--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I told you before, Jem, that you would…" description: "\"“I told you before, Jem, that you would not leave me,\" Will said, his bloody hand on the hilt of the dagger. \"And you are still with me. When I breathe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/cassandra-clare-9_will-herondale_i-told-you-before-jem-that-you-would-not_634342.jpg" --- # I told you before, Jem, that you would not leave me," Will… ![“I told you before, Jem, that you would not leave me," Will said, his bloody hand on the hilt of the dagger. "And you are still with me. When I breathe, I will think of you, for without you I would have been dead years ago. When I wake up and when I sleep, when I lift up my hands to defend myself…” quote by Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/cassandra-clare-9_will-herondale_i-told-you-before-jem-that-you-would-not_634342.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/cassandra-clare-9_will-herondale_i-told-you-before-jem-that-you-would-not_634342.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e20/cassandra-clare-9_will-herondale_i-told-you-before-jem-that-you-would-not_634342.jpg) > ““I told you before, Jem, that you would not leave me," Will said, his bloody hand on the hilt of the dagger. "And you are still with me. When I breathe, I will think of you, for without you I would have been dead years ago. When I wake up and when I sleep, when I lift up my hands to defend myself of when I lie down to die, you will be with me.”” [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker vows constant presence, linking love to survival across all moments. **In simple terms:** Love is a constant companion. Key Takeaway Cherish enduring bonds. Themes love loyalty survival Mood emotional poetic Type romantic dramatic When to use this quote - relationships - mental health - support systems - grief counseling Key Concepts commitment emotional dependence Questions to Reflect On - Do you rely on love for survival? - How can you balance independence and attachment? A Different Perspective Dependency can become unhealthy if one‑sided. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dagger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dagger/) [Dagger Breathe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dagger-breathe-5105732/) [Defend Myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defend-myself/) [Jem Leave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jem-leave-3678134/) [Said Bloody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-bloody-5105733/) [Scout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scout/) [Told Jem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-jem-1630671/) [Will herondale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will-herondale/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) ## Related quotes > [I told you before, Jem, that you would not leave me. And you are still with me. When I breathe, I will think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-told-you-before-jem-that-you-would-not-leave-me-and-you-are-still/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“I told you before, Jem, that you would not leave me," Will said, his bloody hand on the hilt of the dagger. " And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-told-you-before-jem-that-you-would-not-leave-me-will-said-his-2/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I always told myself after 'Jem,' I don't want fear to change my choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-always-told-myself-after-jem-i-don-t-want-fear-to-change-my-choices/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [“Little James Herondale, age two, was in fact holding a dagger quite well. He stabbed it into a sofa cushion, sending out a burst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/little-james-herondale-age-two-was-in-fact-holding-a-dagger-quite/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Isabelle looked at him thoughtfully. "Did you seriously jump thirty feet out of a Malachi Configuration? Did he, Alec?" "He did," Alec confirmed. "I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/isabelle-looked-at-him-thoughtfully-did-you-seriously-jump-thirty/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [He took something out of his jacket and handed it to her. It was a long thin dagger in a leather sheath. The hilt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/he-took-something-out-of-his-jacket-and-handed-it-to-her-it-was-a/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I was just wondering if you were armed. You want anything? Dagger, maybe?" He opened his own suit jacket just a bit, and Simon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-was-just-wondering-if-you-were-armed-you-want-anything-dagger-maybe/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“Simon picked a dagger completely at random, then sat at his desk waggling it about. Jon nodded to it. “Nice.” “Yeah,” Simon said, nodding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/simon-picked-a-dagger-completely-at-random-then-sat-at-his-desk/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“Xander twisted back around with a crooked grin. “Just admiring the view is all.” “You and I go back a long time, Xander.” Gavin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-lake/xander-twisted-back-around-with-a-crooked-grin-just-admiring-the-view/) [Keri Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-lake/) > [The hand that held the dagger has struck it into the back of its neighbor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/the-hand-that-held-the-dagger-has-struck-it-into-the-back-of-its/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [I realized that we were all sort of conspiring, well, not conspiring against each other, but all this cloak and dagger stuff and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-san/i-realized-that-we-were-all-sort-of-conspiring-well-not-conspiring/) [Eric San](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-san/) > [Plunge your dagger into the heart of an enemy and wait for the wound to grow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/plunge-your-dagger-into-the-heart-of-an-enemy-and-wait-for-the-wound/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-this-a-dagger-which-i-see-before-me-the-handle-toward-my-hand-come/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Think about it. He drinks poison. What kind of man drinks poison? She is the one who stabs herself with his dagger. The manly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fortier/think-about-it-he-drinks-poison-what-kind-of-man-drinks-poison-she-is/) [Anne Fortier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fortier/) > [“Okay. Right. Horror meets romance meets erotica meets fantasy meets hip hop. Throw in some leather and some Miami Ink shit, stir with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/okay-right-horror-meets-romance-meets-erotica-meets-fantasy-meets-hip/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) ## More by Cassandra Clare > [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. 