Did Welsh actor Sir Anthony Hopkins make a statement that opens with "Let go the people who are not prepared to love you. This is the hardest thing you will have to do in your life and it will also be the most important thing"? No, that's not true: The quote originated from an essay by writer Brianna Wiest.
The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on September 9, 2021. After the first two lines, the lengthy quote continues:
Stop showing up for people who have no interest in your presence. I know your instinct is to do everything to earn the appreciation of those around you, but it's a boost that steals your time, energy, mental and physical health.
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Fri Sep 10 18:28:56 2021 UTC)
The whole quote is arranged like an essay with 14 paragraphs in the Facebook post.
Searching for the start of the quote in Google brings up Brianna Wiest's Thought Catalog magazine essay, which was posted December 13, 2018, and updated on September 8, 2021.
The quote has been misattributed to Hopkins a number of times, originating with a September 10, 2020, tweet.
Lead Stories has reached out to Anthony Hopkins' team on September 10, 2021, and will update this story if we receive a response.
