These things, she felt, were not to be passed around like disingenuous party favors. She kept an honor code with her journals and her poems. 'Inside, inside,' she would whisper quietly to herself when she felt the urge to tell.
Alice SeboldRead
After telling the hard facts to anyone from lover to friend, I have changed in their eyes. Often it is awe or admiration, sometimes it is repulsion, once or twice it has been fury hurled directly at me for reasons I remain unsure of.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Being honest with others can lead to varied reactions, from admiration to anger.
In this quote, Alice Sebold reflects on the complexities of communication and honesty in relationships. She reveals how sharing difficult truths can alter how others perceive us, evoking a range of emotions that highlight the challenges of vulnerability and authenticity in human connections.
Themes
HonestyRelationshipsPerceptionTruthVulnerability
In practice
Example use cases
In a workshop on communication skills, one might use this quote to illustrate the importance of honesty in building trust.
More from Alice Sebold
All quotes →The stains could be seen only in the sunlight, so Ruth was never really aware of them until later, when she would stop at an outdoor cafe for a cup of coffee, and look down at her skirt and see the dark traces of spilled vodka or whiskey. The alcohol had the effect of making the black cloth blacker. This amused her; she had noted in her journal: 'booze affects material as it does people'.
Alice SeboldRead
Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.
Alice SeboldRead
As she stood in the darkened room and watched my sister and father, I knew one of things that heaven meant. I had a choice, and it was not to divide my family in my heart.
Alice SeboldRead
She liked to imagine that when she passed the world looked after her, but she also knew how anonymous she was.
Alice SeboldRead
There was one thing my murderer didn't understand; he didn't understand how much a father could love his child.
Alice SeboldRead
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