---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He did not know the truth of me, yet he…"
description: "\"“He did not know the truth of me, yet he had perceived something true about me that no one else had ever noticed. And in spite of that—or perhaps becau..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82c/rachel-hartman-6350_believed_he-did-not-know-the-truth-of-me-yet-he-h_3138940.jpg"
---

#  He did not know the truth of me, yet he had perceived…

![“He did not know the truth of me, yet he had perceived something true about me that no one else had ever noticed. And in spite of that—or perhaps because of it—he believed me good, believed me worth taking seriously, and his belief, for one vertigi-nous moment, made me want to be better than I was.” quote by Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82c/rachel-hartman-6350_believed_he-did-not-know-the-truth-of-me-yet-he-h_3138940.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82c/rachel-hartman-6350_believed_he-did-not-know-the-truth-of-me-yet-he-h_3138940.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82c/rachel-hartman-6350_believed_he-did-not-know-the-truth-of-me-yet-he-h_3138940.jpg)

> ““He did not know the truth of me, yet he had perceived something true about me that no one else had ever noticed. And in spite of that—or perhaps because of it—he believed me good, believed me worth taking seriously, and his belief, for one vertigi-nous moment, made me want to be better than I was.””

[Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Someone’s genuine belief in you can inspire self‑improvement, even if they don’t fully understand you.

**In simple terms:** Being believed can push you to grow.

Key Takeaway

Let others’ faith motivate you.

Themes

self‑esteem growth trust

Mood

hopeful reflective

Type

inspirational psychological

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- career mentorship
- therapy
- team leadership

Key Concepts

perception validation motivation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does external validation affect your self‑image?
- Can you sustain growth without it?

A Different Perspective

Belief may be misplaced, leading to pressure or disappointment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Believed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed/) [Believed Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-good-858828/) [Believed Worth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-worth-899031/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Perceived True](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perceived-true-5584591/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth Perceived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-perceived-3900671/)

## Related quotes

> [We believed anything worth doing was worth over-doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/we-believed-anything-worth-doing-was-worth-over-doing/)

[Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/)

> [It is not a matter of what is true that counts, but a matter of what is perceived to be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-not-a-matter-of-what-is-true-that-counts-but-a-matter-of-what/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I really believed that anything at all was worth writing about if you cared about it enough, and that the best and only necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-really-believed-that-anything-at-all-was-worth-writing-about-if-you/)

[Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/)

> [The Absolute Truth can be perceived by a repentant heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radhanath-swami/the-absolute-truth-can-be-perceived-by-a-repentant-heart/)

[Radhanath Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radhanath-swami/)

> [“Behind every villain is a truth, whether it be perceived or actual.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-frey/behind-every-villain-is-a-truth-whether-it-be-perceived-or-actual/)

[Dalton Frey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-frey/)

> [Having become conscious of the truth he once perceived, man now sees only the awfulness or the absurdity of existence, he now understands the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/having-become-conscious-of-the-truth-he-once-perceived-man-now-sees/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [In the consciousness of the truth he has perceived, man now sees everywhere only the awfulness or the absurdity of existence and loathing seizes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/in-the-consciousness-of-the-truth-he-has-perceived-man-now-sees/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [It really is a shame that the truth is perceived as an extreme position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/it-really-is-a-shame-that-the-truth-is-perceived-as-an-extreme/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [“The truth can be perceived only through thinking, as is proven by Augustine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-aquinas/the-truth-can-be-perceived-only-through-thinking-as-is-proven-by/)

[Thomas Aquinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-aquinas/)

> [You always believed that as good as you knew you were, there was always somebody who could take your place. I tried to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-schoendienst/you-always-believed-that-as-good-as-you-knew-you-were-there-was/)

[Red Schoendienst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-schoendienst/)

> [“She had learned that when people were bent on doing something they believed was a good deed, it was usually impossible to dissuade them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/she-had-learned-that-when-people-were-bent-on-doing-something-they/)

[Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/)

> [I don't read reviews or interviews or anything, just because I'm afraid; If I believed the good, then I'd believe the bad, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sia-furler/i-don-t-read-reviews-or-interviews-or-anything-just-because-i-m/)

[Sia Furler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sia-furler/)

