---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Miles smiled. \"Can you keep a secret?\"…"
description: "\"“Miles smiled. \"Can you keep a secret?\" Bea snorted. \"Did I tell you what you were in for if you married my daughter?\" \"No,\" Miles conceded. \"Well, the..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/richard-russo-1691_children_miles-smiled-can-you-keep-a-secret-bea-s_1104178.png"
---

#  Miles smiled. "Can you keep a secret?" Bea snorted. "Did I…

![“Miles smiled. &quot;Can you keep a secret?&quot; Bea snorted. &quot;Did I tell you what you were in for if you married my daughter?&quot; &quot;No,&quot; Miles conceded. &quot;Well, then,&quot; she said, as if that settled the matter.” quote by Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/richard-russo-1691_children_miles-smiled-can-you-keep-a-secret-bea-s_1104178.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/richard-russo-1691_children_miles-smiled-can-you-keep-a-secret-bea-s_1104178.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/richard-russo-1691_children_miles-smiled-can-you-keep-a-secret-bea-s_1104178.png)

> ““Miles smiled. "Can you keep a secret?" Bea snorted. "Did I tell you what you were in for if you married my daughter?" "No," Miles conceded. "Well, then," she said, as if that settled the matter.””

[Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

## About This Quote

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

A brief exchange reveals a secret’s weight and the tension between humor and seriousness.

**In simple terms:** Secrets carry weight and tension.

Key Takeaway

Take care when sharing secrets.

Themes

secrets humor relationships

Mood

wry tense

Type

fiction dialogue

When to use this quote

- family dynamics
- marriage advice
- conflict resolution
- social interaction

Key Concepts

trust communication

Questions to Reflect On

- What is the secret’s impact?
- How does humor affect the seriousness?

A Different Perspective

Humor may mask underlying conflict.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bea Snorted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bea-snorted-2909145/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Daughter Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daughter-miles-2909146/) [Miles Conceded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miles-conceded-2909144/) [Miles Smiled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miles-smiled-2909143/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Smiled Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smiled-secret-2909142/)

## Related quotes

> [“Miles just smiled and felt her love flow around his own. Yet inside his love was a rock, and it had the words “payback…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khul-waters/miles-just-smiled-and-felt-her-love-flow-around-his-own-yet-inside/)

[Khul Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khul-waters/)

> [“You have a teenage daughter, Miles. She’ll be smart one minute and stupid the next. Deal with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristine-kathryn-rusch/you-have-a-teenage-daughter-miles-she-ll-be-smart-one-minute-and/)

[Kristine Kathryn Rusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristine-kathryn-rusch/)

> [Once i spoke the language of the flowers,Once i undrestand each word the caterpillar said,Once i smiled in secret at the gossip of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shel-silverstein/once-i-spoke-the-language-of-the-flowers-once-i-undrestand-each-word/)

[Shel Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shel-silverstein/)

> [“I have to ask, sir...Why does it have to be done like this?" Vetinari smiled. "Can you keep a secret, Mister Lipwig?" "Oh, yes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-have-to-ask-sir-why-does-it-have-to-be-done-like-this-vetinari/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“Alone in his room, he smiled at his secret greatness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/alone-in-his-room-he-smiled-at-his-secret-greatness/)

[Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/)

> [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/)

[Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/)

> [It is no secret that I have read 'The Da Vinci Code' several times. I genuinely believe that 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'Angels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/it-is-no-secret-that-i-have-read-the-da-vinci-code-several-times-i/)

[Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/)

> [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [I have a lot of secret uses for sour cream, which is the magic ingredient in my mac and cheese. It's an old-timey, Southern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-deen/i-have-a-lot-of-secret-uses-for-sour-cream-which-is-the-magic/)

[Paula Deen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-deen/)

> [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/)

[Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/)

> [“By so giving up, of course, it renews itself- that is the secret”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/by-so-giving-up-of-course-it-renews-itself-that-is-the-secret/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/)

[John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/)

> [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/)

[Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/)

> [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

## More by Richard Russo

> [“The problem with the contemplative life was that there was no end to contemplation, no fixed time limit after which thought had to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/the-problem-with-the-contemplative-life-was-that-there-was-no-end-to/)

[Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

> [“That, very simply, was what adulthood must be all about—acquiring the skill to bury things more deeply. Out of sight and, whenever possible, out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/that-very-simply-was-what-adulthood-must-be-all-about-acquiring-the/)

[Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

> [“Miles couldn't help admiring women for their ability to dismiss the evidence of their senses. If that's what explained it. If it wasn't simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/miles-couldn-t-help-admiring-women-for-their-ability-to-dismiss-the/)

[Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

> [That afternoon I came to understand that one of the deepest purposes of intellectual sophistication is to provide distance between us and our most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/that-afternoon-i-came-to-understand-that-one-of-the-deepest-purposes/)

[Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

> [“Lucy, who apparently had no idea his girlfriend's father held him in such low regard, agreed with Noonan that he was pushing the envelope,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/lucy-who-apparently-had-no-idea-his-girlfriend-s-father-held-him-in/)

[Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

> [Movies have to handle time very efficiently. They're about stringing scenes together in the present. Novels aren't necessarily about that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/movies-have-to-handle-time-very-efficiently-they-re-about-stringing/)

[Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

> [When authors who write literary fiction begin to write screenplays, everybody assumes that's the end. Here's another who's never going to write well again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/when-authors-who-write-literary-fiction-begin-to-write-screenplays/)

[Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

> [“There was something about spending money they didn't really have that made him optimistic about more coming in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/there-was-something-about-spending-money-they-didn-t-really-have-that/)

[Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

> [Some authors have a very hard time understanding that in order to be faithful to the spirit of the book, it's almost always impossible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/some-authors-have-a-very-hard-time-understanding-that-in-order-to-be/)

[Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

> [HBO is really famous for hiring good people and staying out of their way until they ask for help, or need it. And that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/hbo-is-really-famous-for-hiring-good-people-and-staying-out-of-their/)

[Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

> [I don't think there's a shortage of material in the world. Or in my head. I just pray for continued good health, because I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-shortage-of-material-in-the-world-or-in-my/)

[Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

> [Where was the middle ground between a sense of adventure and just plain sense?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/where-was-the-middle-ground-between-a-sense-of-adventure-and-just/)

[Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

> [“Non basta una vita "One life isn't enough”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/non-basta-una-vita-one-life-isn-t-enough/)

[Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

> [“... Mr. Purty has cheered me up. The task he has chosen for himself, of wooing my mother with a bright red pickup truck,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/mr-purty-has-cheered-me-up-the-task-he-has-chosen-for-himself-of/)

[Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

> [“So what? Few men, Miles reflected, lived so comfortably within the confines of a two.word personal philosophy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/so-what-few-men-miles-reflected-lived-so-comfortably-within-the/)

[Richard Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

[Explore all 214 Richard Russo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/)

## More Children 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/)

> [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/)

> [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/)

[Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/)

> [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/)

[Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/)

> [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/)

[Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/)

> [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/)

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

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/)

[Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/)

[Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/)

> [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/)

[Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/)

[Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

[Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Miles smiled. \"Can you keep a secret?\" Bea snorted. \"Did I tell you what you were in for if you married my daughter?\" \"No,\" Miles conceded. \"Well, then,\" she said, as if that settled the matter.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Russo"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/miles-smiled-can-you-keep-a-secret-bea-snorted-did-i-tell-you-what/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Children"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/miles-smiled-can-you-keep-a-secret-bea-snorted-did-i-tell-you-what/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/richard-russo-1691_children_miles-smiled-can-you-keep-a-secret-bea-s_1104178.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/richard-russo-1691_children_miles-smiled-can-you-keep-a-secret-bea-s_1104178.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/richard-russo-1691_children_miles-smiled-can-you-keep-a-secret-bea-s_1104178.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Miles smiled. \"Can you keep a secret?\" Bea snorted. \"Did I tell you what you were in for if you married my…” — Richard Russo",
                "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": "Richard Russo",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-russo/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Miles smiled. \"Can you keep a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/miles-smiled-can-you-keep-a-secret-bea-snorted-did-i-tell-you-what/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-russo/miles-smiled-can-you-keep-a-secret-bea-snorted-did-i-tell-you-what/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
