--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fool, he tells himself. She’s not here…" description: "\"“Fool, he tells himself. She’s not here. She was never here. It was imagination and wishful thinking, nothing but that. Resign yourself. He can’t resig..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/margaret-atwood-40_wishful-thinking_fool-he-tells-himself-she-s-not-here-she_1285718.jpg" --- # Fool, he tells himself. She’s not here. She was never… ![“Fool, he tells himself. She’s not here. She was never here. It was imagination and wishful thinking, nothing but that. Resign yourself. He can’t resign himself.” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/margaret-atwood-40_wishful-thinking_fool-he-tells-himself-she-s-not-here-she_1285718.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/margaret-atwood-40_wishful-thinking_fool-he-tells-himself-she-s-not-here-she_1285718.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/985/margaret-atwood-40_wishful-thinking_fool-he-tells-himself-she-s-not-here-she_1285718.jpg) > ““Fool, he tells himself. She’s not here. She was never here. It was imagination and wishful thinking, nothing but that. Resign yourself. He can’t resign himself.”” [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. A character deceives himself about another’s absence, mistaking imagination for reality, leading to resignation. **In simple terms:** Self‑deception creates false reality. Key Takeaway Challenge personal narratives and seek truth. Themes self‑deception imagination resignation reality psychology Mood introspective somber thoughtful Type literary psychological When to use this quote - therapy - creative writing - personal journaling - relationship counseling - self‑reflection Key Concepts Cognitive dissonance identity mental health Questions to Reflect On - What fantasies are you clinging to? - How can you confront uncomfortable truths? A Different Perspective Denial can prevent growth and action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Fool Tells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool-tells-588003/) [Resign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resign/) [Thinking Resign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-resign-4169983/) [Wishful thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wishful-thinking/) ## Related quotes > [The wise man knows when to keep silent. Only the fool tells all he knows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-wise-man-knows-when-to-keep-silent-only-the-fool-tells-all-he/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [That's what a man wants in a wife, mostly; he wants to make sure one fool tells him he's wise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/that-s-what-a-man-wants-in-a-wife-mostly-he-wants-to-make-sure-one/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [It is hard to say which is the greatest fool: he who tells the whole truth, or he who tells no truth at all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/it-is-hard-to-say-which-is-the-greatest-fool-he-who-tells-the-whole/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [Only a sadistic scoundrel-or a fool-tells the bald truth on social occasions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/only-a-sadistic-scoundrel-or-a-fool-tells-the-bald-truth-on-social/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [A lie may fool someone else, but it tells you the truth: you're weak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/a-lie-may-fool-someone-else-but-it-tells-you-the-truth-you-re-weak/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [The fool tells me his reason; the wise man persuades me with my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-fool-tells-me-his-reason-the-wise-man-persuades-me-with-my-own/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Now it stands to reason, mister, any damn fool stares into the sun long enough, he'll end up seeing exactly what some other damn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/now-it-stands-to-reason-mister-any-damn-fool-stares-into-the-sun-long/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [I did not resign from politics because of Bofors. I resigned because I do not know how to play petty politics. I did not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amitabh-bachchan/i-did-not-resign-from-politics-because-of-bofors-i-resigned-because-i/) [Amitabh Bachchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amitabh-bachchan/) > [I did not want to write, but I had to resign myself to it in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/i-did-not-want-to-write-but-i-had-to-resign-myself-to-it-in-the-end/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [I am sorry I couldn't complete my term as leader. It is necessary for my staff to resign ... to regain the people's trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seiji-maehara/i-am-sorry-i-couldn-t-complete-my-term-as-leader-it-is-necessary-for/) [Seiji Maehara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seiji-maehara/) > [If I could get my membership fee back, I'd resign from the human race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-allen/if-i-could-get-my-membership-fee-back-i-d-resign-from-the-human-race/) [Fred Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-allen/) > [How do you resign yourself to something that will never be? You stop wanting just that thing. You go numb. Or you kill the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-holzer/how-do-you-resign-yourself-to-something-that-will-never-be-you-stop/) [Jenny Holzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-holzer/) > [Once you have become the centre of a conflict in a complex governmental enterprise you have the obligation to resign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/once-you-have-become-the-centre-of-a-conflict-in-a-complex/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [There is a democratic process in the party, and that can be operated at any time. But am I going to resign? No. Of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-corbyn/there-is-a-democratic-process-in-the-party-and-that-can-be-operated/) [Jeremy Corbyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-corbyn/) > [I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is opposed to every instinct in my body. But as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/i-have-never-been-a-quitter-to-leave-office-before-my-term-is/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) ## 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. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. 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 Fool quotes > [Do I look like a fool to you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamika-leeigh/do-i-look-like-a-fool-to-you/) [Tamika-leeigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamika-leeigh/) > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Not wise, perhaps, to be rude to the Pope's favorite son, but my viper tongue still required a fool now and then on which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-quinn/not-wise-perhaps-to-be-rude-to-the-pope-s-favorite-son-but-my-viper/) [Kate Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-quinn/) > [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [A fool and his money get a lot of publicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-bernstein/a-fool-and-his-money-get-a-lot-of-publicity/) [Al Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-bernstein/) > [There are different kinds of fire; there is false fire. No one knows this better than we do, but we are not such fools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-booth/there-are-different-kinds-of-fire-there-is-false-fire-no-one-knows/) [William Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-booth/) > [Every man must wear out at least one pair of fools shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-derr-biggers/every-man-must-wear-out-at-least-one-pair-of-fools-shoes/) [Earl Derr Biggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-derr-biggers/) > [If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wc-fields/if-at-first-you-don-t-succeed-try-try-again-then-quit-no-use-being-a/) [WC Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wc-fields/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [I'd be a fool to be in this for the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-hinn/i-d-be-a-fool-to-be-in-this-for-the-money/) [Benny Hinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-hinn/) > [It is a fool of a shepherd who culls his dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jefferson-smith/it-is-a-fool-of-a-shepherd-who-culls-his-dogs/) [Jefferson Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jefferson-smith/) > [Prefer to be defeated in the presence of the wise than to excel among fools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prefer-to-be-defeated-in-the-presence-of-the-wise-than-to-excel-among/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A mistake doesnt make you a fool, but denying it surely makes you one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/a-mistake-doesnt-make-you-a-fool-but-denying-it-surely-makes-you-one/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) [Browse all 5,535 Fool quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Fool, he tells himself. 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