Can someone explain this quote to me?

Someone on Facebook posted this today:

Pay attention to the people that help you when you're low, so you know who to ignore when you're at your high.

What does this mean? If someone helped you when you're feeling down, wouldn't that make them a person you wouldn't want to ignore?

I feel stupid for not getting this and for posting about it here, but it's really bugging me!

When you are feeling at your best, you might want to hang out with a certain group of people. However when you are feeling low, those people might not be your true friends and help you through your tough times. So, stick with the people who are supportive, and ignore those people you wanted to hang out with at first, because they aren't always true friends. Also, what I get from this is that if you only hang out with group B when you are low, you might be taking advantage of them because you are only with them when you need them. Its best to stick with the friends who are supportive and help you, and when you are feeling good yourself, you can help them.

Thanks for your input I still don't get this quote...it's stupid to me. Friends that help you when you're low are the only "true" friends - those that stick with you through the best and worst. Why would you want to ignore them just because you're beginning to feel better?

ETA: Ok, I think I read this wrong at first. I get what you're saying, but if that's true, this quote is a really badly-written way to say it! I got confused by thinking it was referring to only one group of people.

I just read the quote the way you probably did in the beginning. Yeah it is kind of confusing and could be worded better.

Bad quote... I understand your confusion. Makes no sence. The opposite should apply.

Just another way of saying that you find out who your real friends are when you are in need.

It could be some kind of sarcastic remark or else it means to ignore the people that weren't there for you when you were low.

I think its just a mean spirited/sarcastic statement. It might also be showing how cold some in society are - when we're happy, we forget people who really help us. Maybe this person is feeling pushed aside after helping someone and now feels ignored.

You're the right size, the pants don't fit. The quote does not make sense to me either but that is no reflection on me. It's common for computer geeks to joke that things are "operator errors" when, in fact, the problem is often that the computer/form/car dashboard, etc. designers did not design well. Whatever the statement is that the person quoting wanted to make is lost on you and me so that makes it a poorly written statement (if they wanted us to understand it).

Because of it not making sense as written to me, I would have to look outside of the "obvious" and would come to the conclusion that it was satirical/making a comment on what many do; they ignore the one's who helped them when they don't need help, either because the one's who helped them now "know too much" about them at their worst or because they are thoughtless and choose to try and ignore/deny they ever needed help in the first place. Having those who helped you around all the time could remind you and keep you humble.

The way I understand is that you need to remember who helped you, your real friends, so you can ignore the ones who weren't there for you.

Indie, I have two very different interpretations.

The first is that the writer was being mean-spirited and saying that when you are no longer down you should ignore the people who helped you.

Then I kept re-reading it. My second interpretation, and the one I like, is that you should pay attention to the people who helped when you were down so that (this part is unspoken) you also know the people who did NOT help. You should then ignore the people who didn't help. Does that make sense?

Yes, that does make sense and is the interpretation I came to after rereading it a few times. I thought I was putting more thought into this than necessary, but things like this are confusing to me.

Thanks for your input everyone!

It simply means to recognize who sticks around when times are bad. Those are the ones who are true friends. Those who are only around when times are good, are not true friends. Those who stick with you in bad times also, are the ones to pay attention to when things are good again, instead of those who only come back around once things are fine.

Have you read much Oscar Wilde? eg The Importance Of Being Earnest? Or seen the play? That would give you some good exercise in discerning this kind of attitude. Or Ambrose Bierce.

Pay attention to the people that help you when you're low, so you know who to ignore when you're at your high.

I think its just a nasty sarcastic quote.......like when you are doing well you don't want those lowly people in your life.....its just nasty!!

I think Smith is saying treasure those who stood up for you when you were down. The others may well be fair-weather friends.

fair-weather friend Fig. someone who is your friend only when things are pleasant or going well for you. http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/fair-weather+friend

Oh, now I get it, "Pay attention to the people that help you when you are low, so you know who to ignore when you are at your high" (those who did not help you when you were low).

I still think it was poorly phrased What's wrong with "Pay attention to the people who help you and ignore those that don't."

My thoughts exactly. It reads as if talking about the same group of people, which is where I got confused.

oh me too! doh! I did read too much into it!