When someone tells you

“When someone tells you who they are,” says Oprah Winfrey, “believe them“.

This is one of my all time favorite quotes from Oprah Winfrey.

I can’t tell you how true this is, and yet people often ignore this valued bit of insight.

I’ve seen many people come clean with who they are because they know their weaknesses, and often they aren’t even ashamed about it (when they should be). Worse, those who they tell get sympathetic, and understanding — and tend to connect to them even more because they are being “honest” with them. These truth-tellers are often revered even more — because we tend to think they can’t be that bad because they are being honest with us now.

After all — it must take some strength to admit your weaknesses, right? Yes and no. It takes strength to admit your weaknesses but ONLY when you claim the flaw in them. When people tell you their weaknesses and make no apology — be warned!

In today’s news, Matthew Fox, who plays an attractive doctor on Fox Network’s Lost TV series, makes some shocking self-admissions to Men’s Magazine.

For those who know Fox, his admissions are quite intense. He says:

“I’m a liar and a cheat and a thief and the ultimate manipulator. … I tell lies every day, man,” the 40-year-old actor says in the February issue of Men’s Journal magazine. “And when I say I’m phenomenally manipulative, I am.

“I really enjoy social boozing, and what I enjoy about it is when people I know and care about say and do things they normally wouldn’t say or do,” he tells the magazine. “To make that happen I’ll instigate anything.” (source)

In this instance, if someone tells you they are like this even if you haven’t seen the behavior first hand — trust them. Hands down. Put up your guard and protect yourself.

You’ve been warned by the most trusted source there is!