--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: it is better to be loved than admired. It…" description: "\"“it is better to be loved than admired. It is better to be truly known and seen and taken care of by a small tribe than adored by strangers who think t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/shauna-niequist-3042_quote_it-is-better-to-be-loved-than-admired-it_1178156.jpg" --- # it is better to be loved than admired. It is better to be… ![“it is better to be loved than admired. It is better to be truly known and seen and taken care of by a small tribe than adored by strangers who think they know you in a meaningful way. We know that's true. But many of us, functionally, have gotten that math wrong in one season or another.” quote by Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/shauna-niequist-3042_quote_it-is-better-to-be-loved-than-admired-it_1178156.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/shauna-niequist-3042_quote_it-is-better-to-be-loved-than-admired-it_1178156.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/962/shauna-niequist-3042_quote_it-is-better-to-be-loved-than-admired-it_1178156.jpg) > ““it is better to be loved than admired. It is better to be truly known and seen and taken care of by a small tribe than adored by strangers who think they know you in a meaningful way. We know that's true. But many of us, functionally, have gotten that math wrong in one season or another.”” [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True intimacy with a close group outweighs superficial admiration from many strangers. **In simple terms:** Close friends matter more than many admirers. Key Takeaway Cultivate deep, supportive relationships. Themes friendship authenticity intimacy community Mood thoughtful intimate Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - family gatherings - team building - online communities Key Concepts social psychology attachment theory quality vs quantity Questions to Reflect On - Do you prioritize depth over breadth in your social life? - What risks come with relying on a tight tribe? A Different Perspective Small groups can also be exclusive or limiting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Admired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admired/) [Admired Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admired-better-3443921/) [Better Loved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-loved/) [Loved Admired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved-admired-424430/) [Tribe Adored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tribe-adored-3443922/) ## Related quotes > [ \[On her father's death:\] Gone was the person who had known me better than anyone else on earth and who had loved and admired… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-brody/on-her-father-s-death-gone-was-the-person-who-had-known-me-better/) [Jane Brody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-brody/) > [I hope I am more loved than I am admired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/themonsterace/i-hope-i-am-more-loved-than-i-am-admired/) [TheMonsterAce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/themonsterace/) > [Aim at being loved without being admired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/aim-at-being-loved-without-being-admired/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [Oh, but it was splendid the things women were doing for men all the time, thought Jane. Making them feel, perhaps sometimes by no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/oh-but-it-was-splendid-the-things-women-were-doing-for-men-all-the/) [Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/) > [“So whatever you think of me, don't pity me. I had a beautiful life. I was loved, admired, feted, copied, mocked, treasured, and feared.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-sharp/so-whatever-you-think-of-me-don-t-pity-me-i-had-a-beautiful-life-i/) [Adrienne Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-sharp/) > [It is human nature to like it when you are loved and admired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dharmendra/it-is-human-nature-to-like-it-when-you-are-loved-and-admired/) [Dharmendra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dharmendra/) > [Be loved, be admired, be necessary; be somebody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/be-loved-be-admired-be-necessary-be-somebody/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [I always thought it was what I wanted: to be loved and admired. Now I think perhaps I'd like to be known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/i-always-thought-it-was-what-i-wanted-to-be-loved-and-admired-now-i/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [I have always loved and admired women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rekha/i-have-always-loved-and-admired-women/) [Rekha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rekha/) > [Every angle that I looked at was somebody who I admired and was better than me. So it made me very afraid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-bauer/every-angle-that-i-looked-at-was-somebody-who-i-admired-and-was/) [Chris Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-bauer/) > [I exist not to be loved and admired, but to love and act. It is not the duty of those around me to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janusz-korczak/i-exist-not-to-be-loved-and-admired-but-to-love-and-act-it-is-not-the/) [Janusz Korczak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janusz-korczak/) > [I suppose when I started out I would have liked to have been the darling of critics or something, but everybody wants to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milius/i-suppose-when-i-started-out-i-would-have-liked-to-have-been-the/) [John Milius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milius/) > [Work is its own cure. You have to like it better than being loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/work-is-its-own-cure-you-have-to-like-it-better-than-being-loved/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [“Whoever said it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved was full of crap.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/whoever-said-it-is-better-to-have-loved-and-lost-than-never-to-have/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [Better to have loved and lost than to live with regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-pun/better-to-have-loved-and-lost-than-to-live-with-regret/) [Big Pun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-pun/) ## More by Shauna Niequist > [...what I can do is offer myself, wholehearted and present, to walk with the people I love through the fear and the mess. