer-but-because/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [All natural processes are long processes and they last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/all-natural-processes-are-long-processes-and-they-last/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [Deep inside, our integrity sings to us whether we are listening or not. It is a note that only we can hear. Eventually, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-naomi-remen/deep-inside-our-integrity-sings-to-us-whether-we-are-listening-or-not/) [Rachel Naomi Remen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-naomi-remen/) > [From a good teacher you may learn the secret of listening. You will never learn the secret of life. 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