--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In every human being there is both…" description: "\"In every human being there is both garbage and gold, it is up to us to choose what we pay attention to.\" — Werner Erhard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/werner-erhard-8514_attention_in-every-human-being-there-is-both-garba_2560662.jpg" --- # In every human being there is both garbage and gold, it is… ![“In every human being there is both garbage and gold, it is up to us to choose what we pay attention to.” quote by Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/werner-erhard-8514_attention_in-every-human-being-there-is-both-garba_2560662.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/werner-erhard-8514_attention_in-every-human-being-there-is-both-garba_2560662.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/werner-erhard-8514_attention_in-every-human-being-there-is-both-garba_2560662.jpg) > “In every human being there is both garbage and gold, it is up to us to choose what we pay attention to.” [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People contain both negative and positive aspects; choosing focus determines which dominates life. **In simple terms:** Choose what you focus on. Key Takeaway Direct attention to what you value. Themes choice focus mindset growth Mood reflective motivational Type self‑help philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - relationship building - creative projects - mental health practice Key Concepts psychology philosophy self‑development Questions to Reflect On - What habits help you notice both the good and the bad? - How can you balance gratitude with realistic assessment? A Different Perspective Focusing on positives can ignore necessary problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Being there](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-there/) [Garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garbage/) [Garbage Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garbage-gold-1602716/) [Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold/) [Gold Choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gold-choose-1602717/) [Human Garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-garbage-761338/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Pay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay/) [Pay attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pay-attention/) ## Related quotes > [“Since Punk, no-one is certain what garbage might not become gold”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-watson/since-punk-no-one-is-certain-what-garbage-might-not-become-gold/) [Ben Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-watson/) > [There was nothing particularly wrong with them; they were just the ordinary garden variety of human garbage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/there-was-nothing-particularly-wrong-with-them-they-were-just-the/) [Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/) > [When you born you are just material and then life creates human or garbage of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamerlan-kuzgov/when-you-born-you-are-just-material-and-then-life-creates-human-or/) [Tamerlan Kuzgov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamerlan-kuzgov/) > [I hope we're not just human garbage drifting toward a big sewer. But I think so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-hope-we-re-not-just-human-garbage-drifting-toward-a-big-sewer-but-i/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [“Whoever owned this place, these cities, whoever owned those glittering glassy office buildings in midtown filled with the purr of money turning over, those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marge-piercy/whoever-owned-this-place-these-cities-whoever-owned-those-glittering/) [Marge Piercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marge-piercy/) > [What most people do is give space to people's quality and deal with their garbage. Actually, you should do it the other way around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/what-most-people-do-is-give-space-to-people-s-quality-and-deal-with/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [Once you're imagining being the main character, and you're having the conversations and actually being there, the magic in fiction writing takes over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hobbs/once-you-re-imagining-being-the-main-character-and-you-re-having-the/) [Will Hobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hobbs/) > [Being there is what matters, not all the stress and issues that arise along the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-there-is-what-matters-not-all-the-stress-and-issues-that-arise/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being there for people but no one being there for you when you need them seems to be the story of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-there-for-people-but-no-one-being-there-for-you-when-you-need/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't mind being there for you. I just mind being the one you run to just because everyone else is busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-mind-being-there-for-you-i-just-mind-being-the-one-you-run-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love your mom no matter what you go through and no matter how much you argue because in the end,she'll always be there for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/my-favorite-qoutes/love-your-mom-no-matter-what-you-go-through-and-no-matter-how-much/) [My Favorite Qoutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/my-favorite-qoutes/) > [So long as the priest, that professional negator, slanderer and poisoner of life, is regarded as a superior type of human being, there cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/so-long-as-the-priest-that-professional-negator-slanderer-and/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Hillary Clinton was in rural America during the Iowa caucuses, but I think the nature of a campaign makes it more difficult once you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/hillary-clinton-was-in-rural-america-during-the-iowa-caucuses-but-i/) [Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/) > [Dear God, thanks for being there when no one else was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myah/dear-god-thanks-for-being-there-when-no-one-else-was/) [Myah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myah/) > [A friend gives hope when your life is low, a friend is place wen you have no place to go, a friend is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-friend-gives-hope-when-your-life-is-low-a-friend-is-place-wen-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Werner Erhard > [What I recognized is that you can't put it together. It's already together, and what you have to do is experience it being together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/what-i-recognized-is-that-you-can-t-put-it-together-it-s-already/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [Consider that all accomplishment is constituted by a series of resolved breakdowns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/consider-that-all-accomplishment-is-constituted-by-a-series-of/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [Your life works to the degree you keep your agreements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/your-life-works-to-the-degree-you-keep-your-agreements/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [Life is a game. In order to have a game, something has to be more important than something else. If what already is, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/life-is-a-game-in-order-to-have-a-game-something-has-to-be-more/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [Man keeps looking for a truth that fits his reality. Given our reality, the truth doesn't fit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/man-keeps-looking-for-a-truth-that-fits-his-reality-given-our-reality/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [The quickest way to be happy is to choose what you already have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/the-quickest-way-to-be-happy-is-to-choose-what-you-already-have/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [Living is really pretty simple. Living happens right now; it doesn't happen back then, and it doesn't happen out there. Living is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/living-is-really-pretty-simple-living-happens-right-now-it-doesn-t/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [What most people do is give space to people's quality and deal with their garbage. Actually, you should do it the other way around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/what-most-people-do-is-give-space-to-people-s-quality-and-deal-with/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [Self expression is a function of responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/self-expression-is-a-function-of-responsibility/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [The world is perfect the way it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/the-world-is-perfect-the-way-it-is/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [If you could really accept that you weren't ok, you could stop proving you were ok. If you could stop proving that you were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/if-you-could-really-accept-that-you-weren-t-ok-you-could-stop-proving/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [Pay no attention to critics. No one ever erected a statue to a critic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/pay-no-attention-to-critics-no-one-ever-erected-a-statue-to-a-critic/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [You and I want our lives to matter. We want our lives to make a real difference - to be of genuine consequence in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/you-and-i-want-our-lives-to-matter-we-want-our-lives-to-make-a-real/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [There is something I do not know, the knowing of which could change everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/there-is-something-i-do-not-know-the-knowing-of-which-could-change/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [If you keep saying it the way it really is, eventually your word is law in the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/if-you-keep-saying-it-the-way-it-really-is-eventually-your-word-is/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) [Explore all 80 Werner Erhard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) ## More Attention 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/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In every human being there is both garbage and gold, it is up to us to choose what we pay attention to.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Werner Erhard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/in-every-human-being-there-is-both-garbage-and-gold-it-is-up-to-us-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/in-every-human-being-there-is-both-garbage-and-gold-it-is-up-to-us-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/werner-erhard-8514_attention_in-every-human-being-there-is-both-garba_2560662.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/werner-erhard-8514_attention_in-every-human-being-there-is-both-garba_2560662.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/werner-erhard-8514_attention_in-every-human-being-there-is-both-garba_2560662.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In every human being there is both garbage and gold, it is up to us to choose what we pay attention to.” — Werner Erhard", "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": "Werner Erhard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In every human being there is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/in-every-human-being-there-is-both-garbage-and-gold-it-is-up-to-us-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/in-every-human-being-there-is-both-garbage-and-gold-it-is-up-to-us-to/#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 } } ] } ```