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.
Orson Scott CardRead
Ender nodded. It was a lie, of course, that it wouldn’t hurt a bit. But since adults always said it when it was going to hurt, he could count on that statement as an accurate prediction of the future. Sometimes lies were more dependable than the truth.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects the concept that sometimes lies can provide more comfort and predictability than the truth.
In this quote, the author suggests that the adult's reassurance that pain will not happen often turns out to be a falsehood. It highlights the irony that, in some situations, lies can offer a sense of security or predictability that the harsh truth cannot provide. The quote implies a deeper philosophical observation about the nature of truth and deception in human experiences.
Themes
TruthLiePainPredictionComfort
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a discussion about the nature of honesty in relationships.
More from Orson Scott Card
All quotes →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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