--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At least I was true. My intellectual…" description: "\"At least I was true. My intellectual abilities gave me a release, and an excuse. I shunned company because I preferred books; and the dreams I confided..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/robin-mckinley-1591_ability_at-least-i-was-true-my-intellectual-abil_1974976.png" --- # At least I was true. My intellectual abilities gave me a… ![“At least I was true. My intellectual abilities gave me a release, and an excuse. I shunned company because I preferred books; and the dreams I confided to my father were of becoming a scholar in good earnest, and going to University. It was unheard-of several shocked governesses were only too…” quote by Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/robin-mckinley-1591_ability_at-least-i-was-true-my-intellectual-abil_1974976.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/robin-mckinley-1591_ability_at-least-i-was-true-my-intellectual-abil_1974976.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/19c/robin-mckinley-1591_ability_at-least-i-was-true-my-intellectual-abil_1974976.png) > “At least I was true. My intellectual abilities gave me a release, and an excuse. I shunned company because I preferred books; and the dreams I confided to my father were of becoming a scholar in good earnest, and going to University. It was unheard-of several shocked governesses were only too quick to tell me, when I spoke a little too boldly -- but my father nodded and smiled and said, 'We'll see.' Since I believed my father could do anything -- except of course make me pretty -- I worked and studied with passionate dedication, lived in hope, and avoided society and mirrors.” [Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A scholar seeks validation through study, using books as escape, while yearning for acceptance and confronting societal expectations. **In simple terms:** Books can be both refuge and excuse. Key Takeaway Balance study with real connection. Themes scholarship isolation family expectations Mood introspective hopeful Type literary motivational When to use this quote - academic pursuit - family dynamics - self‑discovery - career planning Key Concepts dedication self‑esteem social pressure Questions to Reflect On - What does true validation feel like? - How can one integrate learning with social life? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on books can hinder social growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Becoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becoming/) [Believed Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believed-father-647226/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Confided Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confided-father-3337707/) [Dedication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dedication/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Earnest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earnest/) [Excuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excuse/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Father Nodded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-nodded-1557043/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Passionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionate/) [Release](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/release/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Scholar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholar/) [Scholar Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scholar-good-3337709/) [Spokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spokes/) [Studied Passionate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/studied-passionate-3337708/) [Unheard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unheard/) [University](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/university/) ## Related quotes > [“My father nodded. 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He did look uncooperative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/he-didn-t-look-insane-or-inhuman-he-did-look-uncooperative/) [Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/) > [People forgot; it was in the nature of people to forget, to blur boundaries, to retell stories to come out the way they wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/people-forgot-it-was-in-the-nature-of-people-to-forget-to-blur/) [Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/) > [“But he hated to see his people people unhappy--because he was a good king, not because he was a nervous one--”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/but-he-hated-to-see-his-people-people-unhappy-because-he-was-a-good/) [Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/) > [ “\[the sheep\] sidled up beside him and bumped him lovingly with its head. Val looked at it sadly. "I am sorry, you ugly creature,"… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/the-sheep-sidled-up-beside-him-and-bumped-him-lovingly-with-its-head/) [Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/) > [I long for another human face just as I fear it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/i-long-for-another-human-face-just-as-i-fear-it/) [Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/) > [“Rosie hated her curly golden hair. 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