--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I cannot be known Better than you know me…" description: "\"I cannot be known Better than you know me Your eyes in which we sleep We together Have made for my man’s gleam A better fate than for the common nights..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c9/paul-eluard-13617_aliens_i-cannot-be-known-better-than-you-know-m_2450652.png" --- # I cannot be known Better than you know me Your eyes in… ![“I cannot be known Better than you know me Your eyes in which we sleep We together Have made for my man’s gleam A better fate than for the common nights Your eyes in which I travel Have given to signs along the roads A meaning alien to the earth In your eyes who reveal to us Our endless solitude…” quote by Paul Eluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c9/paul-eluard-13617_aliens_i-cannot-be-known-better-than-you-know-m_2450652.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c9/paul-eluard-13617_aliens_i-cannot-be-known-better-than-you-know-m_2450652.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c9/paul-eluard-13617_aliens_i-cannot-be-known-better-than-you-know-m_2450652.png) > “I cannot be known Better than you know me Your eyes in which we sleep We together Have made for my man’s gleam A better fate than for the common nights Your eyes in which I travel Have given to signs along the roads A meaning alien to the earth In your eyes who reveal to us Our endless solitude Are no longer what they thought themselves to be You cannot be known Better than I know you.” [Paul Eluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem suggests that true understanding of another person comes from deep, mutual perception, surpassing external judgments. **In simple terms:** We know each other best through shared gaze. Key Takeaway Seek genuine connection beyond appearances. Themes connection perception identity solitude mutuality Mood reflective introspective hopeful Type poetic philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - intimate conversation - shared artistic experiences - deep listening - conflict resolution Key Concepts existentialism subjectivity interpersonal insight Questions to Reflect On - How does shared gaze change your perception of others? - What barriers prevent true mutual understanding? A Different Perspective Mutual understanding may be limited by personal biases and unspoken fears. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aliens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens/) [Better Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-know/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Endless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endless/) [Eye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eye/) [Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fate/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Gleam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gleam/) [Know Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-eyes-567094/) [Know me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-me/) [Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known/) [Known Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/known-better-410379/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/) [Thought Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-known-567093/) [Together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/together/) [Ur Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ur-eyes/) ## Related quotes > [“I cannot be known Better than you know me”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/i-cannot-be-known-better-than-you-know-me/) [Paul Eluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) > [You cannot be known Better than I know you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/you-cannot-be-known-better-than-i-know-you/) [Paul Eluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) > [“Could I ever have loved you, had I not known you better than you know yourself?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-beecher-stowe/could-i-ever-have-loved-you-had-i-not-known-you-better-than-you-know/) [Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-beecher-stowe/) > [“Everything I’ve ever thought, known, written, or spoken about has been because God and others placed it in my mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-shadrach/everything-i-ve-ever-thought-known-written-or-spoken-about-has-been/) [Steve Shadrach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-shadrach/) > [“I thought we’d known everything there was to know about each other but obviously that wasn’t the case.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-chamberlain/i-thought-we-d-known-everything-there-was-to-know-about-each-other/) [Diane Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-chamberlain/) > [“There’d been so many things she’d thought she’d known when in fact she’d barely understood the smallest thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wax/there-d-been-so-many-things-she-d-thought-she-d-known-when-in-fact/) [Wendy Wax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wax/) > [“I wondered what he would have thought if he'd known that I'd gleaned most of my information from reading historical romance novels.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-luiken/i-wondered-what-he-would-have-thought-if-he-d-known-that-i-d-gleaned/) [Nicole Luiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-luiken/) > [“Right thinking is necessarily an open process, and the only science and history of full value to men consist of what is generally and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/right-thinking-is-necessarily-an-open-process-and-the-only-science/) [H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/) > [If i had known better, I would have done better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-kardashian/if-i-had-known-better-i-would-have-done-better/) [Kim Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-kardashian/) > [I should have known better because I should be used to all of this by now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-should-have-known-better-because-i-should-be-used-to-all-of-this-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Should have known better than to think this was real and you could be mine...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/should-have-known-better-than-to-think-this-was-real-and-you-could-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My mistake was caring too much, I should have known better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-mistake-was-caring-too-much-i-should-have-known-better/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I should have known better. I shouldn’t have let my guard down. That’s been a big rule of mine for the last year or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loni-flowers/i-should-have-known-better-i-shouldn-t-have-let-my-guard-down-that-s/) [Loni Flowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loni-flowers/) > [I wanted to be known as a better musician more than anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-darwish/i-wanted-to-be-known-as-a-better-musician-more-than-anything/) [Tiffany Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-darwish/) > [“People don't really change they only get known better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-coetzer/people-don-t-really-change-they-only-get-known-better/) [Johan Coetzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-coetzer/) ## More by Paul Eluard > [“The poet is much more the one who inspires,than the one who is inspired.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/the-poet-is-much-more-the-one-who-inspires-than-the-one-who-is/) [Paul Eluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) > [“There is another world and it is in this one. