--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...just as she kept her thoughts to…" description: "\"“...just as she kept her thoughts to herself, I was learning to do the same. This was what growing up was about: HIDE the corpse, DON'T bare your heart..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/abraham-verghese-1533_heart_just-as-she-kept-her-thoughts-to-herself_1732417.png" --- # ...just as she kept her thoughts to herself, I was… ![“...just as she kept her thoughts to herself, I was learning to do the same. This was what growing up was about: HIDE the corpse, DON'T bare your heart, DO make assumptions about the motives of others.” quote by Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/abraham-verghese-1533_heart_just-as-she-kept-her-thoughts-to-herself_1732417.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/abraham-verghese-1533_heart_just-as-she-kept-her-thoughts-to-herself_1732417.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/abraham-verghese-1533_heart_just-as-she-kept-her-thoughts-to-herself_1732417.png) > ““...just as she kept her thoughts to herself, I was learning to do the same. This was what growing up was about: HIDE the corpse, DON'T bare your heart, DO make assumptions about the motives of others.”” [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Maturity involves protecting inner feelings and avoiding presumptions about others' motives. **In simple terms:** Growing up means keeping emotions private and not judging others. Key Takeaway Guard your heart and suspend judgments. Themes maturity privacy emotional intelligence Mood reflective guarded Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace dynamics - family interactions - new friendships Key Concepts self‑protection assumption avoidance psychological growth Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance privacy with openness? - When might sharing feelings be beneficial? A Different Perspective Over‑protectiveness can hinder authentic connections. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assumptions Motives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumptions-motives-1389157/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Hide Corpse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hide-corpse-617110/) [Kept Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kept-thoughts-1441951/) [Make Assumptions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-assumptions/) [Thoughts Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-learning-1441952/) ## Related quotes > [“This was what growing up was about: hide the corpse, don't bare your heart, do make assumptions about the motives of others. They're certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/this-was-what-growing-up-was-about-hide-the-corpse-don-t-bare-your/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [“Meditation is not about getting rid of all your thoughts; it’s learning not to get so lost in them that you forget what your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-mcgonigal/meditation-is-not-about-getting-rid-of-all-your-thoughts-it-s/) [Kelly McGonigal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-mcgonigal/) > [The first thing I do when I come home is check the refrigerator for cats because I'm convinced that if one dies, my husband…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/the-first-thing-i-do-when-i-come-home-is-check-the-refrigerator-for/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“The finest art of communication is not learning how to express your thoughts. It is learning how to draw out the thoughts of another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tedd-tripp/the-finest-art-of-communication-is-not-learning-how-to-express-your/) [Tedd Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tedd-tripp/) > [“Strange that she could clearly articulate her cousins’ beliefs, but when it came to her own convictions, Fanny experienced difficulty. Perhaps because she disliked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracie-peterson/strange-that-she-could-clearly-articulate-her-cousins-beliefs-but/) [Tracie Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracie-peterson/) > [No one accepts us being together, So you ended it from pressure, Never knowing the closure I would never get from not knowing what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-smith/no-one-accepts-us-being-together-so-you-ended-it-from-pressure-never/) [Greg Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-smith/) > [Marriage I think For women Is the best of opiates. It kills the thoughts That think about the thoughts, It is the best of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-smith/marriage-i-think-for-women-is-the-best-of-opiates-it-kills-the/) [Stevie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-smith/) > [People make assumptions about me based on my music. I've literally had people stop me in the street: 'You are so sweet. I bet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corinne-bailey-rae/people-make-assumptions-about-me-based-on-my-music-i-ve-literally-had/) [Corinne Bailey Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corinne-bailey-rae/) > [The second you become an actress, people take the licence to make many assumptions about you. You're in trouble if you interact with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nithya-menen/the-second-you-become-an-actress-people-take-the-licence-to-make-many/) [Nithya Menen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nithya-menen/) > [Don't make assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/don-t-make-assumptions-find-the-courage-to-ask-questions-and-to/) [Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/) > [“I've said it before, love, an Im sorry I have to say it again, but you do not understand the choices I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-ve-said-it-before-love-an-im-sorry-i-have-to-say-it-again-but-you/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“It is very interesting how the human mind works. We have the need to justify everything, to explain and understand everything, in order to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ruiz/it-is-very-interesting-how-the-human-mind-works-we-have-the-need-to/) [Miguel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ruiz/) > [Friends never make assumptions about you. They never expect a reason to go out with you. In fact friends only expect you to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-lynes/friends-never-make-assumptions-about-you-they-never-expect-a-reason/) [Russell Lynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-lynes/) > [One thing that irritates me is when people kind of make assumptions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-pegg/one-thing-that-irritates-me-is-when-people-kind-of-make-assumptions/) [Simon Pegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-pegg/) > [“One should not make more assumptions than are absolutely necessary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-kerner/one-should-not-make-more-assumptions-than-are-absolutely-necessary/) [Ian Kerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-kerner/) ## More by Abraham Verghese > [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [I love to read poetry but I haven't written anything that I'm willing