21 people share the ‘deepest’ things they've ever been told
"The grass is greener where you water it."
A woman talking on the phone with a shocked expression.
There are few things more refreshing than hearing a profound truth. These bits of wisdom can clear our internal confusion and shine a big spotlight on what really matters in the world.
Profound truths can also help us reframe a situation, see things from another perspective and realize that we have much less power over other people and events than we think. They can also be reminders to live life to its fullest because you never know how much time you have left.
A Reddit user named Some_Being_Online asked the AskReddit forum, “What is the deepest thing someone has said to you?” and a lot of the quotes were profound in a way that you don't hear every day. A lot of them were about dealing with difficult people and situations.
All in all, the thread was life-affirming because people shared honest takes on what it's like to be human—no easy task.
Here are 21 of the “deepest” things that people have heard.
1. "The grass is greener where you water it." — Acceptable_Cup30152.
2. "Worry is not preparation.” — Big-Routine222
3. "I stopped giving a sh*t about my birthday when I was 27. I used to request off or at least the day after off to recover from the previous night but I just stopped caring. Last year, an old lady at my job found out it was my birthday and surprised me with a card with money in it, the kind of way a grandma would. I tried to tell her it wasn't a big deal and give the money back, but she insisted saying "You should always celebrate your birthday. You don't know how many you have left." — Sol-Blackguy
4. "Prepare your child for the road, not the road for your child." — dvmdv8
5. "A person's actions are a reflection of their character, not yours." — YaaMindIfIJoin
6. "Everyone is someone else and they’re all just trying to find themselves. Let them.” — builtproofwest
7. "When you're about to become a parent the amount of shit you get told is unreal. Parents can't wait to tell you 'you'll get no sleep, you'll have no life, it's all changing nappies etc.' However, I was in a meeting with a guy at work, we were making small talk before the meeting and I told him I was about to become a dad expecting the usual. Instead, he just went really deep but really chilled and just went 'You're about to have the most amazing thing happen to you ever but never forget, they're not yours. You're just borrowing them while they need you but you need to get them ready to not need you anymore.' The older my kids get the more I appreciate it." — Educational-Act-6602
8. "When my baby died and was a mess someone told me, 'I can’t imagine the pain you’re going through. I know your heart, expectations, assumed roles and future memories have been broken. But to your child, they had a perfect life. All they ever knew was your love.' I still cry thinking about it but it really did help. I know some may take this differently, but it was what I needed at the time." — BallerinaBuscuits
9. "Sometimes, the best way to help someone is to let them help you. You may not need their help, but it will make them feel useful." — Amor_Armadillo
10.
"Grief is love with nowhere to go." — LB-Dash
11. "Sometimes a hypocrite is just a man in the process of changing." — little-bird89
12. "I'm a rep at a cellphone store and an old Austrian woman, a reg customer of mine said randomly, 'Chelsea, all we have in this very second is each other. Right now all we have is each other. There is nothing but this one second right now. You see, people drag the past with them and that's why there is so little forgiveness in the world.' Afterward we both cried together a little and that has positively affected every day of my life since." — Chemto90
13. "A 5-year-old told me 'Loneliness is when you have lost yourself.'" — Pass_The_Lasagana
14. "The opposite of love isn't hate; it's complete and utter indifference." — Dragonfeet1
15. "All that you’ve gone through: the good, the bad, the in-between has led you to exactly where you are now. You had to go through it all in order to be here, with me now." — tvaldez19
16. "'It's better to appear rude and live than to be nice and get killed.' This was from a self-defense instructor, and it just blew my mind. They were talking about listening to your instincts, and not worrying about appearing rude when your gut is telling you something is off." — Unhygienictree
17. "My Mom said to me once 'Sweetheart don't go through life reading a road map, make your own path.'" — Content_Pool_1391
18. "Even when you are right you don't always win." — Curlytomato
19. "Yes, of course, heaven and hell are great and terrifying and all. But what if you did good just for the sake of it? No eternal reward or punishment afterward. Would you still do good if you knew at the end, there is no reward?" — Roguereider1
20. "Don't be afraid of fear. Fear is natural and encourages thought and action. Do not, however, give in to panic. It is irrational and can lead you to harm." — Slight_Bodybuilder25
21. "There is a different version of you, in the head of literally everybody that knows that you exist. Stop worrying about what everyone else thinks. You know the truth about you." — WhatInTheActualfeth