--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rubashov had always believed that he knew…" description: "\"“Rubashov had always believed that he knew himself rather well. Being without moral prejudices, he had no illusions about the phenomenon called the \"fi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/437/arthur-koestler-1903_dialogues_rubashov-had-always-believed-that-he-kne_2575010.jpg" --- # Rubashov had always believed that he knew himself rather… ![“Rubashov had always believed that he knew himself rather well. Being without moral prejudices, he had no illusions about the phenomenon called the "first person singular" and had taken for granted, without particular emotion, that this phenomenon was endowed with certain impulses which people are…” quote by Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/437/arthur-koestler-1903_dialogues_rubashov-had-always-believed-that-he-kne_2575010.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/437/arthur-koestler-1903_dialogues_rubashov-had-always-believed-that-he-kne_2575010.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/437/arthur-koestler-1903_dialogues_rubashov-had-always-believed-that-he-kne_2575010.jpg) > ““Rubashov had always believed that he knew himself rather well. Being without moral prejudices, he had no illusions about the phenomenon called the "first person singular" and had taken for granted, without particular emotion, that this phenomenon was endowed with certain impulses which people are generally reluctant to admit. Now, when he stood with his forehead against the window or suddenly stopped on the third black tile, he made unexpected discoveries. He found that those processes wrongly known as monologues are really dialogues of a special kind - dialogues in which one partner remains silent while the other, against all grammatical rules, addresses him as "I" instead of "you," in order to creep into his confidence and to fathom his intentions, but the silent partner just remains silent, shuns observation, and even refuses to be localized in time and space.”” [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes a character’s introspection revealing that internal monologue is actually a dialogue with oneself, where the silent self is addressed as “I,” exposing hidden motives and self-deception. **In simple terms:** Self‑talk is a hidden dialogue revealing deeper motives. Key Takeaway Listen to your inner voice for self‑awareness. Themes psychology self‑reflection philosophy identity inner dialogue Mood introspective philosophical analytical Type contemplative inquisitive When to use this quote - therapy sessions - creative writing - mindfulness practice - personal journaling Key Concepts self‑deception cognitive dissonance existential inquiry Questions to Reflect On - How does silence shape inner dialogue? - What can we learn from confronting our hidden motives? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex mental processes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dialogues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialogues/) [First person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-person/) [Kind Dialogues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind-dialogues-1725319/) [Monologues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monologues/) [Philosophical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophical/) [Really Dialogues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-dialogues-1725318/) [Rubashov Believed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rubashov-believed-1725317/) [Taken for granted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken-for-granted/) [Time and space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-and-space/) ## Related quotes > [“In 80% of Socrates' dialogues there was no constructive outcome. He saw his role as simply pointing out what was "wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-de-bono/in-80-of-socrates-dialogues-there-was-no-constructive-outcome-he-saw/) [Edward De Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-de-bono/) > [“Man's greatest privilege is the discussion of virtue" Socrates in The Apology.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/man-s-greatest-privilege-is-the-discussion-of-virtue-socrates-in-the/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [Even Dopehri,' if somebody has a bit of imagination, the way it's written, they will be able to see that it's a screenplay with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-kapur/even-dopehri-if-somebody-has-a-bit-of-imagination-the-way-it-s/) [Pankaj Kapur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-kapur/) > [“It started, as all dialogues do, when a path crosses that of another .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loreth-anne-white/it-started-as-all-dialogues-do-when-a-path-crosses-that-of-another/) [Loreth Anne White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loreth-anne-white/) > [When I agreed to play Ravana, I only had one condition that I get to modify the dialogues. One has to maintain the purity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mukesh-rishi/when-i-agreed-to-play-ravana-i-only-had-one-condition-that-i-get-to/) [Mukesh Rishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mukesh-rishi/) > ['The Chairs are Where the People Go' was told to me by my friend Misha Glouberman; I typed as he talked. In 'How Should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/the-chairs-are-where-the-people-go-was-told-to-me-by-my-friend-misha/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [Listen to all the conversations of our world, between nations as well as between individuals. They are, for the most part, dialogues of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tournier/listen-to-all-the-conversations-of-our-world-between-nations-as-well/) [Paul Tournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tournier/) > [Every night, I sit with an assistant director and learn my dialogues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wamiqa-gabbi/every-night-i-sit-with-an-assistant-director-and-learn-my-dialogues/) [Wamiqa Gabbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wamiqa-gabbi/) > [When artists and philosophers talk only amongst themselves, they ignore the potential of popular culture to become a variety of dialogues with and between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-laurel/when-artists-and-philosophers-talk-only-amongst-themselves-they/) [Brenda Laurel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-laurel/) > [I