--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did know what it meant when you say you…" description: "\"“I did know what it meant when you say you promise something. You have to say that you will never do something again and then you must never do it beca..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/mark-haddon-1056_promise_i-did-know-what-it-meant-when-you-say-yo_949588.png" --- # I did know what it meant when you say you promise… ![“I did know what it meant when you say you promise something. You have to say that you will never do something again and then you must never do it because that would make the promise a lie.” quote by Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/mark-haddon-1056_promise_i-did-know-what-it-meant-when-you-say-yo_949588.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/mark-haddon-1056_promise_i-did-know-what-it-meant-when-you-say-yo_949588.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/mark-haddon-1056_promise_i-did-know-what-it-meant-when-you-say-yo_949588.png) > ““I did know what it meant when you say you promise something. You have to say that you will never do something again and then you must never do it because that would make the promise a lie.”” [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A promise is a moral contract; breaking it turns the promise into a lie, so it must be kept. **In simple terms:** Promises must be kept to stay true. Key Takeaway Honor your word. Themes integrity trust commitment Mood reflective serious Type moral philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - legal agreements - team projects - family vows Key Concepts ethics social contract Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure you keep promises? - What consequences arise from broken promises? A Different Perspective Human memory can be unreliable, making promises hard to keep. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) ## Related quotes > [“You're not going to make me promise you something, because that's what they say in the movies, the person who never comes back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-halle/you-re-not-going-to-make-me-promise-you-something-because-that-s-what/) [Karina Halle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-halle/) > [“You make lies of your promises, Blue Eyes.” “Not this time. I swear it, Hunter. I swear it before God, I’ll be your woman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-anderson/you-make-lies-of-your-promises-blue-eyes-not-this-time-i-swear-it/) [Catherine Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-anderson/) > [A Promise is a Lie disguise!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/a-promise-is-a-lie-disguise/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [A broken promise is not a lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ekman/a-broken-promise-is-not-a-lie/) [Paul Ekman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ekman/) > [“You make a God promise? You will lie with me in my buffalo robes?” Loretta closed her eyes. The words stuck in her throat.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-anderson/you-make-a-god-promise-you-will-lie-with-me-in-my-buffalo-robes/) [Catherine Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-anderson/) > [Every broken promise and lie causes one more brick to go up. Don't be surprised, shocked or sad when you can't break through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerhia/every-broken-promise-and-lie-causes-one-more-brick-to-go-up-don-t-be/) [Jerhia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerhia/) > [I love you is a promise, not a lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayla-jackson/i-love-you-is-a-promise-not-a-lie/) [Kayla Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayla-jackson/) > [“Promise me we'll stay together, okay?" His eyes are once again the clear blue of a perfectly transparent pool. They are eyes to swim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/promise-me-we-ll-stay-together-okay-his-eyes-are-once-again-the-clear-2/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Girl:Promise me you will ask me to marry you one day? Boy:Only on one condition. Girl:What? Boy:Promise me you will say Yes.. !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/girl-promise-me-you-will-ask-me-to-marry-you-one-day-boy-only-on-one/) Azgraybebly Joslan > [“Promise me you won’t leave.” Livvie’s arms gripped me tight. “I promise. Can you say the same?” I almost dreaded the answer. “I promise.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-roberts/promise-me-you-won-t-leave-livvie-s-arms-gripped-me-tight-i-promise/) [C.J. Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-roberts/) > [“And I cannot break the bonds of my word. Only you can release me from that promise. Say what you want from me, Mara.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-vincent/and-i-cannot-break-the-bonds-of-my-word-only-you-can-release-me-from/) [Renee Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-vincent/) > [Promise me we'll stay together, okay? His eyes are once again the clear blue of a perfectly transparent pool. They are eyes to swim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/promise-me-we-ll-stay-together-okay-his-eyes-are-once-again-the-clear/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [I was just trying to stay alive, looking for ways to find you, hoping you hadn't left me behind." "Never," I say. "Not never."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/i-was-just-trying-to-stay-alive-looking-for-ways-to-find-you-hoping/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“Say you'll love me every waking moment, Turn my head with talk of summertime, Say you need me with you now and always, Promise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phantom-of-the-opera/say-you-ll-love-me-every-waking-moment-turn-my-head-with-talk-of/) Phantom of The Opera > [I never promise something; I always say that I will try. Because if you promise something and you don't do it, you will always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrikh-mkhitaryan/i-never-promise-something-i-always-say-that-i-will-try-because-if-you/) [Henrikh Mkhitaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrikh-mkhitaryan/) ## More by Mark Haddon > [But I said that you could still want something that is very unlikely to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/but-i-said-that-you-could-still-want-something-that-is-very-unlikely/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“So often these days she seemed to hover between worlds, none of them wholly real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/so-often-these-days-she-seemed-to-hover-between-worlds-none-of-them/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery…and I was brave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/and-i-know-i-can-do-this-because-i-went-to-london-on-my-own-and/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [And what he meant was that maths wasn't like life because in life there are no straightforward answers in the end](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/and-what-he-meant-was-that-maths-wasn-t-like-life-because-in-life/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [You love someone, you've got to let something go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/you-love-someone-you-ve-got-to-let-something-go/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“when you describe something by using a word for something that it isn’t. This means that the word metaphor is a metaphor. