--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I gave up a long time ago thinking that…" description: "\"I gave up a long time ago thinking that people had to like or agree with what I was doing.\" — Sharyl Attkisson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90a/sharyl-attkisson-12588_long_i-gave-up-a-long-time-ago-thinking-that_1258375.jpg" --- # I gave up a long time ago thinking that people had to like… ![“I gave up a long time ago thinking that people had to like or agree with what I was doing.” quote by Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90a/sharyl-attkisson-12588_long_i-gave-up-a-long-time-ago-thinking-that_1258375.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90a/sharyl-attkisson-12588_long_i-gave-up-a-long-time-ago-thinking-that_1258375.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90a/sharyl-attkisson-12588_long_i-gave-up-a-long-time-ago-thinking-that_1258375.jpg) > “I gave up a long time ago thinking that people had to like or agree with what I was doing.” [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeking approval can stall action; letting go of others' expectations frees personal agency. **In simple terms:** Stop waiting for others' approval to act. Key Takeaway Act based on your own values. Themes self‑confidence autonomy validation Mood empowered thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - starting a new project - public speaking - creative work Key Concepts social psychology personal boundaries decision making Questions to Reflect On - What would you do if no one judged you? - How can you measure success internally? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on approval can cause indecision and anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ago Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ago-thinking-3991068/) [Agree Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agree-doing-3910579/) [Gave Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-long-1965476/) [Like Agree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-agree-1068032/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Long time ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time-ago/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) ## Related quotes > [ They \[Democrats and Republicans\] agree with each other on either doing nothing or giving lip service to climate change and the really transformative changes… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/they-democrats-and-republicans-agree-with-each-other-on-either-doing/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [The vast majority of Americans agree with us. We're doing everything that we can. We're advertising, right now we're on television with an advertisement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-d-barnes/the-vast-majority-of-americans-agree-with-us-we-re-doing-everything/) [Michael D. Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-d-barnes/) > [If I didnt care I would have gave up a long time ago, but I care about you so much that I'm willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-didnt-care-i-would-have-gave-up-a-long-time-ago-but-i-care-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It could have been a month or, It could have been a year, But I, I gave up long before, Long before you cared.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-quin/it-could-have-been-a-month-or-it-could-have-been-a-year-but-i-i-gave/) [Sara Quin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-quin/) > [I had an excellent Ivy League education, and it gave me a long view of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-wynn/i-had-an-excellent-ivy-league-education-and-it-gave-me-a-long-view-of/) [Steve Wynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-wynn/) > [Politicians are masters of sounding like they agree with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-cloud/politicians-are-masters-of-sounding-like-they-agree-with-you/) [Mike Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-cloud/) > [Muniir zero is probably the best author on search quotes LIKE If You Agree!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muniir-zero/muniir-zero-is-probably-the-best-author-on-search-quotes-like-if-you/) [Muniir Zero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muniir-zero/) > [I tell folks when I walk into a room, when I leave, you may not like me - you may not agree with me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-rosendale/i-tell-folks-when-i-walk-into-a-room-when-i-leave-you-may-not-like-me/) [Matt Rosendale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-rosendale/) > [We cannot force everyone to like you and agree with you, all we can do is just to be yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-alapan/we-cannot-force-everyone-to-like-you-and-agree-with-you-all-we-can-do/) [Mitch Alapan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-alapan/) > [It just seems like, you agree to have a certain personality or something. 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It was a wintry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/sylvia-plath-and-i-met-a-long-time-ago-a-really-long-time-ago-was-it/) [Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/) > [“A long time ago I realized that, as psychiatrists, we had to have a healthy respect for our own humanness, and our own smallness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-schiller/a-long-time-ago-i-realized-that-as-psychiatrists-we-had-to-have-a/) [Lori Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-schiller/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) ## More by Sharyl Attkisson > [Long before the 2016 presidential campaign, confidential sources had alerted me to longstanding misuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court system and the erosion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/long-before-the-2016-presidential-campaign-confidential-sources-had/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [Obama administration officials who were in key positions on Sept. 11, 2012, acknowledge that a range of mistakes were made the night of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/obama-administration-officials-who-were-in-key-positions-on-sept-11/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [We Americans like to believe we live in a free country with the right to use the justice system to ensure that government abuses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/we-americans-like-to-believe-we-live-in-a-free-country-with-the-right/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [Obviously, if I cared about what people said about my reporting, I wouldn't be a good journalist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/obviously-if-i-cared-about-what-people-said-about-my-reporting-i/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [The beauty of American elections is that anything can happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/the-beauty-of-american-elections-is-that-anything-can-happen/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [I'm not a professional political analyst, so my political analysis is worth about what you pay for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/i-m-not-a-professional-political-analyst-so-my-political-analysis-is/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [Ever since his inauguration, President Trump's political opponents have been pushing to impeach him. They just hadn't found the right excuse. In other words,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/ever-since-his-inauguration-president-trump-s-political-opponents/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [I think very few of us have a thick bold line on every given topic that falls neatly into the box of a chosen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/i-think-very-few-of-us-have-a-thick-bold-line-on-every-given-topic/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [Everyone would like to believe that anyone possibly exposed to a serious contagious disease would comply with self-quarantine requirements. But history teaches a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/everyone-would-like-to-believe-that-anyone-possibly-exposed-to-a/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [I just don't care what people think. I'm just trying to do what I think is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/i-just-don-t-care-what-people-think-i-m-just-trying-to-do-what-i/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [If you've read my New York Times bestseller 'Stonewalled', you know that I'm a fan of an intellectual exercise I call the Substitution Game.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/if-you-ve-read-my-new-york-times-bestseller-stonewalled-you-know-that/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [The bottom line is: Polls can be provocative, informative, fun or maddening. But as we move into 2020, it's important to be mindful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/the-bottom-line-is-polls-can-be-provocative-informative-fun-or/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [The nature of the government's surveillance on me and my family is forensically proven and not subject to legitimate question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/the-nature-of-the-government-s-surveillance-on-me-and-my-family-is/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [When analysis and opinion are invited, various viewpoints should be represented. Allegations of political blame, when they occur, should be reasonably challenged on all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/when-analysis-and-opinion-are-invited-various-viewpoints-should-be/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [And this may be hard to swallow for those deeply embedded in a particular political philosophy, but I think most people - whatever their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/and-this-may-be-hard-to-swallow-for-those-deeply-embedded-in-a/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) [Explore all 54 Sharyl Attkisson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) ## More Long quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [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/) > [I would borrow money all day long, if the cost of borrowing is less than the expected return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/i-would-borrow-money-all-day-long-if-the-cost-of-borrowing-is-less/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [Contradictory precepts that have guided me for as long as I can remember: 1: I will live forever. 2: I will die tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/contradictory-precepts-that-have-guided-me-for-as-long-as-i-can/) [Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/) > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [I genuinely did not expect more than half our nation to choose to walk away from our long-term allies into the arms of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-reade/i-genuinely-did-not-expect-more-than-half-our-nation-to-choose-to/) [Brian Reade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-reade/) > [Long before the 2016 presidential campaign, confidential sources had alerted me to longstanding misuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court system and the erosion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharyl-attkisson/long-before-the-2016-presidential-campaign-confidential-sources-had/) [Sharyl Attkisson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharyl-attkisson/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. 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