---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You know what things. By now you of all…"
description: "\"“You know what things. By now you of all people should know.” Silence. “Why are you telling me all this?” “Because I thought you should know.” “Because..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/andre-aciman-459_knew_you-know-what-things-by-now-you-of-all-p_1282953.jpg"
---

#  You know what things. By now you of all people should…

![“You know what things. By now you of all people should know.” Silence. “Why are you telling me all this?” “Because I thought you should know.” “Because you thought I should know.” He repeated my words slowly, trying to take in their full meaning, all the while sorting them out, playing for time by…” quote by André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/andre-aciman-459_knew_you-know-what-things-by-now-you-of-all-p_1282953.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/andre-aciman-459_knew_you-know-what-things-by-now-you-of-all-p_1282953.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/andre-aciman-459_knew_you-know-what-things-by-now-you-of-all-p_1282953.jpg)

> ““You know what things. By now you of all people should know.” Silence. “Why are you telling me all this?” “Because I thought you should know.” “Because you thought I should know.” He repeated my words slowly, trying to take in their full meaning, all the while sorting them out, playing for time by repeating the words. The iron, I knew, was burning hot. “Because I want you to know,” I blurted out. “Because there is no one else I can say it to but you.” There, I had said it.””

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

## About This Quote

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

A confession of deep, possibly unspoken feelings is expressed through repetitive dialogue, highlighting vulnerability and longing.

**In simple terms:** Confession of hidden feelings.

Key Takeaway

Speak your truth.

Themes

love confession vulnerability

Mood

introspective emotional

Type

narrative confessional

When to use this quote

- confession scene
- intimate conversation
- self‑realization

Key Concepts

communication emotional honesty repetition

Questions to Reflect On

- What holds you back from confessing?
- How does repetition shape meaning?

A Different Perspective

Repetition may dilute impact, making the moment feel forced.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“You know what things. By now you of all people should know.” Silence. “Why are you telling me all this?” “Because I thought you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/you-know-what-things-by-now-you-of-all-people-should-know-silence-why-2/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [When there's nothing to argue about, Don't go trying to find stuff to touch on, leave it alone! ya know silence goes good with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-campbell/when-there-s-nothing-to-argue-about-don-t-go-trying-to-find-stuff-to/)

[Michael Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-campbell/)

> [Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/somewhere-we-know-that-without-silence-words-lose-their-meaning-that/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

> [Foxy girls know that silence may be golden-but only for four seconds. Anything longer and you're heading for Awkward Avenue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/foxy-girls-know-that-silence-may-be-golden-but-only-for-four-seconds/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [Fools, said I, you do not know, silence like a cancer grows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-and-garfunkel/fools-said-i-you-do-not-know-silence-like-a-cancer-grows/)

[Simon And Garfunkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-and-garfunkel/)

> [“Have the maturity to know sometimes silence is more powerful than having the last word”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thema-davis/have-the-maturity-to-know-sometimes-silence-is-more-powerful-than/)

Thema Davis

> [ If ever you do go back, what is it you want of Evesham?" "Do I know? \[...\] The silence, it might be ... or… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellis-peters/if-ever-you-do-go-back-what-is-it-you-want-of-evesham-do-i-know-the/)

[Ellis Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellis-peters/)

> [“And a man said, speak to us of self-knowledge. and he answered, saying: Your hearts know in silence the secrets of the days and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/and-a-man-said-speak-to-us-of-self-knowledge-and-he-answered-saying/)

[Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/)

> [Where I am, I don't know, I'll never know, in the silence you don't know, you must go on, I can't go on, I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/where-i-am-i-don-t-know-i-ll-never-know-in-the-silence-you-don-t-know/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [“I didn't know silence could be that loud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/i-didn-t-know-silence-could-be-that-loud/)

[Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/)

