--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Although you hadn't asked why, it had…" description: "\"Although you hadn't asked why, it had less to do with you not noticing than with you not wanting to hear the answer.\" — Jodi Picoult" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ae/jodi-picoult-45_answers_although-you-hadn-t-asked-why-it-had-les_2038048.jpg" --- # Although you hadn't asked why, it had less to do with you… ![“Although you hadn't asked why, it had less to do with you not noticing than with you not wanting to hear the answer.” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ae/jodi-picoult-45_answers_although-you-hadn-t-asked-why-it-had-les_2038048.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ae/jodi-picoult-45_answers_although-you-hadn-t-asked-why-it-had-les_2038048.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ae/jodi-picoult-45_answers_although-you-hadn-t-asked-why-it-had-les_2038048.jpg) > “Although you hadn't asked why, it had less to do with you not noticing than with you not wanting to hear the answer.” [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often avoid uncomfortable truths, preferring ignorance over hearing painful answers. **In simple terms:** Avoiding truth hurts more than hearing it. Key Takeaway Confront truth, even if painful. Themes truth avoidance comfort communication Mood reflective serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - conflict resolution - mental health counseling Key Concepts psychology cognitive dissonance self-deception Questions to Reflect On - What truth are you avoiding? - How does denial affect relationships? A Different Perspective Ignoring truth can damage trust and growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Asked Noticing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asked-noticing-3778621/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Hadn Asked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hadn-asked-384481/) [Hear Answer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hear-answer-2587593/) [Noticing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noticing/) [Wanting Hear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanting-hear-2739556/) ## Related quotes > [But will you miss me? More importantly - will I miss you? Does either one of us really want to hear the answer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-will-you-miss-me-more-importantly-will-i-miss-you-does-either-one/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I think I can see people wanting to hear more music-music now as opposed to all hip-hop. You know, which I have nothing against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nickolas-ashford/i-think-i-can-see-people-wanting-to-hear-more-music-music-now-as/) [Nickolas Ashford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nickolas-ashford/) > [“Gail looked out at the water, wanting to hear it again, that soft foghorn sound, and she did, but it was inside her this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/gail-looked-out-at-the-water-wanting-to-hear-it-again-that-soft/) [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) > [As long as the fans keep wanting to hear new records from us every few years, we'll keep making them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-rossington/as-long-as-the-fans-keep-wanting-to-hear-new-records-from-us-every/) [Gary Rossington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-rossington/) > [I did try to come back and listen You never it..I didn't wish it But I did hear every answer ever question It's all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/i-did-try-to-come-back-and-listen-you-never-it-i-didn-t-wish-it-but-i/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) > [“Only he who asks the question, will be able to hear the answer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-ezzat-bigovich/only-he-who-asks-the-question-will-be-able-to-hear-the-answer/) [Ali Ezzat Bigovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-ezzat-bigovich/) > [Don't Ask Questions if you DON'T want to hear the answer especially if you already knew when you asked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-ask-questions-if-you-don-t-want-to-hear-the-answer-especially/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He's Bobby Orr - he's been through it all. Whatever he says, you listen. If you ask a question, you're dying to hear the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connor-mcdavid/he-s-bobby-orr-he-s-been-through-it-all-whatever-he-says-you-listen/) [Connor McDavid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connor-mcdavid/) > [“Sometimes, you get answers to questions you never thought to ask. And sometimes, the answers make you wish you hadn’t asked the questions in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zack-stentz/sometimes-you-get-answers-to-questions-you-never-thought-to-ask-and/) [Zack Stentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zack-stentz/) > [“There was no point in waiting for someone who hadn't asked, and there was no point in wishing for something that would never happen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/there-was-no-point-in-waiting-for-someone-who-hadn-t-asked-and-there/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“It was that she hadn't asked for a person whom she trusted, whom she would do so much for, whom she would give herself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/it-was-that-she-hadn-t-asked-for-a-person-whom-she-trusted-whom-she/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [“I didn’t know how to tell her that the questions she’d asked were impossible to answer. So instead, I settled for telling the last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-paige/i-didn-t-know-how-to-tell-her-that-the-questions-she-d-asked-were/) [Danielle Paige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-paige/) > [“Annabeth glared at me, and I started to wish I hadn’t asked her about this while she was holding a knife.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/annabeth-glared-at-me-and-i-started-to-wish-i-hadn-t-asked-her-about/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“So what? You're no worse off than if you hadn't asked. At least this way you give yourself a fifty-fifty chance”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-susann/so-what-you-re-no-worse-off-than-if-you-hadn-t-asked-at-least-this/) [Jacqueline Susann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-susann/) > [“Unfortunately, he still hadn’t asked for my number, or a date, or my hand in marriage, and my drink was getting low.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-novosel/unfortunately-he-still-hadn-t-asked-for-my-number-or-a-date-or-my/) [Kimberly Novosel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-novosel/) ## More by Jodi Picoult > [You get through it, you just never get over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-get-through-it-you-just-never-get-over-it/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Let me guess," Eric says, "You never meant for it to happen." "Hell, yes, I did. I've wanted her since you two started dating."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/let-me-guess-eric-says-you-never-meant-for-it-to-happen-hell-yes-i/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“It’s the difference between dancing along the eggshell crust of acquaintance and diving into the messy center of a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-s-the-difference-between-dancing-along-the-eggshell-crust-of/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Because hate's just the flip side of love. Like heads and tails on a dime. If you don't know what it feels like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/because-hate-s-just-the-flip-side-of-love-like-heads-and-tails-on-a/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I love feeling loved. I don't love knowing that I will always come in second place. I love the fact that at least sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-love-feeling-loved-i-don-t-love-knowing-that-i-will-always-come-in/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Music is the language of memory”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/music-is-the-language-of-memory/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [But there is a different between mending someone who's broken and finding someone who makes you complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-there-is-a-different-between-mending-someone-who-s-broken-and/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“sometimes words are not big enough to contain all the feelings you are trying to pour into them. My”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/sometimes-words-are-not-big-enough-to-contain-all-the-feelings-you/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“The age wasn't as important as the milestones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-age-wasn-t-as-important-as-the-milestones/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The night is falling down around us. Meteors rain like fireworks, quick rips in the seam of the dark... Every second, another streak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-night-is-falling-down-around-us-meteors-rain-like-fireworks-quick/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“When she had packed all the artifacts that made up their personal history into liquor store boxes, the house became strictly a feminine place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-she-had-packed-all-the-artifacts-that-made-up-their-personal/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Here's what I hadn't realized : the mother you haven't seen for almost 36 years isn't your mother. She is a stranger. Sharing DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/here-s-what-i-hadn-t-realized-the-mother-you-haven-t-seen-for-almost/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [My brother believed in all sorts of mythical creatures: pixies, dragons, werewolves, honest men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/my-brother-believed-in-all-sorts-of-mythical-creatures-pixies-dragons/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) [Explore all 2,062 Jodi Picoult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More Answers quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. 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Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/) [Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/) [Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/) > [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. 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