# "I stopped explaining myself ... people only understand from their level of perception": Origin of quote known?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stopped-explaining-myself-people-only-understand-from-their-level-of-perception-origin-of-quote-known/984595
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 25, 2023, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stopped-explaining-myself-people-only-understand-from-their-level-of-perception-origin-of-quote-known/984595 "2023-05-25T18:54:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2023, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stopped-explaining-myself-people-only-understand-from-their-level-of-perception-origin-of-quote-known/984595/1 "2023-05-25T18:54:24Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2023, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stopped-explaining-myself-people-only-understand-from-their-level-of-perception-origin-of-quote-known/984595/2 "2023-05-25T19:10:04Z")
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](https://www.google.com/books/edition/Aunty_Acid_Laugh_Til_You_Leak/uYuMDAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22i+stopped+explaining+myself%22+understand&pg=PT109&printsec=frontcover) called _Auntie Acid Laugh 'Til You Leak_ by Ged Backland, published in 2014.
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### Author:  [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2023, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stopped-explaining-myself-people-only-understand-from-their-level-of-perception-origin-of-quote-known/984595/3 "2023-05-25T19:22:27Z")
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.
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### Author:  [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)
#### Post date: [May 27, 2023, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stopped-explaining-myself-people-only-understand-from-their-level-of-perception-origin-of-quote-known/984595/4 "2023-05-27T02:43:48Z")
Steve Maraboli?
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2023, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stopped-explaining-myself-people-only-understand-from-their-level-of-perception-origin-of-quote-known/984595/5 "2023-06-03T20:05:23Z")
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](https://www.mesmerizingquotes.com/people-only-understand-from-their-level-of-perception/):
“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
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### Author:  [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2023, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stopped-explaining-myself-people-only-understand-from-their-level-of-perception-origin-of-quote-known/984595/6 "2023-06-03T20:16:12Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#):
>
> Steve Maraboli ?
I researched your response, and I’m satisfied that **[self-help author Steve Maraboli](https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4491185.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**](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/8022889-stop-trying-to-explain-yourself-people-only-understand-things-from)) that are close to “_I stopped explaining myself …_” in form and meaning.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [June 5, 2023, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stopped-explaining-myself-people-only-understand-from-their-level-of-perception-origin-of-quote-known/984595/7 "2023-06-05T10:23:31Z")
Seems like it might perhaps be somewhat inspired by [never complain, never explain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_complain,_never_explain)
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### Author:  [@thevolleyballer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thevolleyballer)
#### Post date: [November 7, 2023, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stopped-explaining-myself-people-only-understand-from-their-level-of-perception-origin-of-quote-known/984595/8 "2023-11-07T11:08:09Z")
It actually sounds a lot like
‘we see things not as they are, but as **we** are’ - Anais Nin