17 Important Life-Changing Lessons We Learned From Our Mums

"Always forgive, but never forget."

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to share the best life advice from their mums . Here's what they said.

1. "Learn to say no."

Jasmyn Lawson / Via giphy.com

"My mum told me over and over again since I was a kid to learn to say no and not be a doormat to people who have a tendency of taking advantage of my people-pleasing personality. I still struggle with it, but I know she's right.

– Bbpossum

2. "Life isn't fair."

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"The one thing every single kid says at one point is, "It's not fair". My mum always, even to this day, will reply, 'life's not fair'. Growing up I hated it when she said that but it means so much to me now that I'm older. It's just a great reminder that life isn't fair, some times things work out for the best and sometimes they don't. It's what you do with those lessons that matters.

– harmonie333

3. "You are important."

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"Always remember you are important and needed. Everything you are, each and every part of you is beautiful and unique."

– ilope6659

4. "Always forgive, but never forget."

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"My mother once said to me 'always forgive, but never forget.' When I asked what she meant, she explained that you should always try and find it in your heart to forgive someone (I was being horrifically bullied at school when she said this to me.) But, forgiveness does not mean you have to forget what someone has done to you, learn from it. She taught me to forgive the girl who was bullying me, but never forget how I felt about what the girl had done. It helped me to realise I never want anyone to feel the pain I did, and forgiving her helped me to be a better person, to hold my head high instead of being ashamed. I still live my life by those words, I’m always willing to forgive, but I don’t forget how a situation or person made me feel and I use that to learn and grow."

– lbeth

5. "Step away from the situation and look at the bigger picture."

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"My mum has truly taught me a lot, but I would say the most important thing she ever taught me was to step away from the situation. When I was learning how to play the piano, I used to get so frustrated when I would mess up. When that happened my mum would tell me to step away for 10 minutes or so and then try again. It helped clear my mind and realise what I need to do next. I've learned to use this when I get super stressed out. I just step away from the situation, look at the bigger picture, and then realise that the world is not ending, even though sometimes it feels like it is. This was a very hard lesson to learn but probably one of the best things I've ever applied to my life."

– jessiew4de9f3780

6. "Never ever ignore your intuition."

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"To never ever ignore your intuition. That little voice in the back of your mind, that gut feeling you have, is usually correct."

– katk4d0681240

7. "You aren't responsible for other people's happiness."

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"My mum told me 'you aren't responsible for other people's happiness'. I think she first told me this when my dad left, and being young I blamed myself. I still tell myself this from time to time and it's helped me a lot with guilt trips and pressure from others. Of course we should love and support others, but ultimately we can only take charge of our own lives and have to understand our limits. We can't expect ourselves to make everybody else happy all the time because it's impossible."

– c43a23d9d5

8. "Marry someone you love to talk to."

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"My mum, married to my dad for 31 years, always says 'marry someone you love to talk to, because you will be doing that for your entire life,' My friends and I always remember this when we're dating. It sounds obvious but really helps you analyse your relationship with someone and what it is based on.

– joannas47118ffe6

9. "Love is completely unconditional."

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"My mum taught me so much, mainly, and above all else, that love is completely unconditional. For all the mistakes I made, running away at 15. For all the bad decisions, dropping out of college, for the stupid ideas. For all the wasted time, the pointless arguments when she was just trying to show me the error of my ways and she STILL loves me. I’m a dad now, and I learned so much from her. She always put us first and she still does. Never a thought for herself and always just a phone call, text or visit away. She taught me to be myself and that no matter what happens, she’ll always always be there and that I actually am good enough."

– joes4521aad50

10. "Never make a big decision when you're tired."

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"Never make a big decision when you're tired. Whether you've had an argument with a friend and you're deciding how to go forward, or what school or university you want to go to. If the decision is going to have a big effect on your life it's always worth taking the time to sleep on it, and when you wake up in the morning you'll feel more able to tackle the situation, and often feel completely different about it and know exactly what to do to overcome it."

– cgreenbury

11. "Have a sense of adventure."

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"My mum taught me to have mischief. There's times to behave but also times when life can be taken too seriously, have a sense of adventure and get away with as much as you can. Laugh and smile and always be positive."

– laurazuber94

12. "She taught me how to be a mum."

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"She taught me how to be a mum. I have a daughter myself, who was born 10 months after my mum died and whenever I'm unsure or doubting myself I think "what would mum do?". So far it's going well."

– amyw406029465

13. "Learn to relax."

VH1

"Don't overwork, learn to relax. Remember that you are replaceable at work, but you can't get another life.

– Tammy Taitt, Facebok

14. "Don't skimp on shoes and a mattress."

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"My mum is a generically thrifty Asian mum, in the days before the internet, I remember seeing her spend an hour driving to three different stores to compare prices. But she says the two things nobody should ever skimp on are shoes and a mattress, after all, you spend most of your life in one or the other. The first time she said it to me I rolled my eyes, but over the years I've realised, holy crap, she's right. Now I'm in my 30's and getting creaky, I make sure I have comfy shoes and a comfy bed. It makes a huge difference. "

– Melissa NG, Facebook

15. "Everyone you meet has a lot of stuff going on."

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'When someone is overreacting, you don't know everything they're reacting to.' In other words, remember that everyone you meet has a lot of stuff going on that you aren't aware of, so try to practice empathy and patience when someone seems to get overly upset about something minor. Granted it's often easier said than done, but do the best you can."

– etconner

16. "You're wasting your time crying about jealousy"

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"When I was in college and becoming an adult, my mom told me something which I've always remembered. 'There's always going to be someone who is richer, or prettier, or smarter, or luckier, or gets more opportunities than you, so you're wasting your time crying about jealousy. All those things don't necessarily mean they're better than you.' I've repeated this advice to friends several times in my life, and while it sounds super harsh, it's life and it's true, and helps show that wallowing helps nothing."

– athorup1

17. "People come and people go."

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"Growing up, when I'd have a break up or lose a friend, my mum would remind me that, people come and people go. There's so many people out there that will love you. You've just got to try again."

– k41426ef8e

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