--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once she had thought that she might…" description: "\"“Once she had thought that she might discover some key to her mother if only she could get her likeness right, but she has since learned that the myste..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/debra-dean-17204_bond_once-she-had-thought-that-she-might-disc_1653822.jpg" --- # Once she had thought that she might discover some key to… ![“Once she had thought that she might discover some key to her mother if only she could get her likeness right, but she has since learned that the mysteries of another person only deepen, the longer one looks.” quote by Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/debra-dean-17204_bond_once-she-had-thought-that-she-might-disc_1653822.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/debra-dean-17204_bond_once-she-had-thought-that-she-might-disc_1653822.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/debra-dean-17204_bond_once-she-had-thought-that-she-might-disc_1653822.jpg) > ““Once she had thought that she might discover some key to her mother if only she could get her likeness right, but she has since learned that the mysteries of another person only deepen, the longer one looks.”” [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding others deepens as we try to replicate them; true insight comes from empathy, not mimicry. **In simple terms:** Trying to copy others reveals more mystery. Key Takeaway Seek genuine empathy rather than superficial imitation. Themes empathy identity relationships Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - friendship - family dynamics - personal growth - therapy sessions Key Concepts psychology self-awareness human connection Questions to Reflect On - How does trying to imitate someone limit true understanding? - What does this say about the nature of identity? A Different Perspective People may resist being fully understood, limiting empathy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bond/) [Key Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/key-mother-682773/) [Longer Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longer-looks-682771/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother Likeness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-likeness-682769/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Person Deepen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-deepen-682775/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Unknown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unknown/) ## Related quotes > [The longer he looks into your eyes the more he is interested in you, of he can't look into your eyes long enough, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-longer-he-looks-into-your-eyes-the-more-he-is-interested-in-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My word is my bond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-word-is-my-bond/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Once are such precious people, and I wouldn't trade our bond for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dahyun/once-are-such-precious-people-and-i-wouldn-t-trade-our-bond-for/) [Dahyun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dahyun/) > [When blacks become humanly visible, when their true beliefs are known, their mask shatters and their symbiotic bond with whites is broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/when-blacks-become-humanly-visible-when-their-true-beliefs-are-known/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > ['Lakshmi' is a dance film, a musical that deals with the emotional bond between the guru and his sishya.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prabhu-deva/lakshmi-is-a-dance-film-a-musical-that-deals-with-the-emotional-bond/) [Prabhu Deva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prabhu-deva/) > [I will be the first black James Bond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dhani-jones/i-will-be-the-first-black-james-bond/) [Dhani Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dhani-jones/) > [Don't hold against me that I don't own - that I don't own a single stock or bond. Don't hold it - I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/don-t-hold-against-me-that-i-don-t-own-that-i-don-t-own-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [Apparently, Daniel Craig said I'd be a great Bond. Daniel, why did you say that? Dropped me right in it! What an honor it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idris-elba/apparently-daniel-craig-said-i-d-be-a-great-bond-daniel-why-did-you/) [Idris Elba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idris-elba/) > [From '86 until the summer of last year, wherever I went, people would say, You would have made a great James Bond! Weren't you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/from-86-until-the-summer-of-last-year-wherever-i-went-people-would/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) > [Without wanting to claim that I'm really like James Bond I would certainly prefer to be thought of as closer to James Bond than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/without-wanting-to-claim-that-i-m-really-like-james-bond-i-would/) [Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/) > [I hope I will not be typecast as a Bond girl for the rest of my life. I'm very proud of being a part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-green/i-hope-i-will-not-be-typecast-as-a-bond-girl-for-the-rest-of-my-life/) [Eva Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-green/) > [No action hero is more closely associated with cars than James Bond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hammond/no-action-hero-is-more-closely-associated-with-cars-than-james-bond/) [Richard Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hammond/) > [“The bonds between a family are strange indeed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/the-bonds-between-a-family-are-strange-indeed/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/) [Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/) > [I always wanted to make a 'James Bond' film, and they only seemed to hire British directors, and I'd made 'Swingers' - they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-liman/i-always-wanted-to-make-a-james-bond-film-and-they-only-seemed-to/) [Doug Liman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-liman/) ## More by Debra Dean > [“Whatever we know as children, this is the world, eaten whole and without question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/whatever-we-know-as-children-this-is-the-world-eaten-whole-and/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“What is heartbreaking is that there is still beauty in the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/what-is-heartbreaking-is-that-there-is-still-beauty-in-the-world/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [I kept writing short stories and sending out my manuscript, and it kept coming back like a bad penny. It was rejected all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/i-kept-writing-short-stories-and-sending-out-my-manuscript-and-it/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [That requires quite an imaginative leap because it's hard for me to imagine that my biography would be of much interest to anyone, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/that-requires-quite-an-imaginative-leap-because-it-s-hard-for-me-to/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“Whatever is eating her brain consumes only the fresher memories, the unripe moments”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/whatever-is-eating-her-brain-consumes-only-the-fresher-memories-the/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [With the historical fictions, I was already doing so much research, and so much of the stories was anchored by historical truth that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/with-the-historical-fictions-i-was-already-doing-so-much-research-and/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Whatever one may say about the perils of workshops, they help writers internalize an awareness of audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/whatever-one-may-say-about-the-perils-of-workshops-they-help-writers/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Peculiar