--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Better not to invent her in her absence…" description: "\"Better not to invent her in her absence. Better to wait until she's actually here. Then he can make her up as she goes along.\" — Margaret Atwood" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/margaret-atwood-40_absence_better-not-to-invent-her-in-her-absence_1752187.jpg" --- # Better not to invent her in her absence. Better to wait… ![“Better not to invent her in her absence. Better to wait until she's actually here. Then he can make her up as she goes along.” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/margaret-atwood-40_absence_better-not-to-invent-her-in-her-absence_1752187.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/margaret-atwood-40_absence_better-not-to-invent-her-in-her-absence_1752187.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/margaret-atwood-40_absence_better-not-to-invent-her-in-her-absence_1752187.jpg) > “Better not to invent her in her absence. Better to wait until she's actually here. Then he can make her up as she goes along.” [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. One should not imagine a person’s traits before meeting them; let real interaction shape perception. **In simple terms:** Don’t assume before meeting. Key Takeaway Wait to know before judging. Themes patience open-mindedness respect for individuality Mood thoughtful cautious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - first dates - team building - interview processes - friendship formation Key Concepts social perception identity formation Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions do you make about others? - How can you stay open to surprise? A Different Perspective Premature assumptions can lead to misunderstanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) ## Related quotes > [“Sometimes someones absence is better than his/here presence, it is a way to know his value in presence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-someones-absence-is-better-than-his-here-presence-it-is-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It is better to wait until you get the right thing, at the right time and in the right place; than to race for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gift-gugu-mona/it-is-better-to-wait-until-you-get-the-right-thing-at-the-right-time/) [Gift Gugu Mona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gift-gugu-mona/) > [Things will be far worse than they are now. And far better. I wait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/things-will-be-far-worse-than-they-are-now-and-far-better-i-wait/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [Better to wait and yearn, and still to wait, And die at last with unappeased desire, Than live to be the jest of such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/better-to-wait-and-yearn-and-still-to-wait-and-die-at-last-with/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [It is better to wait for years for that someone you are sure of.. than to grab that chance with someone who picks you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-better-to-wait-for-years-for-that-someone-you-are-sure-of-than/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes it is better to wait than to force things to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-it-is-better-to-wait-than-to-force-things-to-happen/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Take a note: it usually works better if you wait until I do something stupid before getting mad at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/take-a-note-it-usually-works-better-if-you-wait-until-i-do-something/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Its better to wait a years for someone you are sure of,,, then Grab a chance with someone who pics you up and drop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isay/its-better-to-wait-a-years-for-someone-you-are-sure-of-then-grab-a/) Isay > [Its better to wait for years for that, someone, you are sure of.. than to grab that chance with, someone who picks you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-better-to-wait-for-years-for-that-someone-you-are-sure-of-than-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is always better to wait for a good surprise instead of thinking about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-sharma/it-is-always-better-to-wait-for-a-good-surprise-instead-of-thinking/) [Mani Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-sharma/) > [It is better to WAIT than to force things to HAPPEN!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhoni13/it-is-better-to-wait-than-to-force-things-to-happen/) Jhoni13 > [God's grace will give you a better person. You better wait for the right moment than to fnd your own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianette-carbito/god-s-grace-will-give-you-a-better-person-you-better-wait-for-the/) [Marianette Carbito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianette-carbito/) > [“enough to summon Tommy down to assist. His repertoire of life skills, augmented by the time he spent in Africa, no doubt includes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-mark-bertrand/enough-to-summon-tommy-down-to-assist-his-repertoire-of-life-skills/) [J. Mark Bertrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-mark-bertrand/) > [True love is worth waiting for and even though it seems hopeless at times it's better to wait and get what you want in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justice-cabral/true-love-is-worth-waiting-for-and-even-though-it-seems-hopeless-at/) [Justice Cabral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justice-cabral/) > [When it aint feeling right,move on and live on...Don't endure because something better is wait for you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bakare/when-it-aint-feeling-right-move-on-and-live-on-don-t-endure-because/) [Bakare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bakare/) ## More by Margaret Atwood > [“I'm fine," said Pilar, "for the moment. And the moment is the only time we can be fine in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-fine-said-pilar-for-the-moment-and-the-moment-is-the-only-time-we/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The birds were singing around me, but I reflected that the very birds were strangers to me, for I did not even know their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-birds-were-singing-around-me-but-i-reflected-that-the-very-birds/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Strange how we decorate pain. These ribbons, for instance, and the small hard teardrops of blood. Who are they for? Do we think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/strange-how-we-decorate-pain-these-ribbons-for-instance-and-the-small/) [margaret atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I wanted to forget the past, but it refused to forget me; it waited for sleep, then cornered me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wanted-to-forget-the-past-but-it-refused-to-forget-me-it-waited-for/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/back-at-home-they-drew-the-curtains-and-read-with-disapproval-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Simon walks back to the house alone. 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You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-more-difficult-it-was-to-love-the-particular-man-beside-us-the/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) [Explore all 2,072 Margaret Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## More Absence quotes > [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [The work, the work, the work. This is what the business is all about. This is the fun, the glory, the pleasure. 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The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [The absence of God in most spheres of life is perceived to be normal, and even Christians feel it as normal - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-absence-of-god-in-most-spheres-of-life-is-perceived-to-be-normal/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“I was thinking how most people don't make you feel much of anything at all. Don't make you feel like time spent with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lotter/i-was-thinking-how-most-people-don-t-make-you-feel-much-of-anything/) [Jane Lotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lotter/) > [Cooperation isn't the absence of conflict but a means of managing conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/cooperation-isn-t-the-absence-of-conflict-but-a-means-of-managing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. 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Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) [Browse all 2,057 Absence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Better not to invent her in her absence. Better to wait until she's actually here. 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