--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The hard truth is that following our…" description: "\"“The hard truth is that following our passion and living out our dreams is incredibly scary. There is a huge potential for failure. It makes us vulnera..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b93/ruth-soukup-26584_dreams_the-hard-truth-is-that-following-our-pas_1336887.jpg" --- # The hard truth is that following our passion and living… ![“The hard truth is that following our passion and living out our dreams is incredibly scary. There is a huge potential for failure. It makes us vulnerable to criticism from people who don’t understand. It gives others an opportunity to laugh at us or cut us down. It means taking a step into the…” quote by Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b93/ruth-soukup-26584_dreams_the-hard-truth-is-that-following-our-pas_1336887.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b93/ruth-soukup-26584_dreams_the-hard-truth-is-that-following-our-pas_1336887.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b93/ruth-soukup-26584_dreams_the-hard-truth-is-that-following-our-pas_1336887.jpg) > ““The hard truth is that following our passion and living out our dreams is incredibly scary. There is a huge potential for failure. It makes us vulnerable to criticism from people who don’t understand. It gives others an opportunity to laugh at us or cut us down. It means taking a step into the unknown, where anything can happen, and where we don’t always have control. After all, it is much easier to find shelter in the known than risk the heartbreak of having it all come crashing down.”” [Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pursuing passions is frightening because it exposes us to failure, criticism, and loss of control, yet staying safe avoids growth. **In simple terms:** Chasing dreams is scary and risky. Key Takeaway Embrace risk, accept vulnerability. Themes courage risk growth criticism unknown Mood anxious determined Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - career change - creative projects - starting a business - public speaking - personal goals Key Concepts psychology self‑actualization fear of failure Questions to Reflect On - What would you attempt if fear disappeared? - How can you protect yourself while taking risks? A Different Perspective Fear of failure can paralyze action and lead to missed opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Hard Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-truth/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [I was very vulnerable to criticism for many years. I could read a bad review and remember it my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/i-was-very-vulnerable-to-criticism-for-many-years-i-could-read-a-bad/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [When ideas are young and vulnerable, criticism can be lethal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-echelman/when-ideas-are-young-and-vulnerable-criticism-can-be-lethal/) [Janet Echelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-echelman/) > [“Love is only made more valuable by the risk of heartbreak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessandra-torre/love-is-only-made-more-valuable-by-the-risk-of-heartbreak/) [Alessandra Torre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessandra-torre/) > [If you keep your heart a secret then you will never know how they feel and you live in a fantasy world where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danialla/if-you-keep-your-heart-a-secret-then-you-will-never-know-how-they/) [DaniAlla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danialla/) > [I'm vulnerable to criticism. Any artist is, because you work alone in your studio and, until recently, critics were the only way you'd get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-hodgkin/i-m-vulnerable-to-criticism-any-artist-is-because-you-work-alone-in/) [Howard Hodgkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-hodgkin/) > [People are always surprised when they see me speak live that I have a sense of humor. And I say, Well, you know, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-ifill/people-are-always-surprised-when-they-see-me-speak-live-that-i-have-a/) [Gwen Ifill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-ifill/) > [Life is short and opportunities are rare. And we have to be vigilant in protecting them and not only the opportunities to succeed but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-short-and-opportunities-are-rare-and-we-have-to-be-vigilant/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Kid, don't miss an opportunity to laugh, because laughter is what makes the boot heels of life palatable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-r-dennis/kid-don-t-miss-an-opportunity-to-laugh-because-laughter-is-what-makes/) Bryan R. Dennis > [Obviously the audience has veto power signified by whether they laugh or not, but you-not them-retain the ultimate power to decide what they're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklyn-ajaye/obviously-the-audience-has-veto-power-signified-by-whether-they-laugh/) [Franklyn Ajaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklyn-ajaye/) > [It's a privilege to have the career I have, to love every day and be following my passion, the stories that interest me, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietra-brettkelly/it-s-a-privilege-to-have-the-career-i-have-to-love-every-day-and-be/) [Pietra Brettkelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietra-brettkelly/) > [“Follow your passion” is bad advice. I reached this conclusion after spending a year researching a basic question: What makes people love what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-k-glei/follow-your-passion-is-bad-advice-i-reached-this-conclusion-after/) [Jocelyn K. Glei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-k-glei/) > [Things like 'following your passion' and 'finding your creative outlets' didn't mean anything to me because I didn't have that area of my brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simu-liu/things-like-following-your-passion-and-finding-your-creative-outlets/) [Simu Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simu-liu/) > [Everyone has a life purpose, and the key to your life purpose is following your passion, which consumes a lot of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/everyone-has-a-life-purpose-and-the-key-to-your-life-purpose-is/) [Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/) > [I try to live my life where I end up at a point where I have no regrets. So I try to choose the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-aronofsky/i-try-to-live-my-life-where-i-end-up-at-a-point-where-i-have-no/) [Darren Aronofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-aronofsky/) > [If following your passion to a place where there's no pain probably isn't the business, I don't think an entrepreneur can sustain in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-cook/if-following-your-passion-to-a-place-where-there-s-no-pain-probably/) [Scott Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-cook/) ## More by Ruth Soukup > [“Have you ever heard of SMART goals? It’s basically the idea that your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time Bound. Meaning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/have-you-ever-heard-of-smart-goals-it-s-basically-the-idea-that-your/) [Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) > [“Choose