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/what-i-can-do-is-offer-myself-wholehearted-and-present-to-walk-with/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“We decide where the time goes. There's so much freedom in that, and so much responsibility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/we-decide-where-the-time-goes-there-s-so-much-freedom-in-that-and-so/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“When things fall apart, the broken pieces allow all sorts of things to enter, and one of them is the presence of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/when-things-fall-apart-the-broken-pieces-allow-all-sorts-of-things-to/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“The world is alive, blinking and clicking, winking at us slyly, inviting us to get up and dance to the music that’s been playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/the-world-is-alive-blinking-and-clicking-winking-at-us-slyly-inviting/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“I have always, essentially, been waiting. Waiting to become something else, waiting to be that person I always thought I was on the verge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/i-have-always-essentially-been-waiting-waiting-to-become-something/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“I am still surprised on a regular basis at the love I feel for the spirit of God, the deep respect and emotion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/i-am-still-surprised-on-a-regular-basis-at-the-love-i-feel-for-the/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“...now that I am a mother, I understand what Mother's Day is about: it's about looking through our lives and recognizing the act of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/now-that-i-am-a-mother-i-understand-what-mother-s-day-is-about-it-s/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“We have, each one of us, been entrusted with one life, made up of days and hours and minutes. We're spending them according to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/we-have-each-one-of-us-been-entrusted-with-one-life-made-up-of-days/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“Years ago, Aaron and I were talking with the pastor of a fast-growing church, and another friend, a more seasoned pastor. The first pastor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/years-ago-aaron-and-i-were-talking-with-the-pastor-of-a-fast-growing/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“I believe deeply that God does his best work in our lives during times of great heartbreak and loss, and I believe that much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/i-believe-deeply-that-god-does-his-best-work-in-our-lives-during/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“one of the chief aspects of mothering is prayer,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/one-of-the-chief-aspects-of-mothering-is-prayer/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“Our friend Ian, an Episcopal priest, taught us something I’d never heard, something that shaped all of us: on a rainy night, with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/our-friend-ian-an-episcopal-priest-taught-us-something-i-d-never/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“When you haven’t yet had your heart really broken, the gospel isn’t about death and rebirth. It’s about life and more life. It’s about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/when-you-haven-t-yet-had-your-heart-really-broken-the-gospel-isn-t/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“Present over perfect living is real over image, connecting over comparing, meaning over mania, depth over artifice. Present over perfect living is the risky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/present-over-perfect-living-is-real-over-image-connecting-over/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) [Explore all 141 Shauna Niequist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) ## More Admired quotes > [To me, true style icons have been few and far between. Elizabeth Taylor comes to mind. I never got to meet her while she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-rocha/to-me-true-style-icons-have-been-few-and-far-between-elizabeth-taylor/) [Coco Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-rocha/) > [Most women you know are very much interested in the man who is reputed to be deeply admired by other women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-desmond/most-women-you-know-are-very-much-interested-in-the-man-who-is/) [Arthur Desmond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-desmond/) > [The creation of George Smiley, the retired spy recalled to hunt for just such a high-ranking mole in 'Tinker, Tailor,' was extremely personal. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/the-creation-of-george-smiley-the-retired-spy-recalled-to-hunt-for/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [I suppose I'm led to do so by the fact of what happened to my contemporaries - people whom I've admired, people who I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-woodcock/i-suppose-i-m-led-to-do-so-by-the-fact-of-what-happened-to-my/) [George Woodcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-woodcock/) > [I always admired virtue - but I could never imitate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-always-admired-virtue-but-i-could-never-imitate-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've always looked at guys who I've admired, like John Williams and Lalo Schifrin and Max Steiner, and looked at the choices they made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-giacchino/i-ve-always-looked-at-guys-who-i-ve-admired-like-john-williams-and/) [Michael Giacchino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-giacchino/) > [Admired as a saint, defined by my rank. Combined with my strength, my time and my length.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/admired-as-a-saint-defined-by-my-rank-combined-with-my-strength-my/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [ \[On her father's death:\] Gone was the person who had known me better than anyone else on earth and who had loved and admired… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-brody/on-her-father-s-death-gone-was-the-person-who-had-known-me-better/) [Jane Brody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-brody/) > [I've always admired actors such as Tabu, Nandita Das and Shabana Azmi and I'd like to do the kind of roles that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanam-saeed/i-ve-always-admired-actors-such-as-tabu-nandita-das-and-shabana-azmi/) [Sanam Saeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanam-saeed/) > [In life, if you are intelligent then you will be admired but if you are prominent then you are envied meanwhile if you are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeka/in-life-if-you-are-intelligent-then-you-will-be-admired-but-if-you/) [Jeka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeka/) > [ He \[A. J. Balfour\] was eminently one of the Cole Porter school of famous men, who only fell to rise again. Picking himself up… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-balfour/he-a-j-balfour-was-eminently-one-of-the-cole-porter-school-of-famous/) [Arthur Balfour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-balfour/) > [She never felt sorry for herself, and that was something I decided I admired most in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/she-never-felt-sorry-for-herself-and-that-was-something-i-decided-i/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [Celebrity is never more admired than by the negligent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/celebrity-is-never-more-admired-than-by-the-negligent/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I have loved, adored and admired Irrfan Khan's work. Some of his movies are remarkable. So, working with him has been an honor and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiku-sharda/i-have-loved-adored-and-admired-irrfan-khan-s-work-some-of-his-movies/) [Kiku Sharda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiku-sharda/) > [What! nothing grand and noble to be admired, obeyed, copied? Ah, the lack is not without you, but within you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-mcnair-wright/what-nothing-grand-and-noble-to-be-admired-obeyed-copied-ah-the-lack/) [Julia McNair Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-mcnair-wright/) [Browse all 392 Admired quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admired/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“it is better to be loved than admired. It is better to be truly known and seen and taken care of by a small tribe than adored by strangers who think they know you in a meaningful way. We know that's true. 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