--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But it is no use to justify yourself. It…" description: "\"“But it is no use to justify yourself. It is no good to explain. It is weak to be anecdotal. It is wise to conceal the past even if there is nothing to..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/303/hilary-mantel-440_fear_but-it-is-no-use-to-justify-yourself-it_1691059.jpg" --- # But it is no use to justify yourself. It is no good to… ![“But it is no use to justify yourself. It is no good to explain. It is weak to be anecdotal. It is wise to conceal the past even if there is nothing to conceal. A man’s power is in the half-light, in the half-seen movements of his hand and the unguessed-at expression of his face. It is the absence…” quote by Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/303/hilary-mantel-440_fear_but-it-is-no-use-to-justify-yourself-it_1691059.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/303/hilary-mantel-440_fear_but-it-is-no-use-to-justify-yourself-it_1691059.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/303/hilary-mantel-440_fear_but-it-is-no-use-to-justify-yourself-it_1691059.jpg) > ““But it is no use to justify yourself. It is no good to explain. It is weak to be anecdotal. It is wise to conceal the past even if there is nothing to conceal. A man’s power is in the half-light, in the half-seen movements of his hand and the unguessed-at expression of his face. It is the absence of facts that frightens people: the gap you open, into which they pour their fears, fantasies, desires.”” [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Power often lies in what is left unsaid; mystery creates influence and provokes imagination. **In simple terms:** Mystery fuels power. Key Takeaway Embrace strategic ambiguity. Themes power secrecy perception influence Mood cautious strategic reflective Type advice philosophical literary When to use this quote - political negotiation - leadership - personal branding - storytelling - media relations Key Concepts psychology political strategy communication Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance openness with strategic ambiguity? - When does concealment become manipulation? A Different Perspective Overusing secrecy can erode trust and invite suspicion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anecdotal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anecdotal/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) ## Related quotes > [“What could he and she really know of each other, since it was his duty, as a "decent" fellow, to conceal his past from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/what-could-he-and-she-really-know-of-each-other-since-it-was-his-duty/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Men conceal the past scenes of their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/men-conceal-the-past-scenes-of-their-lives/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [“There's a point where anecdotal evidence becomes truth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/there-s-a-point-where-anecdotal-evidence-becomes-truth/) [Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/) > [Before Twitter or Facebook, all the fandom that I knew about was anecdotal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thomas/before-twitter-or-facebook-all-the-fandom-that-i-knew-about-was/) [Rob Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thomas/) > [It is freely admitted that this "testing" is far from ideal and could even be described as anecdotal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-gill/it-is-freely-admitted-that-this-testing-is-far-from-ideal-and-could/) [Eric Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-gill/) > [Anecdotal data is not incidental to theory development at all, but an essential part of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/anecdotal-data-is-not-incidental-to-theory-development-at-all-but-an/) [Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/) > [It's kind of ironic that when you look at the evidence of intelligence and so on, a lot of it is anecdotal. A lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-whitehead/it-s-kind-of-ironic-that-when-you-look-at-the-evidence-of/) [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) > [“Anecdotal Spores: The Crazy Uncle Late one cold and drizzly winter night while I was traveling through the mountains, I stopped in a roadside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-hughes/anecdotal-spores-the-crazy-uncle-late-one-cold-and-drizzly-winter/) [Matt Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-hughes/) > [I had self-doubt about whether my story was interesting to people. I didn't want to write something that was anecdotal. It was important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-winstead/i-had-self-doubt-about-whether-my-story-was-interesting-to-people-i/) [Lizz Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-winstead/) > [“Pure anecdotal statements would not convince others about the actual societal problems and solutions without providing reliable empirical evidence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saaif-alam/pure-anecdotal-statements-would-not-convince-others-about-the-actual/) [Saaif Alam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saaif-alam/) > [“I reason that I can take 36 hours of pretty much anything. This is willfully off-base logic with zero anecdotal evidence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-reason-that-i-can-take-36-hours-of-pretty-much-anything-this-is/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [A lot of the moments and experiences in 'Warcross' were inspired by specific moments that I remember as an intern working at Disney or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/a-lot-of-the-moments-and-experiences-in-warcross-were-inspired-by/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) > [There is a cliche that probably has some anecdotal evidence on the side that comedians are very depressed people, but that's because no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-klein/there-is-a-cliche-that-probably-has-some-anecdotal-evidence-on-the/) [Robert Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-klein/) > [I, made in England, felt excluded, miffed, resistant to the idea of even visiting India, a position of increasing absurdity as, one by one,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/i-made-in-england-felt-excluded-miffed-resistant-to-the-idea-of-even/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) > [Anecdotal thinking comes naturally; science requires training.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/anecdotal-thinking-comes-naturally-science-requires-training/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) ## More by Hilary Mantel > [People will identify with a persecuted minority without asking themselves what they are identifying with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/people-will-identify-with-a-persecuted-minority-without-asking/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“The hunter is among the most innocent of men; living in the moment makes him feel pure. When he returns in the evening, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/the-hunter-is-among-the-most-innocent-of-men-living-in-the-moment/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“But what would happen … I mean, what would be so awful … if they did meet up?” “Why, it would be like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/but-what-would-happen-i-mean-what-would-be-so-awful-if-they-did-meet/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [When you have committed enough words to paper, you feel you have a spine stiff enough to stand up in the wind. But when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/when-you-have-committed-enough-words-to-paper-you-feel-you-have-a/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [At New Year's he had given Anne a present of silver forks with handles of rock crystal. He hopes she will use them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/at-new-year-s-he-had-given-anne-a-present-of-silver-forks-with/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“The story of my own childhood is a complicated sentence that I am always trying to finish, to finish and put behind me. