--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can never tell about a person by…" description: "\"You can never tell about a person by guessing...that's why language was invented. Otherwise, we'd all be like dogs, sniffing each other to find out whe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64f/alice-hoffman-427_dog_you-can-never-tell-about-a-person-by-gue_3212811.png" --- # You can never tell about a person by guessing...that's why… ![“You can never tell about a person by guessing...that's why language was invented. Otherwise, we'd all be like dogs, sniffing each other to find out where we stood.” quote by Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64f/alice-hoffman-427_dog_you-can-never-tell-about-a-person-by-gue_3212811.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64f/alice-hoffman-427_dog_you-can-never-tell-about-a-person-by-gue_3212811.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64f/alice-hoffman-427_dog_you-can-never-tell-about-a-person-by-gue_3212811.png) > “You can never tell about a person by guessing...that's why language was invented. Otherwise, we'd all be like dogs, sniffing each other to find out where we stood.” [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Language is presented as a tool to understand others beyond instinctive guessing, preventing superficial judgments. **In simple terms:** Language lets us understand people beyond animal instincts. Key Takeaway Use language to learn, not judge. Themes communication understanding human nature Mood thoughtful analytical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - team building - conflict resolution - networking - first impressions Key Concepts social cognition language evolution Questions to Reflect On - How does language shape your perception of others? - Can you trust first impressions? A Different Perspective Language may not fully capture inner truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) [Guessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guessing/) [Guessing Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guessing-language-6008944/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Language Invented](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language-invented-653094/) [Person Guessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-guessing-1010449/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Sniffing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sniffing/) ## Related quotes > [“That just goes to show that you never can tell about a person by guessing," Frances informs her niece. "That's why language was invented.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/that-just-goes-to-show-that-you-never-can-tell-about-a-person-by/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [I read that as marijuana legalization becomes more popular, it could affect the jobs of drug-sniffing dogs. Or as those dogs put it, 'Thanks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/i-read-that-as-marijuana-legalization-becomes-more-popular-it-could/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [The cocktail party - as the name itself indicates - was originally invented by dogs. They are simply bottom-sniffings raised to the rank of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-cocktail-party-as-the-name-itself-indicates-was-originally/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“More than anything, more than anything she had with him, she missed the language they had invented, the likes of which she had never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grossman/more-than-anything-more-than-anything-she-had-with-him-she-missed-the/) [David Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grossman/) > [Language was invented because of the deep human need to complain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/language-was-invented-because-of-the-deep-human-need-to-complain/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [Language was invented to ask questions. Answers may be given by grunts and gestures, but questions must be spoken. Humanness came of age when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/language-was-invented-to-ask-questions-answers-may-be-given-by-grunts/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [The young cult of sociology, needing a language, invented one. There are many dead languages, but the sociologists' is the only language that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/the-young-cult-of-sociology-needing-a-language-invented-one-there-are/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [The language that nature speaks is the same language that we invented for mathematics. That's just an amazing piece of luck, which we don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/the-language-that-nature-speaks-is-the-same-language-that-we-invented/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Morality, like language, is an invented structure for conserving and communicating order. And morality is learned, like language, by mimicking and remembering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-rule/morality-like-language-is-an-invented-structure-for-conserving-and/) [Jane Rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-rule/) > [“Here you are, obsessed with romantic language-a language invented for expression between lovers-and you use it to spread animosity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-diffenbaugh/here-you-are-obsessed-with-romantic-language-a-language-invented-for/) [Vanessa Diffenbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-diffenbaugh/) > [Language was invented to ask questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/language-was-invented-to-ask-questions/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Why is it that my heart is so touched whenever I meet a dog lost in our noisy streets? Why do I feel such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/why-is-it-that-my-heart-is-so-touched-whenever-i-meet-a-dog-lost-in/) [Emile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [There is this persistent theme in all of these notions that death is made more easy, whatever that means, if you've learned the territory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/there-is-this-persistent-theme-in-all-of-these-notions-that-death-is/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [I don't care about the sort of things that will bring in chump change over the next two or three years. I think I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masayoshi-son/i-don-t-care-about-the-sort-of-things-that-will-bring-in-chump-change/) [Masayoshi Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masayoshi-son/) > [The police can go to downtown Harlem and pick up a