--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everyone has a right to be interested in…" description: "\"Everyone has a right to be interested in himself, and I am confident that God wants us to be interested in ourselves first; that is, the first soul tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/sterling-w-sill-9927_difficult_everyone-has-a-right-to-be-interested-in_1738250.jpg" --- # Everyone has a right to be interested in himself, and I am… ![“Everyone has a right to be interested in himself, and I am confident that God wants us to be interested in ourselves first; that is, the first soul that anyone should bring to God should be his own soul. We cannot do very much for anyone else until we have first done something for ourselves. That…” quote by Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/sterling-w-sill-9927_difficult_everyone-has-a-right-to-be-interested-in_1738250.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/sterling-w-sill-9927_difficult_everyone-has-a-right-to-be-interested-in_1738250.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/sterling-w-sill-9927_difficult_everyone-has-a-right-to-be-interested-in_1738250.jpg) > “Everyone has a right to be interested in himself, and I am confident that God wants us to be interested in ourselves first; that is, the first soul that anyone should bring to God should be his own soul. We cannot do very much for anyone else until we have first done something for ourselves. That is, it is pretty difficult to give someone else an education unless we have some education ourselves. It is pretty hard to get someone else to think unless we ourselves are thinkers.” [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑knowledge and personal development are prerequisites for helping others effectively. **In simple terms:** Know yourself before you try to help others. Key Takeaway Cultivate your own growth first. Themes self‑improvement service education Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - teaching - mentoring - personal counseling - community leadership Key Concepts spirituality psychology leadership Questions to Reflect On - What personal growth steps will enable you to serve others better? - How do you balance self‑care with caring for others? A Different Perspective Self‑focus can become selfish if not balanced with compassion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bring God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bring-god/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [God Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-soul/) [God Wants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-wants/) [Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard/) [Interested Confident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interested-confident-1495862/) [Interested Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interested-soul-1495861/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Thinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinker/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want u](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-u/) ## Related quotes > [A respectable appearance is sufficient to make people more interested in your soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/a-respectable-appearance-is-sufficient-to-make-people-more-interested/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) > [I heard of somebody once who said he was interested in doing the greatest amount of good for the greatest number, and that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/i-heard-of-somebody-once-who-said-he-was-interested-in-doing-the/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [“Do not be thinking of how little you have to bring God, but of how much He wants to give you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-murray/do-not-be-thinking-of-how-little-you-have-to-bring-god-but-of-how/) [Andrew Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-murray/) > [For whatever is happening in your life, don't preoccupy yourself with the question...WHY? but rather, ponder more to WHERE this events bring you. God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-whatever-is-happening-in-your-life-don-t-preoccupy-yourself-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If God wants us to pray without ceasing, it is because He wants to answer without ceasing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-a-hartley-jr/if-god-wants-us-to-pray-without-ceasing-it-is-because-he-wants-to/) [Fred A. Hartley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-a-hartley-jr/) > [I once heard somebody say that God had closed a door on an opportunity they had hoped for. But I've always wondered if when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-goff/i-once-heard-somebody-say-that-god-had-closed-a-door-on-an/) [Bob Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-goff/) > [Obsessing over the future is not how God wants us to live, because showing us the future is not God's way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-deyoung/obsessing-over-the-future-is-not-how-god-wants-us-to-live-because/) [Kevin DeYoung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-deyoung/) > [God wants us along for the victory, but it is His fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/god-wants-us-along-for-the-victory-but-it-is-his-fight/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [One of the things I've learned as I've studied the principles in God's Word is this, that God wants us to prosper. But, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-gorman/one-of-the-things-i-ve-learned-as-i-ve-studied-the-principles-in-god/) [Mark Gorman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-gorman/) > [I just think it's strange when people say, "There is no God." Because I feel so connected to people and things that I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selma-blair/i-just-think-it-s-strange-when-people-say-there-is-no-god-because-i/) [Selma Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selma-blair/) > [Each one of us has some kind of vocation. We are all called by God to share in His life and in His Kingdom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/each-one-of-us-has-some-kind-of-vocation-we-are-all-called-by-god-to/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [As long as we want to be different from what God wants us to be at the time, we are only tormenting ourselves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-tersteegen/as-long-as-we-want-to-be-different-from-what-god-wants-us-to-be-at/) [Gerhard Tersteegen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-tersteegen/) > [Unfortunately, the Bible won't tell you directly, "Thou shalt take the new job in marketing..." or "Thou shalt go directly from undergraduate school to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-groeschel/unfortunately-the-bible-won-t-tell-you-directly-thou-shalt-take-the/) [Craig Groeschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-groeschel/) > [I preach that anybody can improve their lives. I think God wants us to be prosperous. I think he wants us to be happy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/i-preach-that-anybody-can-improve-their-lives-i-think-god-wants-us-to/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [God wants us to pray, and he wants to hear our prayers-not because we are worthy, but because he is merciful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/god-wants-us-to-pray-and-he-wants-to-hear-our-prayers-not-because-we/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) ## More by Sterling W Sill > [Hang on the walls of your mind the memory of your successes. Take counsel of