"I think you should always be true to yourself, and you should never let people influence you"
About this Quote
The intent is boundary-setting. "Always" and "never" are absolutist words, and that extremity is the point: she isn't describing a gentle self-help journey, she's staking out a hard perimeter. The subtext is that influence is rarely neutral in celebrity life. It's not just friends offering advice; it's stylists, publicists, casting directors, tabloids, fans, and an algorithmic audience that rewards coherence and punishes contradiction. "True to yourself" becomes a refusal to perform an upgraded, more palatable version of the self for other people's comfort.
There's also a quiet acknowledgement of how slippery "yourself" gets when your face is a brand. Meester's career includes playing a character defined by image and social pressure; that shadow matters. The quote works because it's both aspirational and defensive: a pop-culture mantra that doubles as a critique of the constant push to be influenced, redirected, and revised.
Quote Details
| Topic | Confidence |
|---|---|
| Source | Interview with Teen Vogue (approx. 2009), on staying grounded and authentic |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Meester, Leighton. (2026, February 14). I think you should always be true to yourself, and you should never let people influence you. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-think-you-should-always-be-true-to-yourself-and-185332/
Chicago Style
Meester, Leighton. "I think you should always be true to yourself, and you should never let people influence you." FixQuotes. February 14, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-think-you-should-always-be-true-to-yourself-and-185332/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I think you should always be true to yourself, and you should never let people influence you." FixQuotes, 14 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-think-you-should-always-be-true-to-yourself-and-185332/. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.












