--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seemed incredible to me now that I had…" description: "\"“It seemed incredible to me now that I had never understood. I wondered how many people there were in the world who suffered, and continued to suffer, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/daphne-du-maurier-1185_reserve_it-seemed-incredible-to-me-now-that-i-ha_969387.jpg" --- # It seemed incredible to me now that I had never… ![“It seemed incredible to me now that I had never understood. I wondered how many people there were in the world who suffered, and continued to suffer, because they could not break out from their own web of shyness and reserve, and in their blindness and folly built up a great distorted wall in…” quote by Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/daphne-du-maurier-1185_reserve_it-seemed-incredible-to-me-now-that-i-ha_969387.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/daphne-du-maurier-1185_reserve_it-seemed-incredible-to-me-now-that-i-ha_969387.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54d/daphne-du-maurier-1185_reserve_it-seemed-incredible-to-me-now-that-i-ha_969387.jpg) > ““It seemed incredible to me now that I had never understood. I wondered how many people there were in the world who suffered, and continued to suffer, because they could not break out from their own web of shyness and reserve, and in their blindness and folly built up a great distorted wall in front of them that hid the truth. This was what I had done. I had built up false pictures in my mind and sat before them. I had never had the courage to demand the truth.”” [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) ## 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 reflects on how personal shyness and self‑deception create barriers that hide reality, preventing truth‑seeking and growth. **In simple terms:** Shyness and false beliefs block truth. Key Takeaway Recognize and challenge your own mental walls. Themes self-awareness psychology growth truth shyness Mood reflective introspective serious Type advice philosophical motivational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - personal journaling - public speaking - conflict resolution - relationship building Key Concepts cognitive bias self‑deception personal development Questions to Reflect On - What mental walls are you maintaining? - How can you safely confront uncomfortable truths? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑seated habits often requires external support and time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Shyness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shyness/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [I had build up false pictures in my mind and sat before them. I had never had the courage to demand the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/i-had-build-up-false-pictures-in-my-mind-and-sat-before-them-i-had/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [I wondered how many people there were in the world who suffered, and continued to suffer, because they could not break out from their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/i-wondered-how-many-people-there-were-in-the-world-who-suffered-and/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [There was a time in my demented youth When somehow I suspected that the truth About survival after death was known To every human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/there-was-a-time-in-my-demented-youth-when-somehow-i-suspected-that/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [“But I chose to live in the dark, because the dark was safe and it hid the truth and gave me temporary happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-asher/but-i-chose-to-live-in-the-dark-because-the-dark-was-safe-and-it-hid/) [Mia Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-asher/) > [Women need to find the courage to demand what they rightfully deserve. Women should be paid for the same work as their male counterparts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-sarsour/women-need-to-find-the-courage-to-demand-what-they-rightfully-deserve/) [Linda Sarsour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-sarsour/) > [“I wondered how it could be that two people who had loved could yet have such a misconception of each other and, with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/i-wondered-how-it-could-be-that-two-people-who-had-loved-could-yet/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [“Demand the truth. Tell the truth. Live the truth,” he would say. “If there is no truth, there is no trust. If there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-bartholomew/demand-the-truth-tell-the-truth-live-the-truth-he-would-say-if-there/) Brett Bartholomew > [When the people demand the truth, and those in power respond with silence, why is it assumed that those in power are being untruthful?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/when-the-people-demand-the-truth-and-those-in-power-respond-with/) [John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/) > [You've got to demand the truth from yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/you-ve-got-to-demand-the-truth-from-yourself/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [You can't demand truth and reconciliation. 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It is not skeptics or explorers but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-boorstin/i-have-observed-that-the-world-has-suffered-far-less-from-ignorance/) Daniel Boorstin > [Japan is the only country in the world which suffered from the scourge of nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoshiro-mori/japan-is-the-only-country-in-the-world-which-suffered-from-the/) Yoshiro Mori > [“When I think of how much this world has suffered; when I think of how long our fathers were slaves, of how they cringed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-ingersoll/when-i-think-of-how-much-this-world-has-suffered-when-i-think-of-how/) [Robert G. Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-g-ingersoll/) > [The world has suffered more from the ravages of ill-advised marriages than from virginity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/the-world-has-suffered-more-from-the-ravages-of-ill-advised-marriages/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) ## More by Daphne du Maurier > [He lacked tenderness; he was rude; and he had more than a streak of cruelty in him; he was a thief and a liar.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/he-lacked-tenderness-he-was-rude-and-he-had-more-than-a-streak-of/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [“You understand now... how simple life becomes when things like mirrors are forgotten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/you-understand-now-how-simple-life-becomes-when-things-like-mirrors/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [I could fight with the living but I could not fight the dead. 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The nagging worry of departure. When shutting drawers and flinging wide an hotel wardrobe, or the impersonal shelves of a furnished villa,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/packing-up-the-nagging-worry-of-departure-when-shutting-drawers-and/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [“And perhaps one day, in after years, someone would wander there and listen to the silence, as she had done, and catch the whisper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/and-perhaps-one-day-in-after-years-someone-would-wander-there-and/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [“You thought I was mad. Perhaps I was. Perhaps I am. It doesn't make for sanity, does it, living with the devil.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/you-thought-i-was-mad-perhaps-i-was-perhaps-i-am-it-doesn-t-make-for/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [“many impressions to seize and hold, familiar loved façades, balconies, windows, water lapping the cellar steps of decaying palaces, the little red house where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/many-impressions-to-seize-and-hold-familiar-loved-fa-ades-balconies/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [People who travel are always fugitives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/people-who-travel-are-always-fugitives/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) [Explore all 269 Daphne du Maurier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) ## More Reserve quotes > [A great reserve and severity of manners are necessary for the command of those who are older than ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/a-great-reserve-and-severity-of-manners-are-necessary-for-the-command/) [Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/) > [My first experience with film was through a still camera. 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