> [“So many of the blemished didn’t know what to do with silence. Sunny’d learned that well enough at the coffee shop, where people insisted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-hart/so-many-of-the-blemished-didn-t-know-what-to-do-with-silence-sunny-d/)

[Megan Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-hart/)

> [“Let him tell them the truth. Before the Gospel is a word, it is silence. It is the silence of their own lives and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/let-him-tell-them-the-truth-before-the-gospel-is-a-word-it-is-silence/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [We know that silence equals consent when atrocities are committed against innocent men, women and children. We know that indifference equals complicity when bigotry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-giffords/we-know-that-silence-equals-consent-when-atrocities-are-committed/)

[Gabrielle Giffords](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-giffords/)

> [Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn? Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? Or perhaps you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/have-you-ever-heard-the-wonderful-silence-just-before-the-dawn-or-the/)

[Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/)

> [Somewhere we know that without silence, words lose their meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-nouwen/somewhere-we-know-that-without-silence-words-lose-their-meaning/)

[Henri Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-nouwen/)

## More by André Aciman

> [Don't all writers have a hidden nerve, call it a secret chamber, something irreducibly theirs, which stirs their prose and makes it tick and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/don-t-all-writers-have-a-hidden-nerve-call-it-a-secret-chamber/)

[Andre Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“I wanted him to remember the morning on Monet's berm when I'd kissed him not the first but the second time and given him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-wanted-him-to-remember-the-morning-on-monet-s-berm-when-i-d-kissed/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [Rituals are how we step into our private field of dreams, a small Elysium all our own. Rituals are made not just for us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/rituals-are-how-we-step-into-our-private-field-of-dreams-a-small/)

[Andre Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“I desperately wanted to give him something. By contrast, taking seemed so bland, so facile, so mechanical.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-desperately-wanted-to-give-him-something-by-contrast-taking-seemed/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“The man who'll lay the last stone here isn't even born yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/the-man-who-ll-lay-the-last-stone-here-isn-t-even-born-yet/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [Proust is interested in minutiae because life, as he sees it, is seldom ever about things but about our impression of things, not about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/proust-is-interested-in-minutiae-because-life-as-he-sees-it-is-seldom/)

[Andre Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“Well, since you're not going to do anything with me—can you at least read me a story? I'd settle for that. I wanted him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/well-since-you-re-not-going-to-do-anything-with-me-can-you-at-least/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“This is heaven.” And I wouldn’t hear him say another word for at least an hour. There was nothing I loved more in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/this-is-heaven-and-i-wouldn-t-hear-him-say-another-word-for-at-least/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“He loved the sticky taste. What had I done? I told him and pointed to the bruised evidence sitting on my desk. “Let me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/he-loved-the-sticky-taste-what-had-i-done-i-told-him-and-pointed-to/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“When had they separated us, you and me, Oliver? And why did I know it, and why didn't you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/when-had-they-separated-us-you-and-me-oliver-and-why-did-i-know-it/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“As we were swimming back, he asked as though it were an afterthought, “Are you going to hold last night against me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/as-we-were-swimming-back-he-asked-as-though-it-were-an-afterthought/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“To be with you. To be with you, Oliver. With or without my bathing suit. To be with you on my bed. In your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/to-be-with-you-to-be-with-you-oliver-with-or-without-my-bathing-suit/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“I thought I could ever want another living soul, gently, softly, and, with the kindness one Jew extends to another, work his way into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-thought-i-could-ever-want-another-living-soul-gently-softly-and/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [“Oliver: But there's the catch: you're still twenty years younger than those gathered around you, which is why I can be twenty-four in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/oliver-but-there-s-the-catch-you-re-still-twenty-years-younger-than/)

[André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

> [I cannot write if there is a sense of plenitude. I have to hypothesize that there is a loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-cannot-write-if-there-is-a-sense-of-plenitude-i-have-to-hypothesize/)

[Andre Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

[Explore all 527 André Aciman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/)

## More Knew quotes

> [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/)

[Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/)

> [He knew the things that were and the things that would be and the things that had been before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/he-knew-the-things-that-were-and-the-things-that-would-be-and-the/)

[Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/)

> [I always knew I wanted to have a good career, so I made it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chord-overstreet/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-have-a-good-career-so-i-made-it-happen/)

[Chord Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chord-overstreet/)

> [Susan B. Anthony must be turning in her grave if she knew that millions of women who have the right to vote are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/susan-b-anthony-must-be-turning-in-her-grave-if-she-knew-that/)

[Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/)

> [I knew music was for me from an early age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-blue/i-knew-music-was-for-me-from-an-early-age/)

[Jonas Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-blue/)

> [Professionally speaking, the proudest moment was when I booked the 'Human Stain.' I knew it had Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris and Gary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/professionally-speaking-the-proudest-moment-was-when-i-booked-the/)

[Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/)

> [When I was playing piano, it was like, 'I'm going to write a song using all the white keys.' My music director, who knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/when-i-was-playing-piano-it-was-like-i-m-going-to-write-a-song-using/)

[John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/)

> [Closing his eyes, he sent up a prayer to anyone who was listening, asking please, for God's sake, stop sending him signals that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/closing-his-eyes-he-sent-up-a-prayer-to-anyone-who-was-listening/)

[J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/)

> [I always knew that I was kind of bored; the regular life of a child didn't fit me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/i-always-knew-that-i-was-kind-of-bored-the-regular-life-of-a-child/)

[Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/)

> [I never liked Hans Christian Andersen because I knew he was always getting at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/i-never-liked-hans-christian-andersen-because-i-knew-he-was-always/)

[J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/)

> [Aaron Spelling always had his finger on the pulse of pop culture, he knew what the public wanted to see. He was one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-milano/aaron-spelling-always-had-his-finger-on-the-pulse-of-pop-culture-he/)

[Alyssa Milano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-milano/)

> [He never knew when he was whipped ... So he never was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/he-never-knew-when-he-was-whipped-so-he-never-was/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [For the Russian masses, the proletarians, knew for certain, and already saw during the war, and in part before their very eyes, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-gorter/for-the-russian-masses-the-proletarians-knew-for-certain-and-already/)

[Herman Gorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-gorter/)

> [I always knew I wanted to make my own way; I never wanted to be dependent on my father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamara-mellon/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-make-my-own-way-i-never-wanted-to-be/)

[Tamara Mellon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamara-mellon/)

> [In that sense, I became politicized because the people in the coal mining villages who were involved in the struggle knew why they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bragg/in-that-sense-i-became-politicized-because-the-people-in-the-coal/)

[Billy Bragg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bragg/)

Browse all 3,620 Knew quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“You know what things. By now you of all people should know.” Silence. “Why are you telling me all this?” “Because I thought you should know.” “Because you thought I should know.” He repeated my words slowly, trying to take in their full meaning, all the while sorting them out, playing for time by repeating the words. The iron, I knew, was burning hot. “Because I want you to know,” I blurted out. “Because there is no one else I can say it to but you.” There, I had said it.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "André Aciman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/you-know-what-things-by-now-you-of-all-people-should-know-silence-why/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Knew"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/you-know-what-things-by-now-you-of-all-people-should-know-silence-why/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/andre-aciman-459_knew_you-know-what-things-by-now-you-of-all-p_1282953.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/andre-aciman-459_knew_you-know-what-things-by-now-you-of-all-p_1282953.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a3/andre-aciman-459_knew_you-know-what-things-by-now-you-of-all-p_1282953.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You know what things. By now you of all people should know.” Silence. “Why are you telling me all this?”…” — André Aciman",
                "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": "André Aciman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“You know what things. By now...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/you-know-what-things-by-now-you-of-all-people-should-know-silence-why/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/you-know-what-things-by-now-you-of-all-people-should-know-silence-why/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
