--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You may, but that’s not what the judge…" description: "\"“You may, but that’s not what the judge will be expecting.” Hesitating, I added, “I’m”\" — Jodi Picoult" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/jodi-picoult-45_expecting_you-may-but-that-s-not-what-the-judge-wi_290072.jpg" --- # You may, but that’s not what the judge will be expecting.”… ![“You may, but that’s not what the judge will be expecting.” Hesitating, I added, “I’m” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/jodi-picoult-45_expecting_you-may-but-that-s-not-what-the-judge-wi_290072.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/jodi-picoult-45_expecting_you-may-but-that-s-not-what-the-judge-wi_290072.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/jodi-picoult-45_expecting_you-may-but-that-s-not-what-the-judge-wi_290072.jpg) > ““You may, but that’s not what the judge will be expecting.” Hesitating, I added, “I’m”” [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. The speaker anticipates a judge's expectations and feels hesitant to reveal their true self. **In simple terms:** Fear of judgment leads to hesitation. Key Takeaway Be authentic despite expectations. Themes authenticity judgment communication Mood anxious reflective Type literary dialogue When to use this quote - courtroom testimony - personal confession - creative writing Key Concepts self‑presentation social anxiety Questions to Reflect On - What truth are you withholding? - How does fear shape your words? A Different Perspective Fear may be justified when stakes are high. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [I'm not hesitating on that. I am a Hall of Famer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donovan-mcnabb/i-m-not-hesitating-on-that-i-am-a-hall-of-famer/) [Donovan McNabb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donovan-mcnabb/) > [Some persons hold," he pursued, still hesitating, "that there is a wisdom of the Head, and that there is a wisdom of the Heart...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/some-persons-hold-he-pursued-still-hesitating-that-there-is-a-wisdom/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“I think I must be smiling at him because he's smiling at me, but he's smiling like he might be petrified; he's breathing like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-think-i-must-be-smiling-at-him-because-he-s-smiling-at-me-but-he-s/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [To the timid and hesitating everything is impossible because it seems so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/to-the-timid-and-hesitating-everything-is-impossible-because-it-seems/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [Wariness had driven away poetry; from hesitating to feel came the moment when you no longer could.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/wariness-had-driven-away-poetry-from-hesitating-to-feel-came-the/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [Hesitating and hand-wringing when confronted by violence discourages the human-rights activists on the front lines and emboldens the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grenell/hesitating-and-hand-wringing-when-confronted-by-violence-discourages/) [Richard Grenell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-grenell/) > [The only wrong thing, perhaps, is permanently hesitating on the verge of courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-only-wrong-thing-perhaps-is-permanently-hesitating-on-the-verge/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) > [“Hesitating, I stood in the doorway to the room holding the proof of my sin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-shepherd/hesitating-i-stood-in-the-doorway-to-the-room-holding-the-proof-of-my/) [A.B. Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-shepherd/) > [You’re loitering, citizen.” “Actually, I was hesitating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/you-re-loitering-citizen-actually-i-was-hesitating/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [Hesitating to act because the whole vision might not be achieved, or because others do not yet share it, is an attitude that only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hesitating-to-act-because-the-whole-vision-might-not-be-achieved-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am hesitating about joining politics since I know the difficulties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajinikanth/i-am-hesitating-about-joining-politics-since-i-know-the-difficulties/) [Rajinikanth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajinikanth/) > [“it should be, but you’re still hesitating. Why?” “I’m afraid of losing who I am, and being only what he lets me be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-renee-jones/it-should-be-but-you-re-still-hesitating-why-i-m-afraid-of-losing-who/) [Lisa Renee Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-renee-jones/) > [Because my time is limited, I dont have any time to waste hesitating. That is why I can walk straight ahead. That is why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrono-crusade/because-my-time-is-limited-i-dont-have-any-time-to-waste-hesitating/) Chrono Crusade > [If there were a button I could press, I would sacrifice myself without hesitating, if it meant millions of people would die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pentti-linkola/if-there-were-a-button-i-could-press-i-would-sacrifice-myself-without/) [Pentti Linkola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pentti-linkola/) > [You got that fresh way of talking It could be four in the morning And you're making me trip My heart skip, skip the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel/you-got-that-fresh-way-of-talking-it-could-be-four-in-the-morning-and/) [Rachel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel/) ## 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 Expecting quotes > [I've always made sure that I tour