--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Guilty she might be. But what human being…" description: "\"Guilty she might be. But what human being was not? There were things in her past she needn't be ashamed of, things to be proud of; she wouldn't surrend..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/john-jakes-23092_ashamed_guilty-she-might-be-but-what-human-being_1142000.png" --- # Guilty she might be. But what human being was not? There… ![“Guilty she might be. But what human being was not? There were things in her past she needn't be ashamed of, things to be proud of; she wouldn't surrender so meekly to a condemning judgment.” quote by John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/john-jakes-23092_ashamed_guilty-she-might-be-but-what-human-being_1142000.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/john-jakes-23092_ashamed_guilty-she-might-be-but-what-human-being_1142000.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e6/john-jakes-23092_ashamed_guilty-she-might-be-but-what-human-being_1142000.png) > “Guilty she might be. But what human being was not? There were things in her past she needn't be ashamed of, things to be proud of; she wouldn't surrender so meekly to a condemning judgment.” [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People carry both shame and pride; accepting both is part of humanity. **In simple terms:** Everyone has flaws and strengths. Key Takeaway Embrace your whole self. Themes self‑acceptance humanity judgment Mood reflective empathetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - relationships - creative expression Key Concepts dual nature self‑compassion Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance pride and shame? - What judgments do you hold onto? A Different Perspective People may still judge harshly despite self‑acceptance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ashamed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashamed/) [Ashamed Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashamed-things-302671/) [Be proud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-proud/) [Guilty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilty/) [Guilty Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guilty-human-3187175/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Meekly Condemning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meekly-condemning-3187176/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Proud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proud/) [Proud Wouldn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proud-wouldn-1906483/) [Surrender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrender/) [Things Proud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-proud-252933/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [My thing is that if you don't really connect to something or see that it's going to be something you're going to be proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/condola-rashad/my-thing-is-that-if-you-don-t-really-connect-to-something-or-see-that/) [Condola Rashad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/condola-rashad/) > [The individual who dares commit a crime is guilty in a two-fold sense; first, he is guilty against human conscience, and, above all, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-bakunin/the-individual-who-dares-commit-a-crime-is-guilty-in-a-two-fold-sense/) [Mikhail Bakunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-bakunin/) > [I am happy to be a German. I'm proud, or I wouldn't be here in the team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-boateng/i-am-happy-to-be-a-german-i-m-proud-or-i-wouldn-t-be-here-in-the-team/) [Jerome Boateng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-boateng/) > [If you have your wife, and you are proud of something she's done, wouldn't you go and support her in something? That is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gisele-bundchen/if-you-have-your-wife-and-you-are-proud-of-something-she-s-done/) [Gisele Bundchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gisele-bundchen/) > [I think if I had seen more people like me who are out and proud, it wouldn't have taken me 45 years to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-lemon/i-think-if-i-had-seen-more-people-like-me-who-are-out-and-proud-it/) [Don Lemon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-lemon/) > [I’m not gonna sit around and waste my precious divine energy trying to explain and be ashamed of things you think are wrong with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esperanza-spalding/i-m-not-gonna-sit-around-and-waste-my-precious-divine-energy-trying/) [Esperanza Spalding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esperanza-spalding/) > [“You should be much more ashamed of things you didn't say than you are of things you said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-taleb/you-should-be-much-more-ashamed-of-things-you-didn-t-say-than-you-are/) [Nassim Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-taleb/) > [I felt ashamed." "But of what? Psyche, they hadn't stripped you naked or anything?" "No, no, Maia. Ashamed of looking like a mortal --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-felt-ashamed-but-of-what-psyche-they-hadn-t-stripped-you-naked-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People see themselves on camera. They're ashamed of the things that they do, so they have a choice: Either they accept responsibility for it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-taffer/people-see-themselves-on-camera-they-re-ashamed-of-the-things-that/) [Jon Taffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-taffer/) > [Looking at the media today, I'm quite ashamed of myself, of things I've participated in. Everything is marketed to sex and gossip and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meshell-ndegeocello/looking-at-the-media-today-i-m-quite-ashamed-of-myself-of-things-i-ve/) [Meshell Ndegeocello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meshell-ndegeocello/) > [When I read that nobody should ever feel ashamed to be alone or to be in a crowd, I realized that I often felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/when-i-read-that-nobody-should-ever-feel-ashamed-to-be-alone-or-to-be/) [Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/) > [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) > [I am many different things, and that is why I am so proud to be American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-samuelsson/i-am-many-different-things-and-that-is-why-i-am-so-proud-to-be/) [Marcus Samuelsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-samuelsson/) > [When I look back and think about the three or four things I'm most proud of in my life, none of those happened when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randi-zuckerberg/when-i-look-back-and-think-about-the-three-or-four-things-i-m-most/) [Randi Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randi-zuckerberg/) > [There are things that you think about in your life that you're proud of, some things that you're not proud of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-kelly/there-are-things-that-you-think-about-in-your-life-that-you-re-proud/) [Jim Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-kelly/) ## More by John Jakes > [“Why did people ignore the lessons of history and their own senses, deny a law of life immutable as the seasons, and erect twisted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/why-did-people-ignore-the-lessons-of-history-and-their-own-senses/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) > [The house burned an hour before midnight on the last day of April. The wild, distant ringing of the fire bells woke George Hazard.