---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The one thing ... maybe no family could…"
description: "\"The one thing ... maybe no family could tolerate was things coming out into the open.\" — Jane Smiley"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/jane-smiley-2120_coming-out_the-one-thing-maybe-no-family-could-tole_846633.png"
---

#  The one thing ... maybe no family could tolerate was…

![“The one thing ... maybe no family could tolerate was things coming out into the open.” quote by Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/jane-smiley-2120_coming-out_the-one-thing-maybe-no-family-could-tole_846633.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/jane-smiley-2120_coming-out_the-one-thing-maybe-no-family-could-tole_846633.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/jane-smiley-2120_coming-out_the-one-thing-maybe-no-family-could-tole_846633.png)

> “The one thing ... maybe no family could tolerate was things coming out into the open.”

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

## About This Quote

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

Reveals that exposing hidden truths can strain or break family bonds, as people may be unprepared for honesty.

**In simple terms:** Truth can damage family ties.

Key Takeaway

Consider the impact before revealing secrets.

Themes

family truth communication conflict privacy

Mood

tensive reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- family gatherings
- therapy sessions
- conflict resolution
- personal disclosures

Key Concepts

psychology social dynamics ethical dilemmas

Questions to Reflect On

- What secrets have you kept hidden?
- How might honesty improve relationships?

A Different Perspective

Not all secrets cause harm; openness can also heal.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Coming out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-out/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/)

## Related quotes

> [I wrote down all the things I would no longer accept in my life, all the things I would no longer tolerate, and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/i-wrote-down-all-the-things-i-would-no-longer-accept-in-my-life-all/)

[Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/)

> [If you have a clear and decisive vision of how the world should be, you can't be expected to tolerate things that don't fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-front/if-you-have-a-clear-and-decisive-vision-of-how-the-world-should-be/)

[Rebecca Front](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-front/)

> [When its family, you tolerate what you'd kill others for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/when-its-family-you-tolerate-what-you-d-kill-others-for/)

[Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/)

> [Twenty can't be expected to tolerate sixty in all things, and sixty gets bored stiff with twenty's eternal love affairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-carr/twenty-can-t-be-expected-to-tolerate-sixty-in-all-things-and-sixty/)

[Emily Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-carr/)

> [ In this country \[the USA\], you have got to tolerate things you do not like in order to preserve the First Amendment, in order… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-levin/in-this-country-the-usa-you-have-got-to-tolerate-things-you-do-not/)

[Harvey Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-levin/)

> [Let anyone speak hundreds of things against you, do not resent by giving a bitter reply. If you tolerate such things, you will certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sai-baba/let-anyone-speak-hundreds-of-things-against-you-do-not-resent-by/)

[Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sai-baba/)

> [Someday I'll have it..maybe and still I have my family and new friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/someday-i-ll-have-it-maybe-and-still-i-have-my-family-and-new-friends/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

> [My dream, maybe because of my family, of course, was to be a painter. I chose in one moment the direction of textiles; from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-cavalli/my-dream-maybe-because-of-my-family-of-course-was-to-be-a-painter-i/)

[Roberto Cavalli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-cavalli/)

> [“Maybe family were the people who came looking for you when you were lost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikki-wakefield/maybe-family-were-the-people-who-came-looking-for-you-when-you-were/)

[Vikki Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikki-wakefield/)

> [Maybe that's all that family really is, a group of people who all miss the same imaginary place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/maybe-that-s-all-that-family-really-is-a-group-of-people-who-all-miss/)

[Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/)

> [“And maybe then when they were all a family, Tommy would be able to see what Mary used to see, what his other children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genevieve-dewey/and-maybe-then-when-they-were-all-a-family-tommy-would-be-able-to-see/)

[Genevieve Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genevieve-dewey/)

> [Maybe every family is dysfunctional, and that's the only thing in common throughout the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-delpy/maybe-every-family-is-dysfunctional-and-that-s-the-only-thing-in/)

[Julie Delpy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-delpy/)

