---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Those things that he held most deeply…"
description: "\"“Those things that he held most deeply were most profoundly betrayed when he spoke of them to his classes; what was most alive withered in his words; a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/john-williams-3311_betrayed_those-things-that-he-held-most-deeply-we_2985453.jpg"
---

#  Those things that he held most deeply were most profoundly…

![“Those things that he held most deeply were most profoundly betrayed when he spoke of them to his classes; what was most alive withered in his words; and what moved him most became cold in its utterance . And the consciousness of his inadequacy distressed him so greatly that the sense of it grew…” quote by John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/john-williams-3311_betrayed_those-things-that-he-held-most-deeply-we_2985453.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/john-williams-3311_betrayed_those-things-that-he-held-most-deeply-we_2985453.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/john-williams-3311_betrayed_those-things-that-he-held-most-deeply-we_2985453.jpg)

> ““Those things that he held most deeply were most profoundly betrayed when he spoke of them to his classes; what was most alive withered in his words; and what moved him most became cold in its utterance . And the consciousness of his inadequacy distressed him so greatly that the sense of it grew habitual, as much a part of him as the stoop of his shoulders.””

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

## About This Quote

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

When deeply held values are betrayed, they lose vitality and become hollow, leading to chronic self‑doubt.

**In simple terms:** Betrayal of core values creates emptiness.

Key Takeaway

Protect and honor your deepest convictions.

Themes

integrity betrayal self‑esteem

Mood

introspective somber

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- teaching
- personal relationships
- creative work
- mental health

Key Concepts

psychology existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

- What values feel most vulnerable in your life?
- How can you reaffirm them?

A Different Perspective

Self‑reflection may not change external pressures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Betrayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayed/) [Betrayed Spoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayed-spoke-1373950/) [Held Deeply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/held-deeply-4664826/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Profoundly Betrayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profoundly-betrayed-4664825/) [Words Moved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-moved-1055758/)

## Related quotes

> [“My body betrayed me when he was around. Something about him spoke to a darker place inside me, a feral place. A primal place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-snyder/my-body-betrayed-me-when-he-was-around-something-about-him-spoke-to-a/)

[Jennifer Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-snyder/)

> ["His words moved people closer to God." I'd be happy if that's what people said about me at the end of the day. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-bird/his-words-moved-people-closer-to-god-i-d-be-happy-if-that-s-what/)

[Brian Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-bird/)

> [“Charlotte Yates didn’t especially care for music. All that abstract mooning about. Words, that was what moved people. A good play was worth a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magnus-flyte/charlotte-yates-didn-t-especially-care-for-music-all-that-abstract/)

[Magnus Flyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magnus-flyte/)

> [“Cathy, don't look so defeated. She was only trying to put us down again. Maybe nothing did work out right for her, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-c-andrews/cathy-don-t-look-so-defeated-she-was-only-trying-to-put-us-down-again/)

[V.C. Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-c-andrews/)

> [To be robbed and betrayed by a fiendish underground conspiracy, or by the earthly agents of Satan, is at least a romantic sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/to-be-robbed-and-betrayed-by-a-fiendish-underground-conspiracy-or-by/)

[Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/)

> [I'm a military man, I did what I did only because my country had to be saved from tribalism and feudalism. If I failed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mengistu-haile-mariam/i-m-a-military-man-i-did-what-i-did-only-because-my-country-had-to-be/)

[Mengistu Haile Mariam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mengistu-haile-mariam/)

> [Those who are successfully to lead their fellow-men, should have once possessed the nobler feelings. We have all known individuals whose magnanimity was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-helps/those-who-are-successfully-to-lead-their-fellow-men-should-have-once/)

[Arthur Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-helps/)

> [Rome has betrayed itself. It knew the truth and chose violence, it knew humaneness and it chose tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/rome-has-betrayed-itself-it-knew-the-truth-and-chose-violence-it-knew/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [Being betrayed by someone you love just makes you more selective and careful when trying out a new relationship/friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-someone-you-love-just-makes-you-more-selective-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It is less painful, it turns out, to feel betrayed than to feel forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-grosz/it-is-less-painful-it-turns-out-to-feel-betrayed-than-to-feel/)

