---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Accept change as a friend. And don't take…"
description: "\"Accept change as a friend. And don't take yourself too seriously.\" — Tom Peters"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/tom-peters-967_accept_accept-change-as-a-friend-and-don-t-take_1660398.png"
---

#  Accept change as a friend. And don't take yourself too…

![“Accept change as a friend. And don't take yourself too seriously.” quote by Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/tom-peters-967_accept_accept-change-as-a-friend-and-don-t-take_1660398.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/tom-peters-967_accept_accept-change-as-a-friend-and-don-t-take_1660398.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/tom-peters-967_accept_accept-change-as-a-friend-and-don-t-take_1660398.png)

> “Accept change as a friend. And don't take yourself too seriously.”

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Embrace change and maintain humility, treating life as a friendly ally.

**In simple terms:** Accept change, stay humble.

Key Takeaway

Adapt and keep perspective.

Themes

change humility self-awareness

Mood

optimistic lighthearted

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- career transitions
- personal development
- stress management

Key Concepts

growth mindset resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you turn change into opportunity?
- What practices keep you grounded?

A Different Perspective

Too casual approach may ignore seriousness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accept/) [Accept Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accept-change/) [Accepting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting/) [Accepting change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepting-change/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-friend-527820/) [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Taking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taking/)

## Related quotes

> [People only accept change when they are faced with necessity, and only recognize necessity when a crisis is upon them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-monnet/people-only-accept-change-when-they-are-faced-with-necessity-and-only/)

[Jean Monnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-monnet/)

> [Cause change and lead; accept change and survive; resist change and die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-noorda/cause-change-and-lead-accept-change-and-survive-resist-change-and-die/)

[Ray Noorda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-noorda/)

> [I'm always willing to accept change, just as long as it isn't change for the sake of change. If that change will result in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-fleet/i-m-always-willing-to-accept-change-just-as-long-as-it-isn-t-change/)

[James Van Fleet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-fleet/)

> [Baseball has always been slow to accept change. Only through dire pressure can any radical change be accomplished. The move of the Giants and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-frick/baseball-has-always-been-slow-to-accept-change-only-through-dire/)

[Ford Frick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-frick/)

> [Sometimes you can make friends, and sometimes you can take friends. Sometimes people want to be friends with you, and you gotta be like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-smoove/sometimes-you-can-make-friends-and-sometimes-you-can-take-friends/)

[J. B. Smoove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-smoove/)

> [Change is your friend not your foe, change is a brilliant opportunity to grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-t-bailey/change-is-your-friend-not-your-foe-change-is-a-brilliant-opportunity/)

[Simon T. Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-t-bailey/)

> [“change is a constant in life – maybe the only constant there is – and sudden change is not unusual. Thus an important inquiry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-o-brien/change-is-a-constant-in-life-maybe-the-only-constant-there-is-and/)

[Paul O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-o-brien/)

> [Change should be a friend. It should happen by plan, not by accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-crosby/change-should-be-a-friend-it-should-happen-by-plan-not-by-accident/)

[Phil Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-crosby/)

> [Three solutions to every problem: Accept it, change it or leave it. If you can't accept it, change it. If you can't change it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajat-dogra/three-solutions-to-every-problem-accept-it-change-it-or-leave-it-if/)

[Rajat DOGRA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajat-dogra/)

> [People can't accept when you change sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-gardot/people-can-t-accept-when-you-change-sometimes/)

[Melody Gardot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-gardot/)

> [You Have Only Two Options In Life... 1. CHANGE Or 2. ACCEPT So, Try To Change What You Can't Accept And Accept What You Can't Change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/you-have-only-two-options-in-life-1-change-or-2-accept-so-try-to/)

[Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/)

> [Accept what you cannot change and change what you cannot accept this is one of the simplest ways to be happy in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/accept-what-you-cannot-change-and-change-what-you-cannot-accept-this/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [Things don't go on forever, and the quicker you accept that change is inevitable, the happier you're gonna be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-anastasio/things-don-t-go-on-forever-and-the-quicker-you-accept-that-change-is/)

[Trey Anastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-anastasio/)

> [Suppose you feel you cannot accept some fact about yourself. Then own your refusal to accept. Own the block. Embrace it fully. And watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/suppose-you-feel-you-cannot-accept-some-fact-about-yourself-then-own/)

[Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/)

> [“Courage is making a difference in your life and in the world; Courage is standing up for yourself and against injustice; Courage is appreciating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taskinsoy/courage-is-making-a-difference-in-your-life-and-in-the-world-courage/)

[JOHN TASKINSOY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taskinsoy/)

