--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I looked at Mum and realized -- twang!…" description: "\"I looked at Mum and realized -- twang! -- that she was telling an untruth. A big untruth. And I remember thinking in that instant how thrilling and gro..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/christopher-buckley-27730_bigs_i-looked-at-mum-and-realized-twang-that_388210.jpg" --- # I looked at Mum and realized -- twang! -- that she was… ![“I looked at Mum and realized -- twang! -- that she was telling an untruth. A big untruth. And I remember thinking in that instant how thrilling and grown-up it must be to say something so completely untrue, as opposed to the little amateur fibs I was already practiced at -- horrid little…” quote by Christopher Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/christopher-buckley-27730_bigs_i-looked-at-mum-and-realized-twang-that_388210.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/christopher-buckley-27730_bigs_i-looked-at-mum-and-realized-twang-that_388210.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17c/christopher-buckley-27730_bigs_i-looked-at-mum-and-realized-twang-that_388210.jpg) > “I looked at Mum and realized -- twang! -- that she was telling an untruth. A big untruth. And I remember thinking in that instant how thrilling and grown-up it must be to say something so completely untrue, as opposed to the little amateur fibs I was already practiced at -- horrid little apprentice sinner that I was --like the ones about you'd already said your prayers or washed under the fingernails. Yes, I was impressed. I too must learn to say these gorgeous untruths. Imaginary kings and queens would be my houseguests when I was older.” [Christopher Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-buckley/) ## 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 admires the boldness of deliberate falsehoods, seeing them as a sign of adult confidence, contrasting with harmless small lies. **In simple terms:** Admiring bold lies over harmless fibs. Key Takeaway Recognize the difference between harmless and harmful deceit. Themes confidence deceit growth imagination morality Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - adult conversations - creative writing - personal reflection - storytelling - ethical decision making Key Concepts psychology social dynamics ethical boundaries Questions to Reflect On - Do you ever justify larger lies as a sign of maturity? - When does imagination cross into deception? A Different Perspective Bold falsehoods can erode trust and integrity if normalized. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Fingernails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fingernails/) [Gorgeous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gorgeous/) [Imaginary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginary/) [Instant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instant/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Kings and queens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings-and-queens/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Mum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mum/) [Our prayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-prayers/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Queens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/queens/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Sinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinner/) [Telling Untruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/telling-untruth-2928010/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Untrue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/untrue/) [Untruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/untruth/) [Untruths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/untruths/) [Untruths Imaginary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/untruths-imaginary-3507600/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [Lying is a crime the least liable to variation in its definitions. A child will upon the slightest temptation tell an untruth as readily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-priestley/lying-is-a-crime-the-least-liable-to-variation-in-its-definitions-a/) [Joseph Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-priestley/) > [“In his opinion, all the world’s misfortunes stemmed from the countless untruths, both deliberate and unintentional, which people told because of haste or carelessness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende/in-his-opinion-all-the-world-s-misfortunes-stemmed-from-the-countless/) [Michael Ende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende/) > [“People who tell untruths are easily deceived because they have placed their energy in that negative vibration location and are now a match for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-friedenfeld/people-who-tell-untruths-are-easily-deceived-because-they-have-placed/) [Molly Friedenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-friedenfeld/) > [There are infinite possibilities of error, and more cranks take up fashionable untruths than unfashionable truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/there-are-infinite-possibilities-of-error-and-more-cranks-take-up/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [ I don't like to see facts twisted, untruths fabricated to give the \[Supreme Court\] nominee a black eye, even before he comes before Senate… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-grassley/i-don-t-like-to-see-facts-twisted-untruths-fabricated-to-give-the/) [Chuck Grassley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-grassley/) > [Live by the harmless untruths that make you brave and kind and healthy and happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/live-by-the-harmless-untruths-that-make-you-brave-and-kind-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Not all deceptions are palatable. 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You could build a whole life's story on false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/it-was-possible-maybe-to-have-facts-in-your-mind-that-weren-t-facts/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [The more we read God’s truths and let truth fill our minds, the less time we’ll spend contemplating untruths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/the-more-we-read-god-s-truths-and-let-truth-fill-our-minds-the-less/) [Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/) > [“when Melanchthon recalled it, although, as we have said, he was not yet in Wittenberg when it happened, and was really only recounting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-metaxas/when-melanchthon-recalled-it-although-as-we-have-said-he-was-not-yet/) [Eric Metaxas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-metaxas/) > [“Then there is the matter of the presidential untruths. The problem is not just that Barack Obama says things that are untrue but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/then-there-is-the-matter-of-the-presidential-untruths-the-problem-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But the lie had to be a good one, because if your lie is badly done it makes everyone feel wretched, liar and lied-to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/but-the-lie-had-to-be-a-good-one-because-if-your-lie-is-badly-done-it/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [Don't read, click links or subscribe to any media organisations that peddle sinister untruths and stereotypes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eniola-aluko/don-t-read-click-links-or-subscribe-to-any-media-organisations-that/) [Eniola Aluko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eniola-aluko/) > [“No happy marriage was, in his estimation, ever based on thoughtless, automatic untruths and exclusions. 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Just inside the door on the left is the room where they held the proceedings. Jarek remarks that the SS officer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-buckley/block-of-death-just-inside-the-door-on-the-left-is-the-room-where/) [Christopher Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-buckley/) > [The best advice on writing I've ever received was from William Zinsser: 'Be grateful for every word you can cut.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-buckley/the-best-advice-on-writing-i-ve-ever-received-was-from-william/) [Christopher Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-buckley/) [Explore all 20 Christopher Buckley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-buckley/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) [Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I looked at Mum and realized -- twang! -- that she was telling an untruth. A big untruth. And I remember thinking in that instant how thrilling and grown-up it must be to say something so completely untrue, as opposed to the little amateur fibs I was already practiced at -- horrid little apprentice sinner that I was --like the ones about you'd already said your prayers or washed under the fingernails. Yes, I was impressed. I too must learn to say these gorgeous untruths. 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