had grown up watching Amitabh Bachchan act. And here I was exchanging dialogues with him. For me, that was a great moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uday-chopra/i-had-grown-up-watching-amitabh-bachchan-act-and-here-i-was/) [Uday Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uday-chopra/) > [After doing two feature films, I got an idea for a thriller film and felt this could be made without any dialogues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karthik-subbaraj/after-doing-two-feature-films-i-got-an-idea-for-a-thriller-film-and/) [Karthik Subbaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karthik-subbaraj/) > [Dialogues and emotion based movies don't always work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vignesh-shivan/dialogues-and-emotion-based-movies-don-t-always-work/) [Vignesh Shivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vignesh-shivan/) > [In the marriage, dialogues and sounds of the woman are written and directed by the man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/in-the-marriage-dialogues-and-sounds-of-the-woman-are-written-and/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [English dialogues are always just what you need and nothing more - like something out of Hemingway. In Italian and in French, dialogues are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernardo-bertolucci/english-dialogues-are-always-just-what-you-need-and-nothing-more-like/) [Bernardo Bertolucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernardo-bertolucci/) > [I spent the better part of a week trying to figure out how to organize these stacks of 30 years of conversations and dialogues.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-spent-the-better-part-of-a-week-trying-to-figure-out-how-to/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) ## More by Arthur Koestler > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The temptations of God were always more dangerous for mankind than those of Satan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-temptations-of-god-were-always-more-dangerous-for-mankind-than/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The greatest temptation for the like of us is: to renounce violence, to repent, to make peace with oneself. Most revolutionaries fell before this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-greatest-temptation-for-the-like-of-us-is-to-renounce-violence-to/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The revolutions of thought which shape the basic outlook of an age are not disseminated through text-books- they spread like epidemics, through contamination by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-revolutions-of-thought-which-shape-the-basic-outlook-of-an-age/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The moment of truth, the sudden emergence of a new insight, is an act of intuition. Such intuitions give the appearance of miraculous flushes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-moment-of-truth-the-sudden-emergence-of-a-new-insight-is-an-act/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [Coincidence may be described as the chance encounter of two unrelated causal chains which - miraculously, it seems - merge into a significant event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/coincidence-may-be-described-as-the-chance-encounter-of-two-unrelated/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The more original a discovery, the more obvious it seems afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-more-original-a-discovery-the-more-obvious-it-seems-afterwards/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [“Revolutionary theory had frozen to a dogmatic cult, with a simplified, easily graspable catechism, and with No. 1 as the high priest celebrating the Mass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/revolutionary-theory-had-frozen-to-a-dogmatic-cult-with-a-simplified/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [Coincidence may be described as the chance encounter of two unrelated causal chains which](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/coincidence-may-be-described-as-the-chance-encounter-of-two-unrelated-2/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The more backwoodish a social group, juvenile or adult, the stricter its conception of the normal, and the readier it will ridicule any departure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-more-backwoodish-a-social-group-juvenile-or-adult-the-stricter/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [As modern physics started with the Newtonian revolution, so modern philosophy starts with what one might call the Cartesian Catastrophe. The catastrophe consisted in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/as-modern-physics-started-with-the-newtonian-revolution-so-modern/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [If one looks with a cold eye at the mess man has made of history, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/if-one-looks-with-a-cold-eye-at-the-mess-man-has-made-of-history-it/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The ultimate truth is penultimately always a falsehood. He who will be proved right in the end appears to be wrong and harmful before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-ultimate-truth-is-penultimately-always-a-falsehood-he-who-will-be/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The real achievement in discoveries... is seeing an analogy where no one saw one before... The essence of discovery is that unlikely marriage of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-real-achievement-in-discoveries-is-seeing-an-analogy-where-no-one/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [The jester is brother to the sage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-jester-is-brother-to-the-sage/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) [Explore all 199 Arthur Koestler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) ## More Dialogues quotes > [“In 80% of Socrates' dialogues there was no constructive outcome. He saw his role as simply pointing out what was "wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-de-bono/in-80-of-socrates-dialogues-there-was-no-constructive-outcome-he-saw/) [Edward De Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-de-bono/) > [English dialogues are always just what you need and nothing more - like something out of Hemingway. In Italian and in French, dialogues