---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At the time, I was unable to understand…"
description: "\"“At the time, I was unable to understand anything.! I should have based my judgement upon deeds and not words. She cast her fragrance and her radiance ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_flower_at-the-time-i-was-unable-to-understand-a_900676.png"
---

#  At the time, I was unable to understand anything.! I…

![“At the time, I was unable to understand anything.! I should have based my judgement upon deeds and not words. She cast her fragrance and her radiance over me. I should never have run away from her.! I should have guessed at the affection behind her poor little tricks. Flowers are so inconsistent.!…” quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_flower_at-the-time-i-was-unable-to-understand-a_900676.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_flower_at-the-time-i-was-unable-to-understand-a_900676.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_flower_at-the-time-i-was-unable-to-understand-a_900676.png)

> ““At the time, I was unable to understand anything.! I should have based my judgement upon deeds and not words. She cast her fragrance and her radiance over me. I should never have run away from her.! I should have guessed at the affection behind her poor little tricks. Flowers are so inconsistent.! But I was too young to know how to love her.””

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

## About This Quote

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

The narrator regrets youthful misunderstanding, missing deeper affection behind superficial actions.

**In simple terms:** Youthful misinterpretation of love.

Key Takeaway

Seek deeper understanding before judging.

Themes

love youth misunderstanding

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

philosophical emotional

When to use this quote

- romantic relationships
- friendships
- personal growth

Key Concepts

emotional intelligence growth perception

Questions to Reflect On

- What signs were missed?
- How can we better perceive hidden affection?

A Different Perspective

Emotions can be misread when inexperienced.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Affection Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection-poor-1239123/) [Deeds Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds-words-811594/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Guessed Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guessed-affection-811593/) [Know Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-love/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Unable Understand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unable-understand-426261/)

## Related quotes

> [“The fact is that I did not know how to understand anything! I ought to have judged by deeds and not by words. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/the-fact-is-that-i-did-not-know-how-to-understand-anything-i-ought-to/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [ Just give food without showing affection, \[animals\] might not get sort of 100% satisfaction. So they also, you see, when we human beings, we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/just-give-food-without-showing-affection-animals-might-not-get-sort/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [She cast her fragrance and her radiance over me. I ought never to have run away from her... I ought to have guessed all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/she-cast-her-fragrance-and-her-radiance-over-me-i-ought-never-to-have/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“In those days I understood nothing! I should have judged her by her deeds and not her words. She cast her fragrance around me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/in-those-days-i-understood-nothing-i-should-have-judged-her-by-her/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Unable to understand how or why the person we see behaves as he does, we attribute his behavior to a person we cannot see,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-f-skinner/unable-to-understand-how-or-why-the-person-we-see-behaves-as-he-does/)

[B. F. Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-f-skinner/)

> [Don't worry when others are unable to understand you. Worry only when you are not able to understand yourself. May you have a Happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-worry-when-others-are-unable-to-understand-you-worry-only-when/)

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

> [“You can't learn what you're unable to understand but a theory is infeasible until you won't need it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sacredfire/you-can-t-learn-what-you-re-unable-to-understand-but-a-theory-is/)

[Robin Sacredfire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sacredfire/)

> [If you are unable to understand the cause of a problem it is impossible to solve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoto-kan/if-you-are-unable-to-understand-the-cause-of-a-problem-it-is/)

[Naoto Kan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naoto-kan/)

> [Aaron Sorkin was completely unable to understand the actual psychology of Mark or of Facebook. He can't conceive of a world where social status…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andreessen/aaron-sorkin-was-completely-unable-to-understand-the-actual/)

[Marc Andreessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andreessen/)

> [A final but Unwanted destination of unsuccessful marriage, DIVORCE: unable to understand each other's results of a relationship,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/a-final-but-unwanted-destination-of-unsuccessful-marriage-divorce/)

[Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/)

> [My mind is very clear, but my heart is unable to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-a-joong/my-mind-is-very-clear-but-my-heart-is-unable-to-understand/)

[Kim A-joong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-a-joong/)

> [“From his endless work had come a great industry, great personal gain, but happiness? It was a word he would have puzzled over, unable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/from-his-endless-work-had-come-a-great-industry-great-personal-gain/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [“We degrade God too much, ascribing to him our ideas, in vexation at being unable to understand Him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dostoyevsky/we-degrade-god-too-much-ascribing-to-him-our-ideas-in-vexation-at/)

[Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dostoyevsky/)

> [I am simply unable to understand the value placed by so many people upon great wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/i-am-simply-unable-to-understand-the-value-placed-by-so-many-people/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [“Anyone unable to understand how a useful religion can be founded on lies will not understand this book either.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/anyone-unable-to-understand-how-a-useful-religion-can-be-founded-on/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

