--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I couldn't bring myself to ask Matka why…" description: "\"“I couldn't bring myself to ask Matka why they had taken him. She pretended that he'd gone away on business. I pretended I knew nothing. My brother and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/f-c-malby-34777_brother-and-sister_i-couldn-t-bring-myself-to-ask-matka-why_2382455.jpg" --- # I couldn't bring myself to ask Matka why they had taken… ![“I couldn't bring myself to ask Matka why they had taken him. She pretended that he'd gone away on business. I pretended I knew nothing. My brother and sister believed the lie. There were so many lies that we had to live with...and secrets.” quote by F.C. Malby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/f-c-malby-34777_brother-and-sister_i-couldn-t-bring-myself-to-ask-matka-why_2382455.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/f-c-malby-34777_brother-and-sister_i-couldn-t-bring-myself-to-ask-matka-why_2382455.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83d/f-c-malby-34777_brother-and-sister_i-couldn-t-bring-myself-to-ask-matka-why_2382455.jpg) > ““I couldn't bring myself to ask Matka why they had taken him. She pretended that he'd gone away on business. I pretended I knew nothing. My brother and sister believed the lie. There were so many lies that we had to live with...and secrets.”” [F.C. Malby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-malby/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A web of lies and secrets can dominate a family, forcing members to live with falsehoods. **In simple terms:** Lies can trap families in deception. Key Takeaway Seek truth and confront secrets. Themes family deception secrets Mood somber introspective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - family gatherings - conflict mediation - personal healing Key Concepts psychology trust communication Questions to Reflect On - What truth are you avoiding? - How do secrets affect relationships? A Different Perspective Truth may cause pain; confronting lies can be risky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brother and sister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother-and-sister/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lies/) [Literary fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literary-fiction/) ## Related quotes > [Even the truth, when believed, is a lie. You must experience the truth, not believe it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/even-the-truth-when-believed-is-a-lie-you-must-experience-the-truth/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [“Insanity is everyone expecting you not to fall apart when you find out everything you believed in was a lie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/insanity-is-everyone-expecting-you-not-to-fall-apart-when-you-find/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“Clovis believed that if a lie was worth telling it was worth telling well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saki/clovis-believed-that-if-a-lie-was-worth-telling-it-was-worth-telling/) [Saki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saki/) > [The Truth, believed, is a lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-erhard/the-truth-believed-is-a-lie/) [Werner Erhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-erhard/) > [Nothing hurts as much as the self- realization that he doesnt love you, he never has, never will, that hes only using you, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-hurts-as-much-as-the-self-realization-that-he-doesnt-love-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“What if you were wrong? What if everything you ever believed was a lie? What if you missed your opportunity because you didn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/what-if-you-were-wrong-what-if-everything-you-ever-believed-was-a-lie/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [You said I love you and I believed you but it was a lie...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caryll-amoyan/you-said-i-love-you-and-i-believed-you-but-it-was-a-lie/) Caryll Amoyan > [“When you judge other people without wanting to know the true story behind their actions, is usually when there is something inside of you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/when-you-judge-other-people-without-wanting-to-know-the-true-story/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Nothing is rarer than a solitary lie; for lies breed like Surinam toads; you cannot tell one but out it comes with a hundred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-allston/nothing-is-rarer-than-a-solitary-lie-for-lies-breed-like-surinam/) [Washington Allston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-allston/) > [~ Sometimes, all the truth is a lie and all lies is the truth. We will never expect something different again. ~](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince/sometimes-all-the-truth-is-a-lie-and-all-lies-is-the-truth-we-will/) [Vince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince/) > [The most common lie is that which one lies to himself; lying to others is relatively an exception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-most-common-lie-is-that-which-one-lies-to-himself-lying-to-others/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Behind every hidden lie, lies the truth".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristine-korobov/behind-every-hidden-lie-lies-the-truth/) Kristine Korobov > [There is at least one truth to every myth, and it takes one truth to create a lie. Lies can be formed from Truth;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/there-is-at-least-one-truth-to-every-myth-and-it-takes-one-truth-to/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [If you do not wish to be lied to, do not ask questions! The only real defence civilized man has against anybody who bothers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-traven/if-you-do-not-wish-to-be-lied-to-do-not-ask-questions-the-only-real/) [B. Traven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-traven/) > [Lies hold civilization together. If people ever seriously begin telling each other what they really think, there'd be no peace. Good-bye to tact. Good-bye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/lies-hold-civilization-together-if-people-ever-seriously-begin/) [Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/) ## More by F.C. Malby > [“He nodded, looking across the room at the sea of photographers and journalists. The microphones spread around him like birds waiting to be fed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-malby/he-nodded-looking-across-the-room-at-the-sea-of-photographers-and/) [F.C. Malby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-malby/) > [“To Jana's mind everybody seemed happy to see BAbichka and resisted returning her, like a misplaced package sent to the wrong address. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-malby/to-jana-s-mind-everybody-seemed-happy-to-see-babichka-and-resisted/) [F.C. Malby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-malby/) > [“As the sun lowered into the city's skyline, casting an orange glow over the islands, Jana could feel people's hopes rising.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-malby/as-the-sun-lowered-into-the-city-s-skyline-casting-an-orange-glow/) [F.C. Malby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-malby/) > [“Find your passion, keep hope steadfast in your mind, then sacrifice everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-malby/find-your-passion-keep-hope-steadfast-in-your-mind-then-sacrifice/) [F.C. Malby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-malby/) > [“The others moved in like a wake of vultures, ready to devour their prey. she had seen it on television once. 