[Stephen Grosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-grosz/)

> [The mantra of the new historicists was "we have betrayed ourselves." Since their emergence, there have been more or less interesting paradigm shifts having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-fry/the-mantra-of-the-new-historicists-was-we-have-betrayed-ourselves/)

[Paul Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-fry/)

> [In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be! Passions spin the plot: We are betrayed by what is false within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/in-tragic-life-god-wot-no-villain-need-be-passions-spin-the-plot-we/)

[George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/)

> [We are all too keenly aware that those of you who supported us by purchasing the 3DS in the beginningmay feel betrayed and criticize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satoru-iwata/we-are-all-too-keenly-aware-that-those-of-you-who-supported-us-by/)

[Satoru Iwata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satoru-iwata/)

> [Nothing brings out the lower traits of human nature like office-seeking. Men of good character and impulses are betrayed by it into all sorts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutherford-b-hayes/nothing-brings-out-the-lower-traits-of-human-nature-like-office/)

[Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutherford-b-hayes/)

> [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by John Williams

> [“She was, he knew- and had known very early, he supposed- one of those rare and always lovely humans whose moral nature was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/she-was-he-knew-and-had-known-very-early-he-supposed-one-of-those/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [“What you seem so unwilling to accept, even now, is this: that the ideals which supported the old Republic had no correspondence to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/what-you-seem-so-unwilling-to-accept-even-now-is-this-that-the-ideals/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [“It's for us that the University exists, for the dispossessed of the world; not for the students, not for the selfless pursuit of knowledge,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/it-s-for-us-that-the-university-exists-for-the-dispossessed-of-the/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [I don't make a particular distinction between 'high art' and 'low art.' Music is there for everybody. It's a river we can all put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/i-don-t-make-a-particular-distinction-between-high-art-and-low-art/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [“Dispassionately, reasonably, he contemplated the failutre that his life must appear to be. He had wanted friendship and the closeness of friendship that might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/dispassionately-reasonably-he-contemplated-the-failutre-that-his-life/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [“Six times during my life has this tomb of my soul led me to the brink of that eternal darkness into which all men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/six-times-during-my-life-has-this-tomb-of-my-soul-led-me-to-the-brink/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [“But I can see what has ensued. A war doesn’t merely kill off a few thousand or a few hundred thousand young men. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/but-i-can-see-what-has-ensued-a-war-doesn-t-merely-kill-off-a-few/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [I let it go. I have not looked at the 'Star Wars' films, and that's absolutely true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/i-let-it-go-i-have-not-looked-at-the-star-wars-films-and-that-s/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [You never write a theme for a movie thinking, 'This will live forever.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/you-never-write-a-theme-for-a-movie-thinking-this-will-live-forever/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [“For a few moments in the evening, then, they talked quietly and casually, as if they were old friends or exhausted enemies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/for-a-few-moments-in-the-evening-then-they-talked-quietly-and/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [Composing music is hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/composing-music-is-hard-work/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [I honestly haven't done all that counting. It always feels new and a wonderful honor to receive these things. It's a fresh feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/i-honestly-haven-t-done-all-that-counting-it-always-feels-new-and-a/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [In general, we continue to believe that local governments should not have a competitive advantage when competing with the private sector, and they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/in-general-we-continue-to-believe-that-local-governments-should-not/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [“Saying, ain’t doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/saying-ain-t-doing/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [There is no proof that carbon dioxide is causing or precedes global warming…All indications are that the minor warming cycle finished in 2001 and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/there-is-no-proof-that-carbon-dioxide-is-causing-or-precedes-global/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

[Explore all 122 John Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

## More Betrayed quotes

> [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Nothing brings out the lower traits of human nature like office-seeking. Men of good character and impulses are betrayed by it into all sorts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutherford-b-hayes/nothing-brings-out-the-lower-traits-of-human-nature-like-office/)

[Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutherford-b-hayes/)