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"He's a warlock," said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/if-you-re-texting-magnus-to-say-i-think-u-r-kewl-i-m-going-to-kill/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“they all have always loved you Will Herondale, for you cannot hide what is good about yourself, however har you try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/they-all-have-always-loved-you-will-herondale-for-you-cannot-hide/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“We work through this together, remember? No shutting me out. No epic sulks.” “I was figuring I could sulk for Idris in the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/we-work-through-this-together-remember-no-shutting-me-out-no-epic/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“Lex malla, lex nulla,” said Julian with a regretful wave of his hand. It was the Blackthorn family motto: A bad law is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/lex-malla-lex-nulla-said-julian-with-a-regretful-wave-of-his-hand-it/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Maybe that was why she couldn't cry, she realized, staring dry-eyed at the ceiling. Because what was the point in crying when there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/maybe-that-was-why-she-couldn-t-cry-she-realized-staring-dry-eyed-at/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I'm memorable, its true." -Magnus, pg.229-](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-m-memorable-its-true-magnus-pg-229/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“There is more to living than not dying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/there-is-more-to-living-than-not-dying/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Unless there was a reason for me to stay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/unless-there-was-a-reason-for-me-to-stay/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Love didn't make you weak, it made you stronger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/love-didn-t-make-you-weak-it-made-you-stronger/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“I wasn’t just worried about him; I was worried about you, too. There’s something so . . . reassuring about you. And Jace is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-wasn-t-just-worried-about-him-i-was-worried-about-you-too-there-s/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I firmly believe that you can't get a good movie without risking a bad movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-firmly-believe-that-you-can-t-get-a-good-movie-without-risking-a/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) [Explore all 4,049 Cassandra Clare quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) ## More Dagger quotes > [“Okay. Right. Horror meets romance meets erotica meets fantasy meets hip hop. Throw in some leather and some Miami Ink shit, stir with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/okay-right-horror-meets-romance-meets-erotica-meets-fantasy-meets-hip/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [Think about it. He drinks poison. What kind of man drinks poison? She is the one who stabs herself with his dagger. The manly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-fortier/think-about-it-he-drinks-poison-what-kind-of-man-drinks-poison-she-is/) [Anne Fortier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-fortier/) > [“Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-this-a-dagger-which-i-see-before-me-the-handle-toward-my-hand-come/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Plunge your dagger into the heart of an enemy and wait for the wound to grow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/plunge-your-dagger-into-the-heart-of-an-enemy-and-wait-for-the-wound/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I realized that we were all sort of conspiring, well, not conspiring against each other, but all this cloak and dagger stuff and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-san/i-realized-that-we-were-all-sort-of-conspiring-well-not-conspiring/) [Eric San](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-san/) > [The hand that held the dagger has struck it into the back of its neighbor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/the-hand-that-held-the-dagger-has-struck-it-into-the-back-of-its/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [“Xander twisted back around with a crooked grin. “Just admiring the view is all.” “You and I go back a long time, Xander.” Gavin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-lake/xander-twisted-back-around-with-a-crooked-grin-just-admiring-the-view/) [Keri Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-lake/) > [“Jesus Christ. What does it take to kill that thing?” As if taking that as her cue, the girl stabbed the dagger into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ferraro/jesus-christ-what-does-it-take-to-kill-that-thing-as-if-taking-that/) [Dave Ferraro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ferraro/) > [“But when your sword breaks, you draw your dagger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/but-when-your-sword-breaks-you-draw-your-dagger/) [C.S. 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"You're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-macalister/it-is-illegal-to-portal-anyone-while-they-are-under-duress-i-could/) [Katie MacAlister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-macalister/) [Browse all 127 Dagger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dagger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I told you before, Jem, that you would not leave me,\" Will said, his bloody hand on the hilt of the dagger. \"And you are still with me. When I breathe, I will think of you, for without you I would have been dead years ago. 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