--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People only change when it becomes too…" description: "\"People only change when it becomes too dangerous to stay the way they are.\" — Rollo May" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fa/rollo-may-1295_change_people-only-change-when-it-becomes-too-d_2031468.jpg" --- # People only change when it becomes too dangerous to stay… ![“People only change when it becomes too dangerous to stay the way they are.” quote by Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fa/rollo-may-1295_change_people-only-change-when-it-becomes-too-d_2031468.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fa/rollo-may-1295_change_people-only-change-when-it-becomes-too-d_2031468.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fa/rollo-may-1295_change_people-only-change-when-it-becomes-too-d_2031468.jpg) > “People only change when it becomes too dangerous to stay the way they are.” [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People only change when staying becomes too risky. **In simple terms:** Change occurs when danger forces it. Key Takeaway Embrace risk to enable transformation. Themes change risk growth Mood thoughtful motivational Type existential inspirational When to use this quote - career shifts - relationships - social movements Key Concepts existential psychology fear adaptation Questions to Reflect On - What risks are necessary for growth? - How to balance safety and transformation? A Different Perspective Risk alone may not guarantee positive change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-dangerous-3591315/) [Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous/) [Dangerous Stay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dangerous-stay-939122/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-change/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Change is good. Quick change can be very dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schmeichel/change-is-good-quick-change-can-be-very-dangerous/) [Peter Schmeichel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schmeichel/) > [“I'll say this again just so you're clear, it will be dangerous for you to stay with me. It might get more dangerous. Once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-g-henley/i-ll-say-this-again-just-so-you-re-clear-it-will-be-dangerous-for-you/) [Philip G. Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-g-henley/) > [I never thought it was fair that women couldn't travel freely because it was dangerous. I'd stay by myself on the North Carolina coast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margo-price/i-never-thought-it-was-fair-that-women-couldn-t-travel-freely-because/) [Margo Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margo-price/) > [Women change for one of two reasons: They have learned a lot or they have been hurt too many times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/women-change-for-one-of-two-reasons-they-have-learned-a-lot-or-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People who are right most of the time are people who change their minds often](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/people-who-are-right-most-of-the-time-are-people-who-change-their/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [“Some people change, some do not but people CAN change!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamke/some-people-change-some-do-not-but-people-can-change/) [Tamke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamke/) > [The media can be an instrument of change. It can maintain the status quo and reflect the views of the society or it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-couric/the-media-can-be-an-instrument-of-change-it-can-maintain-the-status/) [Katie Couric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-couric/) > [Just like weather, people change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sujeet-maurya/just-like-weather-people-change/) [Sujeet Maurya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sujeet-maurya/) > [Its strange how things change, and the one person you're close to seems like the person you now know the least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-strange-how-things-change-and-the-one-person-you-re-close-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love changes people, for better or for worse. You could look at it as a chance for you to change. The best kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-changes-people-for-better-or-for-worse-you-could-look-at-it-as-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You have a way of looking at things. You make it seem as though everything's going to be okay. I can't imagine a more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/you-have-a-way-of-looking-at-things-you-make-it-seem-as-though/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [People come and go. But that's okay. Let their coming build your gratitude, and their going build your strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/people-come-and-go-but-that-s-okay-let-their-coming-build-your/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [They change scapegoats at the networks more regularly than some people change socks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/they-change-scapegoats-at-the-networks-more-regularly-than-some/) [Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/) > [Our life is a constant journey, from birth to death. The landscape changes, the people change, our needs change, but the train keeps moving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/our-life-is-a-constant-journey-from-birth-to-death-the-landscape/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People adapt. People change. You can grow where you're planted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/people-adapt-people-change-you-can-grow-where-you-re-planted/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) ## More by Rollo May > [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Political freedom is to be cherished indeed. But there is no political freedom that is not indissolubly bound to the inner personal freedom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/political-freedom-is-to-be-cherished-indeed-but-there-is-no-political/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Joy is the effect which comes when we use our powers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/joy-is-the-effect-which-comes-when-we-use-our-powers/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [In religion, it is not the sycophants or those who cling most faithfully to the status quo who are ultimately praised. It is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/in-religion-it-is-not-the-sycophants-or-those-who-cling-most/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [One of the few blessings of living in an age of anxiety is that we are forced to become aware of ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/one-of-the-few-blessings-of-living-in-an-age-of-anxiety-is-that-we/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Intimacy requires courage because risk is inescapable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/intimacy-requires-courage-because-risk-is-inescapable/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Artists do not run away from non-being, but by encountering and wrestling with it, force it to produce being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/artists-do-not-run-away-from-non-being-but-by-encountering-and/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [“Technology is the knack of so arranging the world that we do not experience it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/technology-is-the-knack-of-so-arranging-the-world-that-we-do-not/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [By the creative act, we are able to reach beyond our own death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/by-the-creative-act-we-are-able-to-reach-beyond-our-own-death/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Joy is the zest that you get out of using your talents, your understanding, the totality of your being, for great aims...That's the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/joy-is-the-zest-that-you-get-out-of-using-your-talents-your/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [One must have at least a readiness to love the other person, broadly speaking, if one is to be able to understand him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/one-must-have-at-least-a-readiness-to-love-the-other-person-broadly/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Man is the "ethical animal" ethical in potentiality even if, unfortunately, not in actuality. His capacity for ethical judgment like freedom, reason and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/man-is-the-ethical-animal-ethical-in-potentiality-even-if/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [Evil, in this system of ethics, is that which tears apart, shuts out the other person, raises barriers, sets people against each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/evil-in-this-system-of-ethics-is-that-which-tears-apart-shuts-out-the/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [We receive love — from our children as well as others — not in proportion to our demands or sacrifices or needs, but roughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/we-receive-love-from-our-children-as-well-as-others-not-in-proportion/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it is conformity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/the-opposite-of-courage-in-our-society-is-not-cowardice-it-is/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) [Explore all 259 Rollo May quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People only change when it becomes too dangerous to stay the way they are.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rollo May" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/people-only-change-when-it-becomes-too-dangerous-to-stay-the-way-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/people-only-change-when-it-becomes-too-dangerous-to-stay-the-way-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fa/rollo-may-1295_change_people-only-change-when-it-becomes-too-d_2031468.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fa/rollo-may-1295_change_people-only-change-when-it-becomes-too-d_2031468.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2fa/rollo-may-1295_change_people-only-change-when-it-becomes-too-d_2031468.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People only change when it becomes too dangerous to stay the way they are.” — Rollo May", "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": "Rollo May", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People only change when it becomes...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/people-only-change-when-it-becomes-too-dangerous-to-stay-the-way-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/people-only-change-when-it-becomes-too-dangerous-to-stay-the-way-they/#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 } } ] } ```