rise above

rise above (third-person singular simple present rises above, present participle rising above, simple past rose above, past participle risen above)

1. To ignore petty or trivial issues and do what one is supposed to; to act better than someone or something inappropriate.
   • 2010, Michael E. Gerber, The Most Successful Small Business in The World: The Ten Principles, p. 118:

     We must rise above ourselves. We must rise above what it means to be human. We must rise above what our ordinary consciousness inspires us to do. We must rise above our needs, our self-interest, our greed, our hunger.

2. To prevent something unfortunate or traumatic from affecting oneself.
   • 2015, Eva Dowdell, Single Mom Style: You’ll Laugh, You’ll Cry… You’ll Pour Yourself a Drink, p. 121:

     I have times of weakness, but I choose to rise above them. No matter what you're going through—whether it be divorce, losing a loved one, or a burnt out headlight—you have a choice to rise above. You will rise above because you are strong enough.