--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Never make a promise you can't keep. You…" description: "\"Never make a promise you can't keep. You can tell a lot about a man by the promises he keeps and breaks.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/anonymous-1_promise_never-make-a-promise-you-can-t-keep-you_2902120.jpg" --- # Never make a promise you can't keep. You can tell a lot… ![“Never make a promise you can't keep. You can tell a lot about a man by the promises he keeps and breaks.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/anonymous-1_promise_never-make-a-promise-you-can-t-keep-you_2902120.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/anonymous-1_promise_never-make-a-promise-you-can-t-keep-you_2902120.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/anonymous-1_promise_never-make-a-promise-you-can-t-keep-you_2902120.jpg) > “Never make a promise you can't keep. You can tell a lot about a man by the promises he keeps and breaks.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Keeping promises defines character; broken promises reveal personal flaws. **In simple terms:** Promises show who you are. Key Takeaway Honor your commitments. Themes integrity trust character Mood thoughtful serious Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - leadership - self‑assessment - conflict resolution Key Concepts promise keeping personal accountability Questions to Reflect On - What promises are essential to keep? - How do you handle unavoidable breaches? A Different Perspective People may face impossible circumstances that force broken promises. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship/) ## Related quotes > [When he says he loves me, it only means he loves me at that particular instant. Like his promises, which he never keeps. Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-braun/when-he-says-he-loves-me-it-only-means-he-loves-me-at-that-particular/) [Eva Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-braun/) > [A real man will keep all the promises the last man broke!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-real-man-will-keep-all-the-promises-the-last-man-broke/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As long as I have you as mine for now, I promise to tell you each passing day that I LOVE YOU](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine/as-long-as-i-have-you-as-mine-for-now-i-promise-to-tell-you-each/) [Josephine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine/) > [“If you're worried I'll bite, I promise to tell you first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-renee-jones/if-you-re-worried-i-ll-bite-i-promise-to-tell-you-first/) [Lisa Renee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-renee-jones/) > [Bid faith look through the key-hole of the promise, and tell thee what it sees there laid up for him that overcomes; bid it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gurnall/bid-faith-look-through-the-key-hole-of-the-promise-and-tell-thee-what/) [William Gurnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gurnall/) > [Let each one of us make a promise to ourselves that as long as we live, we will help America grow into a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-each-one-of-us-make-a-promise-to-ourselves-that-as-long-as-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Crush, Go ahead and make the first move. I promise you wont be disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/crush-go-ahead-and-make-the-first-move-i-promise-you-wont-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I promise to tell you I love you every day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaci-burton/i-promise-to-tell-you-i-love-you-every-day/) [Jaci Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaci-burton/) > [“If you feel like you have to have them for some reason, tell me and we'll take them out together. Promise?" "If you promise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-archer/if-you-feel-like-you-have-to-have-them-for-some-reason-tell-me-and-we/) [Jennifer Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-archer/) > [Don't make me a promise that you know you won't keep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-make-me-a-promise-that-you-know-you-won-t-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never make a promise you cant keep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-make-a-promise-you-cant-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Make this 4th of July different from others. This 4th of July make a promise to yourself to always fight against violence and injustice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/make-this-4th-of-july-different-from-others-this-4th-of-july-make-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Promise me something,' she said. 'I'll promise you anything I can without lying to you again.' Pearl nodded. 'If magic really does exist, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-t-rzs/promise-me-something-she-said-i-ll-promise-you-anything-i-can-without/) [Emma Törzs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-t-rzs/) > [“I promise to tell you everything you want, but first I want something from you in return. What do you want? Olivia asked. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evette-davis/i-promise-to-tell-you-everything-you-want-but-first-i-want-something/) [Evette Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evette-davis/) > [“Will you promise to keep this to yourself, to not tell anyone of what we are?” By his words you’d think he was giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-h-cosway/will-you-promise-to-keep-this-to-yourself-to-not-tell-anyone-of-what/) [L.H. Cosway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-h-cosway/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Promise quotes > [I could not limit my values and pursuits to what makes others comfortable. Being possessed by a promise I live without options. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/i-could-not-limit-my-values-and-pursuits-to-what-makes-others/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [I take the responsibility of playing another ethnicity very, very seriously, and I promise myself and those people that I will represent them with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-curtis/i-take-the-responsibility-of-playing-another-ethnicity-very-very/) [Cliff Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-curtis/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Because we live in a fallen world, we suffer. But those of us who know Jesus are never alone in the suffering, that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-turner-lee/because-we-live-in-a-fallen-world-we-suffer-but-those-of-us-who-know/) Melissa Turner Lee > [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [A promise, a bond, a joy, a love for the ages, for the history books.…But what was love but pain?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-de-la-cruz/a-promise-a-bond-a-joy-a-love-for-the-ages-for-the-history-books-but/) [Melissa de la Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-de-la-cruz/) > [“I’d see this through to the end… This promise above all others, I will gladly keep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-shirvington/i-d-see-this-through-to-the-end-this-promise-above-all-others-i-will/) [Jessica Shirvington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-shirvington/) > [Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-the-abstract-of-the-past-but-beauty-is-the-promise-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you ponder the scriptures and begin to do what you covenanted with God to do, I can promise you that you will feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/if-you-ponder-the-scriptures-and-begin-to-do-what-you-covenanted-with/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [I promise myself that I will enjoy every minute of the day that is given me to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-promise-myself-that-i-will-enjoy-every-minute-of-the-day-that-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Many people expect, just as they did then, "those at the top" to make all their decisions for them: Please get us work, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wladyslaw-bartoszewski/many-people-expect-just-as-they-did-then-those-at-the-top-to-make-all/) [Wladyslaw Bartoszewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wladyslaw-bartoszewski/) > [PRomise DAy SPecial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/promise-day-special/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never threaten, because a threat is a promise to pay that it isn't always convenient to meet, but if you don't make it good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/never-threaten-because-a-threat-is-a-promise-to-pay-that-it-isn-t/) [George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/) [Browse all 5,486 Promise quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Never make a promise you can't keep. You can tell a lot about a man by the promises he keeps and breaks.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-make-a-promise-you-can-t-keep-you-can-tell-a-lot-about-a-man-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Promise" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-make-a-promise-you-can-t-keep-you-can-tell-a-lot-about-a-man-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/anonymous-1_promise_never-make-a-promise-you-can-t-keep-you_2902120.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/anonymous-1_promise_never-make-a-promise-you-can-t-keep-you_2902120.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/anonymous-1_promise_never-make-a-promise-you-can-t-keep-you_2902120.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Never make a promise you can't keep. You can tell a lot about a man by the promises he keeps and breaks.” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Never make a promise you can't...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-make-a-promise-you-can-t-keep-you-can-tell-a-lot-about-a-man-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-make-a-promise-you-can-t-keep-you-can-tell-a-lot-about-a-man-by/#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 } } ] } ```