--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They were all true—and still are—but were…" description: "\"“They were all true—and still are—but were better left unsaid, just as I decided never to confess to Andy how close I came to losing everything. Instea..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/emily-giffin-938_ties-that-bind_they-were-all-true-and-still-are-but-wer_2562630.png" --- # They were all true—and still are—but were better left… ![“They were all true—and still are—but were better left unsaid, just as I decided never to confess to Andy how close I came to losing everything. Instead, I hold that day deep within myself, as a reminder that love is the sum of our choices, the strength of our commitments, the ties that bind us…” quote by Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/emily-giffin-938_ties-that-bind_they-were-all-true-and-still-are-but-wer_2562630.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/emily-giffin-938_ties-that-bind_they-were-all-true-and-still-are-but-wer_2562630.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e3/emily-giffin-938_ties-that-bind_they-were-all-true-and-still-are-but-wer_2562630.png) > ““They were all true—and still are—but were better left unsaid, just as I decided never to confess to Andy how close I came to losing everything. Instead, I hold that day deep within myself, as a reminder that love is the sum of our choices, the strength of our commitments, the ties that bind us together.”” [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Love is defined by choices, commitments, and shared bonds, even when unspoken. **In simple terms:** Love equals our actions and promises. Key Takeaway Cultivate intentional, committed love. Themes love commitment memory Mood introspective hopeful Type emotional inspirational When to use this quote - Therapy - marriage counseling - personal reflection Key Concepts Choice relationship dynamics emotional resilience Questions to Reflect On - What choices shape your love today? - How do hidden feelings affect relationships? A Different Perspective Unspoken truths can cause lingering regret. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confess Andy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confess-andy-1619640/) [Left Unsaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-unsaid/) [Reminder Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reminder-love-1619641/) [Ties that bind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ties-that-bind/) [Unsaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unsaid/) [Unsaid Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unsaid-just-1619639/) ## Related quotes > [I tread through the black ice, covered in the feathers of yesterday. Ages pass, I've seen the muddy water. To be alone, to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/i-tread-through-the-black-ice-covered-in-the-feathers-of-yesterday/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [An anniversary is a reminder as to why you love and married this person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-foster-blake/an-anniversary-is-a-reminder-as-to-why-you-love-and-married-this/) [Zoe Foster Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-foster-blake/) > [It's good to have a reminder that we can love ourselves and be beautiful even though we don't really fit into certain standards of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alessia-cara/it-s-good-to-have-a-reminder-that-we-can-love-ourselves-and-be/) [Alessia Cara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alessia-cara/) > [Most stuff that is genuine is better left unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger-2/most-stuff-that-is-genuine-is-better-left-unsaid/) [J. D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger-2/) > [“I have no idea to this day what those two Italian ladies were singing about. Truth is, I don’t want to know. Some things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawshank-redemption/i-have-no-idea-to-this-day-what-those-two-italian-ladies-were-singing/) [Shawshank Redemption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawshank-redemption/) > [Words were left unsaid & all I can do now is try to hear them every time I see that certain person!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/words-were-left-unsaid-all-i-can-do-now-is-try-to-hear-them-every/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And surely one of the best rules in conversation is, never to say a thing which any of the company can reasonably wish had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/and-surely-one-of-the-best-rules-in-conversation-is-never-to-say-a/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [“I lied, but by his reaction I think he liked what I had said. I had told Shreya about Sudeshna and she was okay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhaskaryya-deka/i-lied-but-by-his-reaction-i-think-he-liked-what-i-had-said-i-had/) [Bhaskaryya Deka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhaskaryya-deka/) > [There's a universe inside your head, constellations of the things you left unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-aquilina/there-s-a-universe-inside-your-head-constellations-of-the-things-you/) [Lauren Aquilina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-aquilina/) > [This is a story about survival. Letting go and learning to let in. Getting along and moving on. The truth about life. The things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-is-a-story-about-survival-letting-go-and-learning-to-let-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“They walked along in silence, that silence just before parting where everything has been left unsaid and it is too late now to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-siegel/they-walked-along-in-silence-that-silence-just-before-parting-where/) [Jan Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-siegel/) > [Sometimes words are better left unsaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-chable/sometimes-words-are-better-left-unsaid/) [Ana Chable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-chable/) > [“Some things are best left unsaid, sweetling." "Even when we are alone?" "\*Especially\* when we are alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/some-things-are-best-left-unsaid-sweetling-even-when-we-are-alone/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“I think about how much of a good story seems to happen elsewhere, off the canvas or screen or page, in Europe or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-moore/i-think-about-how-much-of-a-good-story-seems-to-happen-elsewhere-off/) [Lisa Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-moore/) > [In the mental disturbance and effort of writing, what sustains you is the certainty that on every page there is something left unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/in-the-mental-disturbance-and-effort-of-writing-what-sustains-you-is/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) ## More by Emily Giffin > [I try to have something in common with my protagonists, especially when I'm writing in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-try-to-have-something-in-common-with-my-protagonists-especially/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [I think exercise is critical to my writing and an essential way to recharge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-think-exercise-is-critical-to-my-writing-and-an-essential-way-to/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“Grab his penis like this, and I guarantee, it’s a done deal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/grab-his-penis-like-this-and-i-guarantee-it-s-a-done-deal/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“Well, anyway… it’s over,” I say, realizing that those two words lump me right in with a hoard of naive women who say it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/well-anyway-it-s-over-i-say-realizing-that-those-two-words-lump-me/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [There are two kinds of sorry. There is the sorry imbued with regret. And a pure sorry. The kind that is merely asking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/there-are-two-kinds-of-sorry-there-is-the-sorry-imbued-with-regret/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [Throw in the intensity of emotions that come with that bittersweet summer sandwiched between high school graduation and the rest of your life...