--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Human beings are mercifully so…" description: "\"Human beings are mercifully so constituted as to be able to conceal from themselves what they intend to do until they are well into the doing of it.\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/rebecca-west-1248_able_human-beings-are-mercifully-so-constitut_573705.jpg" --- # Human beings are mercifully so constituted as to be able… ![“Human beings are mercifully so constituted as to be able to conceal from themselves what they intend to do until they are well into the doing of it.” quote by Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/rebecca-west-1248_able_human-beings-are-mercifully-so-constitut_573705.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/rebecca-west-1248_able_human-beings-are-mercifully-so-constitut_573705.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/rebecca-west-1248_able_human-beings-are-mercifully-so-constitut_573705.jpg) > “Human beings are mercifully so constituted as to be able to conceal from themselves what they intend to do until they are well into the doing of it.” [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She notes that people often hide their true intentions from themselves until actions are underway. **In simple terms:** People conceal intentions until acting. Key Takeaway Recognize and confront hidden motives early. Themes self‑awareness psychology intentionality Mood thoughtful analytical Type psychological reflective When to use this quote - therapy sessions - self‑reflection exercises - leadership coaching Key Concepts cognitive dissonance self‑deception behavioral insight Questions to Reflect On - How do you uncover hidden motives? - What triggers self‑deception? A Different Perspective Self‑deception can persist despite awareness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) ## Related quotes > [“It is a great ability to be able to conceal one's ability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/it-is-a-great-ability-to-be-able-to-conceal-one-s-ability/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [As a rule, we go about with masks, we go about looking honest, and we are able to conceal ourselves all through the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/as-a-rule-we-go-about-with-masks-we-go-about-looking-honest-and-we/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The height of cleverness is to be able to conceal it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-height-of-cleverness-is-to-be-able-to-conceal-it/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [“To be courageous is enviable, whilst, on the other hand, to be able to conceal the absence of courage is useful”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-charles-de-berenger/to-be-courageous-is-enviable-whilst-on-the-other-hand-to-be-able-to/) Baron Charles de Berenger > [The greatest part of our faults are more excusable than the methods that are commonly taken to conceal them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-greatest-part-of-our-faults-are-more-excusable-than-the-methods/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [It is art to conceal art. -Ars est celare artem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/it-is-art-to-conceal-art-ars-est-celare-artem/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [There are some occasions in which a man must tell half his secret, in order to conceal the rest: but there is seldom one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/there-are-some-occasions-in-which-a-man-must-tell-half-his-secret-in/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [Our friends don't see our faults, or conceal them, or soften them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/our-friends-don-t-see-our-faults-or-conceal-them-or-soften-them/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Speech was given to the ordinary sort or men, whereby to communicate their mind; but to wise men, whereby to conceal it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-south/speech-was-given-to-the-ordinary-sort-or-men-whereby-to-communicate/) [Robert South](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-south/) > [When you got nothing, you got nothin' to lose You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/when-you-got-nothing-you-got-nothin-to-lose-you-re-invisible-now-you/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Nothing more powerfully excites any affection than to conceal some part of its object, by throwing it into a kind of shade, whichat the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/nothing-more-powerfully-excites-any-affection-than-to-conceal-some/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [It is always a poor way of reading the hearts of others to try to conceal our own. \[Fr., C'est toujours un mauvais moyen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/it-is-always-a-poor-way-of-reading-the-hearts-of-others-to-try-to/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The more identities a man has, the more they express the person they conceal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/the-more-identities-a-man-has-the-more-they-express-the-person-they/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [It requires as much to tell the truth as to conceal it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/it-requires-as-much-to-tell-the-truth-as-to-conceal-it/) [Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/) > [We reveal our joys and successes, we conceal our pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/we-reveal-our-joys-and-successes-we-conceal-our-pain/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) ## More by Rebecca West > [I see the main problem of my life, and indeed anybody's life, as the balancing of competitive freedoms ... a sense of mutual obligations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-see-the-main-problem-of-my-life-and-indeed-anybody-s-life-as-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“There is, of course, no reason for the existence of the male sex except that sometimes one needs help with moving the piano.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-is-of-course-no-reason-for-the-existence-of-the-male-sex-except/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [“At the top of a hill our automobile stuck in a snowdrift. Peasants ran out of a cottage near by, shouting with laughter because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/at-the-top-of-a-hill-our-automobile-stuck-in-a-snowdrift-peasants-ran/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [We all drew on the comfort which is given out by the major works of Mozart, which is as real and material as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/we-all-drew-on-the-comfort-which-is-given-out-by-the-major-works-of/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Christianity must be regarded not as a final revelation but as a phase of revelation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/christianity-must-be-regarded-not-as-a-final-revelation-but-as-a/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Art and propaganda have this much connection, that if a propaganda makes art impossible, it is clearly damned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/art-and-propaganda-have-this-much-connection-that-if-a-propaganda/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The American struggle for the vote was much more difficult than the English for the simple reason that it was much more easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-american-struggle-for-the-vote-was-much-more-difficult-than-the/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ Like all bad drivers, he \[Henry Andrews\] thought he was the best driver in the world... ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/like-all-bad-drivers-he-henry-andrews-thought-he-was-the-best-driver/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [The childhood of the individual and the race is full of fears, and panic-stricken attempts to avert what is feared by placating the gods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/the-childhood-of-the-individual-and-the-race-is-full-of-fears-and/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Humanity is never more sphinxlike than when it is expressing itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/humanity-is-never-more-sphinxlike-than-when-it-is-expressing-itself/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [ \[On Jane Austen:\] To believe her limited in range because she was harmonious in method is as sensible as to imagine that when the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/on-jane-austen-to-believe-her-limited-in-range-because-she-was/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [a good oyster cannot please the palate as acutely as a bad one can revolt it, and a good oyster cannot make him who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/a-good-oyster-cannot-please-the-palate-as-acutely-as-a-bad-one-can/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [If there is a God, I don't think He would demand that anyone bow down or stand up to Him. I often have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/if-there-is-a-god-i-don-t-think-he-would-demand-that-anyone-bow-down/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [Any authentic work of art must start an argument between the artist and his audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/any-authentic-work-of-art-must-start-an-argument-between-the-artist/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [... there has never been a period in history when there have been necessary killings which has not been instantly followed by a period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/there-has-never-been-a-period-in-history-when-there-have-been/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) [Explore all 264 Rebecca West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) Greg Perry > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Human beings are mercifully so constituted as to be able to conceal from themselves what they intend to do until they are well into the doing of it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca West" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/human-beings-are-mercifully-so-constituted-as-to-be-able-to-conceal/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/human-beings-are-mercifully-so-constituted-as-to-be-able-to-conceal/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/rebecca-west-1248_able_human-beings-are-mercifully-so-constitut_573705.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/rebecca-west-1248_able_human-beings-are-mercifully-so-constitut_573705.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/959/rebecca-west-1248_able_human-beings-are-mercifully-so-constitut_573705.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Human beings are mercifully so constituted as to be able to conceal from themselves what they intend to do…” — Rebecca West", "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": "Rebecca West", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Human beings are mercifully so constituted...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/human-beings-are-mercifully-so-constituted-as-to-be-able-to-conceal/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/human-beings-are-mercifully-so-constituted-as-to-be-able-to-conceal/#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 } } ] } ```