---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We lie to ourselves in many ways; we…"
description: "\"“We lie to ourselves in many ways; we write down only what we want to understand and what we want to see.”\" — Heidi W. Durrow"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed0/heidi-w-durrow-33696_truth_we-lie-to-ourselves-in-many-ways-we-writ_2564471.jpg"
---

#  We lie to ourselves in many ways; we write down only what…

![“We lie to ourselves in many ways; we write down only what we want to understand and what we want to see.” quote by Heidi W. Durrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed0/heidi-w-durrow-33696_truth_we-lie-to-ourselves-in-many-ways-we-writ_2564471.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed0/heidi-w-durrow-33696_truth_we-lie-to-ourselves-in-many-ways-we-writ_2564471.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed0/heidi-w-durrow-33696_truth_we-lie-to-ourselves-in-many-ways-we-writ_2564471.jpg)

> ““We lie to ourselves in many ways; we write down only what we want to understand and what we want to see.””

[Heidi W. Durrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-w-durrow/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People selectively record only what aligns with their desires, reinforcing self‑deception.

**In simple terms:** We write what we want to see.

Key Takeaway

Seek diverse perspectives.

Themes

self‑deception bias perception truth writing

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- journaling
- research
- media consumption
- critical thinking

Key Concepts

cognitive bias confirmation bias self‑awareness

Questions to Reflect On

- What facts do you ignore?
- How can you broaden your view?

A Different Perspective

Our narratives can become echo chambers.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“You see all the ways people lie to you, but none of the ways they care.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinesh-thiru/you-see-all-the-ways-people-lie-to-you-but-none-of-the-ways-they-care/)

Dinesh Thiru

> [“I don't want to understand anything now. I want to stick to the fact. I made up my mind long time ago. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dostoevsky-karamazov-bothers/i-don-t-want-to-understand-anything-now-i-want-to-stick-to-the-fact-i/)

Dostoevsky - Karamazov Bothers

> [Sometimes I just don't want to understand, but I want to know the reason why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-just-don-t-want-to-understand-but-i-want-to-know-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Do I need to come over there? Because I want you to understand that I want you. Not Miss Colorado or some model. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-roland-anderson/do-i-need-to-come-over-there-because-i-want-you-to-understand-that-i/)

[Cindy Roland Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-roland-anderson/)

> [“Very few people actually want to understand something they want results.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramit-sethi/very-few-people-actually-want-to-understand-something-they-want/)

[Ramit Sethi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramit-sethi/)

> [“I want to... in a weird way. I want you to understand.I want you to know me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-c-stephens/i-want-to-in-a-weird-way-i-want-you-to-understand-i-want-you-to-know/)

[S.C. Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-c-stephens/)

> [“We understand what we want to understand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meissner/we-understand-what-we-want-to-understand/)

[Susan Meissner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meissner/)

> [I don't want you to understand me, I want you to Love me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-morasco/i-don-t-want-you-to-understand-me-i-want-you-to-love-me/)

Jessica Morasco

> [I won't let people write anything they want to about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-ramsay/i-won-t-let-people-write-anything-they-want-to-about-me/)

[Gordon Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-ramsay/)

> [“No one cares about books, that’s why you can write anything you want in them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/no-one-cares-about-books-that-s-why-you-can-write-anything-you-want/)

[Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/)

> [“What do you want? Let’s just start with the basics. Write down anything that you want in your life. These can be big or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brodie/what-do-you-want-let-s-just-start-with-the-basics-write-down-anything/)

[Richard Brodie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brodie/)

> [“Don't you understand? I want to spend my life with you. I want you to be there when I go to bed at night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-anastasiu/don-t-you-understand-i-want-to-spend-my-life-with-you-i-want-you-to/)

[Heather Anastasiu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-anastasiu/)

> [Understand who you are and who you want to be, and thereby learn how you may best relate to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-danby/understand-who-you-are-and-who-you-want-to-be-and-thereby-learn-how/)

[Ken Danby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-danby/)

> [I think that if people look deeply enough into their trading patterns, they find that, on balance, including all their goals, they are really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-seykota/i-think-that-if-people-look-deeply-enough-into-their-trading-patterns/)

[Ed Seykota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-seykota/)

> [I can't understand why anyone would want to reduce vinegar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-torode/i-can-t-understand-why-anyone-would-want-to-reduce-vinegar/)

[John Torode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-torode/)

## More by Heidi W. Durrow

> [The bottle is where everything sad or mean or confusing can go. And the blues--it's like that bottle. But in the bottle there's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-w-durrow/the-bottle-is-where-everything-sad-or-mean-or-confusing-can-go-and/)

[Heidi W. Durrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-w-durrow/)

> [I don't know if it's better to have people laugh at what you are or just not understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-w-durrow/i-don-t-know-if-it-s-better-to-have-people-laugh-at-what-you-are-or/)

[Heidi W. Durrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-w-durrow/)

> [If there’s no one else to tell another side - the only story that can be told is the story that becomes true. (p.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-w-durrow/if-there-s-no-one-else-to-tell-another-side-the-only-story-that-can/)

[Heidi W. Durrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-w-durrow/)

> [“Math can explain the reason there’s a one out of four chance that I’d have blue eyes. But it doesn’t explain why me. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-w-durrow/math-can-explain-the-reason-there-s-a-one-out-of-four-chance-that-i-d/)

