--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are our secrets, and, if all goes…" description: "\"“We are our secrets, and, if all goes well, we will take them with us to where no-one can touch them.”\" — Cees Nooteboom" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/cees-nooteboom-17398_goes_we-are-our-secrets-and-if-all-goes-well_285397.jpg" --- # We are our secrets, and, if all goes well, we will take… ![“We are our secrets, and, if all goes well, we will take them with us to where no-one can touch them.” quote by Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/cees-nooteboom-17398_goes_we-are-our-secrets-and-if-all-goes-well_285397.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/cees-nooteboom-17398_goes_we-are-our-secrets-and-if-all-goes-well_285397.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/cees-nooteboom-17398_goes_we-are-our-secrets-and-if-all-goes-well_285397.jpg) > ““We are our secrets, and, if all goes well, we will take them with us to where no-one can touch them.”” [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our hidden inner lives define us, and we carry them beyond any external threat. **In simple terms:** Secrets shape identity and endure beyond harm. Key Takeaway Guard your inner truth. Themes identity privacy resilience Mood reflective serious Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal crises - legal testimony - digital privacy - end‑of‑life planning Key Concepts existentialism selfhood Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of yourself are truly private? - How do you protect your inner self? A Different Perspective Secrets can be exposed despite precautions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Secrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrets/) ## Related quotes > [I grew up listening to hits, and if I write something I feel, I think that's pretty mass appeal. I'm not very elitist with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-warren/i-grew-up-listening-to-hits-and-if-i-write-something-i-feel-i-think/) [Diane Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-warren/) > [They put all this money into these huge films and then no one goes to see them. That sort of shows they're out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/they-put-all-this-money-into-these-huge-films-and-then-no-one-goes-to/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [My Christian Louboutins are also one of the secrets to my not-for-profit success. Here's why - and it's something that everyone who manages employees,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-lublin/my-christian-louboutins-are-also-one-of-the-secrets-to-my-not-for/) [Nancy Lublin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-lublin/) > [Secrets are more powerful when people know you've got them," said Mr. Sutton. "You show them the tiniest edge of your secret, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-lockhart/secrets-are-more-powerful-when-people-know-you-ve-got-them-said-mr/) [E. Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-lockhart/) > [I try to write the books I would love to come upon that are honest, concerned with real lives, human hearts, spiritual transformation, families,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-try-to-write-the-books-i-would-love-to-come-upon-that-are-honest/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [None are so fond of secrets as those who do not mean to keep them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/none-are-so-fond-of-secrets-as-those-who-do-not-mean-to-keep-them/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Sometimes just the act of sharing a painful secret can relieve some of the pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-just-the-act-of-sharing-a-painful-secret-can-relieve-some/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'll tell you all my secrets but I lie about my past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-ll-tell-you-all-my-secrets-but-i-lie-about-my-past/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [“To let one into your mind was to give him or her all your secrets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-patrick-kennedy/to-let-one-into-your-mind-was-to-give-him-or-her-all-your-secrets/) John Patrick Kennedy > [I wonder if it's ever really possible to know the truth about someone else, or if the best we can do is just stumble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/i-wonder-if-it-s-ever-really-possible-to-know-the-truth-about-someone/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [The value of secrets is ever fluctuating although ladies who have been in society for a long time learn that a secret kept can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-godbersen/the-value-of-secrets-is-ever-fluctuating-although-ladies-who-have/) [Anna Godbersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-godbersen/) > [Some secrets are better left at that -as secrets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bushnell/some-secrets-are-better-left-at-that-as-secrets/) [Candace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bushnell/) > [“It hardly needs to be said: sooner or later secrets have a way of making themselves known.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/it-hardly-needs-to-be-said-sooner-or-later-secrets-have-a-way-of/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [Every person has at least one secret that will break your heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana/every-person-has-at-least-one-secret-that-will-break-your-heart/) [AnA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana/) > [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## More by Cees Nooteboom > [Man has been thrown into the world. It had always made him think of Icarus and those other great tumblers, Ixion, Phaeton, Tantalus -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/man-has-been-thrown-into-the-world-it-had-always-made-him-think-of/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [“Kummer hat etwas in den Linien deines Gesichts zu suchen, nicht in deiner Erinnerung.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/kummer-hat-etwas-in-den-linien-deines-gesichts-zu-suchen-nicht-in/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [I have never cared much for people. Most of them are cowards, conformists, muddleheads, moneygrubbers, and they infect each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/i-have-never-cared-much-for-people-most-of-them-are-cowards/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [As far as he could see, the world was moving, in an orderly capitalist fashion, toward a logical, perhaps provisional, perhaps permanent, end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/as-far-as-he-could-see-the-world-was-moving-in-an-orderly-capitalist/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [The world is a never-ending cross-reference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/the-world-is-a-never-ending-cross-reference/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [“...a poem is only finished when the last reader has read it or listened to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/a-poem-is-only-finished-when-the-last-reader-has-read-it-or-listened/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [“All right, she thought I was a funny little geezer, but my charred Phaethon had impressed her, I was very obviously available, and she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/all-right-she-thought-i-was-a-funny-little-geezer-but-my-charred/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [Through men ... you learn how the world is. Through women you learn what it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/through-men-you-learn-how-the-world-is-through-women-you-learn-what/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [“Conversations