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/when-you-describe-something-by-using-a-word-for-something-that-it-isn/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/they-are-very-logical-but-you-could-never-work-out-the-rules-even-if/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“Places remained and time flowed through them like wind through the grass. Right now. This was the future turning into the past. One thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/places-remained-and-time-flowed-through-them-like-wind-through-the/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I suffer depression only in the sense that I am a writer. We don't have proper jobs to go to. We are on our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-suffer-depression-only-in-the-sense-that-i-am-a-writer-we-don-t/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I better make the plot good. I wanted to make it grip people on the first page and have a big turning point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-better-make-the-plot-good-i-wanted-to-make-it-grip-people-on-the/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“And it was strange because he was calling, "Christopher. . . ? Christopher. . . ?" and I could see my name written out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/and-it-was-strange-because-he-was-calling-christopher-christopher-and/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [A lot of roles for people with disabilities are quite patronising. It's a real pity when they are just used to give dull PC…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/a-lot-of-roles-for-people-with-disabilities-are-quite-patronising-it/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I do not like strangers because I do not like people I have never met before. They are hard to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-do-not-like-strangers-because-i-do-not-like-people-i-have-never-met/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“Lots of people wrote to the magazine to say that Marilyn vos Savant was wrong, even when she explained very carefully why she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/lots-of-people-wrote-to-the-magazine-to-say-that-marilyn-vos-savant/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I read very, very little fiction as a kid. All the books I can remember are junior science books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-read-very-very-little-fiction-as-a-kid-all-the-books-i-can-remember/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) [Explore all 278 Mark Haddon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) ## More Promise quotes > [I could not limit my values and pursuits to what makes others comfortable. Being possessed by a promise I live without options. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/i-could-not-limit-my-values-and-pursuits-to-what-makes-others/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [I take the responsibility of playing another ethnicity very, very seriously, and I promise myself and those people that I will represent them with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-curtis/i-take-the-responsibility-of-playing-another-ethnicity-very-very/) [Cliff Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-curtis/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Because we live in a fallen world, we suffer. But those of us who know Jesus are never alone in the suffering, that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-turner-lee/because-we-live-in-a-fallen-world-we-suffer-but-those-of-us-who-know/) Melissa Turner Lee > [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [A promise, a bond, a joy, a love for the ages, for the history books.…But what was love but pain?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-de-la-cruz/a-promise-a-bond-a-joy-a-love-for-the-ages-for-the-history-books-but/) [Melissa de la Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-de-la-cruz/) > [“I’d see this through to the end… This promise above all others, I will gladly keep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-shirvington/i-d-see-this-through-to-the-end-this-promise-above-all-others-i-will/) [Jessica Shirvington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-shirvington/) > [Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-the-abstract-of-the-past-but-beauty-is-the-promise-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you ponder the scriptures and begin to do what you covenanted with God to do, I can promise you that you will feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/if-you-ponder-the-scriptures-and-begin-to-do-what-you-covenanted-with/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [I promise myself that I will enjoy every minute of the day that is given me to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-promise-myself-that-i-will-enjoy-every-minute-of-the-day-that-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Many people expect, just as they did then, "those at the top" to make all their decisions for them: Please get us work, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wladyslaw-bartoszewski/many-people-expect-just-as-they-did-then-those-at-the-top-to-make-all/) [Wladyslaw Bartoszewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wladyslaw-bartoszewski/) > [PRomise DAy SPecial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/promise-day-special/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never threaten, because a threat is a promise to pay that it isn't always convenient to meet, but if you don't make it good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-horace-lorimer/never-threaten-because-a-threat-is-a-promise-to-pay-that-it-isn-t/) [George Horace Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-horace-lorimer/) [Browse all 5,486 Promise quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I did know what it meant when you say you promise something. You have to say that you will never do something again and then you must never do it because that would make the promise a lie.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Haddon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-did-know-what-it-meant-when-you-say-you-promise-something-you-have/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Promise" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-did-know-what-it-meant-when-you-say-you-promise-something-you-have/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/mark-haddon-1056_promise_i-did-know-what-it-meant-when-you-say-yo_949588.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/mark-haddon-1056_promise_i-did-know-what-it-meant-when-you-say-yo_949588.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/mark-haddon-1056_promise_i-did-know-what-it-meant-when-you-say-yo_949588.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I did know what it meant when you say you promise something. You have to say that you will never do…” — Mark Haddon", "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": "Mark Haddon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I did know what it meant...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-did-know-what-it-meant-when-you-say-you-promise-something-you-have/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-did-know-what-it-meant-when-you-say-you-promise-something-you-have/#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 } } ] } ```