kid with a joint in the streets. But they can't go into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-police-can-go-to-downtown-harlem-and-pick-up-a-kid-with-a-joint/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More by Alice Hoffman > [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“All of the quarters in his hand were tarnished. He had no idea that the silver in a man’s pockets always turns black if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/all-of-the-quarters-in-his-hand-were-tarnished-he-had-no-idea-that/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [But most important of all, she explained that it was all right to say 'No. I disagree.' that was a gift. I understood it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/but-most-important-of-all-she-explained-that-it-was-all-right-to-say/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“It was after dark when the woods were most filled with magic, when there were fireflies and the mist was rising from the streams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-was-after-dark-when-the-woods-were-most-filled-with-magic-when/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Never look back, that's what she's told herself. Don't think about swans or being alone in the dark. Don't think of storms, or lightning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/never-look-back-that-s-what-she-s-told-herself-don-t-think-about/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [This was what it meant to be human, to know that time moved and all things changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-know-that-time-moved-and-all/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“She preferred cats to human beings and turned down every offer from the men who fell in love with her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/she-preferred-cats-to-human-beings-and-turned-down-every-offer-from/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [I'm a really eclectic reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-m-a-really-eclectic-reader/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [It's not the lie that's the problem; it's the distance the lie forges between you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-s-not-the-lie-that-s-the-problem-it-s-the-distance-the-lie-forges/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Her vision was going, but she could see him, the way people see clouds-beautiful, racing by, casting shadows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/her-vision-was-going-but-she-could-see-him-the-way-people-see-clouds/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [That's why there are ten gates to pass through before you reach the garden. If life were easy there would be one gate. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/that-s-why-there-are-ten-gates-to-pass-through-before-you-reach-the/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“...the summer of the gypsy moths when all the trees in their yard were bare, the leaves chewed by caterpillars. You could hear crunching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-summer-of-the-gypsy-moths-when-all-the-trees-in-their-yard-were/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“The best way to die is when you're living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-best-way-to-die-is-when-you-re-living/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Haylin was given a good talking-to by the headmaster and made to write a paper about workers’ rights, which he considered a privilege rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/haylin-was-given-a-good-talking-to-by-the-headmaster-and-made-to/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/my-darling-girl-when-are-you-going-to-realize-that-being-normal-is/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) [Explore all 571 Alice Hoffman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## More Dog quotes > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [I don't like being away from home. 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But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [It is a fool of a shepherd who culls his dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-smith/it-is-a-fool-of-a-shepherd-who-culls-his-dogs/) [Jefferson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-smith/) > [“Flattery looks like friendship, just like a wolf looks like a dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice/flattery-looks-like-friendship-just-like-a-wolf-looks-like-a-dog/) [Oscar Auliq-Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-auliq-ice/) > [Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/brothers-and-sisters-i-bid-you-beware-of-giving-your-heart-to-a-dog/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [A shoe dog is somebody that really loves shoes, and that was me. I was a runner... that became important to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-knight/a-shoe-dog-is-somebody-that-really-loves-shoes-and-that-was-me-i-was/) [Phil Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-knight/) > [“I rub the ears of my dog, my stupid goddam ruddy great dog that I never wanted but who hung around anyway and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-rub-the-ears-of-my-dog-my-stupid-goddam-ruddy-great-dog-that-i/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [The sound man, immune as to a sacrifice of straw dogs, faces the passing human generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-sound-man-immune-as-to-a-sacrifice-of-straw-dogs-faces-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [ “A hasty dog always burns his mouth. \[192\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-t-plaatje/a-hasty-dog-always-burns-his-mouth-192/) [Sol T. Plaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-t-plaatje/) > [And if the big dog ain't me, then the house won't get guarded - period.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/and-if-the-big-dog-ain-t-me-then-the-house-won-t-get-guarded-period/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [“A year-long study by the University of Pennsylvania, ending in 2009 and published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science (Elsevier), showed that aggressive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-custo/a-year-long-study-by-the-university-of-pennsylvania-ending-in-2009/) [Edward Custo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-custo/) [Browse all 6,836 Dog quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dog/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can never tell about a person by guessing...that's why language was invented. 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