They can talk talk talk...

A very wise man once told me this. It's as true now as it's ever been.

People will say a great number of things. Some people say things to help. Some people say things to hurt. Some people say things just to hear themselves talk, or to keep someone else from talking, or because they're afraid of silence, or any number of other reasons.

It can be helpful to identify the motives. I almost said it's important to, but really, it's not. It CAN be helpful. It's not always. And ultimately, it doesn't matter.

What does matter is that what they say, no matter how convinced of its truth they may be, no matter how sincere they are or how heartfelt their statement is -

they could just as easily be wrong.

Never. Ever. Ever. EVER just accept someone else's words as true. Especially when they're trying to convince you of something about yourself.

Check their motive. Check their intent. Check what you know of their heart. Check the end result - IF you accept what they say, then what? What happens because of it? Is it a good thing or a bad thing? How does that affect others? **How does accepting their words as true lead you to further truth?**

People can, will, and often do say a great many things. Some of them are true. A great many are nonsense. It's good to be able to tell the difference. But even if you can't yet, or have been convinced you can't, it's always good to remember that just because they say something, that doesn't mean it's true.