consist for the most part of things one does not say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/conversations-consist-for-the-most-part-of-things-one-does-not-say/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [So-called real life has only once interfered with me, and it had been a far cry from what the words, lines, books had prepared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/so-called-real-life-has-only-once-interfered-with-me-and-it-had-been/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [I am a hindrance to the world, and the world is a hindrance to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/i-am-a-hindrance-to-the-world-and-the-world-is-a-hindrance-to-me/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [Man is a sad mammal that combs its hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/man-is-a-sad-mammal-that-combs-its-hair/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [Language is something you inherit, it's never just you doing the talking, which helps when you're pretending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/language-is-something-you-inherit-it-s-never-just-you-doing-the/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [“Omnivore, omnifume, omniboit, omnivoit. Ne znaš odabrati, to je uvijek nedostatak izvrsnosti. Zato si ti svaštar. To je netko kome je sve lijepo. Život…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/omnivore-omnifume-omniboit-omnivoit-ne-zna-odabrati-to-je-uvijek/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) > [He regarded life as a rather odd club of which he had accidentally become a member and from which one could be expelled without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/he-regarded-life-as-a-rather-odd-club-of-which-he-had-accidentally/) [Cees Nooteboom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) [Explore all 24 Cees Nooteboom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/) ## More Goes quotes > [I wonder: when a Jehovah's Witness dies and goes to Heaven, does God hide behind the door and pretend He's not home?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-celio/i-wonder-when-a-jehovah-s-witness-dies-and-goes-to-heaven-does-god/) [Brian Celio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-celio/) > [Hollywood regency never goes out of style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-spencer/hollywood-regency-never-goes-out-of-style/) [Lara Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-spencer/) > [Because there is actually something very interesting in Goodfellas, how the style of the film changes as time goes by and based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cox/because-there-is-actually-something-very-interesting-in-goodfellas/) [Alex Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cox/) > [Everybody out there watches the show and has expectations of wanting to be an 'Idol', but we're going to teach them how much hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-bice/everybody-out-there-watches-the-show-and-has-expectations-of-wanting/) [Bo Bice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-bice/) > [“Everybody goes where everybody goes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-vato/everybody-goes-where-everybody-goes/) [Thomas Vato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-vato/) > [It goes way, way back when we were under Sweden's rule. We always think they are better than us. We played against them so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saku-koivu/it-goes-way-way-back-when-we-were-under-sweden-s-rule-we-always-think/) [Saku Koivu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saku-koivu/) > [As the generalization goes about the art industry, people can be really challenging and thought-provoking in their thinking and questioning the status quo, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-cole/as-the-generalization-goes-about-the-art-industry-people-can-be/) [Lily Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-cole/) > [Time goes on, even when yer not looking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/time-goes-on-even-when-yer-not-looking/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [I'm an Indian and I shall not do anything that goes against my ethos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherlyn-chopra/i-m-an-indian-and-i-shall-not-do-anything-that-goes-against-my-ethos/) [Sherlyn Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherlyn-chopra/) > [“Steady as she goes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlo-thomas/steady-as-she-goes/) [Marlo Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlo-thomas/) > [It's a crazy game that goes up and down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-schwarber/it-s-a-crazy-game-that-goes-up-and-down/) [Kyle Schwarber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-schwarber/) > [As far as vintage Champagne goes, I loved 1990; it's a great, great vintage. I bought a lot of 1990 Blanc de Blancs Champagne…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-parker-jr/as-far-as-vintage-champagne-goes-i-loved-1990-it-s-a-great-great/) [Robert M. Parker, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-parker-jr/) > [The weird thing about metal fans is we're all so maladjusted in a lot of ways. We're individualistic and opinionated and severe in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/the-weird-thing-about-metal-fans-is-we-re-all-so-maladjusted-in-a-lot/) [Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/) > [Growing up, my dad drank a lot of wine, so I got a taste for, and learned how to enjoy it. He spoke a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-araya/growing-up-my-dad-drank-a-lot-of-wine-so-i-got-a-taste-for-and/) [Tom Araya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-araya/) > [I have a large watch collection, and classic watches are especially important to me. I had a silver Rolex, and I actually gave it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-have-a-large-watch-collection-and-classic-watches-are-especially/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) Browse all 1,559 Goes quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We are our secrets, and, if all goes well, we will take them with us to where no-one can touch them.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cees Nooteboom" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/we-are-our-secrets-and-if-all-goes-well-we-will-take-them-with-us-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Goes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/we-are-our-secrets-and-if-all-goes-well-we-will-take-them-with-us-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/cees-nooteboom-17398_goes_we-are-our-secrets-and-if-all-goes-well_285397.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/cees-nooteboom-17398_goes_we-are-our-secrets-and-if-all-goes-well_285397.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/52d/cees-nooteboom-17398_goes_we-are-our-secrets-and-if-all-goes-well_285397.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are our secrets, and, if all goes well, we will take them with us to where no-one can touch them.” — Cees Nooteboom", "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": "Cees Nooteboom", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cees-nooteboom/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“We are our secrets, and, if...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/we-are-our-secrets-and-if-all-goes-well-we-will-take-them-with-us-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cees-nooteboom/we-are-our-secrets-and-if-all-goes-well-we-will-take-them-with-us-to/#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 } } ] } ```