---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Shame is the lie someone told you about…"
description: "\"Shame is the lie someone told you about yourself.\" — Anais Nin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76a/anais-nin-288_about-yourself_shame-is-the-lie-someone-told-you-about_617019.png"
---

#  Shame is the lie someone told you about yourself.

![“Shame is the lie someone told you about yourself.” quote by Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76a/anais-nin-288_about-yourself_shame-is-the-lie-someone-told-you-about_617019.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76a/anais-nin-288_about-yourself_shame-is-the-lie-someone-told-you-about_617019.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76a/anais-nin-288_about-yourself_shame-is-the-lie-someone-told-you-about_617019.png)

> “Shame is the lie someone told you about yourself.”

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Shame is a false narrative imposed by others, distorting self‑perception.

**In simple terms:** Shame is a lie.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and reject external judgments.

Themes

self‑image psychology empowerment

Mood

introspective empowering

Type

psychological literary

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- career decisions
- creative expression

Key Concepts

narrative self‑concept social influence

Questions to Reflect On

- What lies have you internalized?
- How can you rebuild a truthful self‑view?

A Different Perspective

Overcoming shame can be a long process.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[About yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about-yourself/) [Lie Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lie-told-400104/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) [Shame Lie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame-lie-5000325/) [Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told/)

## Related quotes

> [A lie told well is just as good as the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/a-lie-told-well-is-just-as-good-as-the-truth/)

[Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/)

> [“The only lie I ever told you is that I liked you when I already knew I loved you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wrdsmth/the-only-lie-i-ever-told-you-is-that-i-liked-you-when-i-already-knew/)

[Wrdsmth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wrdsmth/)

> [“All I see is someone running away from who he really is. I ain't running away, I called back. And that was the biggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-ritter/all-i-see-is-someone-running-away-from-who-he-really-is-i-ain-t/)

[John H Ritter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-ritter/)

> [A myth is the name of a terrible lie told by a smelly little brown person to a man in a white suit with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-antin/a-myth-is-the-name-of-a-terrible-lie-told-by-a-smelly-little-brown/)

[David Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-antin/)

> [Sometimes, a lie is told in kindness. I don't believe it ever works kindly. The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/sometimes-a-lie-is-told-in-kindness-i-don-t-believe-it-ever-works/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [The history of our race, and each individual’s experience, are sown thick with evidence that a truth is not hard to kill and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/the-history-of-our-race-and-each-individual-s-experience-are-sown/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [What hurts the most is thinking you finally found a guy who promised to never lie to you. Told you everything you wanna hear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-hurts-the-most-is-thinking-you-finally-found-a-guy-who-promised/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you talk to the Whites in Mississippi they will tell you, 'You can go to any school you want to; we don't see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennie-thompson/if-you-talk-to-the-whites-in-mississippi-they-will-tell-you-you-can/)

[Bennie Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennie-thompson/)

> [I should've been following my first instinct, I would've stayed so far away from you. But you decieved me, had me believing that every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-should-ve-been-following-my-first-instinct-i-would-ve-stayed-so-far/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When a single lie is told, a multiple are used to cover-up and destroy a whole life of integrity!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/when-a-single-lie-is-told-a-multiple-are-used-to-cover-up-and-destroy/)

[Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/)

> [“The truth is a fragile thing, but a lie, well told, can live forever. “ — Mark Twain”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-nugent/the-truth-is-a-fragile-thing-but-a-lie-well-told-can-live-forever/)

[Rebecca Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-nugent/)

> [“The easiest lie ever told is a truth no one believes."- Sixteen Seconds”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrea-summer/the-easiest-lie-ever-told-is-a-truth-no-one-believes-sixteen-seconds/)

[Aubrea Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrea-summer/)

> [“Seven seconds. Seven measly seconds. that's how long it took Trump to dismiss a lie he told for five years. He did not apologize.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-tur/seven-seconds-seven-measly-seconds-that-s-how-long-it-took-trump-to/)

[Katy Tur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-tur/)

> [ Playing the guitar is like telling the truth - you never have to worry about repeating the same \[lie\] if you told the truth.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-b-king/playing-the-guitar-is-like-telling-the-truth-you-never-have-to-worry/)

[B. B. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-b-king/)

> [“Jon, could there be honor in a lie, if it were told for a...good purpose? - Samwell”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/jon-could-there-be-honor-in-a-lie-if-it-were-told-for-a-good-purpose/)

[George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/)

## More by Anais Nin

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [“…For love it is never the same. What goes on inside is never the same just like this music which changes every instant. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/for-love-it-is-never-the-same-what-goes-on-inside-is-never-the-same/)

[Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Jazz is the music of the body. The breath comes through brass. It is the body's breath, and the strings' wails and moans are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/jazz-is-the-music-of-the-body-the-breath-comes-through-brass-it-is/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [I have so strong a sense of creation, of tomorrow, that I cannot get drunk, knowing I will be less alive, less well, less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-have-so-strong-a-sense-of-creation-of-tomorrow-that-i-cannot-get/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [We don't have a language for the senses. Feelings are images, sensations are like musical sounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/we-don-t-have-a-language-for-the-senses-feelings-are-images/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Strange, isn't it, that no chemical will give a human being the iridescence that illusions have given them? Give me your hat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/strange-isn-t-it-that-no-chemical-will-give-a-human-being-the/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [The personal, if it is deep enough, becomes universal, mythical, symbolic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-personal-if-it-is-deep-enough-becomes-universal-mythical-symbolic/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Introspection is a devouring monster. You have to feed it with much material, much experience, many people, many places, many loves, many creations, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/introspection-is-a-devouring-monster-you-have-to-feed-it-with-much/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [In each studio there is a human being dressed in the full regalia of his myth fearing to expore a vulnerable opening, spreading not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/in-each-studio-there-is-a-human-being-dressed-in-the-full-regalia-of/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [I don't mind working, holding my ground intellectually, artistically; but as a woman, oh, God, as a woman I want to be dominated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-don-t-mind-working-holding-my-ground-intellectually-artistically/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [“Laughter and tears are not separate experiences, with intervals of rest: they rush out together and it is like walking with a sword between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/laughter-and-tears-are-not-separate-experiences-with-intervals-of/)

[Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [The basis of insincerity is the idealized image we hold of ourselves and wish to impose on others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-basis-of-insincerity-is-the-idealized-image-we-hold-of-ourselves/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [I write emotional algebra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-write-emotional-algebra/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [The role of the writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say. Most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-role-of-the-writer-is-not-to-say-what-we-can-all-say-but-what-we/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [I say quotations are literary. They are good only when dealing with ideas, not with experience. Experience should be pure, unique.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-say-quotations-are-literary-they-are-good-only-when-dealing-with/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

[Explore all 715 Anais Nin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

## More About yourself quotes

> [“they all have always loved you Will Herondale, for you cannot hide what is good about yourself, however har you try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/they-all-have-always-loved-you-will-herondale-for-you-cannot-hide/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/if-you-can-t-love-yourself-how-in-the-hell-you-gonna-love-somebody/)

[RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/)

> [People are in denial all the time, hiding things. If I tell you a racist or dirty joke and you laugh, you're telling me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-landau/people-are-in-denial-all-the-time-hiding-things-if-i-tell-you-a/)

[Martin Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-landau/)

> [Change your thoughts, change your life. —LAO TZU When I was fighting depression, I remember hearing this expression and not understanding it at first.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/change-your-thoughts-change-your-life-lao-tzu-when-i-was-fighting/)

[Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/)

> [Dreams really tell you about yourself more than anything else in this world could ever tell you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-browne/dreams-really-tell-you-about-yourself-more-than-anything-else-in-this/)

[Sylvia Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-browne/)

> [Celebrate all the things you don't like about yourself. love yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/celebrate-all-the-things-you-don-t-like-about-yourself-love-yourself/)

[Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/)

> [Start enjoying the things you like about yourself, and if there are things you want to change, either get to work on it or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benji-madden/start-enjoying-the-things-you-like-about-yourself-and-if-there-are/)

[Benji Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benji-madden/)

> [Always be yourself. There's only one you. You should embrace anything that you don't like about yourself because that's individual and that's you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesy-nelson/always-be-yourself-there-s-only-one-you-you-should-embrace-anything/)

[Jesy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesy-nelson/)

> [It's too distracting to read about yourself. You want to be perfect and you want everyone to love you, and that's never going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/it-s-too-distracting-to-read-about-yourself-you-want-to-be-perfect/)

[Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/)

> [If you want to know how to make people shun you and laugh at you behind your back and even despise you, here is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-want-to-know-how-to-make-people-shun-you-and-laugh-at-you/)

[Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/)

> [The only thing a master can teach is how to learn about yourself. There are no secrets. They are only techniques to waken yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/the-only-thing-a-master-can-teach-is-how-to-learn-about-yourself/)

[Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/)

> [I don't want to sell myself short. You hurt your spouse, not so much by the infidelity, but by the negative feelings about yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zaslow/i-don-t-want-to-sell-myself-short-you-hurt-your-spouse-not-so-much-by/)

[Michael Zaslow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zaslow/)

> [A stranger can see in an instant something in you that you might spend years learning about yourself. How awful we all are when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-elliott/a-stranger-can-see-in-an-instant-something-in-you-that-you-might/)

[Stephen Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-elliott/)

> [Knowing is the most profound kind of love, giving someone the gift of knowledge about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsha-norman/knowing-is-the-most-profound-kind-of-love-giving-someone-the-gift-of/)

[Marsha Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsha-norman/)

> [Start telling the truth now and never stop. Begin by telling the truth to yourself about yourself. Then tell the truth to yourself about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/start-telling-the-truth-now-and-never-stop-begin-by-telling-the-truth/)

[Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/)

[Browse all 770 About yourself quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about-yourself/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Shame is the lie someone told you about yourself.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anais Nin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/shame-is-the-lie-someone-told-you-about-yourself/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "About yourself"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/shame-is-the-lie-someone-told-you-about-yourself/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76a/anais-nin-288_about-yourself_shame-is-the-lie-someone-told-you-about_617019.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76a/anais-nin-288_about-yourself_shame-is-the-lie-someone-told-you-about_617019.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76a/anais-nin-288_about-yourself_shame-is-the-lie-someone-told-you-about_617019.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Shame is the lie someone told you about yourself.” — Anais Nin",
                "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": "Anais Nin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Shame is the lie someone told...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/shame-is-the-lie-someone-told-you-about-yourself/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/shame-is-the-lie-someone-told-you-about-yourself/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
