---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you have a secret, keep it to yourself."
description: "\"If you have a secret, keep it to yourself.\" — Debbie Reynolds"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/debbie-reynolds-1883_ifs_if-you-have-a-secret-keep-it-to-yourself_315352.png"
---

#  If you have a secret, keep it to yourself.

![“If you have a secret, keep it to yourself.” quote by Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/debbie-reynolds-1883_ifs_if-you-have-a-secret-keep-it-to-yourself_315352.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/debbie-reynolds-1883_ifs_if-you-have-a-secret-keep-it-to-yourself_315352.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/debbie-reynolds-1883_ifs_if-you-have-a-secret-keep-it-to-yourself_315352.png)

> “If you have a secret, keep it to yourself.”

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

## About This Quote

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

Keeping a secret protects personal privacy and prevents unintended consequences.

**In simple terms:** Guard secrets to avoid trouble.

Key Takeaway

Maintain discretion.

Themes

privacy trust communication

Mood

cautious reflective

Type

advice ethical

When to use this quote

- relationships
- workplace
- social media
- family discussions

Key Concepts

confidentiality personal boundaries

Questions to Reflect On

- Who needs to know this secret?
- What are the risks of sharing it?

A Different Perspective

Secrets can damage trust if revealed later.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/)

## Related quotes

> [I shoot in black and white, sometimes color, sometimes if it looks good I shoot out the window of the airplanes or whatever, anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/i-shoot-in-black-and-white-sometimes-color-sometimes-if-it-looks-good/)

[Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/)

> [If a Coach is determined to stay in the coaching profession, he will develop from year to year. This much is true, no coach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolph-rupp/if-a-coach-is-determined-to-stay-in-the-coaching-profession-he-will/)

[Adolph Rupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolph-rupp/)

> [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/)

[John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/)

> [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [ No wonder that Churchill described this effort \[the British codebreakers working at Bletchley Park\] as "Britian"s secret weapon," a weapon far more effective than… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hilton/no-wonder-that-churchill-described-this-effort-the-british/)

[Peter Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hilton/)

> [When I talked to him earlier, he said he had to work tonight,” Peter explained, “but that we should go ahead and draw for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/when-i-talked-to-him-earlier-he-said-he-had-to-work-tonight-peter/)

[Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/)

> [A place has almost the shyness of a person, with strangers; and its secret is not to be surprised by a too direct interrogation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-symons/a-place-has-almost-the-shyness-of-a-person-with-strangers-and-its/)

[Arthur Symons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-symons/)

> [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/)

[Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/)

> [It is no secret that I have read 'The Da Vinci Code' several times. I genuinely believe that 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'Angels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/it-is-no-secret-that-i-have-read-the-da-vinci-code-several-times-i/)

[Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/)

> [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/)

[Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/)

> [I have a lot of secret uses for sour cream, which is the magic ingredient in my mac and cheese. It's an old-timey, Southern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-deen/i-have-a-lot-of-secret-uses-for-sour-cream-which-is-the-magic/)

[Paula Deen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-deen/)

> [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/)

[Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/)

> [“By so giving up, of course, it renews itself- that is the secret”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/by-so-giving-up-of-course-it-renews-itself-that-is-the-secret/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

## More by Debbie Reynolds

> [I'm going to stay on stage until I drop dead. Then I'm going to have myself stuffed, like Trigger, and I'm going to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/i-m-going-to-stay-on-stage-until-i-drop-dead-then-i-m-going-to-have/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

> [ I always found that kind of hard, and even though Gene Kelly was also a taskmaster, Bobby \[Fosse\] was tougher. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/i-always-found-that-kind-of-hard-and-even-though-gene-kelly-was-also/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

> [I'm a sucker for a good movie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/i-m-a-sucker-for-a-good-movie/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

> [You don't get there the easy way. If you feel sorry for yourself, and you let yourself go down, you will drown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/you-don-t-get-there-the-easy-way-if-you-feel-sorry-for-yourself-and/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

> [I don't think you can ever be bitter about anything, because if you don't allow your heart to stay open, then all you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/i-don-t-think-you-can-ever-be-bitter-about-anything-because-if-you/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

> [I just think there's more paparazzi, there's more cable TV, there's millions of networks now, there's more paparazzi. People liked gossip then, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/i-just-think-there-s-more-paparazzi-there-s-more-cable-tv-there-s/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

> [That's what I love about dance. It makes you happy, fully happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/that-s-what-i-love-about-dance-it-makes-you-happy-fully-happy/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

> [For 'Singin' in the Rain,' I bought most of the costumes - the 'Fit as a Fiddle' costumes and the 'Make Them Laugh' Donald…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/for-singin-in-the-rain-i-bought-most-of-the-costumes-the-fit-as-a/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

> [If I ever stop working, I might have a problem. But I never seem to be able to stop working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/if-i-ever-stop-working-i-might-have-a-problem-but-i-never-seem-to-be/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

> [I stopped making movies because I don't like taking my clothes off. Maybe it's realism, but in my opinion, it's utter filth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/i-stopped-making-movies-because-i-don-t-like-taking-my-clothes-off/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

> [Everyone I dated was gay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/everyone-i-dated-was-gay/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

> [I've had to walk through a lot of my tears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/i-ve-had-to-walk-through-a-lot-of-my-tears/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

> [I think people want to stay home and run movies with their whole family at home. It become a family hobby instead of going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/i-think-people-want-to-stay-home-and-run-movies-with-their-whole/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

> [It is very rewarding to walk out on stage, feeling the love and reception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/it-is-very-rewarding-to-walk-out-on-stage-feeling-the-love-and/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

> [I love having my ghosts, and I love having my memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/i-love-having-my-ghosts-and-i-love-having-my-memories/)

[Debbie Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

[Explore all 201 Debbie Reynolds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/)

## More Ifs quotes

> [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/)

[Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/)

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/)

[Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/)

> [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/)

[Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/)

> [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/)

[L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/)

> [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/)

[Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/)

> [If I don't have pressure, I don't function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/if-i-don-t-have-pressure-i-don-t-function/)

[Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/)

> [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [If we gave up our freedom as the price of security, we would no longer be the great nation that we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-bader-ginsburg/if-we-gave-up-our-freedom-as-the-price-of-security-we-would-no-longer/)

[Ruth Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-bader-ginsburg/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/)

[William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/)

> [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/)

[Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/)

> [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/)

[Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

[Browse all 94,303 Ifs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If you have a secret, keep it to yourself.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Debbie Reynolds"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/if-you-have-a-secret-keep-it-to-yourself/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ifs"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/if-you-have-a-secret-keep-it-to-yourself/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/debbie-reynolds-1883_ifs_if-you-have-a-secret-keep-it-to-yourself_315352.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/debbie-reynolds-1883_ifs_if-you-have-a-secret-keep-it-to-yourself_315352.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/debbie-reynolds-1883_ifs_if-you-have-a-secret-keep-it-to-yourself_315352.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you have a secret, keep it to yourself.” — Debbie Reynolds",
                "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": "Debbie Reynolds",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-reynolds/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If you have a secret, keep...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/if-you-have-a-secret-keep-it-to-yourself/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-reynolds/if-you-have-a-secret-keep-it-to-yourself/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