as I was, and remain, I was trained to be practical. I'm still amazed at the radical temerity of my friends, you included,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/peculiar-as-i-was-and-remain-i-was-trained-to-be-practical-i-m-still/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Unless you're Stephen King or Joyce Carol Oates, no one's going to recognize you on the street, and you're promoting your book, not yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/unless-you-re-stephen-king-or-joyce-carol-oates-no-one-s-going-to/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [I tell my students, if you're interested in marine biology or llama farming, follow that string. Yes, it will probably take you a longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/i-tell-my-students-if-you-re-interested-in-marine-biology-or-llama/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Along the way, I've worked as a waitress, I've done phone surveys, and worked as a receptionist, and for the last twenty years I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/along-the-way-i-ve-worked-as-a-waitress-i-ve-done-phone-surveys-and/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“He nods solemnly and repeats the stock response of the Housing Committee whenever they address the perpetual shortage of apartments in Leningrad. “Privacy is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/he-nods-solemnly-and-repeats-the-stock-response-of-the-housing/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“Each day, the world is made fresh again, holy, and she takes it in, in all its raw intensity, like a young child. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/each-day-the-world-is-made-fresh-again-holy-and-she-takes-it-in-in/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [Practicality continues to be a challenge for me - it's at odds with being an artist. I actually had a career on stage in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/practicality-continues-to-be-a-challenge-for-me-it-s-at-odds-with/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) > [“is eating her brain consumes only the fresher memories, the unripe moments. Her distant past is preserved, better than preserved. Moments that occurred in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/is-eating-her-brain-consumes-only-the-fresher-memories-the-unripe/) [Debra Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) [Explore all 37 Debra Dean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/) ## More Bond quotes > [I always wanted to make a 'James Bond' film, and they only seemed to hire British directors, and I'd made 'Swingers' - they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-liman/i-always-wanted-to-make-a-james-bond-film-and-they-only-seemed-to/) [Doug Liman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-liman/) > ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/) [Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/) > [“The bonds between a family are strange indeed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/the-bonds-between-a-family-are-strange-indeed/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [No action hero is more closely associated with cars than James Bond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hammond/no-action-hero-is-more-closely-associated-with-cars-than-james-bond/) [Richard Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hammond/) > [I hope I will not be typecast as a Bond girl for the rest of my life. I'm very proud of being a part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-green/i-hope-i-will-not-be-typecast-as-a-bond-girl-for-the-rest-of-my-life/) [Eva Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-green/) > [Without wanting to claim that I'm really like James Bond I would certainly prefer to be thought of as closer to James Bond than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-atkinson/without-wanting-to-claim-that-i-m-really-like-james-bond-i-would/) [Rowan Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-atkinson/) > [From '86 until the summer of last year, wherever I went, people would say, You would have made a great James Bond! Weren't you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/from-86-until-the-summer-of-last-year-wherever-i-went-people-would/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) > [Apparently, Daniel Craig said I'd be a great Bond. Daniel, why did you say that? Dropped me right in it! What an honor it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idris-elba/apparently-daniel-craig-said-i-d-be-a-great-bond-daniel-why-did-you/) [Idris Elba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idris-elba/) > [Don't hold against me that I don't own - that I don't own a single stock or bond. Don't hold it - I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/don-t-hold-against-me-that-i-don-t-own-that-i-don-t-own-a-single/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [I will be the first black James Bond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dhani-jones/i-will-be-the-first-black-james-bond/) [Dhani Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dhani-jones/) > ['Lakshmi' is a dance film, a musical that deals with the emotional bond between the guru and his sishya.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prabhu-deva/lakshmi-is-a-dance-film-a-musical-that-deals-with-the-emotional-bond/) [Prabhu Deva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prabhu-deva/) > [When blacks become humanly visible, when their true beliefs are known, their mask shatters and their symbiotic bond with whites is broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-steele/when-blacks-become-humanly-visible-when-their-true-beliefs-are-known/) [Shelby Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-steele/) > [Once are such precious people, and I wouldn't trade our bond for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dahyun/once-are-such-precious-people-and-i-wouldn-t-trade-our-bond-for/) [Dahyun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dahyun/) > [My word is my bond.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-word-is-my-bond/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am honored to be a Bond girl and be a part of the Bond legacy, To star in a video game with Connery,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-menounos/i-am-honored-to-be-a-bond-girl-and-be-a-part-of-the-bond-legacy-to/) [Maria Menounos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-menounos/) [Browse all 863 Bond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bond/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Once she had thought that she might discover some key to her mother if only she could get her likeness right, but she has since learned that the mysteries of another person only deepen, the longer one looks.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Debra Dean" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/once-she-had-thought-that-she-might-discover-some-key-to-her-mother/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bond" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/once-she-had-thought-that-she-might-discover-some-key-to-her-mother/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/debra-dean-17204_bond_once-she-had-thought-that-she-might-disc_1653822.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/debra-dean-17204_bond_once-she-had-thought-that-she-might-disc_1653822.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/228/debra-dean-17204_bond_once-she-had-thought-that-she-might-disc_1653822.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Once she had thought that she might discover some key to her mother if only she could get her likeness…” — Debra Dean", "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": "Debra Dean", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-dean/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Once she had thought that she...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/once-she-had-thought-that-she-might-discover-some-key-to-her-mother/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-dean/once-she-had-thought-that-she-might-discover-some-key-to-her-mother/#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 } } ] } ```