--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nobody speaks the truth when there's…" description: "\"Nobody speaks the truth when there's something they must have.\" — Elizabeth Bowen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/elizabeth-bowen-1197_speaks_nobody-speaks-the-truth-when-there-s-som_580703.png" --- # Nobody speaks the truth when there's something they must… ![“Nobody speaks the truth when there's something they must have.” quote by Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/elizabeth-bowen-1197_speaks_nobody-speaks-the-truth-when-there-s-som_580703.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/elizabeth-bowen-1197_speaks_nobody-speaks-the-truth-when-there-s-som_580703.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/elizabeth-bowen-1197_speaks_nobody-speaks-the-truth-when-there-s-som_580703.png) > “Nobody speaks the truth when there's something they must have.” [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bowen suggests truth is suppressed when personal desire dominates, implying self‑interest clouds honesty. **In simple terms:** People hide truth when they want something. Key Takeaway Beware of personal bias when seeking truth. Themes truth desire integrity Mood thoughtful cautious Type literary psychological When to use this quote - personal relationships - political discourse - media reporting Key Concepts psychology of honesty self‑interest moral conflict Questions to Reflect On - What motivations cause people to distort facts? - How can we encourage honesty despite desires? A Different Perspective Truth can be twisted by strong motives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [I have been known for some time as a person who speaks the truth and speaks it strongly. 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And that is why.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-alderman/that-is-how-a-man-speaks-and-that-is-why/) [Naomi Alderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-alderman/) > [Action speaks louder than words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/action-speaks-louder-than-words/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In comic strips, the person on the left always speaks first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/in-comic-strips-the-person-on-the-left-always-speaks-first/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Who speaks of triumph? To endure is everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-pacino/who-speaks-of-triumph-to-endure-is-everything/) [Al Pacino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-pacino/) > [It speaks truth when you listen to Bob Marley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohan-marley/it-speaks-truth-when-you-listen-to-bob-marley/) [Rohan Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohan-marley/) > [My mother-in-law speaks not a word of English. I speak not a word of Tajiki. So I smile at her ingratiatingly and she fixes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilbur-smith/my-mother-in-law-speaks-not-a-word-of-english-i-speak-not-a-word-of/) [Wilbur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilbur-smith/) > [The only problem was that I couldn't communicate with Dario. He speaks Italian and I don't. We had a translator the whole time. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-hunter/the-only-problem-was-that-i-couldn-t-communicate-with-dario-he-speaks/) [Kim Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-hunter/) Browse all 386 Speaks quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nobody speaks the truth when there's something they must have.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elizabeth Bowen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/nobody-speaks-the-truth-when-there-s-something-they-must-have/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Speaks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/nobody-speaks-the-truth-when-there-s-something-they-must-have/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/elizabeth-bowen-1197_speaks_nobody-speaks-the-truth-when-there-s-som_580703.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/elizabeth-bowen-1197_speaks_nobody-speaks-the-truth-when-there-s-som_580703.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d1/elizabeth-bowen-1197_speaks_nobody-speaks-the-truth-when-there-s-som_580703.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nobody speaks the truth when there's something they must have.” — Elizabeth Bowen", "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": "Elizabeth Bowen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nobody speaks the truth when there's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/nobody-speaks-the-truth-when-there-s-something-they-must-have/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/nobody-speaks-the-truth-when-there-s-something-they-must-have/#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 } } ] } ```