--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing that has been thought can ever be…" description: "\"Nothing that has been thought can ever be taken back\" — Friedrich Durrenmatt" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/friedrich-d-rrenmatt-4497_taken_nothing-that-has-been-thought-can-ever-b_544081.png" --- # Nothing that has been thought can ever be taken back ![“Nothing that has been thought can ever be taken back” quote by Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/friedrich-d-rrenmatt-4497_taken_nothing-that-has-been-thought-can-ever-b_544081.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/friedrich-d-rrenmatt-4497_taken_nothing-that-has-been-thought-can-ever-b_544081.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e80/friedrich-d-rrenmatt-4497_taken_nothing-that-has-been-thought-can-ever-b_544081.png) > “Nothing that has been thought can ever be taken back” [Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ideas once expressed cannot be undone; words have lasting impact. **In simple terms:** Words cannot be taken back once spoken. Key Takeaway Think before you speak. Themes communication responsibility consequences ethics Mood cautionary thought‑provoking Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - public statements - legal testimony - social media posts - personal apologies Key Concepts speech act theory irreversibility moral accountability Questions to Reflect On - What are the limits of retracting harmful speech? - How can we repair damage after a statement? A Different Perspective May ignore context that could mitigate impact. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Thought Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-taken-780712/) ## Related quotes > [“The truth was, she was becoming more and more uncomfortably conscious not only that the things she said, and a good many of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/the-truth-was-she-was-becoming-more-and-more-uncomfortably-conscious/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“How- Why didn't you say anything before?" I ask "I didn't think you thought of me that way." I shake my head. How could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-krys/how-why-didn-t-you-say-anything-before-i-ask-i-didn-t-think-you/) [Michelle Krys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-krys/) > [But now the world, he thought, had taken them. 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What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. I think they just weren't memorable movies. I've taken breaks as the years have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-made-like-five-movies-while-i-was-in-college-i-think-they-just/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) ## More by Friedrich Durrenmatt > [Rome has betrayed itself. It knew the truth and chose violence, it knew humaneness and it chose tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/rome-has-betrayed-itself-it-knew-the-truth-and-chose-violence-it-knew/) [Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/) > [A major power can afford a military debacle only when it looks like a political victory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/a-major-power-can-afford-a-military-debacle-only-when-it-looks-like-a/) [Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/) > [“...he had read von Lambert's book on terrorism, there were two pages devoted to the Arab resistance movement, von Lambert refused to call them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/he-had-read-von-lambert-s-book-on-terrorism-there-were-two-pages/) [Friedrich Dürrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/) > [People like us who are on their last leg can only understand comedies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/people-like-us-who-are-on-their-last-leg-can-only-understand-comedies/) [Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/) > [Before anything else, we need a new age of Enlightenment. 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