## More by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

> [“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-want-to-build-a-ship-don-t-drum-up-the-men-to-gather-wood/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/a-rock-pile-ceases-to-be-a-rock-pile-the-moment-a-single-man/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Treason implies responsibility for something, control over something, influence upon something, knowledge of something. Treason in our time is a proof of genius. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/treason-implies-responsibility-for-something-control-over-something/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/perfection-is-finally-attained-not-when-there-is-no-longer-anything/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“But for fear of disheartening them, we also spoke to them of disappointments and the bitter taste that rest has after a useless action.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/but-for-fear-of-disheartening-them-we-also-spoke-to-them-of/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“If you come at four in the afternoon, I'll begin to be happy by three.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-come-at-four-in-the-afternoon-i-ll-begin-to-be-happy-by-three/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Once we are bound together to our brothers by a common good that is outside us, then we can breathe. Experience teaches us that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/once-we-are-bound-together-to-our-brothers-by-a-common-good-that-is/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“The stars are beautiful, because of a flower that cannot be seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/the-stars-are-beautiful-because-of-a-flower-that-cannot-be-seen/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“You are beautiful but you are empty. One could not die for you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/you-are-beautiful-but-you-are-empty-one-could-not-die-for-you/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“And the fox said to the little prince: men have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/and-the-fox-said-to-the-little-prince-men-have-forgotten-this-truth/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/and-now-here-is-my-secret-a-very-simple-secret-it-is-only-with-the/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Flying is a man's job and its worries are a man's worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/flying-is-a-man-s-job-and-its-worries-are-a-man-s-worries/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“You are not at all like my rose," he said. "As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/you-are-not-at-all-like-my-rose-he-said-as-yet-you-are-nothing-no-one/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [Loneliness is bred of a mind that has grown earth-bound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/loneliness-is-bred-of-a-mind-that-has-grown-earth-bound/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

> [“Stretched out before the fire I looked at the glowing fruit and said to myself that men did not know what an orange was.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/stretched-out-before-the-fire-i-looked-at-the-glowing-fruit-and-said/)

[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

[Explore all 719 Antoine de Saint-Exupéry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/)

## More Flower quotes

> [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/)

[Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/)

> [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/)

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

> [“Most girls get flowers or candy. I get a declaration of martial law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-shearin/most-girls-get-flowers-or-candy-i-get-a-declaration-of-martial-law/)

[Lisa Shearin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-shearin/)

> [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/)

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

> [Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-banks/spring-training-means-flowers-people-coming-outdoors-sunshine/)

[Ernie Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-banks/)

> [Sometimes, sometimes it is really difficult to turn and walk away from someone you have loved and cherished for so long. You know deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kreger/sometimes-sometimes-it-is-really-difficult-to-turn-and-walk-away-from/)

[David Kreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kreger/)

> [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/)

[Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/)

> [A garden has a curious innocent way of consuming cash while all the time you are under the illusion that you are spending nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-meynell/a-garden-has-a-curious-innocent-way-of-consuming-cash-while-all-the/)

[Esther Meynell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-meynell/)

> [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/my-days-the-blossom-of-my-youth-and-the-flower-of-my-manhood-have/)

[Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/)

> [My life is a crystal teardrop. There are snowflakes falling in the teardrop and little figures trudging in slow motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/my-life-is-a-crystal-teardrop-there-are-snowflakes-falling-in-the/)

[Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/)

> [“But any picture could deal with the problem of light. The problem with this picture is greater than that of reflective surfaces - it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-otto/but-any-picture-could-deal-with-the-problem-of-light-the-problem-with/)

[Whitney Otto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-otto/)

> [“I promise to respect and protect your aloneness, knowing that everything created must have its period of darkness: child and bulb, poem and personality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/i-promise-to-respect-and-protect-your-aloneness-knowing-that/)

[anne morrow lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/)

> [Sometimes it's about less is more. It's about the seed. Thinking about this gigantic tree that you think is so beautiful but it started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/sometimes-it-s-about-less-is-more-it-s-about-the-seed-thinking-about/)

[Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/)

> [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/)

[Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/)

[Browse all 12,347 Flower quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“At the time, I was unable to understand anything.! I should have based my judgement upon deeds and not words. She cast her fragrance and her radiance over me. I should never have run away from her.! I should have guessed at the affection behind her poor little tricks. Flowers are so inconsistent.! But I was too young to know how to love her.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Antoine de Saint-Exupéry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/at-the-time-i-was-unable-to-understand-anything-i-should-have-based/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Flower"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/at-the-time-i-was-unable-to-understand-anything-i-should-have-based/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_flower_at-the-time-i-was-unable-to-understand-a_900676.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_flower_at-the-time-i-was-unable-to-understand-a_900676.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e7b/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry-174_flower_at-the-time-i-was-unable-to-understand-a_900676.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“At the time, I was unable to understand anything.! I should have based my judgement upon deeds and not…” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry",
                "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": "Antoine de Saint-Exupéry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“At the time, I was unable...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/at-the-time-i-was-unable-to-understand-anything-i-should-have-based/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/at-the-time-i-was-unable-to-understand-anything-i-should-have-based/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
