Remember we get what we tolerate Meaning Factcheck Usage

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
• Explanation
• Origin & Factcheck
• Context
• Usage Examples
• FAQ

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

Context	Attributes
Original Language	English (3668)
Category	Personal Development (697)
Topics	boundaries (30), standards (6)
Literary Style	assertive (142), minimalist (442)
Overall Quote Score	83 (302)

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

Context	Attributes
Author	Tony Robbins (102)
Source Type	Book (4032)
Source/Book Name	Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny! (44)
Origin Timeperiod	Contemporary (1615)
Original Language	English (3668)
Authenticity	Verified (4032)

Where is this quotation located?

Quotation	Remember, we get what we tolerate
Book Details	Publication 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

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?

Context	Attributes
Theme	Advice (652)
Audiences	coaches (1277), entrepreneurs (1006), leaders (2619), parents (430), students (3111)
Usage Context/Scenario	discipline coaching (4), goal-setting programs (11), motivational speeches (345), personal boundaries training (1), self-respect workshops (1)

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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.