Remember we get what we tolerate Meaning Factcheck Usage
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Remember, we get what we tolerate. It’s a simple but brutal truth about life, business, and relationships. Once you really get it, it changes how you operate in every single area.

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Table of Contents

Meaning

The core message is this: your life’s quality is a direct reflection of the standards you refuse to compromise on. The things you put up with, you end up stuck with.

Explanation

Look, it’s not some mystical law of attraction. It’s a practical, cause-and-effect principle. If you tolerate a team member who consistently misses deadlines, you’re effectively signing off on a culture of mediocrity. You’re telling your brain, “This is acceptable.” And your brain, being the efficient machine it is, will go, “Cool, got it. This is the new normal.” And then it will help you find more of that. It works the same way with your own personal habits. Tolerate hitting the snooze button three times, and you get a rushed, unproductive morning. It’s a feedback loop. The tolerance is the permission slip for the result to keep showing up.

Quote Summary

ContextAttributes
Original LanguageEnglish (3668)
CategoryPersonal Development (697)
Topicsboundaries (30), standards (6)
Literary Styleassertive (142), minimalist (442)
Overall Quote Score83 (302)
Reading Level70
Aesthetic Score82

Origin & Factcheck

This one comes straight from Tony Robbins’ 1991 classic, “Awaken the Giant Within.” It was published in the United States. You sometimes see this sentiment floating around unattributed, but the specific phrasing is pure Tony—it’s that signature, punchy, take-responsibility language he’s famous for.

Attribution Summary

ContextAttributes
AuthorTony Robbins (102)
Source TypeBook (4032)
Source/Book NameAwaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny! (44)
Origin TimeperiodContemporary (1615)
Original LanguageEnglish (3668)
AuthenticityVerified (4032)

Author Bio

Born Anthony J. Mahavoric in 1960, Tony Robbins rose from a challenging childhood to become a leading voice in personal development. He started as Jim Rohn’s assistant, then built Robbins Research International and created globally attended seminars such as Unleash the Power Within and Date With Destiny. The Tony Robbins book list spans self-help, business, finance, and health, with several No. 1 bestsellers. He co-authored finance works with Peter Mallouk and a longevity guide with Peter H. Diamandis and Robert Hariri. Robbins’ foundation supports youth, prison, and hunger-relief programs.
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Where is this quotation located?

QuotationRemember, we get what we tolerate
Book DetailsPublication Year: 1991; ISBN: 978-0-671-79154-8; Last edition: Simon & Schuster, 2013; Number of pages: 544.
Where is it?Chapter: Standards and Identity, Approximate page from 2013 edition: 225

Authority Score91

Context

In the book, he’s talking about raising your standards—what you demand from yourself—as the fundamental key to change. This quote is the flip side of that coin. It’s the warning. Before you can set a higher standard, you have to get brutally honest about what you’ve been tolerating. It’s the crucial first step in that whole process of taking control.

Usage Examples

Let me give you a couple of ways I’ve seen this play out. It’s powerful for so many audiences.

For a Leader or Manager: You tolerate vague project goals, you get vague, mediocre results. Stop tolerating it. Demand crystal-clear clarity in every kickoff meeting. The quality of the output will follow.

For Someone in a Relationship: You tolerate being spoken to with disrespect, you train your partner that it’s okay. You get more disrespect. By drawing a firm, kind boundary, you change what you get.

For a Founder or Entrepreneur: You tolerate a “good enough” website or a “sort of works” sales process, and that’s exactly the level of business you’ll have. Stop tolerating the broken parts of your machine.

To whom it appeals?

ContextAttributes
ThemeAdvice (652)
Audiencescoaches (1277), entrepreneurs (1006), leaders (2619), parents (430), students (3111)
Usage Context/Scenariodiscipline coaching (4), goal-setting programs (11), motivational speeches (345), personal boundaries training (1), self-respect workshops (1)

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Motivation Score89
Popularity Score84
Shareability Score86

FAQ

Question: Isn’t this just about being intolerant or difficult?

Answer: Not at all. It’s about being selectively intolerant. It’s about choosing your battles wisely but then fighting those battles with absolute conviction. It’s strategic, not grumpy.

Question: How do I start applying this if I feel like I tolerate too much?

Answer: Start small. Make a literal “Stop Tolerating” list. What are the 3-5 things in your work or personal life that drain your energy, that you complain about? That’s your list. Tackle one. The momentum is incredible.

Question: What’s the difference between this and just setting goals?

Answer: Goals are about what you want to *achieve*. This is about what you’re willing to *accept* along the way. They’re two sides of the same coin, but this quote focuses on removing the friction that prevents you from reaching those goals.

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