> [We believed it was a Good vs Evil situation: that the WBC was right and everybody else was wrong, so there was no questioning.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-phelps-roper/we-believed-it-was-a-good-vs-evil-situation-that-the-wbc-was-right/)

[Megan Phelps-Roper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-phelps-roper/)

> [“I didn’t say anything because I didn’t have anything good to say. Just lately I had noticed that I could kill people and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/i-didn-t-say-anything-because-i-didn-t-have-anything-good-to-say-just/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [Ekta Kapoor believed that I would do good work and allowed me to explore. I had that support system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrunal-thakur/ekta-kapoor-believed-that-i-would-do-good-work-and-allowed-me-to/)

[Mrunal Thakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mrunal-thakur/)

## More by Rachel Hartman

> [“A feeling rose in me, and I just let it, because what harm could it do? It only had another thirty-two adagio bars of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/a-feeling-rose-in-me-and-i-just-let-it-because-what-harm-could-it-do/)

[Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/)

> [Sometimes the truth has difficulty breaching the city walls of our beliefs. A lie, dressed in the correct livery, passes through more easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/sometimes-the-truth-has-difficulty-breaching-the-city-walls-of-our/)

[Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/)

> [I barely noticed loneliness anymore; it was my normal condition, by necessity if not by nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/i-barely-noticed-loneliness-anymore-it-was-my-normal-condition-by/)

[Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/)

> [“It's such a relief after all these years to learn that you recovered from your fright," he said in a low voice, giving my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/it-s-such-a-relief-after-all-these-years-to-learn-that-you-recovered/)

[Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/)

> [“There are melodies that speak as eloquently as words, that flow logically and inevitably from a single, pure emotion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/there-are-melodies-that-speak-as-eloquently-as-words-that-flow/)

[Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/)

> [“Sir James waved a gnarled hand. "They're nothing but feral file clerks, dragons. They used to alphabetize the coins in their hoards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/sir-james-waved-a-gnarled-hand-they-re-nothing-but-feral-file-clerks/)

[Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/)

> [“He didn’t wear his heart on his sleeve, exactly, but he did keep it in a place where I could see it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/he-didn-t-wear-his-heart-on-his-sleeve-exactly-but-he-did-keep-it-in/)

[Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/)

> [“I’m attracting small children,” Orma muttered, twisting his hat in his hands. “Shoo it away, will you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/i-m-attracting-small-children-orma-muttered-twisting-his-hat-in-his/)

[Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/)

> [“I heard you, sought you, and have found you. I have reached for you, across space and sense and the laws of nature. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/i-heard-you-sought-you-and-have-found-you-i-have-reached-for-you/)

[Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/)

> [“I saw the void beneath the surface of the world; it threatened to pull me under.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/i-saw-the-void-beneath-the-surface-of-the-world-it-threatened-to-pull/)

[Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/)

> [“Art is a conversation we are all invited to and are all worthy to participate in. Yes, great works can be intimidating, but no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/art-is-a-conversation-we-are-all-invited-to-and-are-all-worthy-to/)

[Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/)

> [The twin gods, Necessity and Chance, walked among the stars. What needed to be, was; what might be, sometimes was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/the-twin-gods-necessity-and-chance-walked-among-the-stars-what-needed/)

[Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/)

> [“Ah, I could last a long time on those smiles. I would sow and reap them like wheat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/ah-i-could-last-a-long-time-on-those-smiles-i-would-sow-and-reap-them/)

[Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/)

> [“Who will kiss you? Who will rock you to sleep?" His voice was slow, drowsy. "You never did," I said, trying to tease him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/who-will-kiss-you-who-will-rock-you-to-sleep-his-voice-was-slow/)

[Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/)

> [“He was impugning my virtue. I ought to have been offended, but for some reason the idea tickled me. That could be my next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/he-was-impugning-my-virtue-i-ought-to-have-been-offended-but-for-some/)

[Rachel Hartman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/)

[Explore all 97 Rachel Hartman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/)

## More Believed quotes

> [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [Though my grandmother had picked up modern ideas in America, she still had some conflicting 19th-century Irish notions. She believed that daughters, educated though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/though-my-grandmother-had-picked-up-modern-ideas-in-america-she-still/)

[Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/)

