--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm holding back, delaying the…" description: "\"I'm holding back, delaying the information. I'm lingering in the prior moment because it was a time when other outcomes were still possible.\" — Ian Mcewan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd4/ian-mcewan-494_delaying_i-m-holding-back-delaying-the-informatio_1745529.png" --- # I'm holding back, delaying the information. I'm lingering… ![“I'm holding back, delaying the information. I'm lingering in the prior moment because it was a time when other outcomes were still possible.” quote by Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd4/ian-mcewan-494_delaying_i-m-holding-back-delaying-the-informatio_1745529.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd4/ian-mcewan-494_delaying_i-m-holding-back-delaying-the-informatio_1745529.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd4/ian-mcewan-494_delaying_i-m-holding-back-delaying-the-informatio_1745529.png) > “I'm holding back, delaying the information. I'm lingering in the prior moment because it was a time when other outcomes were still possible.” [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Delaying disclosure keeps options open, allowing alternative outcomes to remain possible. **In simple terms:** Holding back keeps possibilities alive. Key Takeaway Consider timing before sharing information. Themes decision-making uncertainty communication Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - business negotiations - personal relationships - creative writing - crisis response Key Concepts risk management psychology Questions to Reflect On - When is the right moment to act? - How does delay affect trust? A Different Perspective Waiting too long can cause missed opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Delaying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delaying/) [Delaying Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delaying-information-1556755/) [Holding back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holding-back/) [Holding Delaying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holding-delaying-1556756/) [Information](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/information/) [Lingering Prior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lingering-prior-1556757/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Outcomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outcomes/) [Prior Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prior-moment-1556758/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Postpone, not because you are being lazy. Postpone, only because you want to appear in a grand style.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/postpone-not-because-you-are-being-lazy-postpone-only-because-you/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [Delaying gratification is a process of scheduling the pain and pleasure of life in such a way as to enhance the pleasure by meeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/delaying-gratification-is-a-process-of-scheduling-the-pain-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [If we wait for outer circumstances to be more favourable, we will always be delaying and procrastinating. And before we know it, we will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/if-we-wait-for-outer-circumstances-to-be-more-favourable-we-will/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [One man by delaying saved the state for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintus-ennius/one-man-by-delaying-saved-the-state-for-us/) [Quintus Ennius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintus-ennius/) > [“Delaying is the most dangerous thing you can do in business.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehab-atalla/delaying-is-the-most-dangerous-thing-you-can-do-in-business/) [Ehab Atalla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehab-atalla/) > [You'll get much better results by being upfront, answering creditors calls, and responding to their letters. Delaying the inevitable only digs a deeper hole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chatzky/you-ll-get-much-better-results-by-being-upfront-answering-creditors/) [Jean Chatzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chatzky/) > [Hurrying and delaying are alike ways of trying to resist the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/hurrying-and-delaying-are-alike-ways-of-trying-to-resist-the-present/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [“Experiment with delaying commitments until you know enough and see if that leads to success.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/experiment-with-delaying-commitments-until-you-know-enough-and-see-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Many do not acknowledge the preciousness of time, until one day, they behold time slipping away from their very hands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/many-do-not-acknowledge-the-preciousness-of-time-until-one-day-they/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“Don't rush in order to have things done early. Be prepared before you set off. That's the rule. However, this does not mean that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/don-t-rush-in-order-to-have-things-done-early-be-prepared-before-you/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“Many a death was precipitated by the food, the job, or the medication whose main function was to postpone it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/many-a-death-was-precipitated-by-the-food-the-job-or-the-medication/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“People relying on others or someone to complete them are delaying the opportunity to discover the person they are meant to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodinsky/people-relying-on-others-or-someone-to-complete-them-are-delaying-the/) [Dodinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodinsky/) > [“If you can't avoid it, there is no use denying it by delaying it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sartika-kurniali/if-you-can-t-avoid-it-there-is-no-use-denying-it-by-delaying-it/) [Sartika Kurniali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sartika-kurniali/) > [Delaying death is one of my favorite hobbies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/delaying-death-is-one-of-my-favorite-hobbies/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“Delaying gratification is a process of scheduling the pain and pleasure of life in such a way as to enhance the pleasure of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/delaying-gratification-is-a-process-of-scheduling-the-pain-and-2/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) ## More by Ian Mcewan > [“As you will see, we do not believe that artists have an obligation to strike up attitudes to the war. Indeed, they are wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/as-you-will-see-we-do-not-believe-that-artists-have-an-obligation-to/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [You could say that all novels are spy novels and all novelists are spy masters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/you-could-say-that-all-novels-are-spy-novels-and-all-novelists-are/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I've never had a moment's doubt. I love you. I believe in you completely. You are my dearest one. My reason for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-ve-never-had-a-moment-s-doubt-i-love-you-i-believe-in-you/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“It is shaming sometimes, how the body will not, or cannot, lie about emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-is-shaming-sometimes-how-the-body-will-not-or-cannot-lie-about/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“While