'Scavengers,' Tatinek called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-malby/the-others-moved-in-like-a-wake-of-vultures-ready-to-devour-their/) [F.C. Malby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-malby/) > [“I don't know, Benes. I'm not sure I've ever really understood women for that kind of commitment.' He flipped his beer mat up int…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-malby/i-don-t-know-benes-i-m-not-sure-i-ve-ever-really-understood-women-for/) [F.C. Malby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-malby/) > [“Don't ever let anyone tell you that things can't be changed, that things can't be done. The can and they will, if we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-malby/don-t-ever-let-anyone-tell-you-that-things-can-t-be-changed-that/) [F.C. Malby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-malby/) > [“The lines in the corners of her eyes spoke of years of wisdom, as a tree with the number of rings increasing with each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-malby/the-lines-in-the-corners-of-her-eyes-spoke-of-years-of-wisdom-as-a/) [F.C. Malby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-malby/) > [“One word was the method by which the state collected their information. They could reel in the informants and spread them out like tentacles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-malby/one-word-was-the-method-by-which-the-state-collected-their/) [F.C. Malby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-malby/) > [“9 November 1989. A day nobody would forget. She had heard rumours about the wall.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-malby/9-november-1989-a-day-nobody-would-forget-she-had-heard-rumours-about/) [F.C. Malby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-malby/) > [“The sublime beauty was almost hidden withing the castle walls. She believed that the treasured things in life were often hard to find -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-malby/the-sublime-beauty-was-almost-hidden-withing-the-castle-walls-she/) [F.C. Malby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-malby/) > [“As people's hopes soared, Jana felt a tinge of fear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-malby/as-people-s-hopes-soared-jana-felt-a-tinge-of-fear/) [F.C. Malby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-malby/) > [“Mr Martinek turned back to Jana. 'Thirty-eight per cent alcohol, sixty-two per cent fire - all the way from Karlovy Vary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-c-malby/mr-martinek-turned-back-to-jana-thirty-eight-per-cent-alcohol-sixty/) [F.C. Malby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-malby/) [Explore all 14 F.C. Malby quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-c-malby/) ## More Brother and sister quotes > [The best realationship is when u talk like bestfriends, play like children, argue like husband and wife, protect each other like brother and sister…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meka-cooper/the-best-realationship-is-when-u-talk-like-bestfriends-play-like/) Meka Cooper > [The only siblings I have are half-siblings. My nuclear family would have been an extra-suffocating threesome. Instead, I have an interesting brother and sister,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/the-only-siblings-i-have-are-half-siblings-my-nuclear-family-would/) [Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/) > [“My next memory is of waking up, it then being dark outside, and my brother and sister fast asleep on the couch. Sitting up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-levene/my-next-memory-is-of-waking-up-it-then-being-dark-outside-and-my/) Shane Levene > [When you go somewhere like Kenya and you see how the children don't have pencils and pens, and all of these things are considered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomie-harris/when-you-go-somewhere-like-kenya-and-you-see-how-the-children-don-t/) [Naomie Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomie-harris/) > [“I love people who play guitars on roofs!" said Rose, hopping along the pavement in one of her sudden happy moods. "Don't you?" "Never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mckay/i-love-people-who-play-guitars-on-roofs-said-rose-hopping-along-the/) [Hilary McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mckay/) > [“Maybe that’s his game, though,” I said. “The hunt for one soul, again and again.” “Then why are you still here?” “The other women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-duff/maybe-that-s-his-game-though-i-said-the-hunt-for-one-soul-again-and/) [Hilary Duff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-duff/) > [“Go didn't like grilled cheese; she was scooping peanut butter out of the jar onto saltines. When a commercial break came on, she paused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/go-didn-t-like-grilled-cheese-she-was-scooping-peanut-butter-out-of/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [Brother and Sister So & So are not your standard; Jesus is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/brother-and-sister-so-so-are-not-your-standard-jesus-is/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [What's the good of news if you haven't a sister to share it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-devries/what-s-the-good-of-news-if-you-haven-t-a-sister-to-share-it/) Jenny DeVries > [Crime is a very hard genre to feminise. If you have a female protagonist she is going to be looking after her mum when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-mina/crime-is-a-very-hard-genre-to-feminise-if-you-have-a-female/) [Denise Mina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-mina/) > [“Wild horses wouldn't have made Daniel admit that his wife, Anna, would have lectured him for an hour if she'd known what he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/wild-horses-wouldn-t-have-made-daniel-admit-that-his-wife-anna-would/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“Does all this have anything to do with Cameron coming back?" "Basically." She didn't put any letters down. Our game had effectively stopped. "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-zarr/does-all-this-have-anything-to-do-with-cameron-coming-back-basically/) [Sara Zarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-zarr/) > [I have an older brother and sister, and I'm definitely ahead of my years in terms of sci-fi and films. My brother is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-john-kamen/i-have-an-older-brother-and-sister-and-i-m-definitely-ahead-of-my/) [Hannah John-Kamen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-john-kamen/) > [I may have had a crush on Zac, but we are like brother and sister, so nothing would ever happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-hudgens/i-may-have-had-a-crush-on-zac-but-we-are-like-brother-and-sister-so/) [Vanessa Hudgens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-hudgens/) > [We're brother and sister. At the end of the day, I can't change that. I can't make you un-my sister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-pratt/we-re-brother-and-sister-at-the-end-of-the-day-i-can-t-change-that-i/) [Spencer Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-pratt/) [Browse all 242 Brother and sister quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother-and-sister/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I couldn't bring myself to ask Matka why they had taken him. She pretended that he'd gone away on business. I pretended I knew nothing. My brother and sister believed the lie. There were so many lies that we had to live with...and secrets.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "F.C. 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