No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. ~Eleanor Roosevelt
You have no doubt heard it said that “it takes two to tango.” Offense offered need not become offense taken. Your life is charted by virtue of your consent.
To what and with whom do you give your consent? As you move through your day, do you remain the master of your fate and the captain of your soul? Or are there certain situations, particular people and sensitive issues that push you to throw away your crown of authority?
No one is accountable for your consent but you. In fact, the correct exercise of free will involves the judicious placement of consent. It is commonly held that “every man has his price,” a point which he will trade his dignity, his capacity for free will, for some external result. Don’t be fooled, this is a great lie. You can, if you so choose, be fully accountable for your consent all the days of your life.
Whenever you give your agreement with someone who seeks to denigrate another, you are diminished. Conversely, every time your give your agreement to someone who seeks to assist, uplift and bless another, you are increased. Why is it so hard to understand the basic physics behind the injunction: “judge not, that ye be not judged”? The laws that govern life are immutable and no amount of human belief to the contrary will make one iota of difference at the end of the day.
The same holds true for your feelings about yourself. If you agree with others that you are somehow inferior, you will become less than that which you are capable of being. It is true, too, that if you give your consent to those who accept only the highest and finest from you, you will continue to bloom like the desert rose, even in the worst of times.
Remember always:
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. ~Eleanor Roosevelt
Gregory Hake 
It is the choices you make every day that determine the person you become, and one of the most important choices is this one. Thanks!
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Perfect! I am the master of my fate and captain of my soul. I so appreciate your words today.
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Appreciate the steady, constant challenges your blog offers us to rise above the “normal” doldrums of life on autopilot.
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This is so true and what amazing timing to the post. I just had a conversation with my 18 year old daughter that went along these lines. It is so important that we not only learn to live according to these laws but even more so that those intrusted with our future alos realize the value in understanding these principals. Thank you so much for your thoughtful and inspiring posts.
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“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
“It takes two to tango.”
“Judge not, that ye be not judged.”
Interesting (and effective) juxtaposition of quotes to describe the choices available.
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There are no “extenuating circumstances” to this axiom.
There will be circumstances, but as so many have illustrated in their lives, they can not dictate what goes on in our hearts or out of our mouths.
Great start to my day, thanks!
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This lesson here is one well worth learning. I am responsible for what I have become. Even though people may wish to impose themselves upon you, they do not have the power to move you unless you accept it deep inside. I wish I could have learned this years ago!
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I absolutely agree. This is why I spend the time following your blog. Have a wonderful day full of increase!
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This is a gem that really gets to the heart of things, thank you!
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