my friends struggled and calculated, I reached a solution by a set of floating steps that were partly visual, partly just a feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/while-my-friends-struggled-and-calculated-i-reached-a-solution-by-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Once, on a walk by a river- Eskdale in low reddish sunlight, with a dusting of snow- his daughter quoted to him an opening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/once-on-a-walk-by-a-river-eskdale-in-low-reddish-sunlight-with-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Perhaps it's one of those cases of a microcosm giving you the whole world. Like a spode dinner plate. Or a single cell. Or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/perhaps-it-s-one-of-those-cases-of-a-microcosm-giving-you-the-whole/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [Who you get, and how it works out- there's so much luck involved, as well as the million branching consequences of your conscious choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/who-you-get-and-how-it-works-out-there-s-so-much-luck-involved-as/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“On Chesil Beach he could have called out to Florence, he could have gone after her. He did not know, or would not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/on-chesil-beach-he-could-have-called-out-to-florence-he-could-have/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [It was always the view of my parents...that hot weather encouraged loose morals among young people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-was-always-the-view-of-my-parents-that-hot-weather-encouraged/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I apologize for being obvious, but every time I watch the curtain come down on even a halfway decent production of a Shakespeare play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-apologize-for-being-obvious-but-every-time-i-watch-the-curtain-come/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I would rather be physically disabled obviously than mentally. I would rather be paraplegic than nuts. And it is a terrifying prospect and actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-would-rather-be-physically-disabled-obviously-than-mentally-i-would/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Words, as I'm beginning to appreciate, can make things true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/words-as-i-m-beginning-to-appreciate-can-make-things-true/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I couldn't think about novels at all. It seemed the only writing that was appropriate to that horrendous event was journalism, reportage. And, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-couldn-t-think-about-novels-at-all-it-seemed-the-only-writing-that/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I did not kill my father, but I sometimes felt I had helped him on his way. And but for the fact that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-did-not-kill-my-father-but-i-sometimes-felt-i-had-helped-him-on-his/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) [Explore all 496 Ian Mcewan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## More Delaying quotes > [“Postpone, not because you are being lazy. Postpone, only because you want to appear in a grand style.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/postpone-not-because-you-are-being-lazy-postpone-only-because-you/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [Delaying death is one of my favorite hobbies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/delaying-death-is-one-of-my-favorite-hobbies/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“If you can't avoid it, there is no use denying it by delaying it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sartika-kurniali/if-you-can-t-avoid-it-there-is-no-use-denying-it-by-delaying-it/) [Sartika Kurniali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sartika-kurniali/) > [“People relying on others or someone to complete them are delaying the opportunity to discover the person they are meant to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodinsky/people-relying-on-others-or-someone-to-complete-them-are-delaying-the/) [Dodinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodinsky/) > [“Many a death was precipitated by the food, the job, or the medication whose main function was to postpone it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/many-a-death-was-precipitated-by-the-food-the-job-or-the-medication/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“Don't rush in order to have things done early. Be prepared before you set off. That's the rule. However, this does not mean that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/don-t-rush-in-order-to-have-things-done-early-be-prepared-before-you/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“Many do not acknowledge the preciousness of time, until one day, they behold time slipping away from their very hands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/many-do-not-acknowledge-the-preciousness-of-time-until-one-day-they/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“Experiment with delaying commitments until you know enough and see if that leads to success.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/experiment-with-delaying-commitments-until-you-know-enough-and-see-if/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hurrying and delaying are alike ways of trying to resist the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/hurrying-and-delaying-are-alike-ways-of-trying-to-resist-the-present/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [You'll get much better results by being upfront, answering creditors calls, and responding to their letters. Delaying the inevitable only digs a deeper hole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-chatzky/you-ll-get-much-better-results-by-being-upfront-answering-creditors/) [Jean Chatzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-chatzky/) > [“Delaying is the most dangerous thing you can do in business.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehab-atalla/delaying-is-the-most-dangerous-thing-you-can-do-in-business/) [Ehab Atalla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehab-atalla/) > [One man by delaying saved the state for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintus-ennius/one-man-by-delaying-saved-the-state-for-us/) [Quintus Ennius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintus-ennius/) > [If we wait for outer circumstances to be more favourable, we will always be delaying and procrastinating. And before we know it, we will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/if-we-wait-for-outer-circumstances-to-be-more-favourable-we-will/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [Delaying gratification is a process of scheduling the pain and pleasure of life in such a way as to enhance the pleasure by meeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/delaying-gratification-is-a-process-of-scheduling-the-pain-and/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [“Delaying gratification is a process of scheduling the pain and pleasure of life in such a way as to enhance the pleasure of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/delaying-gratification-is-a-process-of-scheduling-the-pain-and-2/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) [Browse all 20 Delaying quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delaying/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm holding back, delaying the information. 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