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/the-story-of-my-own-childhood-is-a-complicated-sentence-that-i-am/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“He wants to say, because Anne is not a carnal being, she is a calculating being, with a cold slick brain at work behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/he-wants-to-say-because-anne-is-not-a-carnal-being-she-is-a/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Come to that, don't pay out good money for horoscopes. If things are going to go badly for you, is that what you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/come-to-that-don-t-pay-out-good-money-for-horoscopes-if-things-are/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“But my sins are my strength, he thinks; the sins I have done, that others have not even found the opportunity of committing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/but-my-sins-are-my-strength-he-thinks-the-sins-i-have-done-that/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [Feminism hasn't failed, it's just never been tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/feminism-hasn-t-failed-it-s-just-never-been-tried/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Mirabeau: “If you have been told to clear us from this hall, you must ask for orders to use force. We shall leave our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/mirabeau-if-you-have-been-told-to-clear-us-from-this-hall-you-must/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Cardinal Campeggio has implored Katherine to bow to the king's will, accept that her marriage is invalid and retire to a convent. Certainly, she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/cardinal-campeggio-has-implored-katherine-to-bow-to-the-king-s-will/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“Sion calls Anne an eel, he calls her a slippery dipper from the slime, and he remembers what the cardinal had called her: my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/sion-calls-anne-an-eel-he-calls-her-a-slippery-dipper-from-the-slime/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [I spend a great deal of time on research, on finding all the available accounts of a scene or incident, finding out all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/i-spend-a-great-deal-of-time-on-research-on-finding-all-the-available/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [“At the front, people die for their mistakes. Why should politicians be more gently treated? They made the war. They deserve a dozen deaths,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/at-the-front-people-die-for-their-mistakes-why-should-politicians-be/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) [Explore all 559 Hilary Mantel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) ## More Anecdotal quotes > [“There's a point where anecdotal evidence becomes truth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/there-s-a-point-where-anecdotal-evidence-becomes-truth/) [Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/) > [I, made in England, felt excluded, miffed, resistant to the idea of even visiting India, a position of increasing absurdity as, one by one,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/i-made-in-england-felt-excluded-miffed-resistant-to-the-idea-of-even/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) > [There is a cliche that probably has some anecdotal evidence on the side that comedians are very depressed people, but that's because no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-klein/there-is-a-cliche-that-probably-has-some-anecdotal-evidence-on-the/) [Robert Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-klein/) > [A lot of the moments and experiences in 'Warcross' were inspired by specific moments that I remember as an intern working at Disney or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/a-lot-of-the-moments-and-experiences-in-warcross-were-inspired-by/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) > [“I reason that I can take 36 hours of pretty much anything. This is willfully off-base logic with zero anecdotal evidence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-reason-that-i-can-take-36-hours-of-pretty-much-anything-this-is/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [“Pure anecdotal statements would not convince others about the actual societal problems and solutions without providing reliable empirical evidence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saaif-alam/pure-anecdotal-statements-would-not-convince-others-about-the-actual/) [Saaif Alam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saaif-alam/) > [I had self-doubt about whether my story was interesting to people. I didn't want to write something that was anecdotal. It was important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-winstead/i-had-self-doubt-about-whether-my-story-was-interesting-to-people-i/) [Lizz Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-winstead/) > [“Anecdotal Spores: The Crazy Uncle Late one cold and drizzly winter night while I was traveling through the mountains, I stopped in a roadside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-hughes/anecdotal-spores-the-crazy-uncle-late-one-cold-and-drizzly-winter/) [Matt Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-hughes/) > [It's kind of ironic that when you look at the evidence of intelligence and so on, a lot of it is anecdotal. A lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-whitehead/it-s-kind-of-ironic-that-when-you-look-at-the-evidence-of/) [Hal Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-whitehead/) > [Anecdotal data is not incidental to theory development at all, but an essential part of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mintzberg/anecdotal-data-is-not-incidental-to-theory-development-at-all-but-an/) [Henry Mintzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mintzberg/) > [It is freely admitted that this "testing" is far from ideal and could even be described as anecdotal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-gill/it-is-freely-admitted-that-this-testing-is-far-from-ideal-and-could/) [Eric Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-gill/) > [Before Twitter or Facebook, all the fandom that I knew about was anecdotal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-thomas/before-twitter-or-facebook-all-the-fandom-that-i-knew-about-was/) [Rob Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-thomas/) > [Anecdotal thinking comes naturally; science requires training.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/anecdotal-thinking-comes-naturally-science-requires-training/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) [Browse all 14 Anecdotal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anecdotal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But it is no use to justify yourself. 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