> [Maybe you don't just have one Goliath. Maybe you have his whole family!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/maybe-you-don-t-just-have-one-goliath-maybe-you-have-his-whole-family/)

[Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/)

> [“Did you ever think that maybe your family might have a slight problem with me for the simple fact that I'm pretty much the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristine-r-offield/did-you-ever-think-that-maybe-your-family-might-have-a-slight-problem/)

Kristine R. Offield

> [If I had been a different sort of person, maybe less impressionable, less intense, less fearful, less utterly dependent upon the perceptions of others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-hornbacher/if-i-had-been-a-different-sort-of-person-maybe-less-impressionable/)

[Marya Hornbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-hornbacher/)

## More by Jane Smiley

> [Some novelists are luckier than others in the eras of their formative intellectual years, but all Weltanschauungs return, which means that most novelists have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/some-novelists-are-luckier-than-others-in-the-eras-of-their-formative/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [There can never be such a thing as a free market, because it is human nature to cheat, monopolize, and buy off others so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/there-can-never-be-such-a-thing-as-a-free-market-because-it-is-human/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [The only siblings I have are half-siblings. My nuclear family would have been an extra-suffocating threesome. Instead, I have an interesting brother and sister,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/the-only-siblings-i-have-are-half-siblings-my-nuclear-family-would/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [How will you know a good farmer when you meet him? He will not ask you for any favors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/how-will-you-know-a-good-farmer-when-you-meet-him-he-will-not-ask-you/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [You know what getting married is? It's agreeing to taking this person who right now is at the top of his form, full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/you-know-what-getting-married-is-it-s-agreeing-to-taking-this-person/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [Every first draft is perfect, because all a first draft has to do is exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/every-first-draft-is-perfect-because-all-a-first-draft-has-to-do-is/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [“We watched the swimmers and sunbathers and I thought about this. Had I faced all the facts? It seemed like I had, but actually,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/we-watched-the-swimmers-and-sunbathers-and-i-thought-about-this-had-i/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [“They throw themselves on the waters of the world, and they know they will be borne up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/they-throw-themselves-on-the-waters-of-the-world-and-they-know-they/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [everything is toxic. That's the point. You can't avoid toxins. Thinking you can is just another symptom of the toxic overload stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/everything-is-toxic-that-s-the-point-you-can-t-avoid-toxins-thinking/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [“Shame is a distinct feeling. I couldn’t look at my hands around the coffee cup or hear my own laments without feeling appalled, wanting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/shame-is-a-distinct-feeling-i-couldn-t-look-at-my-hands-around-the/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [“She could not have created this moment, these lovely faces, these candles flickering, the flash of the silverware, the fragrances of the food hanging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/she-could-not-have-created-this-moment-these-lovely-faces-these/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [Horse racing is really much more intimidating than anything having to do with literature. When I had horses at the racetrack, I would wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/horse-racing-is-really-much-more-intimidating-than-anything-having-to/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [“Had I faced all the facts It seemed like I had but actually you never know just by remembering how many there were to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/had-i-faced-all-the-facts-it-seemed-like-i-had-but-actually-you-never/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [A theory of creativity is actually just a metaphor. A pool of ideas, a well of memories, a voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/a-theory-of-creativity-is-actually-just-a-metaphor-a-pool-of-ideas-a/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [There are hundreds of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings around the United States and in other countries, too. Wright lived into his 90s, and one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/there-are-hundreds-of-frank-lloyd-wright-buildings-around-the-united/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

[Explore all 185 Jane Smiley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

## More Coming out quotes

> [I have lived in countries that were coming out of conflict: Ireland, South Africa, the Czech republic. People there are overflowing with energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-eno/i-have-lived-in-countries-that-were-coming-out-of-conflict-ireland/)

[Brian Eno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-eno/)

> [I am glad The Worst Journey is coming out in Penguins: after all it is largely about penguins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apsley-cherry-garrard/i-am-glad-the-worst-journey-is-coming-out-in-penguins-after-all-it-is/)

