People Can't Drive You Crazy if You Don't Give Them the Keys Quotes

“Martin Luther supposedly said, “You might not be able to stop the birds from landing on your head, but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“The Power of Influence I’ve realized that I choose not to spend much time with people who are trying to change me. If they take me on as a project to “fix,” I don’t respond well. But when they simply enter my life and accept me unconditionally, I become a different person because of their influence.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“The Bible isn’t just a book about religion; it’s a book about relationships, and it’s filled with practical suggestions for making our own relationships work. Here are some examples: Don’t bring up issues that have already been dealt with in the past. (Prov. 17:9) Don’t stretch the truth, but be honest in your conversation. (Eph. 4:25) If someone gets upset, don’t respond with anger. (Prov. 15:1; 25:15; 29:11) Listen carefully, and don’t interrupt until you’ve really heard the other person. (Prov. 18:13) Look for ways to encourage the other person. (1 Thess. 5:11) Pick your battles; avoid arguing whenever possible. (Prov. 17:14) Put energy into seeing things from the other person’s point of view. (Phil. 2:4) Spend a lot more time listening than talking. (James 1:19; Prov. 10:19) Think before you respond to someone. (Prov. 15:28) Watch carefully what you say so you don’t get yourself in trouble. (Prov. 21:23)”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“We will spend every hour that we have. If we don’t determine where we’re going to spend it, then someone else will decide for us. Who deserves the best of your time today?”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“There’s usually no need to lecture or punish. It’s much more effective to just let people feel the natural consequences of their choices.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“We need to become different people in our responses to others, building character traits that allow us to handle their craziness without becoming victims. When we become different, people will respond to us differently. But most important, we’ll have the strength of character and the boundaries that allow us to be emotionally healthy, no matter what others do.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“When people experience strong emotion, they can’t hear logic.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“A reaction is how we feel; a response is what we do.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“Joyful people are participants. They don’t miss the moments. They turn moments into memories.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“We need to talk to the person, not about them.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“We interpret the actions of others as malicious when they might be totally innocent. And how we interpret their actions is what upsets us.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“That’s the problem with our perspective; we always assume we’re right based on the information we have.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“The event isn’t really the problem; it’s our response to the event.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“Most people see themselves as either better than they really are or worse than they really are, with an imbalanced focus on the positive or the negative. Humility means we see ourselves accurately, accept the way we have been created, and celebrate our uniqueness.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“With expectation, we’re waiting for something specific that we want to happen, and we’ll be disappointed if it doesn’t. With expectancy, we release our own agenda in a person’s life, allowing changes to happen that we can’t control.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“Drama-free” doesn’t mean getting rid of the drama or the people who create it. It means being free from its debilitating effects in our lives. This book is about getting free—not letting our lives and attitudes be controlled by the choices of others.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“Goethe wrote, “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”[15] That’s true in every area of life—including our relationships.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“Holding anger toward someone in that way is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“It takes humility to question our perspectives. Until we look through the other person’s eyes, we don’t have the complete picture.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“event isn’t really the problem; it’s our response to the event.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“It’s even worse when there’s a third person involved. If I talk to someone about you behind your back, I’m adding their perspective to my own, reinforcing my assumptions about your motives. Without talking to you and trying to understand your view, we move ever further away from realistic connection.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“It’s unhealthy to be at the mercy of what someone does or doesn’t do. We can’t control the choices and attitudes of others. The only thing we really have control over is our own choices and attitudes. When we take responsibility for our own choices, we gain greater influence in other people’s lives. When we focus on things we can’t do anything about, we lose influence with others. We give away our joy and our sense of self to their weaknesses.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“assume we’re right based on the information we have. In most of this book we’ll be talking about how to respond when people make crazy choices that mess up our lives. But the place to begin is with our perspective. No matter what the other person does, it’s our perspective that determines how we feel and respond. Our”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.”5”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“We can’t overlook the impact of faith on our lives, either. I’ve found that my resources for solving relationship problems are limited, but trusting God to build character in my life is the greatest source of strength.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys

“The reason we have strong emotions is because we care. If we didn’t care, our emotions wouldn’t be a problem.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy if You Don't Give Them the Keys

“Anger turned inward, for instance, can lead to depression”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy if You Don't Give Them the Keys

“We can’t stop various events from happening, and we can’t choose what other people do or say. Crazy people will always be present in our lives.”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy if You Don't Give Them the Keys

“Solomon said, “It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it” (Eccles. 5:5).”
― Mike Bechtle, People Can't Drive You Crazy If You Don't Give Them the Keys