with bands that people aren't expecting me to tour with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayer-hawthorne/i-ve-always-made-sure-that-i-tour-with-bands-that-people-aren-t/) [Mayer Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayer-hawthorne/) > [Ranger fans, they're expecting you to win, so you really want to show up every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hagelin/ranger-fans-they-re-expecting-you-to-win-so-you-really-want-to-show/) [Carl Hagelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hagelin/) > [I don't concern myself with thinking ahead to the finished product. I focus more specifically on what the character is experiencing. Once you relieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-don-t-concern-myself-with-thinking-ahead-to-the-finished-product-i/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [Those of us of a certain age grew up expecting that by now we would have Rosie the Robot from 'The Jetsons' in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-enriquez/those-of-us-of-a-certain-age-grew-up-expecting-that-by-now-we-would/) [Juan Enriquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-enriquez/) > [You cannot keep doing the same thing, the same way, and keep expecting something different to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/you-cannot-keep-doing-the-same-thing-the-same-way-and-keep-expecting/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [At the time when this famous historical battle was fought in Kosovo, the people were looking at the stars, expecting aid from them. Now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slobodan-milosevi/at-the-time-when-this-famous-historical-battle-was-fought-in-kosovo/) [Slobodan Milosević](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slobodan-milosevi/) > [“Am I … not what you were expecting?” Of course, my immediate instinct is to say no. No, you’re not what I was expecting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-stein/am-i-not-what-you-were-expecting-of-course-my-immediate-instinct-is/) [Charlotte Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-stein/) > [The reward is in doing, but doing without expecting anything...doing unselfishly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-reward-is-in-doing-but-doing-without-expecting-anything-doing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some of the best ideas come sort of out of nowhere and when you're not expecting it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-gordon/some-of-the-best-ideas-come-sort-of-out-of-nowhere-and-when-you-re/) [Seth Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-gordon/) > [So for a period of time each day, try to sit, without moving, without expecting anything, as if you were in your last moment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-for-a-period-of-time-each-day-try-to-sit-without-moving-without/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“That's the key to having it all: stop expecting it to look like what you thought it was going to look like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-chupack/that-s-the-key-to-having-it-all-stop-expecting-it-to-look-like-what/) [Cindy Chupack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-chupack/) > [The definition of insanity is doing the same thing with the same result over and over again, expecting something different. The left just spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-definition-of-insanity-is-doing-the-same-thing-with-the-same/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [If my happiness at this moment consists largely in reviewing happy memories and expectations, I am but dimly aware of this present. I shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/if-my-happiness-at-this-moment-consists-largely-in-reviewing-happy/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [I'm a dreamer and continue to dream of what can and will be, "Expecting great things from God, Attempting great things for God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carey/i-m-a-dreamer-and-continue-to-dream-of-what-can-and-will-be-expecting/) [William Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carey/) > [ It was at Harvard not quite forty years ago that I went into an anechoic \[totally silent\] chamber not expecting in that silent room… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cage/it-was-at-harvard-not-quite-forty-years-ago-that-i-went-into-an/) [John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cage/) Browse all 899 Expecting quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You may, but that’s not what the judge will be expecting.” Hesitating, I added, “I’m”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jodi Picoult" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-may-but-that-s-not-what-the-judge-will-be-expecting-hesitating-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Expecting" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-may-but-that-s-not-what-the-judge-will-be-expecting-hesitating-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/jodi-picoult-45_expecting_you-may-but-that-s-not-what-the-judge-wi_290072.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/jodi-picoult-45_expecting_you-may-but-that-s-not-what-the-judge-wi_290072.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bce/jodi-picoult-45_expecting_you-may-but-that-s-not-what-the-judge-wi_290072.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You may, but that’s not what the judge will be expecting.” Hesitating, I added, “I’m” — Jodi Picoult", "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": "Jodi Picoult", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“You may, but that’s not what...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-may-but-that-s-not-what-the-judge-will-be-expecting-hesitating-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-may-but-that-s-not-what-the-judge-will-be-expecting-hesitating-i/#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 } } ] } ```