---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oh, Kenneth, Kenneth, believe me…"
description: "\"“Oh, Kenneth, Kenneth, believe me - there's nothing I'd rather do! I want like hell to tell you. But I can't. I quite literally can't. Because, don't y..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/christopher-isherwood-2302_book_oh-kenneth-kenneth-believe-me-there-s-no_1849947.png"
---

#  Oh, Kenneth, Kenneth, believe me - there's nothing I'd…

![“Oh, Kenneth, Kenneth, believe me - there's nothing I'd rather do! I want like hell to tell you. But I can't. I quite literally can't. Because, don't you see, what I know is what I am? And I can't tell you that. You have to find it out for yourself. I'm like a book you have to read. A book can't…” quote by Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/christopher-isherwood-2302_book_oh-kenneth-kenneth-believe-me-there-s-no_1849947.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/christopher-isherwood-2302_book_oh-kenneth-kenneth-believe-me-there-s-no_1849947.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/christopher-isherwood-2302_book_oh-kenneth-kenneth-believe-me-there-s-no_1849947.png)

> ““Oh, Kenneth, Kenneth, believe me - there's nothing I'd rather do! I want like hell to tell you. But I can't. I quite literally can't. Because, don't you see, what I know is what I am? And I can't tell you that. You have to find it out for yourself. I'm like a book you have to read. A book can't read itself to you. It doesn't even know what it's about. I don't know what I'm about.””

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

## 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 admits that self‑knowledge is elusive; one must discover identity through personal experience rather than being told.

**In simple terms:** You can’t be told who you are; you must discover it yourself.

Key Takeaway

Seek self‑discovery through lived experience.

Themes

identity self‑knowledge personal growth

Mood

reflective introspective

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- therapy
- creative writing
- education
- spiritual quests

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you explore your own identity?
- What experiences reveal your true self?

A Different Perspective

Self‑knowledge may remain hidden without effort.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

## Related quotes

> [“Hell,’ I tell her, ‘is where all the interesting people are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannu-rajaniemi/hell-i-tell-her-is-where-all-the-interesting-people-are/)

[Hannu Rajaniemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannu-rajaniemi/)

> [“If anybody tells says you have to follow his or her #religion or you're going to hell, tell that silly ass to go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fakeer-ishavardas/if-anybody-tells-says-you-have-to-follow-his-or-her-religion-or-you/)

[Fakeer Ishavardas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fakeer-ishavardas/)

> [“And what is hell? Can you tell me that?” “A pit full of fire.” “And should you like to fall into that pit, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/and-what-is-hell-can-you-tell-me-that-a-pit-full-of-fire-and-should/)

[Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [When your goin threw hell tell the devil I'm Just passing threw and keep going…heaven will find you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-ardoin/when-your-goin-threw-hell-tell-the-devil-i-m-just-passing-threw-and/)

India Ardoin

> [“I'm going to tell you like it is, then you can tell me how you heard it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherri-a-dub/i-m-going-to-tell-you-like-it-is-then-you-can-tell-me-how-you-heard-it/)

Sherri A. Dub

> [“I'm like a book you have to read. A book can't read itself to you. It doesn't even know what it's about.” Christopher Isherwood,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/i-m-like-a-book-you-have-to-read-a-book-can-t-read-itself-to-you-it-2/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [I'm like a book you have to read. A book can't read itself to you. It doesn't even know what it's about. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/i-m-like-a-book-you-have-to-read-a-book-can-t-read-itself-to-you-it/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [I tell it like it is, stuff pretty much everyone can relate to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-breuer/i-tell-it-like-it-is-stuff-pretty-much-everyone-can-relate-to/)

[Jim Breuer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-breuer/)

> [I don't tell myself what to do and what not to. If I like a show, I do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-wahi/i-don-t-tell-myself-what-to-do-and-what-not-to-if-i-like-a-show-i-do/)

[Karan Wahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-wahi/)

> [I'm just a real person and I tell it like it is. I don't have a lot of secrets, which has been a fault…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nene-leakes/i-m-just-a-real-person-and-i-tell-it-like-it-is-i-don-t-have-a-lot-of/)

[NeNe Leakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nene-leakes/)

> [Jimi was a good guy 'til he got into drugs. That's the way it is. I just tell it like it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-dale/jimi-was-a-good-guy-til-he-got-into-drugs-that-s-the-way-it-is-i-just/)

[Dick Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-dale/)

> [When I give a speech, I tell it like a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-parscale/when-i-give-a-speech-i-tell-it-like-a-story/)

[Brad Parscale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-parscale/)