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/there-is-another-world-and-it-is-in-this-one/) [Paul Éluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) > [“Your voice, your eyes, your hands, your lips Our silence, our words Light that goes, light that returns A single smile between us In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/your-voice-your-eyes-your-hands-your-lips-our-silence-our-words-light/) [Paul Éluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) > [A woman is more beautiful than the world in which I live; and so I close my eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/a-woman-is-more-beautiful-than-the-world-in-which-i-live-and-so-i/) [Paul Eluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) > [The poet is he who inspires, rather than he who is inspired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/the-poet-is-he-who-inspires-rather-than-he-who-is-inspired/) [Paul Eluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) > [“Elle imagine que l’horizon a pour elle dénoué sa ceinture”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/elle-imagine-que-l-horizon-a-pour-elle-d-nou-sa-ceinture/) [Paul Éluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) > [The earth is blue like an orange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/the-earth-is-blue-like-an-orange/) [Paul Eluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) > [She is standing on my lids And her hair is in my hair She has the colour of my eye She has the body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/she-is-standing-on-my-lids-and-her-hair-is-in-my-hair-she-has-the/) [Paul Eluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) > [“Et partout où elle a passé Elle a laissé L’empreinte des choses brisées.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/et-partout-o-elle-a-pass-elle-a-laiss-l-empreinte-des-choses-bris-es/) [Paul Éluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) > [Even when we sleep we watch over one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/even-when-we-sleep-we-watch-over-one-another/) [Paul Eluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) > [All my desires are born of my dreams. And I have proven my love with words. To what fantastic creatures have I entrusted myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/all-my-desires-are-born-of-my-dreams-and-i-have-proven-my-love-with/) [Paul Eluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) > [The front windows as are the watchmen of grief - I've been looking beyond expectation - Beyond myself - and I do not know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/the-front-windows-as-are-the-watchmen-of-grief-i-ve-been-looking/) [Paul Eluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) > [“Farewell Sadness Hello Sadness You are inscribed in the lines on the ceiling You are inscribed in the eyes that I love You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/farewell-sadness-hello-sadness-you-are-inscribed-in-the-lines-on-the/) [Paul Éluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) > [“And by the power of a word, I begin my life again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/and-by-the-power-of-a-word-i-begin-my-life-again/) [Paul Éluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) > [“The poet is rather one who inspires than one inspired.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/the-poet-is-rather-one-who-inspires-than-one-inspired/) [Paul Éluard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) [Explore all 30 Paul Eluard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/) ## More Aliens quotes > [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/my-days-the-blossom-of-my-youth-and-the-flower-of-my-manhood-have/) [Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/) > [Ay-firmative,' Eve said, and tried for a smile. 'Sorry. An Aliens reference always makes me feel better at times like this. Exept I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/ay-firmative-eve-said-and-tried-for-a-smile-sorry-an-aliens-reference/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [You gonna take the case?" It's not a case. It's a missing person. Sort of." You're gonna have a devil of a time finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/you-gonna-take-the-case-it-s-not-a-case-it-s-a-missing-person-sort-of/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) [Chaz Brenchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-brenchley/) > [Emma was a shocking driver, simultaneously sloppy and petrified, and for the first fifty miles had been absent-mindedly driving with her spectacles on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/emma-was-a-shocking-driver-simultaneously-sloppy-and-petrified-and/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [If you're going to immerse yourself in a project for three years, why not stake out a chunk of the world that is completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/if-you-re-going-to-immerse-yourself-in-a-project-for-three-years-why/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [I'm not a fan of any genre but am a fan of movies that are intelligent and/or funny. That goes across all genres: a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-a-fan-of-any-genre-but-am-a-fan-of-movies-that-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The respect for human rights, essential if we are to use technology wisely, is not something alien that must be grafted onto science. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-if-we-are-to-use-technology/) [John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/) > [“Intellectualism is a poor master over passion”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twe-stephens/intellectualism-is-a-poor-master-over-passion/) [Twe Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twe-stephens/) > [Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/robin-williams-was-an-airman-a-doctor-a-genie-a-nanny-a-president-a/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Evangelicals are distraught over the state of America because they have not been taught that we're aliens here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/evangelicals-are-distraught-over-the-state-of-america-because-they/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Even the Supreme Court, back when it used to makes sense, the Supreme Court has never ruled that a baby born to illegal aliens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/even-the-supreme-court-back-when-it-used-to-makes-sense-the-supreme/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Browse all 1,329 Aliens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I cannot be known Better than you know me Your eyes in which we sleep We together Have made for my man’s gleam A better fate than for the common nights Your eyes in which I travel Have given to signs along the roads A meaning alien to the earth In your eyes who reveal to us Our endless solitude Are no longer what they thought themselves to be You cannot be known Better than I know you.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Eluard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/i-cannot-be-known-better-than-you-know-me-your-eyes-in-which-we-sleep/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aliens" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/i-cannot-be-known-better-than-you-know-me-your-eyes-in-which-we-sleep/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c9/paul-eluard-13617_aliens_i-cannot-be-known-better-than-you-know-m_2450652.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c9/paul-eluard-13617_aliens_i-cannot-be-known-better-than-you-know-m_2450652.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c9/paul-eluard-13617_aliens_i-cannot-be-known-better-than-you-know-m_2450652.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I cannot be known Better than you know me Your eyes in which we sleep We together Have made for my man’s…” — Paul Eluard", "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": "Paul Eluard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-eluard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I cannot be known Better than...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/i-cannot-be-known-better-than-you-know-me-your-eyes-in-which-we-sleep/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-eluard/i-cannot-be-known-better-than-you-know-me-your-eyes-in-which-we-sleep/#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 } } ] } ```