---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's something quite magical that can…"
description: "\"There's something quite magical that can happen when a secret is no longer a secret - or is a shared secret or a common secret. By allowing those bound..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/charlotte-cotton-32739_boundaries_there-s-something-quite-magical-that-can_318327.jpg"
---

#  There's something quite magical that can happen when a…

![“There's something quite magical that can happen when a secret is no longer a secret - or is a shared secret or a common secret. By allowing those boundaries to be porous, certain forms of oppression may be lifted.” quote by Charlotte Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/charlotte-cotton-32739_boundaries_there-s-something-quite-magical-that-can_318327.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/charlotte-cotton-32739_boundaries_there-s-something-quite-magical-that-can_318327.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/charlotte-cotton-32739_boundaries_there-s-something-quite-magical-that-can_318327.jpg)

> “There's something quite magical that can happen when a secret is no longer a secret - or is a shared secret or a common secret. By allowing those boundaries to be porous, certain forms of oppression may be lifted.”

[Charlotte Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-cotton/)

## About This Quote

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

When secrets become shared, oppressive boundaries can dissolve, fostering openness and empowerment.

**In simple terms:** Sharing secrets can break down oppression.

Key Takeaway

Share information to challenge power structures.

Themes

openness empowerment transparency

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- activism
- community building
- organizational change
- personal relationships

Key Concepts

social dynamics power relations privacy

Questions to Reflect On

- What secrets could you share to help others?
- When might secrecy be protective?

A Different Perspective

Not all secrets should be disclosed; some may cause harm if revealed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Allowing Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allowing-boundaries-3006227/) [Boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Common Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-secret-3006228/) [Oppression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oppression/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Secret Allowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret-allowing-3006225/) [Secret Shared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret-shared-1838045/) [Shared Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shared-secret-3006226/)

## Related quotes

> [“She hadn't expected to be sorry, and at first she wasn't. The act itself was neither disappointing nor magical; it was what it was:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/she-hadn-t-expected-to-be-sorry-and-at-first-she-wasn-t-the-act/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [The hardest part of a secret is allowing it to remain a secret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-hardest-part-of-a-secret-is-allowing-it-to-remain-a-secret/)

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

> [This was our common ground, the secret we shared but never spoke aloud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/this-was-our-common-ground-the-secret-we-shared-but-never-spoke-aloud-2/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [You know there are no secrets in America. It's quite different in England, where people think of a secret as a shared relation between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/you-know-there-are-no-secrets-in-america-it-s-quite-different-in/)

[W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/)

> [Why can't we have a voice? What's the difference between an athlete having millions or Donald Trump? Every time a politician talks, they talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmoud-abdul-rauf/why-can-t-we-have-a-voice-what-s-the-difference-between-an-athlete/)

[Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahmoud-abdul-rauf/)

> [As a matter of fact, compromise is what oppression feeds on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-belafonte/as-a-matter-of-fact-compromise-is-what-oppression-feeds-on/)

[Harry Belafonte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-belafonte/)

> [The oppressed without hope are mysteriously quiet. When the conception of change is beyond the limits of the possible, there are no words to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-rowbotham/the-oppressed-without-hope-are-mysteriously-quiet-when-the-conception/)

[Sheila Rowbotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-rowbotham/)

> [Truth is on the side of the oppressed today, it's against the oppressor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/truth-is-on-the-side-of-the-oppressed-today-it-s-against-the-oppressor/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

> [Poor and afflicted and oppressed people have faces, and we are required to look squarely into them. We can't love what we won't experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mairs/poor-and-afflicted-and-oppressed-people-have-faces-and-we-are/)

[Nancy Mairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mairs/)

> [“Equality of condition and equality of opportunity must provide the foundation of an interdependent nation with building blocks found in dignity and respect given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-banks-lewis/equality-of-condition-and-equality-of-opportunity-must-provide-the/)

[Julie Banks Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-banks-lewis/)

> [“All struggles against oppression in the modern woeld begin by redefining what had previously been consideered private, non-public and non-political issues as matters of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyla-benhabib/all-struggles-against-oppression-in-the-modern-woeld-begin-by/)

[Seyla Benhabib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyla-benhabib/)

> [Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/single-acts-of-tyranny-may-be-ascribed-to-the-accidental-opinion-of-a/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [ \[U\]nless oppressed groups stick together, and on alliances of self interest rather than do-goodism; nothing can be accomplished in the long run to dismantle… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/u-nless-oppressed-groups-stick-together-and-on-alliances-of-self/)

[Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/)

> [Oppression that is clearly inexorable and invincible does not give rise to revolt but to submission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/oppression-that-is-clearly-inexorable-and-invincible-does-not-give/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [Oppression is something that one group of people commits against another group specifically because of a threatening characteristic shared by the latter group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-morgan/oppression-is-something-that-one-group-of-people-commits-against/)

[Robin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-morgan/)

## More by Charlotte Cotton

> [In an era where digital or virtual is the default, the actual coming together into a physical space has to be an experience that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/in-an-era-where-digital-or-virtual-is-the-default-the-actual-coming/)

[Charlotte Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-cotton/)

> [I love bells, clocks, watches - and I recall that at first photographic implements were related to techniques of cabinetmaking and the machinery of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/i-love-bells-clocks-watches-and-i-recall-that-at-first-photographic/)

[Charlotte Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-cotton/)

> [Your image is your currency in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/your-image-is-your-currency-in-this-world/)

