--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's not a word people use very often…" description: "\"“It's not a word people use very often, which confuses me, because there are different kinds of infidelity, but betrayal is betrayal wherever you find ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/jeanette-winterson-166_betrayal_it-s-not-a-word-people-use-very-often-wh_1914835.png" --- # It's not a word people use very often, which confuses me… ![“It's not a word people use very often, which confuses me, because there are different kinds of infidelity, but betrayal is betrayal wherever you find it. By betrayal, I mean promising to be on your side, then being on somebody else's.” quote by Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/jeanette-winterson-166_betrayal_it-s-not-a-word-people-use-very-often-wh_1914835.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/jeanette-winterson-166_betrayal_it-s-not-a-word-people-use-very-often-wh_1914835.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a18/jeanette-winterson-166_betrayal_it-s-not-a-word-people-use-very-often-wh_1914835.png) > ““It's not a word people use very often, which confuses me, because there are different kinds of infidelity, but betrayal is betrayal wherever you find it. By betrayal, I mean promising to be on your side, then being on somebody else's.”” [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Betrayal is breaking trust by aligning with an opponent, regardless of terminology; the act itself defines it. **In simple terms:** Betrayal means breaking trust, no matter the word used. Key Takeaway Guard your trust and choose allies wisely. Themes trust betrayal loyalty relationships Mood cautionary thought‑provoking Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - friendships - romantic partnerships - workplace dynamics - political alliances Key Concepts ethical philosophy psychology of trust Questions to Reflect On - When is changing sides justified? - How do we repair broken trust? A Different Perspective It may oversimplify complex power dynamics and motivations behind shifting loyalties. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Betrayal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayal/) ## Related quotes > [One thing I am certain of, I do not want to be betrayed, but thats quite hard to say casually, at the beginning of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/one-thing-i-am-certain-of-i-do-not-want-to-be-betrayed-but-thats/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [By betrayal, I mean promising to be on your side, then being on somebody else's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/by-betrayal-i-mean-promising-to-be-on-your-side-then-being-on/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [For only when faithfulness turns to betrayal And betrayal into trust Can any human being become part of the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/for-only-when-faithfulness-turns-to-betrayal-and-betrayal-into-trust/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [From tender youth we are told by father and teacher that betrayal is the most heinous offence imaginable. But what is betrayal? Betrayal means breaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/from-tender-youth-we-are-told-by-father-and-teacher-that-betrayal-is/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“There is betrayal here, in what I do, but in betrayal I am finally camouflaged.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-slater/there-is-betrayal-here-in-what-i-do-but-in-betrayal-i-am-finally/) [Lauren Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-slater/) > [I understand pain. I've lived with pain my entire life. But pain is nothing compared to betrayal. And betrayal is nothing compared to knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/i-understand-pain-i-ve-lived-with-pain-my-entire-life-but-pain-is/) [Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/) > [You were told to run away. Soak the place, and light the flame pay the price for your betrayal. Your betrayal, your betrayal!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bullet-for-my-valentine/you-were-told-to-run-away-soak-the-place-and-light-the-flame-pay-the/) [Bullet For My Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bullet-for-my-valentine/) > [Trust is not established in the absence of betrayal, but in those whose betrayal is least.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-fesler/trust-is-not-established-in-the-absence-of-betrayal-but-in-those/) [Wes Fesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-fesler/) > [One should rather die than be betrayed. There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though ... betrayal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-should-rather-die-than-be-betrayed-there-is-no-deceit-in-death-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Betrayal, aint betrayal, but betrayal is betrayal when you're been betrayed by a trusted pal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-ethereal/betrayal-aint-betrayal-but-betrayal-is-betrayal-when-you-re-been/) [Miles Ethereal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-ethereal/) > [“There is no greater betrayal, than the betrayal of a child..for that it is certain..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvira-johansson/there-is-no-greater-betrayal-than-the-betrayal-of-a-child-for-that-it/) Elvira Johansson > [“There is different sorts of treachery, but betrayal is betrayal wherever you find it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winterson/there-is-different-sorts-of-treachery-but-betrayal-is-betrayal/) Winterson > [“When ego trumps fidelity, the end result is inevitably betrayal—betrayal of country, of kith or kin, or of self.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andrews/when-ego-trumps-fidelity-the-end-result-is-inevitably-betrayal/) Brian Andrews > [“You simply can’t let things get you down,” he says. “Now that would be betrayal—a betrayal of life itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-kollender/you-simply-can-t-let-things-get-you-down-he-says-now-that-would-be/) [Andreas Kollender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-kollender/) > [“Betrayal. From tender youth we are told by father and teacher that betrayal is the most heinous offense imaginable. But what is betrayal? Betrayal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/betrayal-from-tender-youth-we-are-told-by-father-and-teacher-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Jeanette Winterson > [“After nine nights must come ten and every desperate meeting only leaves you desperate for another. There is never enough to eat, never enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/after-nine-nights-must-come-ten-and-every-desperate-meeting-only/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [You never give away your heart; you lend it from time to time. If it were not so, how could we take it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-never-give-away-your-heart-you-lend-it-from-time-to-time-if-it/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I have found that I am not a space where people want to live, at least not without decorating first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-have-found-that-i-am-not-a-space-where-people-want-to-live-at-least/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“Yes. Just pass me my leg will you? It's on top of the wardrobe where he threw it, and I think my right arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/yes-just-pass-me-my-leg-will-you-it-s-on-top-of-the-wardrobe-where-he/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Every second the Universe divides into possibilities and most of those possibilities never happen. It is not a uni-verse -- there is more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/every-second-the-universe-divides-into-possibilities-and-most-of/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [You are a pool of clear water where the light plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-are-a-pool-of-clear-water-where-the-light-plays/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“It's the cliches that cause the trouble. A precise emotion seeks a precise expression. If what I feel is not precise than how should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-s-the-cliches-that-cause-the-trouble-a-precise-emotion-seeks-a/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [What would it have meant to be happy? What would it have meant if things had been bright, clear, good between us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/what-would-it-have-meant-to-be-happy-what-would-it-have-meant-if/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“Mrs Ratlow was a widow, and she was head of English, but she still did all the cooking and cleaning for her two sons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/mrs-ratlow-was-a-widow-and-she-was-head-of-english-but-she-still-did/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“I shall have nowt to talk to now the baby is boiled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-shall-have-nowt-to-talk-to-now-the-baby-is-boiled/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“What art does is to coax us away from the mechanical and towards the miraculous. The so-called uselessness of art is a clue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/what-art-does-is-to-coax-us-away-from-the-mechanical-and-towards-the/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Happy Valentines Day to those who have found love, in whatever shape or form, and to those who are still hunting, don’t give up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/happy-valentines-day-to-those-who-have-found-love-in-whatever-shape/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“It took me a long time to realise that there are two kinds of writing: the one you write and the one that writes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-realise-that-there-are-two-kinds-of-writing/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [A curse on this game. How can you stick at a game when the rules keep on changing? I shall call myself Alice and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/a-curse-on-this-game-how-can-you-stick-at-a-game-when-the-rules-keep/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“He turned away and I turned to him in vivid heat to look on the sun-dried world. The groves and towers were gone. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/he-turned-away-and-i-turned-to-him-in-vivid-heat-to-look-on-the-sun/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) [Explore all 1,016 Jeanette Winterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) ## More Betrayal quotes > [“That's the catch about betrayal, of course: that it feels good, that there's something immensely pleasurable about moving from a complicated relationship which involves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/that-s-the-catch-about-betrayal-of-course-that-it-feels-good-that/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [God’s faithfulness is stronger than our unfaithfulness and our infidelities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-s-faithfulness-is-stronger-than-our-unfaithfulness-and-our/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“Flattery looks like friendship, just like a wolf looks like a dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice/flattery-looks-like-friendship-just-like-a-wolf-looks-like-a-dog/) [Oscar Auliq-Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-auliq-ice/) > [There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though ... betrayal is the willful slaughter of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/km-ii/there-is-no-deceit-in-death-it-delivers-precisely-what-it-has/) [KM II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/km-ii/) > [If you leave someone for another person, don't be surprised if that person leaves you for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-leave-someone-for-another-person-don-t-be-surprised-if-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As they say in New York, Get over it and, if you can't get over it, Get over talking about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/as-they-say-in-new-york-get-over-it-and-if-you-can-t-get-over-it-get/) [Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/) > [“He returned her gaze, yearning for sentimental solace; love which emanated from a familiar source, mattered little how bedevilling. They shared an intimate moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-h-septimius/he-returned-her-gaze-yearning-for-sentimental-solace-love-which/) [A. H. Septimius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-h-septimius/) > [I was always here for you,you knew you could count on me and trust me blindly, and you knew that I would never tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hayssus/i-was-always-here-for-you-you-knew-you-could-count-on-me-and-trust-me/) [Michael Hayssus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hayssus/) > [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/joy-doesn-t-betray-but-sustains-activism-and-when-you-face-a-politics/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Betrayal and love are not mutually exclusive." (Mordred)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-mercer/betrayal-and-love-are-not-mutually-exclusive-mordred/) [Aldous Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-mercer/) > [Love comes exactly... To those who still hope, even though they've been disappointed. To those who still believe, even though they've been betrayed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mizhan/love-comes-exactly-to-those-who-still-hope-even-though-they-ve-been/) [Mizhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mizhan/) > [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [Betrayal is a serious thing in this world,you know what else is serious? Being lied to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina/betrayal-is-a-serious-thing-in-this-world-you-know-what-else-is/) [Sabrina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina/) > [The greatest temptation for the like of us is: to renounce violence, to repent, to make peace with oneself. Most revolutionaries fell before this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-greatest-temptation-for-the-like-of-us-is-to-renounce-violence-to/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [“Sarai, you never know who might betray you until it’s too late.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-redmerski/sarai-you-never-know-who-might-betray-you-until-it-s-too-late/) [J.A. Redmerski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-redmerski/) [Browse all 2,050 Betrayal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It's not a word people use very often, which confuses me, because there are different kinds of infidelity, but betrayal is betrayal wherever you find it. 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