--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's important to know what you think, my…" description: "\"“It's important to know what you think, my dear, or else you will be so hemmed in by other people's ideas and opinions, you won't have room for your ow..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/karen-cushman-24799_believe_it-s-important-to-know-what-you-think-my_825237.jpg" --- # It's important to know what you think, my dear, or else… ![“It's important to know what you think, my dear, or else you will be so hemmed in by other people's ideas and opinions, you won't have room for your own.” quote by Karen Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/karen-cushman-24799_believe_it-s-important-to-know-what-you-think-my_825237.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/karen-cushman-24799_believe_it-s-important-to-know-what-you-think-my_825237.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/karen-cushman-24799_believe_it-s-important-to-know-what-you-think-my_825237.jpg) > ““It's important to know what you think, my dear, or else you will be so hemmed in by other people's ideas and opinions, you won't have room for your own.”” [Karen Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Knowing your own thoughts prevents being overwhelmed by others’ opinions, preserving mental space for originality. **In simple terms:** Think for yourself to avoid being trapped by others’ ideas. Key Takeaway Cultivate independent thinking. Themes self‑awareness critical thinking mental autonomy Mood reflective encouraging Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - decision making - creative writing - leadership training Key Concepts personal development education psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you protect your mental space? - What habits foster independent thought? A Different Perspective Strong opinions can create conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Important Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-know/) [Know Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-think/) [Opinions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opinions/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Dear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-dear-417106/) ## Related quotes > [Do you think, that I could still call you 'my dear'?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiera-cass/do-you-think-that-i-could-still-call-you-my-dear/) [Kiera Cass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiera-cass/) > [I run for the bus, dear, while riding I think of us, dear, I say a little prayer for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aretha-franklin/i-run-for-the-bus-dear-while-riding-i-think-of-us-dear-i-say-a-little/) [Aretha Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aretha-franklin/) > [I think of you often, dear, and with such concentrated wishes that it really must help you in some way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/i-think-of-you-often-dear-and-with-such-concentrated-wishes-that-it/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [Perhaps it is even more important to know what one should not think about than what one should think about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/perhaps-it-is-even-more-important-to-know-what-one-should-not-think/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Many times, I know before I speak to the player what they are thinking. It's very important to know when to push, when to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-conte/many-times-i-know-before-i-speak-to-the-player-what-they-are-thinking/) [Antonio Conte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-conte/) > [It's important to get to know people, to get an idea of the culture of a club, and to understand how it works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugo-lloris/it-s-important-to-get-to-know-people-to-get-an-idea-of-the-culture-of/) [Hugo Lloris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugo-lloris/) > [It's important to know how to operate within the system you are existing in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dasha-zhukova/it-s-important-to-know-how-to-operate-within-the-system-you-are/) [Dasha Zhukova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dasha-zhukova/) > [“On Knowledge: You know that I know you know, but I want you to know that I know you know I know you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/on-knowledge-you-know-that-i-know-you-know-but-i-want-you-to-know/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [It is far more important to know myself and take care of myself than it is to look good to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-engel/it-is-far-more-important-to-know-myself-and-take-care-of-myself-than/) [Beverly Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-engel/) > [It's important to know what you're going to spend your life on, and the only way you're going to find that is by connecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-s-important-to-know-what-you-re-going-to-spend-your-life-on-and/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [“Whatever you’re doing in life, whether you’re a doctor, painter, student, or lemonade stand owner, it’s important to know the game so that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-singh/whatever-you-re-doing-in-life-whether-you-re-a-doctor-painter-student/) [Lilly Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-singh/) > [It is not half so important to know as to feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-carson/it-is-not-half-so-important-to-know-as-to-feel/) [Rachel Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-carson/) > [Business can change you, and chew you up, and spit you out, and be rid of you, and on to the next thing. