--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When someone shows you who they are…" description: "\"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.\" — Maya Angelou" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffe/maya-angelou-104_believe_when-someone-shows-you-who-they-are-beli_2234943.png" --- # When someone shows you who they are, believe them the… ![“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” quote by Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffe/maya-angelou-104_believe_when-someone-shows-you-who-they-are-beli_2234943.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffe/maya-angelou-104_believe_when-someone-shows-you-who-they-are-beli_2234943.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffe/maya-angelou-104_believe_when-someone-shows-you-who-they-are-beli_2234943.png) > “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. First impressions reveal true character; trust initial evidence. **In simple terms:** Believe first impressions. Key Takeaway Trust early signals of character. Themes trust intuition character assessment Mood cautious reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - dating - hiring - friendship - leadership Key Concepts psychology social perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify initial judgments? - When should you give people a second chance? A Different Perspective First impressions can be misleading. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-time/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Shows Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows-believe-917289/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-first-time-someone-shows-you-who-they-are-believe-them/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You can make shows that you believe in and shows that are a little bit different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-missick/you-can-make-shows-that-you-believe-in-and-shows-that-are-a-little/) [Simone Missick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-missick/) > [“When someone shows you who they are believe them.- Maya Angelou”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-someone-shows-you-who-they-are-believe-them-maya-angelou/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When somebody shows up and they believe in you, it makes all the difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mcknight/when-somebody-shows-up-and-they-believe-in-you-it-makes-all-the/) [Brian McKnight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mcknight/) > [When someone shows you who they are, believe them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-someone-shows-you-who-they-are-believe-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“When a Person Shows You Who They Are Believe Them.” -Maya Angelou”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-f-anderson/when-a-person-shows-you-who-they-are-believe-them-maya-angelou/) [Christine F. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-f-anderson/) > [You have to be a strong advocate of the shows you believe in. Sometimes those skills are very similar to agenting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-naegle/you-have-to-be-a-strong-advocate-of-the-shows-you-believe-in/) [Sue Naegle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-naegle/) > [“Your behavior doesn't show you who you are, it shows you who you believe yourself to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-r-silva/your-behavior-doesn-t-show-you-who-you-are-it-shows-you-who-you/) [D.R. Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-r-silva/) > [We only see what we want to see; we only hear what we want to hear. Our belief system is just like a mirror…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/we-only-see-what-we-want-to-see-we-only-hear-what-we-want-to-hear-our/) [Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/) > [One of the very true & greatest illusions of life is that we always believe there is more time in tomorrow than today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uknees-purple/one-of-the-very-true-greatest-illusions-of-life-is-that-we-always/) [Uknees Purple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uknees-purple/) > [“I rather believe that time is a companion who goes with us on the journey and reminds us to cherish every moment, because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-picard/i-rather-believe-that-time-is-a-companion-who-goes-with-us-on-the/) [Captain Picard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-picard/) > [“When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. ~Maya Angelou Remember this because it will happen many times in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/when-people-show-you-who-they-are-believe-them-the-first-time-maya/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [Everything I do, I have to believe it is the first time I'm doing that kind of thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-song/everything-i-do-i-have-to-believe-it-is-the-first-time-i-m-doing-that/) [Celine Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-song/) > [“Mr. Albert Einstein was right: If you feel you need to go one way, even when everyone else is going the other way, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-r-lemieux/mr-albert-einstein-was-right-if-you-feel-you-need-to-go-one-way-even/) [Martin R. Lemieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-r-lemieux/) > ['These people who contributed to who I am, they are with me wherever I go and as history gets re-written in small ways with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/these-people-who-contributed-to-who-i-am-they-are-with-me-wherever-i/) [Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/) ## More by Maya Angelou > [Courage: the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/courage-the-most-important-of-all-the-virtues-because-without-courage/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You are very kind and very intelligent and those elements are not always found together. Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-are-very-kind-and-very-intelligent-and-those-elements-are-not/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I agreed a long time ago, I would not live at any cost. If I am moved or forced away from what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-agreed-a-long-time-ago-i-would-not-live-at-any-cost-if-i-am-moved/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [You want me to do something... tell me I can't do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-want-me-to-do-something-tell-me-i-can-t-do-it/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life is going to give you just what you put in it. Put your whole heart in everything you do, and pray, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-is-going-to-give-you-just-what-you-put-in-it-put-your-whole/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may tread me in the very dirt But still, like dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-may-write-me-down-in-history-with-your-bitter-twisted-lies-you/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [The more you know of your history, the more liberated you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/the-more-you-know-of-your-history-the-more-liberated-you-are/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Life offers us tickets to places which we have not knowingly asked for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/life-offers-us-tickets-to-places-which-we-have-not-knowingly-asked-for/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [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'm working at trying to be a Christian, and that's serious business. It's like trying to be a good Jew, a good Muslim, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-m-working-at-trying-to-be-a-christian-and-that-s-serious-business/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Nathaniel Hawthorne once said that easy reading is damn hard writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/nathaniel-hawthorne-once-said-that-easy-reading-is-damn-hard-writing/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Sunday, if I'm lucky, I'll go to church or listen to some good spiritual advice on the television or on the radio. I take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/sunday-if-i-m-lucky-i-ll-go-to-church-or-listen-to-some-good/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) [Explore all 1,313 Maya Angelou quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) ## 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": "When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Maya Angelou" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/when-someone-shows-you-who-they-are-believe-them-the-first-time-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/when-someone-shows-you-who-they-are-believe-them-the-first-time-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffe/maya-angelou-104_believe_when-someone-shows-you-who-they-are-beli_2234943.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffe/maya-angelou-104_believe_when-someone-shows-you-who-they-are-beli_2234943.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ffe/maya-angelou-104_believe_when-someone-shows-you-who-they-are-beli_2234943.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” — Maya Angelou", "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": "Maya Angelou", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When someone shows you who they...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/when-someone-shows-you-who-they-are-believe-them-the-first-time-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/when-someone-shows-you-who-they-are-believe-them-the-first-time-2/#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 } } ] } ```