About this quote

Strong feelings change how you read facts and weigh risks. They can make clear problems look like nothing and obvious red flags seem like minor quirks. Notice that shift by pausing and checking one concrete detail before you act — a message, a bank statement, or a hard date. If you need help, ask a friend for one blunt, outside view and treat that as data, not opinion.

When to use it

• At work, before you propose hiring your partner for a role, I said the line to myself and asked HR for an independent interview — no favorites.
• Studying for finals, my crush kept interrupting my focus, so I muttered the quote and set a two-hour study block with my phone in another room.
• When my partner wanted me to move cities right away, I remembered the line and wrote down three facts about the move before answering.
• After catching small lies from a long-term partner, I quoted it to a friend and asked them to tell me plainly whether I was ignoring warning signs.