your strength, not your weakness. Think of the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/hang-on-the-walls-of-your-mind-the-memory-of-your-successes-take/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [I heard of somebody once who said he was interested in doing the greatest amount of good for the greatest number, and that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/i-heard-of-somebody-once-who-said-he-was-interested-in-doing-the/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [Make sure that your ambitions are really lofty - not just seem to be. Sometimes instead of engaging in those so called "mountaintop employments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/make-sure-that-your-ambitions-are-really-lofty-not-just-seem-to-be/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [Planning is the mother of almost every other ability. Make your plan and set a timetable for its accomplishment in writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/planning-is-the-mother-of-almost-every-other-ability-make-your-plan/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [Building a successful life is much like building anything else: it should be thoroughly thought about in advance and then carried through to completion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/building-a-successful-life-is-much-like-building-anything-else-it/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [When in our minds we pre-live our marriage, we help to determine the kind of person that we would like to be when that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/when-in-our-minds-we-pre-live-our-marriage-we-help-to-determine-the/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [A story is told that Whistler once painted a tiny picture of a spray of roses. The artistry involved in the picture was magnificent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/a-story-is-told-that-whistler-once-painted-a-tiny-picture-of-a-spray/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [The greatest opportunity of our lives is to wake ourselves up and get going. There is so much to be done and so little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/the-greatest-opportunity-of-our-lives-is-to-wake-ourselves-up-and-get/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [Life begins when we begin and each day we ought to be born again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/life-begins-when-we-begin-and-each-day-we-ought-to-be-born-again/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [Wealth is not only what you have but it is also what you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/wealth-is-not-only-what-you-have-but-it-is-also-what-you-are/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [Everything depends on attitude. We are ambitious or lazy, enthusiastic or dull, loyal or undependable, according to our attitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/everything-depends-on-attitude-we-are-ambitious-or-lazy-enthusiastic/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [We insist on near perfection in everyone except ourselves. But if our course is questioned we become offended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/we-insist-on-near-perfection-in-everyone-except-ourselves-but-if-our/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [Perhaps punctuality is a quality made even more valuable because it is found in so few people. Punctuality is not usually thought of in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/perhaps-punctuality-is-a-quality-made-even-more-valuable-because-it/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [Punctuality is closely related to faithfulness and dependability. Being tardy can be linked to uninterest, apathy, slothfulness and procrastination...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/punctuality-is-closely-related-to-faithfulness-and-dependability/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) > [You can't judge a man by watching him live. . . . I personally watched Babe Ruth at bat three times, and he struck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/you-can-t-judge-a-man-by-watching-him-live-i-personally-watched-babe/) [Sterling W Sill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) [Explore all 69 Sterling W Sill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/) ## More Difficult quotes > [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/) [Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/) > [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/) [Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/) > [Consumers can choose organic cotton grown without pesticides, but it uses more water and requires more land than conventional crops. Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/) [Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/) > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [It's only a little difficult to say no. You've got to believe that the work you're doing is ultimately more useful to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/it-s-only-a-little-difficult-to-say-no-you-ve-got-to-believe-that-the/) [Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/) [Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/) > [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/) > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [Someone else who liked what I did might turn around and say, "She's reworking and rethinking everything. She could just be making blankets now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/someone-else-who-liked-what-i-did-might-turn-around-and-say-she-s/) [Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/) [Browse all 13,132 Difficult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Everyone has a right to be interested in himself, and I am confident that God wants us to be interested in ourselves first; that is, the first soul that anyone should bring to God should be his own soul. We cannot do very much for anyone else until we have first done something for ourselves. That is, it is pretty difficult to give someone else an education unless we have some education ourselves. It is pretty hard to get someone else to think unless we ourselves are thinkers.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sterling W Sill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/everyone-has-a-right-to-be-interested-in-himself-and-i-am-confident/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Difficult" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/everyone-has-a-right-to-be-interested-in-himself-and-i-am-confident/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/sterling-w-sill-9927_difficult_everyone-has-a-right-to-be-interested-in_1738250.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/sterling-w-sill-9927_difficult_everyone-has-a-right-to-be-interested-in_1738250.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/031/sterling-w-sill-9927_difficult_everyone-has-a-right-to-be-interested-in_1738250.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Everyone has a right to be interested in himself, and I am confident that God wants us to be interested in…” — Sterling W Sill", "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": "Sterling W Sill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-w-sill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Everyone has a right to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/everyone-has-a-right-to-be-interested-in-himself-and-i-am-confident/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-w-sill/everyone-has-a-right-to-be-interested-in-himself-and-i-am-confident/#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 } } ] } ```