[Apsley Cherry-Garrard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apsley-cherry-garrard/)

> [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/)

[Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/)

> [Well, the bottom line is that I'm extremely pleased with 'The Stupids.' I'm pleased that it's coming out, and it should look good. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landis/well-the-bottom-line-is-that-i-m-extremely-pleased-with-the-stupids-i/)

[John Landis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landis/)

> [The cultural integration of psychedelics won't happen overnight, and the question of young people is perhaps the most difficult involved. The first step is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-doblin/the-cultural-integration-of-psychedelics-won-t-happen-overnight-and/)

[Rick Doblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-doblin/)

> [“There comes a time in a girl’s life where she finds her heart broken, what matters is not the boy who broke it but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-lee-hunter/there-comes-a-time-in-a-girl-s-life-where-she-finds-her-heart-broken/)

Kara Lee Hunter

> [The thing that is making jazz healthy today is that people are coming out of other backgrounds - from rock, folk, from ethnic music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-taylor/the-thing-that-is-making-jazz-healthy-today-is-that-people-are-coming/)

Billy Taylor

> [I feel pain everyday of my life. When you see me perform, it's that pain you're seeing coming out. I put all my emotions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-feel-pain-everyday-of-my-life-when-you-see-me-perform-it-s-that/)

[Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/)

> [So the first thing I learned about how to get superior performance is not to buy stocks that are near their lows, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-neil/so-the-first-thing-i-learned-about-how-to-get-superior-performance-is/)

[William O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-neil/)

> [...Individualistic material progress and the desire to gain prestige by coming out on top have taken over from the sense of fellowship, compassion and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/individualistic-material-progress-and-the-desire-to-gain-prestige-by/)

[Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/)

> [ Basically I made her \[ Sara Pocock\] listen to funk music for a good month, a nonstop stream of George Clinton. I was talking… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-vaughn/basically-i-made-her-sara-pocock-listen-to-funk-music-for-a-good/)

[Baron Vaughn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-vaughn/)

> [The most you can do is stand up for what you believe in. I'm much happier since coming out to my friends and family.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-collins/the-most-you-can-do-is-stand-up-for-what-you-believe-in-i-m-much/)

[Jason Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-collins/)

> [According to a new book coming out by a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, apparently when he was in high school, President Obama smoked large amounts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/according-to-a-new-book-coming-out-by-a-pulitzer-prize-winning-author/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [My black friends in America don't believe me. I said, 'Dude, I'm Nigerian American.' 'Word? We thought you were, like, regular black.' What the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/godfrey/my-black-friends-in-america-don-t-believe-me-i-said-dude-i-m-nigerian/)

[Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/godfrey/)

> [I think it's the source material. 27 Dresses was a famous book, and Devil Wears Prada was also a wonderful book, so it's coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-bruckheimer/i-think-it-s-the-source-material-27-dresses-was-a-famous-book-and/)

[Jerry Bruckheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-bruckheimer/)

[Browse all 771 Coming out quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-out/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The one thing ... maybe no family could tolerate was things coming out into the open.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jane Smiley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/the-one-thing-maybe-no-family-could-tolerate-was-things-coming-out/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Coming out"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/the-one-thing-maybe-no-family-could-tolerate-was-things-coming-out/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/jane-smiley-2120_coming-out_the-one-thing-maybe-no-family-could-tole_846633.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/jane-smiley-2120_coming-out_the-one-thing-maybe-no-family-could-tole_846633.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d6f/jane-smiley-2120_coming-out_the-one-thing-maybe-no-family-could-tole_846633.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The one thing ... maybe no family could tolerate was things coming out into the open.” — Jane Smiley",
                "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": "Jane Smiley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The one thing ... maybe no...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/the-one-thing-maybe-no-family-could-tolerate-was-things-coming-out/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/the-one-thing-maybe-no-family-could-tolerate-was-things-coming-out/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