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-keys/business-can-change-you-and-chew-you-up-and-spit-you-out-and-be-rid/) [Alicia Keys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-keys/) > [Family is so important, I know that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-hucknall/family-is-so-important-i-know-that/) [Mick Hucknall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-hucknall/) > [I know how big Liverpool are - and it means everything to me - but I know what is important; I know it's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rickie-lambert/i-know-how-big-liverpool-are-and-it-means-everything-to-me-but-i-know/) [Rickie Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rickie-lambert/) ## More by Karen Cushman > [Love brightens and purifies the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/love-brightens-and-purifies-the-heart/) [Karen Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/) > [I watched the early morning light pass over and through the windows of colored glass, leaving streaks of red and green and yellow on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/i-watched-the-early-morning-light-pass-over-and-through-the-windows/) [Karen Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/) > [Corpus Bones! I utterly loathe my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/corpus-bones-i-utterly-loathe-my-life/) [Karen Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/) > [“I know what I want. A full belly, a contented heart, and a place in this world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/i-know-what-i-want-a-full-belly-a-contented-heart-and-a-place-in-this/) [Karen Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/) > [“ Me iudice , in my opinion, life is like juggling... Things come at you―balls, clubs, knives, sorrow, loss. Either you stand there and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/me-iudice-in-my-opinion-life-is-like-juggling-things-come-at-you/) [Karen Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/) > [I think sometimes that people are like onions. On the outside smooth and whole and simple but inside ring upon ring, complex and deep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/i-think-sometimes-that-people-are-like-onions-on-the-outside-smooth/) [Karen Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/) > [Just because you don't know everything don't mean you know nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/just-because-you-don-t-know-everything-don-t-mean-you-know-nothing/) [Karen Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/) > [. . . . I cannot escape my life but can only use my determination and courage to make it the best I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/i-cannot-escape-my-life-but-can-only-use-my-determination-and-courage/) [Karen Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/) > [“I am near fourteen and have never yet seen a hanging. My life is barren.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/i-am-near-fourteen-and-have-never-yet-seen-a-hanging-my-life-is-barren/) [Karen Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/) > [Seems to me God made a big mistake when He failed to put handles on watermelons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/seems-to-me-god-made-a-big-mistake-when-he-failed-to-put-handles-on/) [Karen Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/) > [Seems to me home is where I am loved and safe and needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/seems-to-me-home-is-where-i-am-loved-and-safe-and-needed/) [Karen Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/) > [“She was not as stupid as some I have had, and better company, but still perhaps her going was for the best. She was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/she-was-not-as-stupid-as-some-i-have-had-and-better-company-but-still/) [Karen Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/) > [I want to remake the world; anything less is not worth the trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/i-want-to-remake-the-world-anything-less-is-not-worth-the-trouble/) [Karen Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/) > [. . . she dreamed of nothing, for she hoped for nothing and expected nothing. It was as cold and dark inside her as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/she-dreamed-of-nothing-for-she-hoped-for-nothing-and-expected-nothing/) [Karen Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/) > [Minds, like diapers, need occasional changing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/minds-like-diapers-need-occasional-changing/) [Karen Cushman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/) [Explore all 22 Karen Cushman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It's important to know what you think, my dear, or else you will be so hemmed in by other people's ideas and opinions, you won't have room for your own.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Karen Cushman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/it-s-important-to-know-what-you-think-my-dear-or-else-you-will-be-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/it-s-important-to-know-what-you-think-my-dear-or-else-you-will-be-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/karen-cushman-24799_believe_it-s-important-to-know-what-you-think-my_825237.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/karen-cushman-24799_believe_it-s-important-to-know-what-you-think-my_825237.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8e/karen-cushman-24799_believe_it-s-important-to-know-what-you-think-my_825237.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's important to know what you think, my dear, or else you will be so hemmed in by other people's ideas and…” — Karen Cushman", "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": "Karen Cushman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-cushman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It's important to know what you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/it-s-important-to-know-what-you-think-my-dear-or-else-you-will-be-so/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-cushman/it-s-important-to-know-what-you-think-my-dear-or-else-you-will-be-so/#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 } } ] } ```