---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The man who tells me an indelicate story…"
description: "\"The man who tells me an indelicate story does me an injury.\" — James Thomas Fields"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05a/james-thomas-fields-41108_doe_the-man-who-tells-me-an-indelicate-story_2207462.png"
---

#  The man who tells me an indelicate story does me an injury.

![“The man who tells me an indelicate story does me an injury.” quote by James Thomas Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05a/james-thomas-fields-41108_doe_the-man-who-tells-me-an-indelicate-story_2207462.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05a/james-thomas-fields-41108_doe_the-man-who-tells-me-an-indelicate-story_2207462.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05a/james-thomas-fields-41108_doe_the-man-who-tells-me-an-indelicate-story_2207462.png)

> “The man who tells me an indelicate story does me an injury.”

[James Thomas Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomas-fields/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker warns that hearing a crude story can cause personal harm.

**In simple terms:** Crude stories can cause personal injury.

Key Takeaway

Choose words that uplift, not harm.

Themes

communication respect harm storytelling

Mood

cautious serious

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- Public speaking
- media consumption
- personal relationships

Key Concepts

ethical speech psychological impact social norms

Questions to Reflect On

- When does a story become harmful?
- How can we address offensive narratives?

A Different Perspective

Context may affect impact.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Humor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humor/) [Injury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/injury/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/)

## Related quotes

> [A man who tells nothing, or who tells all, will equally have nothing told him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/a-man-who-tells-nothing-or-who-tells-all-will-equally-have-nothing/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [“Beware the man who tells you he knows what’s best for you; he usually starts by stealing your rights.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mills/beware-the-man-who-tells-you-he-knows-what-s-best-for-you-he-usually/)

[Mark Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mills/)

> [Never trust the man who tells you all his troubles but keeps from you all his joys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jewish-proverb/never-trust-the-man-who-tells-you-all-his-troubles-but-keeps-from-you/)

Jewish Proverb

> [A man who loves you the most is the man who tells you the most truth about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-who-loves-you-the-most-is-the-man-who-tells-you-the-most-truth/)

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

> [“Finding a man who tells the truth is like looking for a dinosaur”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-boom/finding-a-man-who-tells-the-truth-is-like-looking-for-a-dinosaur/)

Big Boom

> [What can you say to a man who tells you he prefers obeying God rather than men, and that as a result he's certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/what-can-you-say-to-a-man-who-tells-you-he-prefers-obeying-god-rather/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [“I haven't always been a patient man...but something tells me you'd be worth the wait.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-langley/i-haven-t-always-been-a-patient-man-but-something-tells-me-you-d-be/)

Sam Langley

> [A man never tells you anything until you contradict him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-never-tells-you-anything-until-you-contradict-him/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [Believe nothing a man tells you and everything he shows you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/believe-nothing-a-man-tells-you-and-everything-he-shows-you/)

[Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/)

> [When a man tells a woman there is no chance of a formal, committed, long-term relationship, the only self-respecting response is to take him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/when-a-man-tells-a-woman-there-is-no-chance-of-a-formal-committed/)

[Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/)

> [A man who tells secrets or stories must think of who is hearing or reading, for a story has as many versions as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/a-man-who-tells-secrets-or-stories-must-think-of-who-is-hearing-or-2/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“There's an old saying in the Two Rivers" Rand said dryly. "'The louder a man tells you he's honest, the harder you must hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/there-s-an-old-saying-in-the-two-rivers-rand-said-dryly-the-louder-a/)

[Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/)

> [“The man here tells us a truth that is awful - we baptise ourselves with names that are far from the only truth about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-draig-tuama/the-man-here-tells-us-a-truth-that-is-awful-we-baptise-ourselves-with/)

Pádraig Ó Tuama

> [Distrust that man who tells you to distrust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/distrust-that-man-who-tells-you-to-distrust/)

[Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/)

> [“The fifth problem is that when a new man tells you he likes you too much already, it doesn’t sound like a promise. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenna-twohy/the-fifth-problem-is-that-when-a-new-man-tells-you-he-likes-you-too/)

[Brenna Twohy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenna-twohy/)

## More by James Thomas Fields

> [Inner sunshine warms not only the heart of the owner, but all who come in contact with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomas-fields/inner-sunshine-warms-not-only-the-heart-of-the-owner-but-all-who-come/)

[James Thomas Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomas-fields/)

> [What we sow in youth we reap in age; the seed of the thistle always produces the thistle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomas-fields/what-we-sow-in-youth-we-reap-in-age-the-seed-of-the-thistle-always/)

[James Thomas Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomas-fields/)

> [Oh, to be home again, home again, home again! Under the apple-boughs, down by the mill!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomas-fields/oh-to-be-home-again-home-again-home-again-under-the-apple-boughs-down/)

[James Thomas Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomas-fields/)

> [Let heaven-eyed Prudence battle with Desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomas-fields/let-heaven-eyed-prudence-battle-with-desire/)

[James Thomas Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomas-fields/)

> [A farmer travelling with his load Picked up a horseshoe on the road, And nailed if fast to his barn door, That luck might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomas-fields/a-farmer-travelling-with-his-load-picked-up-a-horseshoe-on-the-road/)

[James Thomas Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomas-fields/)

> [Courtesy gives its owner a passport round the world. It transmutes aliens into trusting friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomas-fields/courtesy-gives-its-owner-a-passport-round-the-world-it-transmutes/)

[James Thomas Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomas-fields/)

> [How sweet and gracious, even in common speech, Is that fine sense which men call Courtesy! Wholesome as air and genial as the light,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomas-fields/how-sweet-and-gracious-even-in-common-speech-is-that-fine-sense-which/)

[James Thomas Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomas-fields/)

> [Is n't God upon the ocean Just the same as on the land?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomas-fields/is-n-t-god-upon-the-ocean-just-the-same-as-on-the-land/)

[James Thomas Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomas-fields/)

> [Just then, with a wink and a sly normal lurch, The owl very gravely got down from his perch, Walked round, and regarded his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomas-fields/just-then-with-a-wink-and-a-sly-normal-lurch-the-owl-very-gravely-got/)

[James Thomas Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomas-fields/)

[Explore all 10 James Thomas Fields quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomas-fields/)

## More Doe quotes

> [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/)

[Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Sometimes a sign or a quote is simply interesting by itself and does not require anything beyond being framed on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/sometimes-a-sign-or-a-quote-is-simply-interesting-by-itself-and-does/)

[Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/)

> [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/)

[James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/)

[William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/)

> [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/)

[Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/)

> [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/)

[Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/)

> [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/)

[Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/)

[Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/)

> [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/)

[Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/)

Browse all 25,574 Doe quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The man who tells me an indelicate story does me an injury.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Thomas Fields"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomas-fields/the-man-who-tells-me-an-indelicate-story-does-me-an-injury/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Doe"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomas-fields/the-man-who-tells-me-an-indelicate-story-does-me-an-injury/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05a/james-thomas-fields-41108_doe_the-man-who-tells-me-an-indelicate-story_2207462.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05a/james-thomas-fields-41108_doe_the-man-who-tells-me-an-indelicate-story_2207462.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05a/james-thomas-fields-41108_doe_the-man-who-tells-me-an-indelicate-story_2207462.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The man who tells me an indelicate story does me an injury.” — James Thomas Fields",
                "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 Thomas Fields",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomas-fields/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The man who tells me an...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomas-fields/the-man-who-tells-me-an-indelicate-story-does-me-an-injury/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomas-fields/the-man-who-tells-me-an-indelicate-story-does-me-an-injury/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
