Advice - To Give or Not To Give

One thing the world has no shortage of is advice. People are very good at giving advice, but when it comes to taking advice, it’s a different story all together.

Why do we give advice so freely? Why do we think that we know better? And why are people so reluctant to take seemingly good advice?

When people talk to us about their problems, we immediately assume that they want our advice. We proceed to give them all sorts of advice. The fact is, people are more than equipped to handle their own problems. They don’t really need our advice.

Sometimes people just want a listening ear. And the best thing for us to do is to keep our mouth shut and just listen. Listen closely to what is being said, and also to what is being unsaid. When people share their concerns with you, you are hearing only one side of the story. Or, it may not be the whole story. We have no way of knowing the complexities, feelings, and the many other factors that lie hidden beneath the surface.

If you give advice based on what you heard, your advice is likely to be flawed. This is also why people do not take seemingly good advice. If your friend takes your advice, he might be in more trouble than he already has.

Don’t give advice unless you are asked. And even then, thread carefully. Make sure that you have the whole story – that you have all the facts.

Sometimes, people asked for your advice, but didn't take it. Don’t be annoyed when people do not take your advice. It could be that after consideration, they decided that your advice is not the best option, or that someone has given them better advice. It could also be that they have already made up their mind what to do, and what not to do.

Good advice is everywhere, but only those people with an open heart will benefit from it.

To profit from good advice requires more wisdom than to give it. - John Churton Collins

We give advice, but we cannot give the wisdom to profit by it. - Duc de La Rochefoucauld

I think it’s smart to listen to other people’s advice, but at the end of the day, you’re the only one who can tell you what’s right for you. - Jennifer Lopez

Advice is like snow – the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper in sinks into the mind. - Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The people sensible enough to give good advice are usually sensible enough to give none. - Eden Phillpotts

Never trust the advice of a man in difficulties. - Aesop

Nothing is given so willingly as advice. - Duc de La Rochefoucauld

The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right. - Hannah Whitall Smith

We give advice by the bucket, but take it by the grain. - Tom Stoppard

There is nothing which we receive with so much reluctance as advice. - Joseph Addison

If any of you need any advice, you can have mine. I don’t need it any way.

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