--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the past I was very open and very…" description: "\"In the past I was very open and very generous, and I found that it just exploded in my face. A lot of people weren't there for me when I needed them. S..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/sandra-cisneros-862_faces_in-the-past-i-was-very-open-and-very-gen_1167777.png" --- # In the past I was very open and very generous, and I found… ![“In the past I was very open and very generous, and I found that it just exploded in my face. A lot of people weren't there for me when I needed them. So I have become a little shell shocked. Subsequently almost paranoid and frightened of people now. Maybe I'm losing out in meeting some marvelous…” quote by Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/sandra-cisneros-862_faces_in-the-past-i-was-very-open-and-very-gen_1167777.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/sandra-cisneros-862_faces_in-the-past-i-was-very-open-and-very-gen_1167777.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4f1/sandra-cisneros-862_faces_in-the-past-i-was-very-open-and-very-gen_1167777.png) > “In the past I was very open and very generous, and I found that it just exploded in my face. A lot of people weren't there for me when I needed them. So I have become a little shell shocked. Subsequently almost paranoid and frightened of people now. Maybe I'm losing out in meeting some marvelous people, but I am doing the only thing I can to save my spirit.” [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being overly open and generous can lead to betrayal, causing distrust and emotional withdrawal. **In simple terms:** Too much openness can hurt you. Key Takeaway Protect your spirit by setting boundaries. Themes trust vulnerability self‑preservation Mood cautious reflective Type advice personal growth When to use this quote - personal relationships - new friendships - professional networking Key Concepts emotional resilience boundary setting Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance openness with self‑care? - What boundaries feel safe for you? A Different Perspective Over‑protectiveness may block genuine connections. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Frightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightened/) [Generous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generous/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Losing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/losing/) [Losing out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/losing-out/) [Marvelous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marvelous/) [Meetings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meetings/) [Needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needed/) [Paranoid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paranoid/) [Paranoid Frightened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paranoid-frightened-3371959/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Save Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/save-spirit-1052106/) [Shells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shells/) [Shocked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shocked/) [Shocked Subsequently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shocked-subsequently-3371960/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“But throughout the whole Bible there is no instance of a spirit influencing men for good save the Spirit of God alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-pember/but-throughout-the-whole-bible-there-is-no-instance-of-a-spirit/) [G.H. Pember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-pember/) > [It's important to recognize your own self-destructive behavior and be honest about it. You're only hurting yourself or losing out on your truth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/it-s-important-to-recognize-your-own-self-destructive-behavior-and-be/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [One in three Canadian teens are bullied. That's nearly two million young Canadians who are teased and excluded. Nearly two million who are silenced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-desman/one-in-three-canadian-teens-are-bullied-that-s-nearly-two-million/) [Shawn Desman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-desman/) > [I am not quite sure what the advantage is in having a few more dollars to spend if the air is too dirty to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/i-am-not-quite-sure-what-the-advantage-is-in-having-a-few-more/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [ \[The internet has\] already had a huge impact in the sports world, and the play-by-play guys that are not paying attention to it are… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-eagle/the-internet-has-already-had-a-huge-impact-in-the-sports-world-and/) [Ian Eagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-eagle/) > [As a species, we're not only wired to choose today over tomorrow, but we hate to feel like we're losing out on something. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/as-a-species-we-re-not-only-wired-to-choose-today-over-tomorrow-but/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [Somehow, something is always suffering. Someone is always losing out somehow. If you pick one kid up, you're not picking the other one up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-rossdale/somehow-something-is-always-suffering-someone-is-always-losing-out/) [Gavin Rossdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-rossdale/) > [You are losing out because Mexican rapists are taking your job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-remnick/you-are-losing-out-because-mexican-rapists-are-taking-your-job/) [David Remnick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-remnick/) > [We focus on that really repulsive minority of racists. But then there's a continuum that goes all the way to, you know, what used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-packer/we-focus-on-that-really-repulsive-minority-of-racists-but-then-there/) [George Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-packer/) > [Every one is special. Especially after the disappointment of last year, losing out on the last day, it is a great achievement by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-giggs/every-one-is-special-especially-after-the-disappointment-of-last-year/) [Ryan Giggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-giggs/) > [“Failing may not necessarily mean you're losing out - it may be your defining moment. So, dare to fail forward!