“You’ve got to learn to leave the table when love’s no longer being served.” 

If you’re invited for dinner and you’re served something intolerably bitter, you’re probably not going to stick around very long. You might take a bite or two to be polite, but you wouldn’t be clearing your plate. You most definitely wouldn’t be asking for seconds.

In life, we may find ourselves in bitter places, relationships, jobs, and careers where love is not being served. However, we sometimes endure them longer than we should. In a way, our tastebuds seem to do a better job of delivering the right response.

This quote comes from singer-songwriter, Nina Simone–one among many artists who gave a musical voice to the civil rights movement. It is a great reminder to love ourselves enough to recognize when we’re being served something bitter–that is not love–and to have the courage to remove ourselves from those bad situations.