We can only rise strong if we are Meaning Factcheck Usage

You know, “We can only rise strong if we are willing…” is such a powerful truth. It flips the script on failure, telling us that our biggest comebacks start not with strength, but with a simple, brave question to ourselves. It’s about turning your own stumbles into your greatest source of power.

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Table of Contents

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

Meaning

At its core, this means that true resilience isn’t about toughing it out. It’s about having the courage to get curious and really understand the stories we tell ourselves when we fall.

Explanation

Let me break this down. We all have this instinct, right? When we get hurt—a project fails, a relationship ends, we feel rejected—our first move is often to armor up. To build walls. To just “get over it.”

But Brené is saying the exact opposite. The real work, the magic, happens when you stop and lean into that discomfort. When you get curious. You have to ask yourself: “What’s the story I’m telling myself about this failure? Why does it hurt so much? Where did that narrative come from?”

That curiosity, that willingness to sit in the mess and investigate it, is the only path to a comeback that’s authentic and lasting. You can’t just paste a smile over a wound. You have to understand the wound to heal it properly. And that’s what “rising strong” really is.

Quote Summary

Context	Attributes
Original Language	English (3668)
Category	Personal Development (697)
Topics	curiosity (46)
Literary Style	plain (102)
Emotion / Mood	curious (37), encouraging (304)
Overall Quote Score	73 (94)

Origin & Factcheck

This is straight from Brené Brown’s 2015 book, Rising Strong, specifically in the edition or context where it’s framed as a spiritual practice. It’s a cornerstone of her research on vulnerability and wholehearted living. You won’t find it correctly attributed to anyone else—this is pure, 100% Brené.

Attribution Summary

Context	Attributes
Author	Brene Brown (257)
Source Type	Book (4032)
Source/Book Name	Rising Strong as a Spiritual Practice (39)
Origin Timeperiod	21st Century (1892)
Original Language	English (3668)
Authenticity	Verified (4032)

Where is this quotation located?

Quotation	We can only rise strong if we are willing to get curious about our own stories
Book Details	Publication Year: 2017; ISBN: Unknown (based on her talk and workbook materials); Length: ~60 pages (lecture adaptation, Sounds True audio transcript).
Where is it?	Section: Curiosity and Story, Approximate Page 67

Context

In the book, this isn’t just a nice idea. It’s part of a concrete, three-step process she calls The Reckoning, The Rumble, and The Revolution. This quote is the heart of “The Rumble”—that messy, middle part where you wrestle with your story. She frames it spiritually because it requires a deep faith in yourself, a belief that you can handle the truth you uncover.

Usage Examples

So how does this look in real life? Let me give you a couple of scenarios.

• For a Team Leader: Your team misses a huge deadline. Instead of just pointing fingers or demanding “better effort,” you get curious. “What story am I telling myself about my leadership right now? What story is my team telling themselves about their capability?” This shifts the conversation from blame to understanding.
• For Someone in a Relationship: After a fight, you feel deeply hurt. The easy thing is to shut down. The strong thing? To get curious. “Why did that comment trigger me so deeply? What old wound is this touching?” That curiosity is what prevents the same fight from happening over and over.
• For a Creative or Entrepreneur: A launch flops. You could just call yourself a failure and quit. Or, you could get curious. “What part of this failure is about the idea, and what part is about my fear of being seen?” That’s the difference between giving up and building something even better.

Honestly, this is for anyone who has ever faced a setback and wants to learn from it, not just survive it.

To whom it appeals?

Context	Attributes
Theme	Advice (652)
Audiences	leaders (2619), readers (72), students (3111), writers (363)
Usage Context/Scenario	coaching programs (38), creative writing (21), journaling (8), motivational training (23), self-help workshops (15)

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FAQ

Question: Isn’t “getting curious” just overthinking?
Answer: Great question. It’s a fine line, but the key difference is intention. Overthinking is cyclical and passive—you’re just rehashing the pain. Curiosity is active and investigative. You’re not just feeling the emotion; you’re asking “What is this emotion trying to tell me?” It’s a search for truth, not a spiral of worry.

Question: What if my “story” is actually the truth?
Answer: This is crucial. Our stories feel true, but they are often our interpretations, filled with assumptions and old baggage. Getting curious helps you separate the objective facts (“He didn’t call me back”) from the story you built on top of it (“…which means he doesn’t care about me, and I’m unlovable”). Unpacking that story is the work.

Question: This sounds really hard. Is it worth it?
Answer: It’s one of the hardest things you’ll do. It’s emotionally demanding. But let me ask you this: Is what you’re currently doing—the avoiding, the numbing, the blaming—working? Is that easy path leading to the life you want? This is difficult, but it’s a difficulty that leads to freedom.