> [I tell it like it is, and call it how I see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/i-tell-it-like-it-is-and-call-it-how-i-see-it/)

[Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/)

> [“Tell it like it never really was and maybe we'll see it like it is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lueders/tell-it-like-it-never-really-was-and-maybe-we-ll-see-it-like-it-is/)

Edward Lueders

> [Did I ever tell you that you are like sunshine in the middle of the night?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/did-i-ever-tell-you-that-you-are-like-sunshine-in-the-middle-of-the/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

## More by Christopher Isherwood

> [“From his angle, the curtain seems to form itself into a shrouded, wavering figure, indescribably terrifying in its very indistinctness. Something waiting, hovering on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/from-his-angle-the-curtain-seems-to-form-itself-into-a-shrouded/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“If you really have talent, you know, you'll go on writing - whatever people say to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/if-you-really-have-talent-you-know-you-ll-go-on-writing-whatever/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [But seriously, I believe I'm a sort of Ideal Woman, if you know what I mean. I'm the sort of woman who can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/but-seriously-i-believe-i-m-a-sort-of-ideal-woman-if-you-know-what-i/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [If it’s going to be a world with no time for sentiment, it’s not a world that I want to live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/if-it-s-going-to-be-a-world-with-no-time-for-sentiment-it-s-not-a/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“By the time it has gotten dressed, it has become he; has become already more or less George — though still not the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/by-the-time-it-has-gotten-dressed-it-has-become-he-has-become-already/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“George feels that, even if all this double talk hasn't brought them any closer to understanding each other, the not-understanding, the readiness to remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/george-feels-that-even-if-all-this-double-talk-hasn-t-brought-them/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“Now, for example, people with freckles aren’t thought of as a minority by the nonfreckled. They aren’t a minority in the sense we’re talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/now-for-example-people-with-freckles-aren-t-thought-of-as-a-minority/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“Even when they are geniuses in spite of it, their masterpieces are invariably warped.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/even-when-they-are-geniuses-in-spite-of-it-their-masterpieces-are/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“Here, in their midst, George feels a sort of vertigo. Oh God, what will become of them all? What chance have they? Ought I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/here-in-their-midst-george-feels-a-sort-of-vertigo-oh-god-what-will/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“I put my genius into my life, not into my art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/i-put-my-genius-into-my-life-not-into-my-art/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [We must remember that nothing in this world really belongs to us. At best, we are merely borrowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/we-must-remember-that-nothing-in-this-world-really-belongs-to-us-at/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [In the eternal lazy morning of the Pacific, days slip away into months, months into years; the seasons are reduced to the faintest nuance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/in-the-eternal-lazy-morning-of-the-pacific-days-slip-away-into-months/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“Waking up begins with am and now. That which has awoken then lies for a while staring up at the ceiling and down into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/waking-up-begins-with-am-and-now-that-which-has-awoken-then-lies-for/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [“Like a long train which stops at every dingy little station, the winter dragged slowly past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/like-a-long-train-which-stops-at-every-dingy-little-station-the/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [Every writer has certain subjects that they write about again and again, and . . . most people's books are just variations on certain themes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/every-writer-has-certain-subjects-that-they-write-about-again-and/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

[Explore all 169 Christopher Isherwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Oh, Kenneth, Kenneth, believe me - there's nothing I'd rather do! I want like hell to tell you. But I can't. I quite literally can't. Because, don't you see, what I know is what I am? And I can't tell you that. You have to find it out for yourself. I'm like a book you have to read. A book can't read itself to you. It doesn't even know what it's about. I don't know what I'm about.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Christopher Isherwood"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/oh-kenneth-kenneth-believe-me-there-s-nothing-i-d-rather-do-i-want/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/oh-kenneth-kenneth-believe-me-there-s-nothing-i-d-rather-do-i-want/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/christopher-isherwood-2302_book_oh-kenneth-kenneth-believe-me-there-s-no_1849947.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/christopher-isherwood-2302_book_oh-kenneth-kenneth-believe-me-there-s-no_1849947.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a87/christopher-isherwood-2302_book_oh-kenneth-kenneth-believe-me-there-s-no_1849947.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Oh, Kenneth, Kenneth, believe me - there's nothing I'd rather do! I want like hell to tell you. But I can't…” — Christopher Isherwood",
                "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": "Christopher Isherwood",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Oh, Kenneth, Kenneth, believe me -...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/oh-kenneth-kenneth-believe-me-there-s-nothing-i-d-rather-do-i-want/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/oh-kenneth-kenneth-believe-me-there-s-nothing-i-d-rather-do-i-want/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```