A woman comes to terms with some harsh truths.
As the old saying goes, whatever doesn't kill you will only make you stronger and in many ways, that holds true when life teaches harsh lessons. It can be painful to learn things are more complicated than we thought and that people will disappoint us. But when we accept the ugly truths of life, we appreciate the beautiful things even more.
Taking these realizations to heart can also prevent us from having to learn them a second time. The sad thing is that many of the most challenging life lessons have to be learned through experience. Someone can tell you who to avoid or that life comes at you fast, but most of us have to learn these things first-hand.
A Redditor who goes by Professional-Can8235 asked the AskReddit forum, “What is the harshest truth you’ve ever learned?” and people shared how they realized that life wasn’t all lollipops and rainbows. However, they also discussed how coming to these lessons helped them become stronger people.
Here are 14 of the best responses to “What is the harshest truth you’ve ever learned?”
1. Love doesn't conquer all
"Even if you treat someone really well and you both love each other, it doesn’t always end like a Hollywood movie. Sometimes there are too many obstacles."
2. Sometimes you can't win
"You can do everything right, give something 100% effort, follow all the rules and still fail."
3. Hard work isn't always rewarded
"Being the hardest worker will not always equate to you being the one rewarded or recognized for accomplishments."
"I was always warned by my grandfather that from a corporate point of view that to make yourself irreplaceable could oftentimes make you unpromotable... Because the powers that be would rather have you keep going than wait for someone else to learn a role already being filled."
4. Don't fall in love with potential
"It kind of goes back to the saying, 'When someone shows you who they really are, believe them.'"
5. You can't make someone love you