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/throw-in-the-intensity-of-emotions-that-come-with-that-bittersweet/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“You can never be too sure when it comes to things that matter most”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/you-can-never-be-too-sure-when-it-comes-to-things-that-matter-most/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“It occurs to me that she is not unique--that all women compare lives. We are aware of whose husband works more, who helps more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/it-occurs-to-me-that-she-is-not-unique-that-all-women-compare-lives/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“I desperately want to feel that way again. To be in a relationship that I’m not trying to script or water down. It’s about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-desperately-want-to-feel-that-way-again-to-be-in-a-relationship/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [I always find something in common with my protagonist, particularly when I write in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-always-find-something-in-common-with-my-protagonist-particularly/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [There is no grief like heartbreak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/there-is-no-grief-like-heartbreak/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [I find my voice and manage to say those three one-syllable words back to him. Words I haven't uttered in a very, very long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-find-my-voice-and-manage-to-say-those-three-one-syllable-words-back/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [i wish i could freeze this moment, somehow delay my final decision, and just hang here in the balance between two places, two worlds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-wish-i-could-freeze-this-moment-somehow-delay-my-final-decision-and/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [I try to write about real women, real people - in other words flawed characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-try-to-write-about-real-women-real-people-in-other-words-flawed/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“never had a good gut feeling. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t have faith in my team, but that I maintained the truest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/never-had-a-good-gut-feeling-it-wasn-t-so-much-that-i-didn-t-have/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) [Explore all 324 Emily Giffin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) ## More Ties that bind quotes > [“When we forgive, we free ourselves from the bitter ties that bind us to the one who hurt us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-pelzer/when-we-forgive-we-free-ourselves-from-the-bitter-ties-that-bind-us/) [Dave Pelzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-pelzer/) > [Conservatives believe in the ties that bind us. Society is stronger when we make vows to each other and we support each other. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/conservatives-believe-in-the-ties-that-bind-us-society-is-stronger/) [David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/) > [I believe it is essential to have English as the official language of our National Government, for the English language is the tie that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sensenbrenner/i-believe-it-is-essential-to-have-english-as-the-official-language-of/) [Jim Sensenbrenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sensenbrenner/) > [One thing you have got to do politically is to identify the ties that bind society together and try to strengthen them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-johnson/one-thing-you-have-got-to-do-politically-is-to-identify-the-ties-that/) [Boris Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-johnson/) > [“Olivia watched him through a blur of tears, despising the futility of it. For there was nothing she could say to comfort a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-lee-guhrke/olivia-watched-him-through-a-blur-of-tears-despising-the-futility-of/) [Laura Lee Guhrke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-lee-guhrke/) > [Above all, we value the dignity of every human life, protect the rights of every person, and share the hope of every soul to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/above-all-we-value-the-dignity-of-every-human-life-protect-the-rights/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I keep a close watch on this heart of mine I keep my eyes wide open all the time I keep the ends out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-cash/i-keep-a-close-watch-on-this-heart-of-mine-i-keep-my-eyes-wide-open/) [Johnny Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-cash/) > [The ties that bind us to life are tougher than you imagine, or than any one can who has not felt how roughly they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/the-ties-that-bind-us-to-life-are-tougher-than-you-imagine-or-than/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [In a pluralistic society like ours, I think the ability to resist hate comes from cultivating a civil society that, on the one hand,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barr/in-a-pluralistic-society-like-ours-i-think-the-ability-to-resist-hate/) [William Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barr/) > [True community is based on upon equality, mutuality, and reciprocity. It affirms the richness of individual diversity as well as the common human ties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauli-murray/true-community-is-based-on-upon-equality-mutuality-and-reciprocity-it/) [Pauli Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauli-murray/) > [“The ties that bind the wealthy and the proud to home may be forged on earth, but those which link the poor man to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-ties-that-bind-the-wealthy-and-the-proud-to-home-may-be-forged-on/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I have broken all ties that bind me to the (U.S.) Army, not suddenly, impulsively, but conscientiously and after due deliberation. I sacrifice more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-kirby-smith/i-have-broken-all-ties-that-bind-me-to-the-u-s-army-not-suddenly/) [Edmund Kirby Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-kirby-smith/) > [...love is the sum of our choices, the strength of our commitments, the ties that bind us together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/love-is-the-sum-of-our-choices-the-strength-of-our-commitments-the/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [You only have to glance at the daily news to see how passions are stirred by claims of exclusive loyalty to one's own kin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/you-only-have-to-glance-at-the-daily-news-to-see-how-passions-are/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [“If the ties that bind ever do come loose If forever ever ends for you If that ring gets a little too tight You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-band-perry/if-the-ties-that-bind-ever-do-come-loose-if-forever-ever-ends-for-you/) [The Band Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-band-perry/) [Browse all 54 Ties that bind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ties-that-bind/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They were all true—and still are—but were better left unsaid, just as I decided never to confess to Andy how close I came to losing everything. 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