[Heidi W. Durrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-w-durrow/)

> [“Grandma sees these things when she talks about them and gestures with her hands like she's painting brush strokes in the air. The way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-w-durrow/grandma-sees-these-things-when-she-talks-about-them-and-gestures-with/)

[Heidi W. Durrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-w-durrow/)

> [“Seeing Grandma this way, it makes me know for certain that everything about a person will show up in another person in the family.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-w-durrow/seeing-grandma-this-way-it-makes-me-know-for-certain-that-everything/)

[Heidi W. Durrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-w-durrow/)

> [“We live in the same house but we both feel lonely. We and lonely don’t belong in the same sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-w-durrow/we-live-in-the-same-house-but-we-both-feel-lonely-we-and-lonely-don-t/)

[Heidi W. Durrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-w-durrow/)

> [“I think of how Grandma makes fun of love. And maybe that’s the key.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-w-durrow/i-think-of-how-grandma-makes-fun-of-love-and-maybe-that-s-the-key/)

[Heidi W. Durrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-w-durrow/)

> [I'm not the color of my skin. I'm a story. One with a past and a future unwritten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-w-durrow/i-m-not-the-color-of-my-skin-i-m-a-story-one-with-a-past-and-a-future/)

[Heidi W. Durrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-w-durrow/)

> [“But when a person fakes happy, it has edges. Regular people may not see, but the people who count, they can see edges and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-w-durrow/but-when-a-person-fakes-happy-it-has-edges-regular-people-may-not-see/)

[Heidi W. Durrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-w-durrow/)

> [It's easy to smile just to make other people feel better. But when a person fakes happy, it has edges. Regular people may not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-w-durrow/it-s-easy-to-smile-just-to-make-other-people-feel-better-but-when-a/)

[Heidi W. Durrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-w-durrow/)

> [“A woman made of parts is a dangerous thing," Grandma says. "You never know when she'll throw away a piece you may need...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-w-durrow/a-woman-made-of-parts-is-a-dangerous-thing-grandma-says-you-never/)

[Heidi W. Durrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-w-durrow/)

> [A woman made of parts is a dangerous thing. You never know when she'll throw away a piece you may need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-w-durrow/a-woman-made-of-parts-is-a-dangerous-thing-you-never-know-when-she-ll/)

[Heidi W. Durrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-w-durrow/)

[Explore all 14 Heidi W. Durrow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-w-durrow/)

## More Truth quotes

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [High school sucked. It was a universal truth, and whoever said these were supposed to be the best years of your life was probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/high-school-sucked-it-was-a-universal-truth-and-whoever-said-these/)

[Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/)

> [“Narrative cannot sustain formlessness any more than light can sustain darkness - it is the antithesis of formlessness, and so it can never truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/narrative-cannot-sustain-formlessness-any-more-than-light-can-sustain/)

[Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/)

> [“The truth is heavier than a sword.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naiyem-chowdhury-rony/the-truth-is-heavier-than-a-sword/)

[Naiyem Chowdhury Rony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naiyem-chowdhury-rony/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [I could program a 'fabulous, I love it' kind of hit season right now. I'm more interested in breaking boundaries, telling a story, defying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/i-could-program-a-fabulous-i-love-it-kind-of-hit-season-right-now-i-m/)

[George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/)

> [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I just speak the truth. I keep it real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-vera/i-just-speak-the-truth-i-keep-it-real/)

[Marlon Vera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-vera/)

> [I always believed that photography was subjective, interpretive and certainly did not represent the truth, but I did think that its status as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-ritchin/i-always-believed-that-photography-was-subjective-interpretive-and/)

[Fred Ritchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-ritchin/)

> [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [The greatest act of courage is to be and to ownall of who you are—without apology, without excuses, without masks to cover the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-ford/the-greatest-act-of-courage-is-to-be-and-to-ownall-of-who-you-are/)

[Debbie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-ford/)

> [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/)

[Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/)

> [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/)

Michael Arnold

> [Logic is essentially a tool for getting at truth; it is the tool, for without it no reasoning is possible in any field of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-oderberg/logic-is-essentially-a-tool-for-getting-at-truth-it-is-the-tool-for/)

David Oderberg

[Browse all 45,081 Truth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“We lie to ourselves in many ways; we write down only what we want to understand and what we want to see.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Heidi W. Durrow"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-w-durrow/we-lie-to-ourselves-in-many-ways-we-write-down-only-what-we-want-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Truth"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-w-durrow/we-lie-to-ourselves-in-many-ways-we-write-down-only-what-we-want-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed0/heidi-w-durrow-33696_truth_we-lie-to-ourselves-in-many-ways-we-writ_2564471.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed0/heidi-w-durrow-33696_truth_we-lie-to-ourselves-in-many-ways-we-writ_2564471.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed0/heidi-w-durrow-33696_truth_we-lie-to-ourselves-in-many-ways-we-writ_2564471.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We lie to ourselves in many ways; we write down only what we want to understand and what we want to see.” — Heidi W. Durrow",
                "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": "Heidi W. Durrow",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-w-durrow/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“We lie to ourselves in many...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-w-durrow/we-lie-to-ourselves-in-many-ways-we-write-down-only-what-we-want-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-w-durrow/we-lie-to-ourselves-in-many-ways-we-write-down-only-what-we-want-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
