Factual Question is essentially the title. The full quote (I think?) is as follows:
“I stopped explaining myself when i realized people only understand from their level of perception.”
Googling that quote makes it look like the origin is completely unknown. Jim Carrey posted it on his Instagram at some point, and a lot of people attribute it to him. It’s also commonly seen on yoga-related media, for what that’s worth.
How about “I stopped explaining myself when I realized people can only understand from their own level of stupidity.” Just my opinion, but that wording strikes me as being considerably more clever and memorable than the version you posted. I don’t know if it’s a quotation original to him, but I found it in a humor book called Auntie Acid Laugh 'Til You Leak by Ged Backland, published in 2014.
The quote in the OP is close to the one you just posted. To me, the “level of stupidity” seems to be a riff of an already-existing “level of perception” quote. Not enough information to be 100% certain, though.
Steve Maraboli?
Quotespedia (an unimpeachable source?) attributes the quote to Unknown.
Whoever came up with it sounds either frustrated at their inability to express themselves coherently, or annoyed that others failed to appreciate their brilliance, so to hell with them.
A quote I found, presented in a similar vein:
“Always do what you totally believe is the right thing to do in all circumstances. If people understand you, that’s great. If not, that’s their problem.” ~ Michael Egan
I researched your response, and I’m satisfied that self-help author Steve Maraboli is the source. Slight twist: I think it’s likely something paraphrased from one of his books, and that he may have actually spoken the quote during one of his podcasts 10-ish years ago. It’s trivial to find quote from his writings (e.g. on GoodReads) that are close to “I stopped explaining myself …” in form and meaning.
Seems like it might perhaps be somewhat inspired by never complain, never explain
It actually sounds a lot like
‘we see things not as they are, but as we are’ - Anais Nin