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The only way to retrieve a secret,once known, is to replace it with a lie.
Orson Scott Card
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Secrets once revealed can only be concealed again through deception.

This quote suggests that once a truth has been uncovered, the only means to hide it is to obscure it with falsehoods. It raises questions about the nature of truth and deception, implying that honesty can lead to vulnerability, while lies can act as a shield to protect one's secrets.

Themes

SecretLieTruthDeceptionRevelation

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about honesty in relationships, one might say, 'As Orson Scott Card said, 'The only way to retrieve a secret, once known, is to replace it with a lie.'

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And enough for me that when my hand touched your shoulder, you leaned on me; and when you felt me slip away, you called my name.
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The world is always a democracy in times of flux, and the man with the best voice will win.
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Never mind that the story had turned out to be lies and foolishness—there was always folks stupid enough to say, Where there's smoke there's fire, when the saying should have been, Where there's scandalous lies there's always malicious believers and spreaders-around, regardless of evidence.
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The lives of all people flow through time, and, regardless of how brutal one moment may be, how filled with grief or pain or fear, time flows through all lives equally.
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You take a step, then another. That's the journey. But to take a step with your eyes open is not a journey at all, it's a remaking of your own mind.
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I've had your tears with mine, and you've had mine with yours. I think that's more intimate even than a kiss.
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