> [“I didn't know if I believed in 'happily ever after' anymore. I mean, I didn't know what would happen tomorrow, let alone for forever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-kate-strohm/i-didn-t-know-if-i-believed-in-happily-ever-after-anymore-i-mean-i/)

[Stephanie Kate Strohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-kate-strohm/)

> [Alfred Nobel believed that social changes are brought about slowly, and sometimes by indirect means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertha-von-suttner/alfred-nobel-believed-that-social-changes-are-brought-about-slowly/)

[Bertha von Suttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertha-von-suttner/)

> [Aaron Spelling always had his finger on the pulse of pop culture, he knew what the public wanted to see. He was one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-milano/aaron-spelling-always-had-his-finger-on-the-pulse-of-pop-culture-he/)

[Alyssa Milano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-milano/)

> [I never believed that they was such thing as love at first sight but I think I'm having that feeliing @sarahlovemoody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mishack/i-never-believed-that-they-was-such-thing-as-love-at-first-sight-but/)

[Mishack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mishack/)

> [“I wish I believed him. He's looking at me like he can see where I begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-mcnamara/i-wish-i-believed-him-he-s-looking-at-me-like-he-can-see-where-i-begin/)

[Amy McNamara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-mcnamara/)

> [My life had been defined by the apartheid years. Now we were going into an era of democracy... and I believed that I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/athol-fugard/my-life-had-been-defined-by-the-apartheid-years-now-we-were-going/)

[Athol Fugard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/athol-fugard/)

> [On March 12, 2004, acting attorney general James B. Comey and the Justice Department's top leadership reached the brink of resignation over electronic surveillance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/on-march-12-2004-acting-attorney-general-james-b-comey-and-the/)

[Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/)

> [No statement should be believed because it is made by an authority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/no-statement-should-be-believed-because-it-is-made-by-an-authority/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [I never believed I'd have a six-pack, especially not at 35 years old. I always thought it was a genetic blessing. It's not. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sullivan-stapleton/i-never-believed-i-d-have-a-six-pack-especially-not-at-35-years-old-i/)

[Sullivan Stapleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sullivan-stapleton/)

> [“For a moment, I believed you.” He ordered me, dryly, recovering his usual poise again. He does not only have a selective hearing, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tionne-rogers/for-a-moment-i-believed-you-he-ordered-me-dryly-recovering-his-usual/)

[Tionne Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tionne-rogers/)

> [There was a time when idealistic folksingers such as myself believed that Reality TV was a programming vogue that would peak and recede, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolcott/there-was-a-time-when-idealistic-folksingers-such-as-myself-believed/)

[James Wolcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolcott/)

> [I felt uneasy, but sometimes, like I said before, I believed in Col. North and there was a very solid and very valid reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fawn-hall/i-felt-uneasy-but-sometimes-like-i-said-before-i-believed-in-col/)

[Fawn Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fawn-hall/)

> [And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salmon-p-chase/and-upon-this-act-sincerely-believed-to-be-an-act-of-justice/)

[Salmon P. Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salmon-p-chase/)

[Browse all 1,214 Believed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“He did not know the truth of me, yet he had perceived something true about me that no one else had ever noticed. And in spite of that—or perhaps because of it—he believed me good, believed me worth taking seriously, and his belief, for one vertigi-nous moment, made me want to be better than I was.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rachel Hartman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/he-did-not-know-the-truth-of-me-yet-he-had-perceived-something-true/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Believed"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/he-did-not-know-the-truth-of-me-yet-he-had-perceived-something-true/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82c/rachel-hartman-6350_believed_he-did-not-know-the-truth-of-me-yet-he-h_3138940.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82c/rachel-hartman-6350_believed_he-did-not-know-the-truth-of-me-yet-he-h_3138940.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82c/rachel-hartman-6350_believed_he-did-not-know-the-truth-of-me-yet-he-h_3138940.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He did not know the truth of me, yet he had perceived something true about me that no one else had ever…” — Rachel Hartman",
                "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": "Rachel Hartman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hartman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“He did not know the truth...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/he-did-not-know-the-truth-of-me-yet-he-had-perceived-something-true/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hartman/he-did-not-know-the-truth-of-me-yet-he-had-perceived-something-true/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