[Charlotte Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-cotton/)

> [The real beauty of the time we're living through is that we can deploy our self-image in ways that can have radical social implications.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/the-real-beauty-of-the-time-we-re-living-through-is-that-we-can/)

[Charlotte Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-cotton/)

> [I think that the role of curating an exhibition is to reanimate history and make it relevant to a contemporary viewer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/i-think-that-the-role-of-curating-an-exhibition-is-to-reanimate/)

[Charlotte Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-cotton/)

> [Photography is, and has been since its conception, a fabulously broad church. Contemporary practice demonstrates that the medium can be a prompt, a process,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/photography-is-and-has-been-since-its-conception-a-fabulously-broad/)

[Charlotte Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-cotton/)

> [The limitation of the vlog format is that it may seem to give people enough, when they actually have no real autonomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/the-limitation-of-the-vlog-format-is-that-it-may-seem-to-give-people/)

[Charlotte Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-cotton/)

> [We are not only a civilization of amateur photographers; we are amateur curators, editors, and publishers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/we-are-not-only-a-civilization-of-amateur-photographers-we-are/)

[Charlotte Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-cotton/)

> [Every time you enter a space, you are on public display. Nothing is private.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/every-time-you-enter-a-space-you-are-on-public-display-nothing-is/)

[Charlotte Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-cotton/)

> [I think the twenty-first-century modality is exhibitionism. Exhibitionism is our contemporary strategy for maintaining our boundaries, which is to be boundary-less - to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/i-think-the-twenty-first-century-modality-is-exhibitionism/)

[Charlotte Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-cotton/)

> [I have to admit to you, I am the person who's done probably the least analysis on the selfie, because it's a bit like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/i-have-to-admit-to-you-i-am-the-person-who-s-done-probably-the-least/)

[Charlotte Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-cotton/)

> [More platform-sensitive generations will make distinctions between online and in-person intimacy, whereas fourteen-year-olds have very nuanced online selves and might embody their virtual identity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/more-platform-sensitive-generations-will-make-distinctions-between/)

[Charlotte Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-cotton/)

> [The internet does not adhere to the inherent, necessary asymmetry of high-versus-low-art categorizations that we use in the cultural sector: in a banal sense,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/the-internet-does-not-adhere-to-the-inherent-necessary-asymmetry-of/)

[Charlotte Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-cotton/)

> [Photography's relationship with pornography is as old as photography. That kind of unholy relationship is formed from the very beginning, and there's a reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/photography-s-relationship-with-pornography-is-as-old-as-photography/)

[Charlotte Cotton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-cotton/)

[Explore all 15 Charlotte Cotton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-cotton/)

## More Boundaries quotes

> [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/)

[Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/)

> [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/)

[Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/)

> [While the world of reality has its limits, the world of your imagination is without boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/while-the-world-of-reality-has-its-limits-the-world-of-your/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/)

[L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/)

> [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [I never go anywhere or do anything that transports me outside the boundaries of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-never-go-anywhere-or-do-anything-that-transports-me-outside-the/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [As a kid, in the Runaways, I would see the interviewers start to ask about our personal lives and what we did — and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-jett/as-a-kid-in-the-runaways-i-would-see-the-interviewers-start-to-ask/)

[Joan Jett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-jett/)

> [Understanding science and pushing the boundaries of science is what makes me immensely satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/understanding-science-and-pushing-the-boundaries-of-science-is-what/)

[Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/)

> [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [“Let us not subside into a single mandatory way of thinking or feeling, immersed by a spirit of self-gratification. But let’s dig into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/let-us-not-subside-into-a-single-mandatory-way-of-thinking-or-feeling/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [The question of boundaries is a major question of the Jewish people because the Jews are the great experts of crossing boundaries. They have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-yehoshua/the-question-of-boundaries-is-a-major-question-of-the-jewish-people/)

[A. B. Yehoshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-yehoshua/)

> [Working against a restriction - for me - often produces greater things than getting rid of all boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-lord/working-against-a-restriction-for-me-often-produces-greater-things/)

[Jon Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-lord/)

> [That's what all art's about - a sense of moving away from boundaries that you can't in real life. Like a dancer is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-bush/that-s-what-all-art-s-about-a-sense-of-moving-away-from-boundaries/)

[Kate Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-bush/)

> [The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/)

[Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/)

[Browse all 2,012 Boundaries quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boundaries/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There's something quite magical that can happen when a secret is no longer a secret - or is a shared secret or a common secret. By allowing those boundaries to be porous, certain forms of oppression may be lifted.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charlotte Cotton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/there-s-something-quite-magical-that-can-happen-when-a-secret-is-no/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Boundaries"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/there-s-something-quite-magical-that-can-happen-when-a-secret-is-no/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/charlotte-cotton-32739_boundaries_there-s-something-quite-magical-that-can_318327.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/charlotte-cotton-32739_boundaries_there-s-something-quite-magical-that-can_318327.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d63/charlotte-cotton-32739_boundaries_there-s-something-quite-magical-that-can_318327.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There's something quite magical that can happen when a secret is no longer a secret - or is a shared secret…” — Charlotte Cotton",
                "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": "Charlotte Cotton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-cotton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There's something quite magical that can...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/there-s-something-quite-magical-that-can-happen-when-a-secret-is-no/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-cotton/there-s-something-quite-magical-that-can-happen-when-a-secret-is-no/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
