--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first rule of snooping is to come at…" description: "\"“The first rule of snooping is to come at it sideways--when you began writing me dizzy letters about Alexander, I didn't ask if you were in love with h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/annie-barrows-27608_animals_the-first-rule-of-snooping-is-to-come-at_1980644.png" --- # The first rule of snooping is to come at it sideways--when… ![“The first rule of snooping is to come at it sideways--when you began writing me dizzy letters about Alexander, I didn't ask if you were in love with him, I asked what his favorite animal was. And your answer told me everything I needed to know about him--how many men would admit that they loved…” quote by Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/annie-barrows-27608_animals_the-first-rule-of-snooping-is-to-come-at_1980644.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/annie-barrows-27608_animals_the-first-rule-of-snooping-is-to-come-at_1980644.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed1/annie-barrows-27608_animals_the-first-rule-of-snooping-is-to-come-at_1980644.png) > ““The first rule of snooping is to come at it sideways--when you began writing me dizzy letters about Alexander, I didn't ask if you were in love with him, I asked what his favorite animal was. And your answer told me everything I needed to know about him--how many men would admit that they loved ducks?”” [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding someone’s quirks can reveal deeper truths about their character, often more effectively than direct questions. **In simple terms:** Quirks reveal true nature. Key Takeaway Observe indirect clues. Themes psychology observation relationships Mood curious analytical Type insightful observational When to use this quote - friendship - dating - team building - interview techniques Key Concepts personality behavioral cues Questions to Reflect On - What indirect detail has revealed a lot about someone you know? - How can you ask subtle questions without seeming intrusive? A Different Perspective Not all quirks are meaningful; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Ducks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ducks/) [Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Snooping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snooping/) ## Related quotes > [The first rule of snooping is to come at it sideways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/the-first-rule-of-snooping-is-to-come-at-it-sideways/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [“You're the one who's not supposed to be here." She hoped he didn't hear the squeak in her normally reliable voice. "How am I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/you-re-the-one-who-s-not-supposed-to-be-here-she-hoped-he-didn-t-hear/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [The framers of our Constitution understood the dangers of unbridled government surveillance. They knew that democracy could flourish only in spaces free from government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-holtzman/the-framers-of-our-constitution-understood-the-dangers-of-unbridled/) Elizabeth Holtzman > [“The more personal, revealing and sniveling, the more interesting...I wanna feel like I'm snooping, peeking thru the keyhole into somebody's, anybody's, private hell...no detail…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aline-kominsky-crumb/the-more-personal-revealing-and-sniveling-the-more-interesting-i/) Aline Kominsky-Crumb > [Please give reason. Raised taxes; marching us off to war again; approved more NSA snooping. WHO ARE THEY?!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-drudge/please-give-reason-raised-taxes-marching-us-off-to-war-again-approved/) [Matt Drudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-drudge/) > [“Privacy is a protection from the unreasonable use of state and corporate power. But that is, in a sense, a secondary thing. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-harkaway/privacy-is-a-protection-from-the-unreasonable-use-of-state-and/) [Nick Harkaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-harkaway/) > [Capitalism is based on self-interest and self-esteem; it holds integrity and trustworthiness as cardinal virtues and makes them pay off in the marketplace, thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/capitalism-is-based-on-self-interest-and-self-esteem-it-holds/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [“the summer of 2008, years before her private e-mail server became a campaign issue, Hillary learned about the power of digital snooping. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-allen/the-summer-of-2008-years-before-her-private-e-mail-server-became-a/) [Jonathan Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-allen/) > [“Are snoopers snooping on their own pain? Probably.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/are-snoopers-snooping-on-their-own-pain-probably/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“How did you know my size?" "While you were in the shower yesterday, I browsed around."... ..."Jason, that's not okay. You were snooping in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-c-brown/how-did-you-know-my-size-while-you-were-in-the-shower-yesterday-i/) [C.C. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-c-brown/) > [But films should be voyeuristic. What else is a film if you're not snooping into somebody else's lives?