--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We cannot change what we are unaware of…" description: "\"“We cannot change what we are unaware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.”\" — Sheryl Sandberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/sheryl-sandberg-439_change_we-cannot-change-what-we-are-unaware-of_1694733.png" --- # We cannot change what we are unaware of, and once we are… ![“We cannot change what we are unaware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.” quote by Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/sheryl-sandberg-439_change_we-cannot-change-what-we-are-unaware-of_1694733.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/sheryl-sandberg-439_change_we-cannot-change-what-we-are-unaware-of_1694733.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/sheryl-sandberg-439_change_we-cannot-change-what-we-are-unaware-of_1694733.png) > ““We cannot change what we are unaware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.”” [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Awareness of a problem is the first step toward change; once recognized, change becomes inevitable. **In simple terms:** Knowing a problem leads to change. Key Takeaway Seek awareness, then act. Themes self‑improvement psychology growth Mood motivational thoughtful Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - personal development - organizational reform - social activism Key Concepts cognitive bias behavioral change Questions to Reflect On - What blind spots hinder your growth? - How can you translate awareness into concrete steps? A Different Perspective Awareness alone may not guarantee action without resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) ## Related quotes > [“Still, my argument was that if she was going to work for the next 30 years, what difference does "going back" 4 years really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/still-my-argument-was-that-if-she-was-going-to-work-for-the-next-30/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“You then will lean way in to your career. You will find something you love doing and you will do it with gusto. Find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/you-then-will-lean-way-in-to-your-career-you-will-find-something-you/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“But knowing that things could be worse should not stop us from trying to make them better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/but-knowing-that-things-could-be-worse-should-not-stop-us-from-trying-2/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [ “\[Eric Schmidt\] explained that only one criterion that mattered when picking a job- fat growth. When companies grow quickly, there are more things to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/eric-schmidt-explained-that-only-one-criterion-that-mattered-when/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/we-cannot-change-what-we-are-not-aware-of-and-once-we-are-aware-we-2/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“A truly equal world would be one where women ran half our countries and companies and men ran half our homes. I believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-truly-equal-world-would-be-one-where-women-ran-half-our-countries-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you want to change the world, first try to improve and bring about change within yourself. That will help change your family. From…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/if-you-want-to-change-the-world-first-try-to-improve-and-bring-about/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Changing the world is like trying to straighten a dog's tail. However much you may try, you won't succeed. But although the tail won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/changing-the-world-is-like-trying-to-straighten-a-dog-s-tail-however/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [Hopefully, my story will help change people's lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-earhardt/hopefully-my-story-will-help-change-people-s-lives/) [Ainsley Earhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-earhardt/) > [I deplored a system that made it more profitable not to work than to work. I wanted to help change all that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-brooke/i-deplored-a-system-that-made-it-more-profitable-not-to-work-than-to/) [Edward Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-brooke/) > [The greatest gift you could ever give someone is your time. Your time for someone can help change their entire life, can wipe away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-greatest-gift-you-could-ever-give-someone-is-your-time-your-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People need help to change the way they eat... this is what government is for in my opinion… We should make food an issue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bittman/people-need-help-to-change-the-way-they-eat-this-is-what-government/) [Mark Bittman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bittman/) > [Do your part to help out, HELP it grow. You can help the change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-your-part-to-help-out-help-it-grow-you-can-help-the-change/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whether your life is destined to be short or to be long, along the way on that journey, if you access that inner power,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-willis/whether-your-life-is-destined-to-be-short-or-to-be-long-along-the-way/) [Brad Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-willis/) > [It's up to me to help change the world, I cannot look at everybody else, I can only do what I can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/it-s-up-to-me-to-help-change-the-world-i-cannot-look-at-everybody/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) ## More by Sheryl Sandberg > [“Still, my argument was that if she was going to work for the next 30 years, what difference does "going back" 4 years really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/still-my-argument-was-that-if-she-was-going-to-work-for-the-next-30/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Reverend Veronica Goines sums this up as, “Peace is joy at rest, and joy is peace on its feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/reverend-veronica-goines-sums-this-up-as-peace-is-joy-at-rest-and-joy/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [ “\[Eric Schmidt\] explained that only one criterion that mattered when picking a job- fat growth. When companies grow quickly, there are more things to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/eric-schmidt-explained-that-only-one-criterion-that-mattered-when/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [When I went to college, as much as my parents emphasized academic achievement, they emphasized marriage even more. They told me that the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-went-to-college-as-much-as-my-parents-emphasized-academic/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Go to a playground: Little girls get called 'bossy' all the time, a word that's almost never used for boys. And that leads directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/go-to-a-playground-little-girls-get-called-bossy-all-the-time-a-word/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“One of my favorite quotes comes from author Alice Walker, who observed, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/one-of-my-favorite-quotes-comes-from-author-alice-walker-who-observed/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules about acceptable social conduct. Men are continually applauded for being ambitious and powerful and successful, but women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/aggressive-and-hard-charging-women-violate-unwritten-rules-about/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“When I wrote Lean In, some people argued that I did not spend enough time writing about the difficulties women face when they don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-wrote-lean-in-some-people-argued-that-i-did-not-spend-enough/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Survivor guilt is a thief of joy—yet another secondary loss from death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/survivor-guilt-is-a-thief-of-joy-yet-another-secondary-loss-from-death/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [I am a bigger-picture manager because I've lived through something that's a big picture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/i-am-a-bigger-picture-manager-because-i-ve-lived-through-something/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Presenting leadership as a list of carefully defined qualities (like strategic, analytical, and performance-ori ented) no longer holds. Instead, true leadership stems from individuality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/presenting-leadership-as-a-list-of-carefully-defined-qualities-like/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [So there's no such thing as work-life balance. There's work, and there's life, and there's no balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/so-there-s-no-such-thing-as-work-life-balance-there-s-work-and-there/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Men can comfortably claim credit for what they do as long as they don't veer into arrogance. For women, taking credit comes at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/men-can-comfortably-claim-credit-for-what-they-do-as-long-as-they-don/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“As Helen Keller put it, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/as-helen-keller-put-it-when-one-door-of-happiness-closes-another/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Forty percent of employed mothers lack sick days and vacation leave, and about 50 percent of employed mothers are unable to take time off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/forty-percent-of-employed-mothers-lack-sick-days-and-vacation-leave/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) [Explore all 557 Sheryl Sandberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## 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 > [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": "“We cannot change what we are unaware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sheryl Sandberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/we-cannot-change-what-we-are-unaware-of-and-once-we-are-aware-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/we-cannot-change-what-we-are-unaware-of-and-once-we-are-aware-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/sheryl-sandberg-439_change_we-cannot-change-what-we-are-unaware-of_1694733.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/sheryl-sandberg-439_change_we-cannot-change-what-we-are-unaware-of_1694733.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe5/sheryl-sandberg-439_change_we-cannot-change-what-we-are-unaware-of_1694733.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We cannot change what we are unaware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.” — Sheryl Sandberg", "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": "Sheryl Sandberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We cannot change what we are...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/we-cannot-change-what-we-are-unaware-of-and-once-we-are-aware-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/we-cannot-change-what-we-are-unaware-of-and-once-we-are-aware-we/#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 } } ] } ```