to show anybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-love-to-read-poetry-but-i-haven-t-written-anything-that-i-m-willing/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [We come unbidden into this life, and if we are lucky we find a purpose beyond starvation, misery, and early death which, lest we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/we-come-unbidden-into-this-life-and-if-we-are-lucky-we-find-a-purpose/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [I think America is really in denial about the degree to which residents, particularly foreign medical graduates, man the county hospitals of this country,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-think-america-is-really-in-denial-about-the-degree-to-which/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [“Do they listen?" He held up a finger. "Every year one does," he said, ginning, "But that one makes it worthwhile. Even Jesus only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/do-they-listen-he-held-up-a-finger-every-year-one-does-he-said/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [“It seems we humans never learn. And so we relearn the lesson every generation and then want to write epistles. We proselytize to our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/it-seems-we-humans-never-learn-and-so-we-relearn-the-lesson-every/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [It was all I had, all I've ever had, the only currency, the only proof that I was alive. Memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/it-was-all-i-had-all-i-ve-ever-had-the-only-currency-the-only-proof/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [“There it was, Hema must have thought; it was both the sorry and the thank-you that was so long overdue, and the funny thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/there-it-was-hema-must-have-thought-it-was-both-the-sorry-and-the/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [“This is my life, I thought, as my taxi slogged through heavy traffic and inched through the tunnel to Logan Airport. I have excised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/this-is-my-life-i-thought-as-my-taxi-slogged-through-heavy-traffic/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [“I could see that the almost mystical aura of this legendary surgeon -- the single-mindedness, the dedication, the skill -- was mere surface. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-could-see-that-the-almost-mystical-aura-of-this-legendary-surgeon/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [“As a child I'd longed for Thomas Stone or at least the idea of him. So many mornings I waited for him at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/as-a-child-i-d-longed-for-thomas-stone-or-at-least-the-idea-of-him-so/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [“The reader, knowing nothing about the ‘dark continent,’ filled in the blanks. Pictured Stone in a tent, kerosene lamp held up by a Hottentot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/the-reader-knowing-nothing-about-the-dark-continent-filled-in-the/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [“This was what growing up was about: hide the corpse, don't bare your heart, do make assumptions about the motives of others. They're certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/this-was-what-growing-up-was-about-hide-the-corpse-don-t-bare-your/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [“And as for my father? No, he wouldn't ever walk through those gates; I now knew that. Whatever Thomas Stone had, wherever he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/and-as-for-my-father-no-he-wouldn-t-ever-walk-through-those-gates-i/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [“... telling herself stories about herself in a singsong voice, creating her own mythology.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/telling-herself-stories-about-herself-in-a-singsong-voice-creating/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) [Explore all 230 Abraham Verghese quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) ## More Heart quotes > [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“He held her like a new woman and what she felt felt almost as good as love had, and each of them called it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dunn/he-held-her-like-a-new-woman-and-what-she-felt-felt-almost-as-good-as/) [Stephen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dunn/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [My heart jumps out of its cage to see what the fuss is about. Damn thing. Always so hopeful, but my voice hides it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wylie/my-heart-jumps-out-of-its-cage-to-see-what-the-fuss-is-about-damn/) [Sarah Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wylie/) > [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/) [Rena Kornreich Gelissen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rena-kornreich-gelissen/) > [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) > [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) > [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Love will fan the flame, and that flame will warm the heart that's waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-w-smith/love-will-fan-the-flame-and-that-flame-will-warm-the-heart-that-s/) [Michael W. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-w-smith/) > [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/) [Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) [Browse all 45,172 Heart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...just as she kept her thoughts to herself, I was learning to do the same. This was what growing up was about: HIDE the corpse, DON'T bare your heart, DO make assumptions about the motives of others.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Abraham Verghese" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/just-as-she-kept-her-thoughts-to-herself-i-was-learning-to-do-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Heart" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/just-as-she-kept-her-thoughts-to-herself-i-was-learning-to-do-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/abraham-verghese-1533_heart_just-as-she-kept-her-thoughts-to-herself_1732417.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/abraham-verghese-1533_heart_just-as-she-kept-her-thoughts-to-herself_1732417.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56b/abraham-verghese-1533_heart_just-as-she-kept-her-thoughts-to-herself_1732417.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...just as she kept her thoughts to herself, I was learning to do the same. This was what growing up was…” — Abraham Verghese", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "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": "Abraham Verghese", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“...just as she kept her thoughts...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/just-as-she-kept-her-thoughts-to-herself-i-was-learning-to-do-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/just-as-she-kept-her-thoughts-to-herself-i-was-learning-to-do-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@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 } } ] } ```