> [We are all too keenly aware that those of you who supported us by purchasing the 3DS in the beginningmay feel betrayed and criticize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satoru-iwata/we-are-all-too-keenly-aware-that-those-of-you-who-supported-us-by/)

[Satoru Iwata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satoru-iwata/)

> [In tragic life, God wot, No villain need be! Passions spin the plot: We are betrayed by what is false within.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meredith/in-tragic-life-god-wot-no-villain-need-be-passions-spin-the-plot-we/)

[George Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meredith/)

> [The mantra of the new historicists was "we have betrayed ourselves." Since their emergence, there have been more or less interesting paradigm shifts having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-fry/the-mantra-of-the-new-historicists-was-we-have-betrayed-ourselves/)

[Paul Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-fry/)

> [It is less painful, it turns out, to feel betrayed than to feel forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-grosz/it-is-less-painful-it-turns-out-to-feel-betrayed-than-to-feel/)

[Stephen Grosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-grosz/)

> [Being betrayed by someone you love just makes you more selective and careful when trying out a new relationship/friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-someone-you-love-just-makes-you-more-selective-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Rome has betrayed itself. It knew the truth and chose violence, it knew humaneness and it chose tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/rome-has-betrayed-itself-it-knew-the-truth-and-chose-violence-it-knew/)

[Friedrich Durrenmatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-d-rrenmatt/)

> [Those who are successfully to lead their fellow-men, should have once possessed the nobler feelings. We have all known individuals whose magnanimity was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-helps/those-who-are-successfully-to-lead-their-fellow-men-should-have-once/)

[Arthur Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-helps/)

> [I'm a military man, I did what I did only because my country had to be saved from tribalism and feudalism. If I failed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mengistu-haile-mariam/i-m-a-military-man-i-did-what-i-did-only-because-my-country-had-to-be/)

[Mengistu Haile Mariam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mengistu-haile-mariam/)

> [To be robbed and betrayed by a fiendish underground conspiracy, or by the earthly agents of Satan, is at least a romantic sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/to-be-robbed-and-betrayed-by-a-fiendish-underground-conspiracy-or-by/)

[Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/)

> [“Cathy, don't look so defeated. She was only trying to put us down again. Maybe nothing did work out right for her, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-c-andrews/cathy-don-t-look-so-defeated-she-was-only-trying-to-put-us-down-again/)

[V.C. Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-c-andrews/)

> [When I was young, I had a favorite movie star. One day, I saw one of his movies, and it was bad, and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/when-i-was-young-i-had-a-favorite-movie-star-one-day-i-saw-one-of-his/)

[Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/)

> [I really had faith in you but you betrayed me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lafee/i-really-had-faith-in-you-but-you-betrayed-me/)

[Lafee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lafee/)

> [No-one is ever betrayed by true love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaufre-rudel/no-one-is-ever-betrayed-by-true-love/)

[Jaufre Rudel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaufre-rudel/)

[Browse all 708 Betrayed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/betrayed/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Those things that he held most deeply were most profoundly betrayed when he spoke of them to his classes; what was most alive withered in his words; and what moved him most became cold in its utterance . And the consciousness of his inadequacy distressed him so greatly that the sense of it grew habitual, as much a part of him as the stoop of his shoulders.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Williams"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/those-things-that-he-held-most-deeply-were-most-profoundly-betrayed/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Betrayed"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/those-things-that-he-held-most-deeply-were-most-profoundly-betrayed/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/john-williams-3311_betrayed_those-things-that-he-held-most-deeply-we_2985453.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/john-williams-3311_betrayed_those-things-that-he-held-most-deeply-we_2985453.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ee/john-williams-3311_betrayed_those-things-that-he-held-most-deeply-we_2985453.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Those things that he held most deeply were most profoundly betrayed when he spoke of them to his classes…” — John Williams",
                "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": "John Williams",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Those things that he held most...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/those-things-that-he-held-most-deeply-were-most-profoundly-betrayed/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/those-things-that-he-held-most-deeply-were-most-profoundly-betrayed/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
