---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there's one thing I've learned, it's…"
description: "\"“If there's one thing I've learned, it's that people are bad at keeping secrets, and eventually everything shows.”\" — Cristin Terrill"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/cristin-terrill-15710_keeping-secrets_if-there-s-one-thing-i-ve-learned-it-s-t_1501555.jpg"
---

#  If there's one thing I've learned, it's that people are…

![“If there's one thing I've learned, it's that people are bad at keeping secrets, and eventually everything shows.” quote by Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/cristin-terrill-15710_keeping-secrets_if-there-s-one-thing-i-ve-learned-it-s-t_1501555.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/cristin-terrill-15710_keeping-secrets_if-there-s-one-thing-i-ve-learned-it-s-t_1501555.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/643/cristin-terrill-15710_keeping-secrets_if-there-s-one-thing-i-ve-learned-it-s-t_1501555.jpg)

> ““If there's one thing I've learned, it's that people are bad at keeping secrets, and eventually everything shows.””

[Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

## About This Quote

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

Secrets are hard to keep; eventually truth emerges, revealing hidden realities.

**In simple terms:** Secrets don’t stay hidden forever.

Key Takeaway

Embrace transparency early.

Themes

trust secrecy revelation integrity

Mood

thoughtful cautious

Type

advisory philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal life
- business
- government
- social media

Key Concepts

information leakage human nature

Questions to Reflect On

- What secrets are you withholding?
- How might openness change outcomes?

A Different Perspective

Some secrets may cause harm if revealed too soon.

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[Keeping secrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keeping-secrets/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Secrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrets/)

## Related quotes

> [I'm so bad at keeping my own secrets to myself, I just end up telling everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-so-bad-at-keeping-my-own-secrets-to-myself-i-just-end-up-telling/)

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

> [Most of us are pretty good at keeping promises to others and pretty bad at keeping promises to ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-leshan/most-of-us-are-pretty-good-at-keeping-promises-to-others-and-pretty/)

[Lawrence LeShan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-leshan/)

> [...women are better at keeping secrets, but men are more comfortable with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/women-are-better-at-keeping-secrets-but-men-are-more-comfortable-with/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“...keeping secrets will tear you up inside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/keeping-secrets-will-tear-you-up-inside/)

[Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/)

> [“for the keeping of secrets from adults is oft the only power a child may hope to possess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/for-the-keeping-of-secrets-from-adults-is-oft-the-only-power-a-child/)

[Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/)

> [“I was good at keeping secrets from my parents (it's one of the things we learn while growing up, after all).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/i-was-good-at-keeping-secrets-from-my-parents-it-s-one-of-the-things/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

> [I am not very good at keeping secrets at all! If you want your secret kept do not tell me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/i-am-not-very-good-at-keeping-secrets-at-all-if-you-want-your-secret/)

[Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/)

> [You were busy keeping secrets. Secrets you was telling everybody but me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-were-busy-keeping-secrets-secrets-you-was-telling-everybody-but-me/)

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

> [I tried to keep us together , you was to busy keeping secrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/i-tried-to-keep-us-together-you-was-to-busy-keeping-secrets/)

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

> [Trade your secrets and become who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-warren/trade-your-secrets-and-become-who-you-are/)

[Frank Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-warren/)

> [“I know I can't own a hilltop, a meadow, or a mountainside. But keeping it a secret somehow makes it mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-rachelle/i-know-i-can-t-own-a-hilltop-a-meadow-or-a-mountainside-but-keeping/)

[Joyce Rachelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-rachelle/)

> [“Tell me what you're thinking.' I wind my arms around his neck. 'I was thinking you are exactly as I predicted the first time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-yarros/tell-me-what-you-re-thinking-i-wind-my-arms-around-his-neck-i-was/)

[Rebecca Yarros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-yarros/)

> [“Keeping secrets from your father will only lead to trouble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-r-ford/keeping-secrets-from-your-father-will-only-lead-to-trouble/)

[S.R. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-r-ford/)

> [The first rule in keeping secrets is nothing on paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-powers/the-first-rule-in-keeping-secrets-is-nothing-on-paper/)

[Thomas Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-powers/)

> [I am the worst at keeping secrets. I am the kind of person that the second I buy someone a Christmas present, I tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-chastain/i-am-the-worst-at-keeping-secrets-i-am-the-kind-of-person-that-the/)

[Jessica Chastain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-chastain/)

## More by Cristin Terrill

> [“I struggle to keep my hard, expressionless mask in place. The doctor's most powerful weapon has always been his particular brand of brutal honesty.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/i-struggle-to-keep-my-hard-expressionless-mask-in-place-the-doctor-s/)

[Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

> [“For a second I'd forgotten. And when I remembered, it stung all over again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/for-a-second-i-d-forgotten-and-when-i-remembered-it-stung-all-over/)

[Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

> [“Let me look at you.” I pull away and put my hands on his cheeks, examining his face. Blue eyes, of course. And how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/let-me-look-at-you-i-pull-away-and-put-my-hands-on-his-cheeks/)

[Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

> [“Loving someone doesn't ever completely go away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/loving-someone-doesn-t-ever-completely-go-away/)

[Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

> [“The truth is, the world is a fucked up place sometimes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/the-truth-is-the-world-is-a-fucked-up-place-sometimes/)

[Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

> [“I tell her everything I wish I had ever known.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/i-tell-her-everything-i-wish-i-had-ever-known/)

[Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

> [“He's got it all. The lineage, the resources, the perfect presidential hair. He'd be crazy not to run.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/he-s-got-it-all-the-lineage-the-resources-the-perfect-presidential/)

[Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

> [“It's a silence I know. The kind that's actually a sound so loud your brain doesn't know how to interpret it at first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/it-s-a-silence-i-know-the-kind-that-s-actually-a-sound-so-loud-your/)

[Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

> [“Well, that was easy,' I whisper as we follow the little signs with arrows that lead toward room 126. 'No, that was very dangerous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/well-that-was-easy-i-whisper-as-we-follow-the-little-signs-with/)

[Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

> [“I almost regret having to tell him this. No one should be confronted with the depths of darkness they're capable of all at once.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/i-almost-regret-having-to-tell-him-this-no-one-should-be-confronted/)

[Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

> [“They were the best family I'd ever had, and it was all total, total bullshit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/they-were-the-best-family-i-d-ever-had-and-it-was-all-total-total/)

[Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

> [“If I don't want, I can't be disappointed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/if-i-don-t-want-i-can-t-be-disappointed/)

[Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

> [“How long have I loved Finn? It crept up on me so gradually, I don't know if I can even pin the moment down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/how-long-have-i-loved-finn-it-crept-up-on-me-so-gradually-i-don-t/)

[Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

> [“I had the sudden strange feeling that she was seeing me and not the cloud of Danny Tate around me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/i-had-the-sudden-strange-feeling-that-she-was-seeing-me-and-not-the/)

[Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

> [“And, for some strange reason, I believe it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristin-terrill/and-for-some-strange-reason-i-believe-it/)

[Cristin Terrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

[Explore all 42 Cristin Terrill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristin-terrill/)

## More Keeping secrets quotes

> [...women are better at keeping secrets, but men are more comfortable with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/women-are-better-at-keeping-secrets-but-men-are-more-comfortable-with/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“for the keeping of secrets from adults is oft the only power a child may hope to possess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/for-the-keeping-of-secrets-from-adults-is-oft-the-only-power-a-child/)

[Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/)

> [But keeping secrets is a discipline. I never use to think of myself as a good liar, but after having had some practice I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/but-keeping-secrets-is-a-discipline-i-never-use-to-think-of-myself-as/)

[Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/)

> [“I know I can't own a hilltop, a meadow, or a mountainside. But keeping it a secret somehow makes it mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-rachelle/i-know-i-can-t-own-a-hilltop-a-meadow-or-a-mountainside-but-keeping/)

[Joyce Rachelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-rachelle/)

> [The problem with losing your anonymity is that you can never go back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marla-maples/the-problem-with-losing-your-anonymity-is-that-you-can-never-go-back/)

[Marla Maples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marla-maples/)

> [“...keeping secrets will tear you up inside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/keeping-secrets-will-tear-you-up-inside/)

[Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/)

> [The first rule in keeping secrets is nothing on paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-powers/the-first-rule-in-keeping-secrets-is-nothing-on-paper/)

[Thomas Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-powers/)

> [“Keeping secrets from your father will only lead to trouble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-r-ford/keeping-secrets-from-your-father-will-only-lead-to-trouble/)

[S.R. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-r-ford/)

> [“Tell me what you're thinking.' I wind my arms around his neck. 'I was thinking you are exactly as I predicted the first time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-yarros/tell-me-what-you-re-thinking-i-wind-my-arms-around-his-neck-i-was/)

[Rebecca Yarros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-yarros/)

> [I am the worst at keeping secrets. I am the kind of person that the second I buy someone a Christmas present, I tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-chastain/i-am-the-worst-at-keeping-secrets-i-am-the-kind-of-person-that-the/)

[Jessica Chastain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-chastain/)

> [“The Immari are good at keeping secrets. For 2,000 years, they’ve hidden the truth about human evolution. They’ve also searched for an ancient enemy—a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/the-immari-are-good-at-keeping-secrets-for-2-000-years-they-ve-hidden/)

[A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/)

> [If you would keep your secret from an enemy, tell it not to a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/if-you-would-keep-your-secret-from-an-enemy-tell-it-not-to-a-friend/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Trade your secrets and become who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-warren/trade-your-secrets-and-become-who-you-are/)

[Frank Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-warren/)

> [I tried to keep us together , you was to busy keeping secrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/i-tried-to-keep-us-together-you-was-to-busy-keeping-secrets/)

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

> [There is a lurking fear that some things are not meant to be known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/there-is-a-lurking-fear-that-some-things-are-not-meant-to-be-known/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

[Browse all 141 Keeping secrets quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keeping-secrets/)

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