--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Take no one’s word for anything…" description: "\"“Take no one’s word for anything, including mine - but trust your experience.”\" — James Baldwin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/james-baldwin-995_experience_take-no-one-s-word-for-anything-includin_1608234.jpg" --- # Take no one’s word for anything, including mine - but… ![“Take no one’s word for anything, including mine - but trust your experience.” quote by James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/james-baldwin-995_experience_take-no-one-s-word-for-anything-includin_1608234.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/james-baldwin-995_experience_take-no-one-s-word-for-anything-includin_1608234.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/james-baldwin-995_experience_take-no-one-s-word-for-anything-includin_1608234.jpg) > ““Take no one’s word for anything, including mine - but trust your experience.”” [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Skepticism toward authority should be balanced with personal experience, encouraging critical thinking while trusting lived reality. **In simple terms:** Question others but trust your own experience. Key Takeaway Balance doubt with personal insight. Themes critical thinking trust experience Mood reflective assertive Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - news consumption - personal relationships - career decisions - social movements Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify your experience? - When is it safe to trust others? A Different Perspective Blind trust in experience can ignore valuable external knowledge. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Including Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/including-trust-406128/) [Phenomenology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phenomenology/) [Self trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-trust/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) [Trust Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust-experience-1553751/) [Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word/) ## Related quotes > [I want to share that I had and still do, and a great relationship with Angela Ahrendts. She was the CEO of Burberry. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-e-glaser/i-want-to-share-that-i-had-and-still-do-and-a-great-relationship-with/) [Judith E. Glaser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-e-glaser/) > [“I need to say this – you shouldn't trust any government, actually including this one. You should not trust government – full stop. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-clegg/i-need-to-say-this-you-shouldn-t-trust-any-government-actually/) [Nick Clegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-clegg/) > [I have three goddaughters - I'm not sure why they trust me, because I have no experience with children - but I try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-kruger/i-have-three-goddaughters-i-m-not-sure-why-they-trust-me-because-i/) [Diane Kruger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-kruger/) > [“i don't trust or have a faith in anything but i just know very well that my past experience so i do trust on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hem-kumar-pun/i-don-t-trust-or-have-a-faith-in-anything-but-i-just-know-very-well/) [Hem kumar pun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hem-kumar-pun/) > [Trust nothing but your own experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/trust-nothing-but-your-own-experience/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [Sometimes you felt that you can't trust nobody because of what you experience and of what they do to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-alapan/sometimes-you-felt-that-you-can-t-trust-nobody-because-of-what-you/) [Mitch Alapan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-alapan/) > [“I’d set out to write a book about how we learn to trust our own experience in the face of confusion, doubt, and anxiety.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-sellers/i-d-set-out-to-write-a-book-about-how-we-learn-to-trust-our-own/) [Heather Sellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-sellers/) > [“Evan to Bethany: "Just trust me." 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This concept of the phenomenon, which was developed under various names as early as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-husserl/pure-phenomenology-claims-to-be-the-science-of-pure-phenomena-this/) [Edmund Husserl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-husserl/) ## More by James Baldwin > [“In any case, white people, who had robbed black people of their liberty and who profited by this theft every hour that they lived,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/in-any-case-white-people-who-had-robbed-black-people-of-their-liberty/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“The South is very beautiful but its beauty makes one sad because the lives that people live, and have lived here, are so ugly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-south-is-very-beautiful-but-its-beauty-makes-one-sad-because-the/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“All cultures have, furthermore, an economic, social, and political base, and no culture can continue to live if its political destiny is not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/all-cultures-have-furthermore-an-economic-social-and-political-base/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“I remembered that life in that room seemed to be occuring beneath the sea, time flowed past indiffrently above us, hours and days had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/i-remembered-that-life-in-that-room-seemed-to-be-occuring-beneath-the/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“No. It would help if I were able to feel guilty.But the end of innocence is also the end of guilt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/no-it-would-help-if-i-were-able-to-feel-guilty-but-the-end-of/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“Perhaps now, though, he had hit bottom. 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But I am also concerned for their dignity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/i-am-very-much-concerned-that-american-negroes-achieve-their-freedom/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [“The paradox—and a fearful paradox it is—is that the American Negro can have no future anywhere, on any continent, as long as he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-paradox-and-a-fearful-paradox-it-is-is-that-the-american-negro/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) [Explore all 312 James Baldwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) ## More Experience quotes > [Experience makes a lesson to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/experience-makes-a-lesson-to-us/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Derby experience had not been good for me and the way it finished left a very bad taste in my mouth so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-pearson/the-derby-experience-had-not-been-good-for-me-and-the-way-it-finished/) [Nigel Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-pearson/) > [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/) [Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/) > [From my experience of having served for 3000 days, I can say that anything can be achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/from-my-experience-of-having-served-for-3000-days-i-can-say-that/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [My favorite job is the next one. Its such a gratifying experience getting to creatively keep trying something new and push things in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-craig-smith/my-favorite-job-is-the-next-one-its-such-a-gratifying-experience/) [Roger Craig Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-craig-smith/) > [I happen to think it's the politics that makes you electable, but the reason for that is politicians sometimes talk about electability as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/i-happen-to-think-it-s-the-politics-that-makes-you-electable-but-the/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [Iranians hate Arabs. They're a fairly well-educated population and they have centuries of experience with self-government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ledeen/iranians-hate-arabs-they-re-a-fairly-well-educated-population-and/) [Michael Ledeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ledeen/) > [Education is a lifelong experience. Experience is a lifelong education. Education plus experience equals expertise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bugeja/education-is-a-lifelong-experience-experience-is-a-lifelong-education/) [Michael Bugeja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bugeja/) > [Prison experience puts distance between me and any person who hasn't been there, done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/prison-experience-puts-distance-between-me-and-any-person-who-hasn-t/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [Experience is a thorough teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jane-holmes/experience-is-a-thorough-teacher/) [Mary Jane Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jane-holmes/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) [Ryan Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-newman/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [I've had a great experience with pretty much everybody I've worked with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-wasikowska/i-ve-had-a-great-experience-with-pretty-much-everybody-i-ve-worked/) [Mia Wasikowska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-wasikowska/) > [It wasn't a mistake, it was a fun learning experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-wasn-t-a-mistake-it-was-a-fun-learning-experience/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I worked a lot in Chicago's theater scene as a fight choreographer. And so I do have a lot of experience in stage combat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-worked-a-lot-in-chicago-s-theater-scene-as-a-fight-choreographer/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) [Browse all 11,792 Experience quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Take no one’s word for anything, including mine - but trust your experience.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Baldwin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/take-no-one-s-word-for-anything-including-mine-but-trust-your/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Experience" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/take-no-one-s-word-for-anything-including-mine-but-trust-your/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/james-baldwin-995_experience_take-no-one-s-word-for-anything-includin_1608234.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/james-baldwin-995_experience_take-no-one-s-word-for-anything-includin_1608234.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/james-baldwin-995_experience_take-no-one-s-word-for-anything-includin_1608234.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Take no one’s word for anything, including mine - but trust your experience.” — James Baldwin", "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": "James Baldwin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Take no one’s word for anything,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/take-no-one-s-word-for-anything-including-mine-but-trust-your/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/take-no-one-s-word-for-anything-including-mine-but-trust-your/#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 } } ] } ```