---
title: "3 Confession Quotes By Melissa Febos"
description: "3 Confession quotes by Melissa Febos. Plus more from Melissa Febos and more Confession sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/melissa-febos-7449_confession_i-have-replaced-my-instinct-for-secrecy_546490.png"
---

> [I have replaced my instinct for secrecy with an instinct for confession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-have-replaced-my-instinct-for-secrecy-with-an-instinct-for/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/melissa-febos-7449_confession_i-have-replaced-my-instinct-for-secrecy_546490.png)

> [Torch songs are confessions. They are an expression of feeling that cannot be concealed or contained or minimized. They are marked by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/torch-songs-are-confessions-they-are-an-expression-of-feeling-that/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/826/melissa-febos-7449_anguish_torch-songs-are-confessions-they-are-an_1770777.png)

> [I always wished I could go to confession. I was so full of things I couldn't name and had an instinct to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-always-wished-i-could-go-to-confession-i-was-so-full-of-things-i/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e4/melissa-febos-7449_confession_i-always-wished-i-could-go-to-confession_1846379.jpg)

## Other authors on Confession

- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b008/author-dietrich-bonhoeffer-29418.jpg) Dietrich Bonhoeffer 13 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)
- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b019/author-pope-francis-75890.jpg) Pope Francis 11 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/pope-francis/)
- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b019/author-oscar-wilde-72846.jpg) Oscar Wilde 10 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/oscar-wilde/)
- [Ralph Waldo Emerson 9 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/ralph-waldo-emerson/)
- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b016/author-mahatma-gandhi-62675.jpg) Mahatma Gandhi 7 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/mahatma-gandhi/)
- [Lailah Gifty Akita 7 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/lailah-gifty-akita/)
- [Oliver D. Crisp 6 quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/oliver-d-crisp/)
- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b001/author-mahmoud-el-hallab-3909.jpg) Mahmoud El Hallab 6 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/mahmoud-el-hallab/)

## More by Melissa Febos

> [Letting go of the cozy stories you've been carrying around is devastating. But there's more room for new stuff after you do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/letting-go-of-the-cozy-stories-you-ve-been-carrying-around-is/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [When you conceal inner reality, this pressure builds. You often don't expose yourself until it reaches extremity, a breaking point, and what emerges is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/when-you-conceal-inner-reality-this-pressure-builds-you-often-don-t/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [I can only see right in front of me when I'm writing, you know? I never think of it as raw or personal or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-can-only-see-right-in-front-of-me-when-i-m-writing-you-know-i-never/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“I have always been afraid to have children. I didn't want to give them the parts of me--the hurtling hunger, the shame--but now I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-have-always-been-afraid-to-have-children-i-didn-t-want-to-give-them/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“There are still times when he and I fall into our respective labyrinths. I no longer believe that anyone but ourselves can lead us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/there-are-still-times-when-he-and-i-fall-into-our-respective/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [I think we all are born inside of our parents' narratives. We stay there for a good while. We are taught their narratives about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-think-we-all-are-born-inside-of-our-parents-narratives-we-stay/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“Maybe that's all bravery is: when your hunger is greater than your fear. I resist the implication that bravery is noble. I must face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/maybe-that-s-all-bravery-is-when-your-hunger-is-greater-than-your/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“I have always enjoyed watching women dress. The appeal isn't sexual. Most girls' first glimpse of private female life is watching their mothers dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-have-always-enjoyed-watching-women-dress-the-appeal-isn-t-sexual/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“It was the first time anyone had broken up with me. It was a thing I had successfully avoided for thirty-two years.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/it-was-the-first-time-anyone-had-broken-up-with-me-it-was-a-thing-i/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [I can still discern people's weaknesses, but it doesn't make me want to exploit them; it makes me want to hug them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-can-still-discern-people-s-weaknesses-but-it-doesn-t-make-me-want/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“There is a moment in your 20s when you know what it means to love rightly, but not how to do it, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/there-is-a-moment-in-your-20s-when-you-know-what-it-means-to-love/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“The labyrinth, after all, is Sarah's creation. She calls upon the Goblin King. And this is the biggest difference between my brother's afflictions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/the-labyrinth-after-all-is-sarah-s-creation-she-calls-upon-the-goblin/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“I want to tell her that darkness is not bad. It is only the place we can't see yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-want-to-tell-her-that-darkness-is-not-bad-it-is-only-the-place-we/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [I made a conscious decision when I was writing that book to depict in real time how I treated it, and how I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-made-a-conscious-decision-when-i-was-writing-that-book-to-depict-in/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“I only wanted to know where I ended and everything else began, and I still do, in these oceanic days.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-only-wanted-to-know-where-i-ended-and-everything-else-began-and-i/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/melissa-febos/#itemlist",
            "name": "3 Confession Quotes By Melissa Febos",
            "numberOfItems": 3,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "I have replaced my instinct for secrecy with an instinct for confession.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Melissa Febos"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-have-replaced-my-instinct-for-secrecy-with-an-instinct-for/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/melissa-febos-7449_confession_i-have-replaced-my-instinct-for-secrecy_546490.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/melissa-febos-7449_confession_i-have-replaced-my-instinct-for-secrecy_546490.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/melissa-febos-7449_confession_i-have-replaced-my-instinct-for-secrecy_546490.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“I have replaced my instinct for secrecy with an instinct for confession.” — Melissa Febos",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Torch songs are confessions. They are an expression of feeling that cannot be concealed or contained or minimized. They are marked by anguish, yes, but also by yielding.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Melissa Febos"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/torch-songs-are-confessions-they-are-an-expression-of-feeling-that/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/826/melissa-febos-7449_anguish_torch-songs-are-confessions-they-are-an_1770777.png",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/826/melissa-febos-7449_anguish_torch-songs-are-confessions-they-are-an_1770777.png",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/826/melissa-febos-7449_anguish_torch-songs-are-confessions-they-are-an_1770777.png",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Torch songs are confessions. They are an expression of feeling that cannot be concealed or contained or…” — Melissa Febos",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "I always wished I could go to confession. I was so full of things I couldn't name and had an instinct to hide. I felt burdened by the loneliness of my interior life. I wanted some container that I could empty myself into, some ear that would never be shocked, even if it offered me some kind of penance.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Melissa Febos"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-always-wished-i-could-go-to-confession-i-was-so-full-of-things-i/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e4/melissa-febos-7449_confession_i-always-wished-i-could-go-to-confession_1846379.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e4/melissa-febos-7449_confession_i-always-wished-i-could-go-to-confession_1846379.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e4/melissa-febos-7449_confession_i-always-wished-i-could-go-to-confession_1846379.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“I always wished I could go to confession. I was so full of things I couldn't name and had an instinct to…” — Melissa Febos",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/melissa-febos/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/melissa-febos/",
            "name": "Confession Quotes by Melissa Febos",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/melissa-febos/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/melissa-febos-7449_confession_i-have-replaced-my-instinct-for-secrecy_546490.png"
            },
            "description": "3 Confession quotes by Melissa Febos. Plus more from Melissa Febos and more Confession sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/melissa-febos/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/melissa-febos/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Confession",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Melissa Febos",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confession/melissa-febos/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
