--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I ought to tell you that I'm probably…" description: "\"I ought to tell you that I'm probably your cousin.\" — Henry James" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/henry-james-417_cousin_i-ought-to-tell-you-that-i-m-probably-yo_3075701.png" --- # I ought to tell you that I'm probably your cousin. ![“I ought to tell you that I'm probably your cousin.” quote by Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/henry-james-417_cousin_i-ought-to-tell-you-that-i-m-probably-yo_3075701.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/henry-james-417_cousin_i-ought-to-tell-you-that-i-m-probably-yo_3075701.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/henry-james-417_cousin_i-ought-to-tell-you-that-i-m-probably-yo_3075701.png) > “I ought to tell you that I'm probably your cousin.” [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character reveals a familial connection, hinting at complex personal relationships. **In simple terms:** Someone says they might be related. Key Takeaway Consider hidden family ties. Themes family identity relationships Mood curious reflective Type literary dialogue When to use this quote - family gatherings - genealogy research - conflict resolution Key Concepts social dynamics personal revelation Questions to Reflect On - How does discovering a new relative affect you? - What responsibilities arise from unexpected kinship? A Different Perspective Family ties can be ambiguous and contested. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Your cousin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your-cousin/) ## Related quotes > [I ought to tell you I'm probably your cousin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/i-ought-to-tell-you-i-m-probably-your-cousin/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [He's just, your cousin, ay, abhorrently, He'd wash his hands in blood, to keep them clean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-barrett-browning/he-s-just-your-cousin-ay-abhorrently-he-d-wash-his-hands-in-blood-to/) [Elizabeth Barrett Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-barrett-browning/) > [Sometimes family doesn't always consist of your relatives or by blood. Sometimes your best friends can feel more like family than your cousins. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-b-jordan/sometimes-family-doesn-t-always-consist-of-your-relatives-or-by-blood/) [Michael B. Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-b-jordan/) > [A flower is your cousin...Sometimes a person has got to take a life, like a chicken's or a hog's when you need it...But nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/a-flower-is-your-cousin-sometimes-a-person-has-got-to-take-a-life/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Well, in Colombia everybody's very voluptuous, and you're supposed to be. You don't want to be skinny when all of your cousins are mermaids.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sofia-vergara/well-in-colombia-everybody-s-very-voluptuous-and-you-re-supposed-to/) [Sofia Vergara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sofia-vergara/) > [You said your cousin was a necromancer. You know how the natural necromancers operate?" They twisted the head off your favorite doll, stuffed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/you-said-your-cousin-was-a-necromancer-you-know-how-the-natural/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [And," added Mikey. "she's my sister." The others looked at him for a moment, and broke out laughing. "Yeah, yeah," Squirrel scoffed, "and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/and-added-mikey-she-s-my-sister-the-others-looked-at-him-for-a-moment/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [What do I look like, the ghost whisperer? They're loony. I'd have better luck talking to my cousin Alfonso's Chihuahua. At least Tía Juana…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darynda-jones/what-do-i-look-like-the-ghost-whisperer-they-re-loony-i-d-have-better/) [Darynda Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darynda-jones/) > [Your cousin might be a pretty face, but you, my darling, courageous, maddening, seductive, mysterious, wonderful Diana, you are the Duchess of Wakefield. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/your-cousin-might-be-a-pretty-face-but-you-my-darling-courageous/) [Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/) > [people see so many movies that when they finally see one not so bad as the others, they think it's great. an Academy Award…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/people-see-so-many-movies-that-when-they-finally-see-one-not-so-bad/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [Sometimes funerals can be good. It reunites you with your cousins you haven't seen in a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-burtka/sometimes-funerals-can-be-good-it-reunites-you-with-your-cousins-you/) [David Burtka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-burtka/) > [Everybody I've ever met was destroyed by a member of the opposite sex early on and that damage you took into every relationship after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/everybody-i-ve-ever-met-was-destroyed-by-a-member-of-the-opposite-sex/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [“I try to tell myself he’s probably a teddy bear on the inside. But I’m pretty sure that’s not true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-young/i-try-to-tell-myself-he-s-probably-a-teddy-bear-on-the-inside-but-i-m/) [Suzanne Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-young/) > [Men only know if you tell them. Even though you probably want them to just know, they won't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-do-jin/men-only-know-if-you-tell-them-even-though-you-probably-want-them-to/) [Kim Do-Jin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-do-jin/) > [There are so many things about which some old man ought to tell one while one is little; for when one is grown one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/there-are-so-many-things-about-which-some-old-man-ought-to-tell-one/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) ## More by Henry James > [Though there are some disagreeable things in Venice there is nothing so disagreeable as the visitors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/though-there-are-some-disagreeable-things-in-venice-there-is-nothing/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“In literature we move through a blest world in which we know nothing except by style, but in which everything is saved by it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/in-literature-we-move-through-a-blest-world-in-which-we-know-nothing/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“I shall stay here as long as I may, I don't want to think — I needn't think. 