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leigh/but-films-should-be-voyeuristic-what-else-is-a-film-if-you-re-not/) [Mike Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leigh/) > [“So she forgave him. And instead she berated herself for her suspicion, for her snooping. For the things she promised herself she wouldn't do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pavone/so-she-forgave-him-and-instead-she-berated-herself-for-her-suspicion/) [Chris Pavone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pavone/) > [A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/a-man-is-likely-to-mind-his-own-business-when-it-is-worth-minding/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I have certain rules for snooping, under which anything out in the open is fair game. But I also think, in light of some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-lutz/i-have-certain-rules-for-snooping-under-which-anything-out-in-the/) [Lisa Lutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-lutz/) > [The first step in good reporting is good snooping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-drudge/the-first-step-in-good-reporting-is-good-snooping/) [Matt Drudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-drudge/) ## More by Annie Barrows > [I am a grown woman-- mostly-- and I can guzzle champagne with whomever I choose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-barrows/i-am-a-grown-woman-mostly-and-i-can-guzzle-champagne-with-whomever-i/) [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) > [Then he felt remorseful, which was so unlike him and endearing that I almost changed my mind and said yes. But then I imagined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-barrows/then-he-felt-remorseful-which-was-so-unlike-him-and-endearing-that-i/) [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) > [If I could have anything I wanted, I would choose story without end, and it seems I have lots of company in that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-barrows/if-i-could-have-anything-i-wanted-i-would-choose-story-without-end/) [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) > [“The wonderful thing about books--and the thing that made them such a refuge for the islanders during the Occupation--is that they take us out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-barrows/the-wonderful-thing-about-books-and-the-thing-that-made-them-such-a/) [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) > [“Ivy! It's a natural disaster! You have to be there!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-barrows/ivy-it-s-a-natural-disaster-you-have-to-be-there/) [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) > [It suddenly struck me that Dawsey is a lonesome person. I think it may be that he has always been lonely, but he didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-barrows/it-suddenly-struck-me-that-dawsey-is-a-lonesome-person-i-think-it-may/) [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) > [“There had been a problem in Bean's house. The problem was staples. Bean loved staples. She loved them so much that she had stapled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-barrows/there-had-been-a-problem-in-bean-s-house-the-problem-was-staples-bean/) [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) > [We clung to books and to our friends; they reminded us that we had another part to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-barrows/we-clung-to-books-and-to-our-friends-they-reminded-us-that-we-had/) [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) > [“Mary Ann could no more endure a day without reading than she could grow feathers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-barrows/mary-ann-could-no-more-endure-a-day-without-reading-than-she-could/) [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) > [“We could have gone on longing for one another and pretending not to notice forever. This obsession with dignity can ruin your life if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-barrows/we-could-have-gone-on-longing-for-one-another-and-pretending-not-to/) [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) > [“You are so weird sometimes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-barrows/you-are-so-weird-sometimes/) [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) > [ “\[I\] threw open the door to find Rob sit­ting on the low stool in front of my book­case, sur­round­ed by card­board box­es. He was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-barrows/i-threw-open-the-door-to-find-rob-sit-ting-on-the-low-stool-in-front/) [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) > [“When grown-ups asked you to sit in a circle, they were usually about to tell you something you didn't want to hear. Ms. Aruba-Tate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-barrows/when-grown-ups-asked-you-to-sit-in-a-circle-they-were-usually-about/) [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) > [“Reading good books spoils you for enjoying bad books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-barrows/reading-good-books-spoils-you-for-enjoying-bad-books/) [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) > [“please.” Bean’s mother said that Nancy was going through a stage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-barrows/please-bean-s-mother-said-that-nancy-was-going-through-a-stage/) [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) [Explore all 20 Annie Barrows quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) ## More Animals quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/) Mak\_786 > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [We're not very dangerous animals; we don't have a horn like a rhino or quills like a porcupine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-re-not-very-dangerous-animals-we-don-t-have-a-horn-like-a-rhino-or/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to help people understand that animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/we-need-in-a-special-way-to-work-twice-as-hard-to-help-people/) [Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/) > [“Plenty of animals had pets, but few were more devoted than the mouse, who owned a baby corn snake—“A rescue snake, she’d be quick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/plenty-of-animals-had-pets-but-few-were-more-devoted-than-the-mouse/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [No creature can attain a higher grade of nature without ceasing to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananda-coomaraswamy/no-creature-can-attain-a-higher-grade-of-nature-without-ceasing-to/) [Ananda Coomaraswamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananda-coomaraswamy/) > [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/) [Browse all 6,813 Animals quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The first rule of snooping is to come at it sideways--when you began writing me dizzy letters about Alexander, I didn't ask if you were in love with him, I asked what his favorite animal was. 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