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olawale-daniel/failing-may-not-necessarily-mean-you-re-losing-out-it-may-be-your/) [Olawale Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olawale-daniel/) > [But if we play it safe, the problem is that we may be losing out, and I believe we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-chaitin/but-if-we-play-it-safe-the-problem-is-that-we-may-be-losing-out-and-i/) [Gregory Chaitin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-chaitin/) > [Sure, you can choose the safety and predictability of the cage, forfeiting the adventure God has destined for you. But you won't be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-batterson/sure-you-can-choose-the-safety-and-predictability-of-the-cage/) [Mark Batterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-batterson/) > [I'm paranoid. On my stationary bike, I have a rear view mirror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lewis/i-m-paranoid-on-my-stationary-bike-i-have-a-rear-view-mirror/) [Richard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lewis/) > [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/) ## More by Sandra Cisneros > [We tend to think of orphans as being the protagonist of stories we read when we're kids, and yet here you are: you're an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/we-tend-to-think-of-orphans-as-being-the-protagonist-of-stories-we/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [I'm learning a lot by reading teachers like Thich Nhat Hanh, Pema Chodron. They teach me because I feel like I have a responsibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/i-m-learning-a-lot-by-reading-teachers-like-thich-nhat-hanh-pema/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [I never know what something is going to be until it emerges from the womb and you see the crown of its head and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/i-never-know-what-something-is-going-to-be-until-it-emerges-from-the/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [Believe it or not, Mexican cooking, for those of you who have not gone farther south than Taco Bell, uses a lot of vegetables.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/believe-it-or-not-mexican-cooking-for-those-of-you-who-have-not-gone/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [I feel that I can teach my listener about a new word they can use too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/i-feel-that-i-can-teach-my-listener-about-a-new-word-they-can-use-too/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [Now I feel life is really short and I have to take care of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/now-i-feel-life-is-really-short-and-i-have-to-take-care-of-things/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [To this day, on my cheat days from my diet, which are New Year's Eve and my birthday, I buy luxury foods that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/to-this-day-on-my-cheat-days-from-my-diet-which-are-new-year-s-eve/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [You can never have too much sky . You can fall asleep and wake up drunk on sky, and sky can keep you safe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/you-can-never-have-too-much-sky-you-can-fall-asleep-and-wake-up-drunk/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [ \[Jorge Luis Borges\] had short stories, and I was trying to learn how to write short stories, and then he had these things in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/jorge-luis-borges-had-short-stories-and-i-was-trying-to-learn-how-to/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [I want to thank you, especially those people who are agnostic or atheist. I don't mean any offense by the things I said of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/i-want-to-thank-you-especially-those-people-who-are-agnostic-or/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [ We changed it to emocionó, the way you say in Spanish, "to emotion me" \[to be moved\]. That, as opposed to "haunt." We wanted… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/we-changed-it-to-emocion-the-way-you-say-in-spanish-to-emotion-me-to/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [When I'm starting to feel, "How many more people are there?" I go slower. I ask questions, and that person engaging with me gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/when-i-m-starting-to-feel-how-many-more-people-are-there-i-go-slower/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [I've put up with too much, too long, and now I'm just too intelligent, too powerful, too beautiful, too sure of who I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/i-ve-put-up-with-too-much-too-long-and-now-i-m-just-too-intelligent/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [If we got an educational program going, we could tell people, "Instead of butter, use avocado." That's something we eat, it has the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/if-we-got-an-educational-program-going-we-could-tell-people-instead/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) > [I always have to have sweet and salty. I know some of you are going to say, "Oh, I tried dates. I hate them."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-cisneros/i-always-have-to-have-sweet-and-salty-i-know-some-of-you-are-going-to/) [Sandra Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) [Explore all 347 Sandra Cisneros quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-cisneros/) ## More Faces quotes > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [Because the truth is that gossip is as good as gospel in this town. You can save face but you won't ever save your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/because-the-truth-is-that-gossip-is-as-good-as-gospel-in-this-town/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [His fingertips slid down from my face, lightly stroking the line of my neck, down toward my shoulder. Everywhere he touched, a trail of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/his-fingertips-slid-down-from-my-face-lightly-stroking-the-line-of-my/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [I've seen every one, from Motley Crue to John Denver, with tears running down my face. I had no idea everyone had such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/i-ve-seen-every-one-from-motley-crue-to-john-denver-with-tears/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) > [So," I said. "Seems you're going to be stuck with me for a while." He smiled. A real smile that lit up his whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/so-i-said-seems-you-re-going-to-be-stuck-with-me-for-a-while-he/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [If I had a million dollars, I just wouldn't just completely set back. I'd have to get out there and show my face to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muddy-waters/if-i-had-a-million-dollars-i-just-wouldn-t-just-completely-set-back-i/) [Muddy Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muddy-waters/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [If enough money is involved and enough people believe that two plus two equals five the media will report the story with a straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/if-enough-money-is-involved-and-enough-people-believe-that-two-plus/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [Here comes old Rosie she's looking mighty fine, here comes hot Nancy she's steppin' right on time. 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Are the cords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/are-we-fighting-i-asked-morelli-no-were-discussing-are-you-sure-am-i/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) [Browse all 13,128 Faces quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the past I was very open and very generous, and I found that it just exploded in my face. A lot of people weren't there for me when I needed them. So I have become a little shell shocked. Subsequently almost paranoid and frightened of people now. 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