are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernardo-bertolucci/english-dialogues-are-always-just-what-you-need-and-nothing-more-like/) [Bernardo Bertolucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernardo-bertolucci/) > [In the marriage, dialogues and sounds of the woman are written and directed by the man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/in-the-marriage-dialogues-and-sounds-of-the-woman-are-written-and/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Dialogues and emotion based movies don't always work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vignesh-shivan/dialogues-and-emotion-based-movies-don-t-always-work/) [Vignesh Shivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vignesh-shivan/) > [After doing two feature films, I got an idea for a thriller film and felt this could be made without any dialogues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karthik-subbaraj/after-doing-two-feature-films-i-got-an-idea-for-a-thriller-film-and/) [Karthik Subbaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karthik-subbaraj/) > [I had grown up watching Amitabh Bachchan act. And here I was exchanging dialogues with him. For me, that was a great moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uday-chopra/i-had-grown-up-watching-amitabh-bachchan-act-and-here-i-was/) [Uday Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uday-chopra/) > [When artists and philosophers talk only amongst themselves, they ignore the potential of popular culture to become a variety of dialogues with and between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-laurel/when-artists-and-philosophers-talk-only-amongst-themselves-they/) [Brenda Laurel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-laurel/) > [Every night, I sit with an assistant director and learn my dialogues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wamiqa-gabbi/every-night-i-sit-with-an-assistant-director-and-learn-my-dialogues/) [Wamiqa Gabbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wamiqa-gabbi/) > [Listen to all the conversations of our world, between nations as well as between individuals. They are, for the most part, dialogues of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tournier/listen-to-all-the-conversations-of-our-world-between-nations-as-well/) [Paul Tournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tournier/) > ['The Chairs are Where the People Go' was told to me by my friend Misha Glouberman; I typed as he talked. In 'How Should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/the-chairs-are-where-the-people-go-was-told-to-me-by-my-friend-misha/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [When I agreed to play Ravana, I only had one condition that I get to modify the dialogues. One has to maintain the purity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mukesh-rishi/when-i-agreed-to-play-ravana-i-only-had-one-condition-that-i-get-to/) [Mukesh Rishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mukesh-rishi/) > [“It started, as all dialogues do, when a path crosses that of another .”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loreth-anne-white/it-started-as-all-dialogues-do-when-a-path-crosses-that-of-another/) [Loreth Anne White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loreth-anne-white/) > [Even Dopehri,' if somebody has a bit of imagination, the way it's written, they will be able to see that it's a screenplay with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-kapur/even-dopehri-if-somebody-has-a-bit-of-imagination-the-way-it-s/) [Pankaj Kapur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-kapur/) > [“Man's greatest privilege is the discussion of virtue" Socrates in The Apology.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/man-s-greatest-privilege-is-the-discussion-of-virtue-socrates-in-the/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [I spent the better part of a week trying to figure out how to organize these stacks of 30 years of conversations and dialogues.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-spent-the-better-part-of-a-week-trying-to-figure-out-how-to/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) [Browse all 34 Dialogues quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialogues/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Rubashov had always believed that he knew himself rather well. Being without moral prejudices, he had no illusions about the phenomenon called the \"first person singular\" and had taken for granted, without particular emotion, that this phenomenon was endowed with certain impulses which people are generally reluctant to admit. Now, when he stood with his forehead against the window or suddenly stopped on the third black tile, he made unexpected discoveries. He found that those processes wrongly known as monologues are really dialogues of a special kind - dialogues in which one partner remains silent while the other, against all grammatical rules, addresses him as \"I\" instead of \"you,\" in order to creep into his confidence and to fathom his intentions, but the silent partner just remains silent, shuns observation, and even refuses to be localized in time and space.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur Koestler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/rubashov-had-always-believed-that-he-knew-himself-rather-well-being/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dialogues" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/rubashov-had-always-believed-that-he-knew-himself-rather-well-being/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/437/arthur-koestler-1903_dialogues_rubashov-had-always-believed-that-he-kne_2575010.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/437/arthur-koestler-1903_dialogues_rubashov-had-always-believed-that-he-kne_2575010.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/437/arthur-koestler-1903_dialogues_rubashov-had-always-believed-that-he-kne_2575010.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Rubashov had always believed that he knew himself rather well. Being without moral prejudices, he had no…” — Arthur Koestler", "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": "Arthur Koestler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Rubashov had always believed that he...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/rubashov-had-always-believed-that-he-knew-himself-rather-well-being/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/rubashov-had-always-believed-that-he-knew-himself-rather-well-being/#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 } } ] } ```