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/the-house-burned-an-hour-before-midnight-on-the-last-day-of-april-the/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) > [Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/be-yourself-above-all-let-who-you-are-what-you-are-what-you-believe/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) > [No writer should minimize the factor that affects everyone, but is beyond control: luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/no-writer-should-minimize-the-factor-that-affects-everyone-but-is/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) > [The first treasure California began to surrender after the Gold Rush as the oldest: her land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/the-first-treasure-california-began-to-surrender-after-the-gold-rush/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) > [“Yet how strong was friendship? Could it banish disagreement over a fundamental issue of human liberty—as if the issue and the disagreement didn’t exist?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/yet-how-strong-was-friendship-could-it-banish-disagreement-over-a/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) > [Be persistent. Editors change; tastes change; editorial markets change. Too many beginning writers give up too easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/be-persistent-editors-change-tastes-change-editorial-markets-change/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) > [Going after anything worthwile in life entailed risk, of course. A man of ambition and courage didn't let that stop or delay him. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/going-after-anything-worthwile-in-life-entailed-risk-of-course-a-man/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) > [The pain comes from knowing that we have never been safe, and therefore will never be safe again. It comes from knowing we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/the-pain-comes-from-knowing-that-we-have-never-been-safe-and/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) > [We are all dying of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/we-are-all-dying-of-life/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) > [“He could never be anything more than what he was: the inheritor of weakness and unbridled emotion, a creature possessed by the past, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/he-could-never-be-anything-more-than-what-he-was-the-inheritor-of/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) > [Spend as much time as you can with your mouth shut and your eyes and ears open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/spend-as-much-time-as-you-can-with-your-mouth-shut-and-your-eyes-and/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) > [“Take a stand and make a mark.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/take-a-stand-and-make-a-mark/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) > [“That was an explanation, not an excuse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/that-was-an-explanation-not-an-excuse/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) > [“I’m not sure it’s altogether right to encourage and reward fighting and killing, but that’s the way things are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jakes/i-m-not-sure-it-s-altogether-right-to-encourage-and-reward-fighting/) [John Jakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) [Explore all 26 John Jakes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jakes/) ## More Ashamed quotes > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I know what you're thinking... and you oughtta be ashamed of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-preston/i-know-what-you-re-thinking-and-you-oughtta-be-ashamed-of-yourself/) [Robert Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-preston/) > [You never meet the writer when you're making a TV movie in America - they're too ashamed to show up and see how their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-don-baker/you-never-meet-the-writer-when-you-re-making-a-tv-movie-in-america/) [Joe Don Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-don-baker/) > [I'm not ashamed of the things I believe and why I believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-huckabee/i-m-not-ashamed-of-the-things-i-believe-and-why-i-believe-them/) [Mike Huckabee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-huckabee/) > [If, with all the time at my disposal, with all the wealth of the resources of this vast universe, to do with as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/if-with-all-the-time-at-my-disposal-with-all-the-wealth-of-the/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [“with her own life. And I was ashamed.” Humiliated. Broken. Miserable. If Wilcher had stood by Jaymee, if her father hadn’t berated her, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-green/with-her-own-life-and-i-was-ashamed-humiliated-broken-miserable-if/) [Stacy Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-green/) > [You should avoid hedging, at least that's what I think. You should be ashamed to die until you've made some contribution to mankind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-johns/you-should-avoid-hedging-at-least-that-s-what-i-think-you-should-be/) [Vernon Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-johns/) > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [“When all are undressed, one is somehow not ashamed, but when one's the only one undressed and everybody is looking, it's degrading,' he kept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/when-all-are-undressed-one-is-somehow-not-ashamed-but-when-one-s-the/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [There are a great many colored people who are ashamed of the cake-walk, but I think they ought to be proud of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-weldon-johnson/there-are-a-great-many-colored-people-who-are-ashamed-of-the-cake/) [James Weldon Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-weldon-johnson/) > [I love him who is ashamed when the dice fall in his favour, and who then asketh: "Am I a dishonest player?" - for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/i-love-him-who-is-ashamed-when-the-dice-fall-in-his-favour-and-who/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zondervan-publishing/whoever-is-ashamed-of-me-and-my-words-the-son-of-man-will-be-ashamed/) [Zondervan Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zondervan-publishing/) > [You were never created to live depressed, defeated, guilty, condemned, ashamed or unworthy. You were created to be victorious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/you-were-never-created-to-live-depressed-defeated-guilty-condemned/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I never wonder to see men wicked, but I often wonder to see them not ashamed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/i-never-wonder-to-see-men-wicked-but-i-often-wonder-to-see-them-not/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [“To survive during the Khmer Rouge, you had to steal, cheat, lie, point fingers at others, even kill. And now you are ashamed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-brinkley/to-survive-during-the-khmer-rouge-you-had-to-steal-cheat-lie-point/) [Joel Brinkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-brinkley/) [Browse all 1,607 Ashamed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashamed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Guilty she might be. 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