## More by Tom Peters

> [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [Anybody who is an entrepreneur is a person who essentially has impaired judgment. The odds of success are zilch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/anybody-who-is-an-entrepreneur-is-a-person-who-essentially-has/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [Remember my mantra: distinct... or extinct.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/remember-my-mantra-distinct-or-extinct/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [A good collection is more than just the sum of its parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/a-good-collection-is-more-than-just-the-sum-of-its-parts/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [Leaders' careers will usually be determined by their handling of one or two critical events that no one could possibly anticipate or plan for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/leaders-careers-will-usually-be-determined-by-their-handling-of-one/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [I don't know what it means to manage the human imagination, but I do know that imagination is the main source of value in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/i-don-t-know-what-it-means-to-manage-the-human-imagination-but-i-do/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [Hire disrespectful people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/hire-disrespectful-people/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [Hire for attitude. Train for skill... More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/hire-for-attitude-train-for-skill-more/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [If there is a single tragic flaw that mars our biggest enterprises, it is conservatism - the failure to fail, and fail big, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-there-is-a-single-tragic-flaw-that-mars-our-biggest-enterprises-it/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [Think about the market, think about the design, and think about who is going to design for that market. Hit the mark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/think-about-the-market-think-about-the-design-and-think-about-who-is/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [“The “Excellence Standard” is not about Grand Outcomes. In Zenlike terms, all we have is today. If the day’s work cannot be assessed as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-excellence-standard-is-not-about-grand-outcomes-in-zenlike-terms/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [The day firing becomes easy is the day to fire yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-day-firing-becomes-easy-is-the-day-to-fire-yourself/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [Only pissed-off people change the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/only-pissed-off-people-change-the-world/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [What you decide not to do is probably more important that what you decide to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/what-you-decide-not-to-do-is-probably-more-important-that-what-you/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

[Explore all 316 Tom Peters quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

## More Accept quotes

> [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/)

[Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/)

> [The fans can accept a poor performance, but they won't take it when you choose not to put in the effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pep-guardiola/the-fans-can-accept-a-poor-performance-but-they-won-t-take-it-when/)

[Pep Guardiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pep-guardiola/)

> [“See, I know what they think about me. That I’m some project. And, yeah, I’ll accept their help. But I’m gonna pay my way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-eagar/see-i-know-what-they-think-about-me-that-i-m-some-project-and-yeah-i/)

[Kirsty Eagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-eagar/)

> [If you're disabled or different from what general society deems normal, it's fine. There will always be people who won't accept you, but there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millicent-simmonds/if-you-re-disabled-or-different-from-what-general-society-deems/)

[Millicent Simmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millicent-simmonds/)

> [Things don't go on forever, and the quicker you accept that change is inevitable, the happier you're gonna be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-anastasio/things-don-t-go-on-forever-and-the-quicker-you-accept-that-change-is/)

[Trey Anastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-anastasio/)

> [It's very important to me that people accept me as a transgendered female. But it's ridiculous to a lot of people and I understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-arquette/it-s-very-important-to-me-that-people-accept-me-as-a-transgendered/)

[Alexis Arquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-arquette/)

> [I've always taken care of myself, and I'm a non-conformist, so I don't accept the negativity that comes with birthdays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-van-dam/i-ve-always-taken-care-of-myself-and-i-m-a-non-conformist-so-i-don-t/)

[Rob Van Dam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-van-dam/)

> [Not harder than it should be, no. We're about the business, we're about the work. It's all about the work, always. We have fun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-fuqua/not-harder-than-it-should-be-no-we-re-about-the-business-we-re-about/)

[Antoine Fuqua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-fuqua/)

> [I wish I could just accept that I'm not that good and not be shy about the fact that I'm not that professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-gainsbourg/i-wish-i-could-just-accept-that-i-m-not-that-good-and-not-be-shy/)

[Charlotte Gainsbourg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-gainsbourg/)

> [I cannot accept being silent in the face of injustice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-crockett/i-cannot-accept-being-silent-in-the-face-of-injustice/)

[Jasmine Crockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-crockett/)

> [“I hope there is less stigma and judgment against working moms and childless career women. All should be acceptable positions and society should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chan-heng-chee/i-hope-there-is-less-stigma-and-judgment-against-working-moms-and/)

[Chan Heng Chee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chan-heng-chee/)

> [“Of course I can accept you for who you are. You are someone I need to change.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-glasbergen/of-course-i-can-accept-you-for-who-you-are-you-are-someone-i-need-to/)

[Randy Glasbergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-glasbergen/)

> [I can't be that kind of person others want me to be.I know I can't please everybody for just being me But I'm glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix/i-can-t-be-that-kind-of-person-others-want-me-to-be-i-know-i-can-t/)

[Nix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix/)

> [I don't care who you are,Where you from,As long as you love me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mks-vibz/i-don-t-care-who-you-are-where-you-from-as-long-as-you-love-me/)

[Mks Vibz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mks-vibz/)

[Browse all 2,963 Accept quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accept/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Accept change as a friend. And don't take yourself too seriously.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tom Peters"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/accept-change-as-a-friend-and-don-t-take-yourself-too-seriously/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accept"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/accept-change-as-a-friend-and-don-t-take-yourself-too-seriously/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/tom-peters-967_accept_accept-change-as-a-friend-and-don-t-take_1660398.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/tom-peters-967_accept_accept-change-as-a-friend-and-don-t-take_1660398.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e63/tom-peters-967_accept_accept-change-as-a-friend-and-don-t-take_1660398.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Accept change as a friend. And don't take yourself too seriously.” — Tom Peters",
                "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": "Tom Peters",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Accept change as a friend. And...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/accept-change-as-a-friend-and-don-t-take-yourself-too-seriously/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/accept-change-as-a-friend-and-don-t-take-yourself-too-seriously/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