long-term value over short-term savings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/choose-long-term-value-over-short-term-savings/) [Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) > [“The reality is that stuff does not bring happiness. Instead, buying more than we need breeds nothing but discontentment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/the-reality-is-that-stuff-does-not-bring-happiness-instead-buying/) [Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) > [“You see, when we set goals that feel safer and achievable, we are caving in to our own preconceived notions of what we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/you-see-when-we-set-goals-that-feel-safer-and-achievable-we-are/) [Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) > [“If your ultimate goal is not to have a home that looks like it belongs in a magazine or to drive a Cadillac Escalade,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/if-your-ultimate-goal-is-not-to-have-a-home-that-looks-like-it/) [Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) > [“Most of us are procrastinators by nature. We will often put off the hardest things until the last possible minute or until the repercussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/most-of-us-are-procrastinators-by-nature-we-will-often-put-off-the/) [Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) > [“Let your fear of regret be stronger than your fear of failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/let-your-fear-of-regret-be-stronger-than-your-fear-of-failure/) [Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) > [“Rules are for suckers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/rules-are-for-suckers/) [Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) > [“No one gets a free pass. None of us are guaranteed a perfectly pleasant journey free of hardship, struggle, and pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/no-one-gets-a-free-pass-none-of-us-are-guaranteed-a-perfectly/) [Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) > [“In Philippians 4:6 – 7, Paul writes, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/in-philippians-4-6-7-paul-writes-do-not-be-anxious-about-anything-but/) [Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) > [“When we set goals that feel safe and achievable, we are caving in to our own preconceived notions of what we are capable of.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/when-we-set-goals-that-feel-safe-and-achievable-we-are-caving-in-to/) [Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) > [“Big goals provide the road map for our lives, the compass that tells us we’re moving in the right direction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/big-goals-provide-the-road-map-for-our-lives-the-compass-that-tells/) [Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) > [“I think sometimes we become so fearful of making a mistake, of doing something wrong, of having someone else laugh at us, that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/i-think-sometimes-we-become-so-fearful-of-making-a-mistake-of-doing/) [Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) > [“At any given time, we all have room to grow and bloom, no matter where we are planted. No matter our season of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/at-any-given-time-we-all-have-room-to-grow-and-bloom-no-matter-where/) [Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) > [“If I were to die tomorrow, what would people remember me for?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/if-i-were-to-die-tomorrow-what-would-people-remember-me-for/) [Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) [Explore all 21 Ruth Soukup quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) ## More Dreams quotes > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“Once we become sensitive to dreams, we discover that every dynamic in a dream is manifesting itself in some way in our practical lives”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/once-we-become-sensitive-to-dreams-we-discover-that-every-dynamic-in/) [Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/) > [“Now you’re wet. You’re so wet you’re leaking down your ass. You’re soaking my pillow. I don’t think I’m ever washing it. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-stoker/now-you-re-wet-you-re-so-wet-you-re-leaking-down-your-ass-you-re/) [Susan Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-stoker/) > [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/) [Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [“As dreams are the healing songs from the wilderness of our unconscious - So wild animals, wild plants, wild landscapes are the healing dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/as-dreams-are-the-healing-songs-from-the-wilderness-of-our/) [Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/) > [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [As far as Im concerned, I didnt dream - ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/as-far-as-im-concerned-i-didnt-dream-ever/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-life-seems-like-a-dream-especially-when-i-look-down-and-see/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [“I had a dream. I had an awesome dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-a-dream-i-had-an-awesome-dream/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 40,599 Dreams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The hard truth is that following our passion and living out our dreams is incredibly scary. There is a huge potential for failure. It makes us vulnerable to criticism from people who don’t understand. It gives others an opportunity to laugh at us or cut us down. It means taking a step into the unknown, where anything can happen, and where we don’t always have control. After all, it is much easier to find shelter in the known than risk the heartbreak of having it all come crashing down.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ruth Soukup" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/the-hard-truth-is-that-following-our-passion-and-living-out-our/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dreams" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/the-hard-truth-is-that-following-our-passion-and-living-out-our/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b93/ruth-soukup-26584_dreams_the-hard-truth-is-that-following-our-pas_1336887.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b93/ruth-soukup-26584_dreams_the-hard-truth-is-that-following-our-pas_1336887.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b93/ruth-soukup-26584_dreams_the-hard-truth-is-that-following-our-pas_1336887.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The hard truth is that following our passion and living out our dreams is incredibly scary. There is a huge…” — Ruth Soukup", "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": "Ruth Soukup", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The hard truth is that following...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/the-hard-truth-is-that-following-our-passion-and-living-out-our/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/the-hard-truth-is-that-following-our-passion-and-living-out-our/#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 } } ] } ```