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The odd thing was that in her fall her fear too had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/she-had-had-a-real-fright-but-had-fallen-back-to-earth-the-odd-thing/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [I ought to tell you I'm probably your cousin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/i-ought-to-tell-you-i-m-probably-your-cousin/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“She had never met a woman who had less of that fault which is the principal obstacle to friendship - the air of reproducing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/she-had-never-met-a-woman-who-had-less-of-that-fault-which-is-the/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [London is on the whole the most possible form of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/london-is-on-the-whole-the-most-possible-form-of-life/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [If you have work to do, don't wait to feel like it; set to work and you will feel like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/if-you-have-work-to-do-don-t-wait-to-feel-like-it-set-to-work-and-you/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“She answered that she liked standing up and”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/she-answered-that-she-liked-standing-up-and/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [It is no wonder he wins every game. He has never done a thing in his life exept play games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/it-is-no-wonder-he-wins-every-game-he-has-never-done-a-thing-in-his/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [Make (the reader) think the evil, make him think it for himself, and you are released from weak specifications. 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Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [I ought to tell you I'm probably your cousin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/i-ought-to-tell-you-i-m-probably-your-cousin/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [If astronomy teaches anything, it teaches that man is but a detail in the evolution of the universe, and the resemblant though diverse details…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percival-lowell/if-astronomy-teaches-anything-it-teaches-that-man-is-but-a-detail-in/) [Percival Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percival-lowell/) > [“The platonic love I feel for my cousin, made me write this diary ...” Leione”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pet-torres/the-platonic-love-i-feel-for-my-cousin-made-me-write-this-diary-leione/) [Pet Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pet-torres/) > [As long as I sit at Henry Clay's desk, I will remember his lifelong desire to forge agreement, but I will also keep close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/as-long-as-i-sit-at-henry-clay-s-desk-i-will-remember-his-lifelong/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [“I know you’re cousins but you’re like fourth cousins.  It’s not necessarily too icky.” ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-e-butler/i-know-you-re-cousins-but-you-re-like-fourth-cousins-it-s-not/) [R.E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-e-butler/) > [My dear young cousin, if there's one thing I've learned over the eons, it's that you can't give up on your family, no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/my-dear-young-cousin-if-there-s-one-thing-i-ve-learned-over-the-eons/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Everybody I've ever met was destroyed by a member of the opposite sex early on and that damage you took into every relationship after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-titus/everybody-i-ve-ever-met-was-destroyed-by-a-member-of-the-opposite-sex/) [Christopher Titus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-titus/) > [I was fifteen, or sixteen. I was in high school. I was spending a summer in California with my second cousins. And I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-was-fifteen-or-sixteen-i-was-in-high-school-i-was-spending-a-summer/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [“We agree that it is too late to think of visiting Cousin Ellen today – in fact if we do not hurry home we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-e-stevenson/we-agree-that-it-is-too-late-to-think-of-visiting-cousin-ellen-today/) [D.E. Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-e-stevenson/) > [I feel like science and art are cousins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mckinnon/i-feel-like-science-and-art-are-cousins/) [Kate McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mckinnon/) > [Mother, sister, daughter, wife, cousins - they are a part of your everyday life. You interact with them, communicate, altercate and that they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-bhatt/mother-sister-daughter-wife-cousins-they-are-a-part-of-your-everyday/) [Vikram Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-bhatt/) Browse all 805 Cousin quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I ought to tell you that I'm probably your cousin.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry James" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/i-ought-to-tell-you-that-i-m-probably-your-cousin/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cousin" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/i-ought-to-tell-you-that-i-m-probably-your-cousin/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/henry-james-417_cousin_i-ought-to-tell-you-that-i-m-probably-yo_3075701.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/henry-james-417_cousin_i-ought-to-tell-you-that-i-m-probably-yo_3075701.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c1/henry-james-417_cousin_i-ought-to-tell-you-that-i-m-probably-yo_3075701.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I ought to tell you that I'm probably your cousin.” — Henry James", "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": "Henry James", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I ought to tell you that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/i-ought-to-tell-you-that-i-m-probably-your-cousin/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/i-ought-to-tell-you-that-i-m-probably-your-cousin/#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 } } ] } ```