--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perhaps they suspected that I thought…" description: "\"“Perhaps they suspected that I thought less of them because I knew it. (I'm too aware of human frailty to have let that happen. If anything, I thought ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/harold-s-kushner-4877_disappointment_perhaps-they-suspected-that-i-thought-le_1455014.jpg" --- # Perhaps they suspected that I thought less of them because… ![“Perhaps they suspected that I thought less of them because I knew it. (I'm too aware of human frailty to have let that happen. If anything, I thought more of them for wanting to face up to what they had done and for trying to change.)” quote by Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/harold-s-kushner-4877_disappointment_perhaps-they-suspected-that-i-thought-le_1455014.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/harold-s-kushner-4877_disappointment_perhaps-they-suspected-that-i-thought-le_1455014.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99f/harold-s-kushner-4877_disappointment_perhaps-they-suspected-that-i-thought-le_1455014.jpg) > ““Perhaps they suspected that I thought less of them because I knew it. (I'm too aware of human frailty to have let that happen. If anything, I thought more of them for wanting to face up to what they had done and for trying to change.)”” [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recognizing human frailty leads to deeper respect for those confronting their flaws and seeking change. **In simple terms:** Seeing frailty deepens respect for change‑seekers. Key Takeaway Respect those who face their flaws. Themes humility growth compassion Mood empathetic reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - counseling - leadership - personal development Key Concepts ethical philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you support someone confronting their flaws? - What does humility teach you about others? A Different Perspective People may resist acknowledging their frailty, hindering growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointment/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Trying to change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying-to-change/) [Wishful thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wishful-thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“She was rare, few and far between She suspected he would be as well And the thought of two rare, few and far between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maquita-donyel-irvin/she-was-rare-few-and-far-between-she-suspected-he-would-be-as-well/) [Maquita Donyel Irvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maquita-donyel-irvin/) > [Most people are doing the best they can, given what they know and understand, including you. If they knew more and were aware of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/most-people-are-doing-the-best-they-can-given-what-they-know-and/) [Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/) > [“Come on! You must have at least suspected there was someone else," he said. "Couldn't you smell her on his pants?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/come-on-you-must-have-at-least-suspected-there-was-someone-else-he/) [Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/) > [Magnificent promises are always to be suspected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-parker/magnificent-promises-are-always-to-be-suspected/) [Theodore Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-parker/) > [“Maybe Angelo was right. Maybe there was something. I still suspected it was the wine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-sexton/maybe-angelo-was-right-maybe-there-was-something-i-still-suspected-it/) [Marie Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-sexton/) > [The majority of my UFO diet consists of reports describing suspected encounters. This is not surprising, as there are thousands of sightings annually. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/the-majority-of-my-ufo-diet-consists-of-reports-describing-suspected/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [If a country is suspected of going nuclear, you need to understand why. Why does it feel insecure?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/if-a-country-is-suspected-of-going-nuclear-you-need-to-understand-why/) [Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/) > [“I had evoked - and the book was indeed all I had suspected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/i-had-evoked-and-the-book-was-indeed-all-i-had-suspected/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [I wrote books to entertain. I'm not trying to teach anything! If I suspected the author was trying to show me how to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-cleary/i-wrote-books-to-entertain-i-m-not-trying-to-teach-anything-if-i/) [Beverly Cleary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-cleary/) > [Having long suspected that there was something alive in there, running the place, separate from everything else, absolutely individual and independent, we've celebrated by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/having-long-suspected-that-there-was-something-alive-in-there-running/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [“His more cynical side suspected that humans had never really needed an excuse to pick on other humans.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nuttall/his-more-cynical-side-suspected-that-humans-had-never-really-needed/) [Christopher Nuttall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nuttall/) > [We know that U.S. voters, and world leaders, allow Obama extraordinary leeway when it comes to deadly drone strikes, precisely because of his politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/we-know-that-u-s-voters-and-world-leaders-allow-obama-extraordinary/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [“he'd long ago accepted the fact that berlin more than suspected him. in a way it was his protection; he'd by no means won…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/he-d-long-ago-accepted-the-fact-that-berlin-more-than-suspected-him/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [“There are doubtless those who would wish to lock up all those who suspected of terrorist and other serious offences and, in the time-honored…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bingham/there-are-doubtless-those-who-would-wish-to-lock-up-all-those-who/) Tom Bingham > [“He'd no time for reports. He suspected that about 95% of the written word was never read by anyone anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-dexter/he-d-no-time-for-reports-he-suspected-that-about-95-of-the-written/) [Colin Dexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-dexter/) ## More by Harold S. Kushner > [When a mentally retarded child is born, the religious question we often ask is, "Why does God let this happen?" The better question to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/when-a-mentally-retarded-child-is-born-the-religious-question-we/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [Seek something outside your nine-to-five job as an additional source of fulfillment and as a way to feel the joy of helping others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/seek-something-outside-your-nine-to-five-job-as-an-additional-source/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [But at the end, if we are brave enough to love, if we are strong enough to forgive, if we are generous enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/but-at-the-end-if-we-are-brave-enough-to-love-if-we-are-strong-enough/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [Life is like the baseball season, where even the best team loses at least a third of its games, and even the worst team…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/life-is-like-the-baseball-season-where-even-the-best-team-loses-at/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [The circumstances of your life have uniquely qualified you to make a contribution. And if you don't make that contribution, nobody else can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/the-circumstances-of-your-life-have-uniquely-qualified-you-to-make-a/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [None of us has the power to make someone else love us. But we all have the power to give away love, to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/none-of-us-has-the-power-to-make-someone-else-love-us-but-we-all-have/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [We teach children how to measure and how to weigh. We fail to teach them how to revere, how to sense wonder and awe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/we-teach-children-how-to-measure-and-how-to-weigh-we-fail-to-teach/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [God, who neither causes nor prevents tragedies, helps by inspiring people to help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/god-who-neither-causes-nor-prevents-tragedies-helps-by-inspiring/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [There seems to be something in the human soul that causes us to think less of ourselves every time we do something wrong... And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/there-seems-to-be-something-in-the-human-soul-that-causes-us-to-think/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [There is a Jewish notion that holiness is found with other people. To understand what life really is, one has to share it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/there-is-a-jewish-notion-that-holiness-is-found-with-other-people-to/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [The path to God is rarely a steady climb upward. We climb, we fall back, and we climb higher again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/the-path-to-god-is-rarely-a-steady-climb-upward-we-climb-we-fall-back/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [You don't have to be religious to have a soul; everybody has one. You don't have to be religious to perfect your soul; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/you-don-t-have-to-be-religious-to-have-a-soul-everybody-has-one-you/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [When your life is filled with the desire to see the holiness in everyday life, something magical happens: Ordinary life becomes extraordinary, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/when-your-life-is-filled-with-the-desire-to-see-the-holiness-in/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [When I talk to people who feel this emptiness and lack of fulfillment, I recommend they find a source of balance in their lives.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/when-i-talk-to-people-who-feel-this-emptiness-and-lack-of-fulfillment/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [Forgiveness is a favor we do for ourselves, not a favor we do to the other party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/forgiveness-is-a-favor-we-do-for-ourselves-not-a-favor-we-do-to-the/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) [Explore all 105 Harold S. Kushner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) ## More Disappointment quotes > [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [We're raising children who have little tolerance for disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-raising-children-who-have-little-tolerance-for-disappointment/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Disappointment contains an appointment for doing much better. High expectations mean your higher capacity and belief in abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/disappointment-contains-an-appointment-for-doing-much-better-high/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [“My earthly body has been a terrible disappointment to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/my-earthly-body-has-been-a-terrible-disappointment-to-me/) [Frédéric Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The fear of not being good enough, the fear of disappointing other people and the fear of failure can really hurt one's personality and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/the-fear-of-not-being-good-enough-the-fear-of-disappointing-other/) [Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/) > [In trying not to disappoint others; we disappoint ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-vermaak/in-trying-not-to-disappoint-others-we-disappoint-ourselves/) [Geraldine Vermaak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-vermaak/) > [Though there may be people in your life that support you and encourage you we have to realize that people are only human, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/though-there-may-be-people-in-your-life-that-support-you-and/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [There are still many more days of failure ahead, whole seasons of failure, things will go terribly wrong, you will have huge disappointments ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/there-are-still-many-more-days-of-failure-ahead-whole-seasons-of/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [In all disappointments sympathy is a great balm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/in-all-disappointments-sympathy-is-a-great-balm/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [It is sometimes said that because of our past we, as a people, expect too much and set our sights too high. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/it-is-sometimes-said-that-because-of-our-past-we-as-a-people-expect/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [I'm talking to anyone who has been dumped - have not gotten the job you really wanted or have received those horrible rejection letters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/i-m-talking-to-anyone-who-has-been-dumped-have-not-gotten-the-job-you/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [Think of your mind, your emotions, and your spirit as the ultimate garden. The way to ensure a bountiful, nourishing harvest is to plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/think-of-your-mind-your-emotions-and-your-spirit-as-the-ultimate/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [Stop blaming others, whatever happens to you is nobody's fault if you get hurt because of disappointment is not the end of your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/stop-blaming-others-whatever-happens-to-you-is-nobody-s-fault-if-you/) [Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/) > [When disappointments knock you down, get back up and go again because out of our greatest rejection comes our greatest direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-disappointments-knock-you-down-get-back-up-and-go-again-because/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 2,467 Disappointment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Perhaps they suspected that I thought less of them because I knew it. 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