---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That’s a powerful thing, knowing you can…"
description: "\"“That’s a powerful thing, knowing you can reveal yourself to someone. It made me want to be a better person.”\" — Roxane Gay"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/roxane-gay-520_better-person_that-s-a-powerful-thing-knowing-you-can_3154952.png"
---

#  That’s a powerful thing, knowing you can reveal yourself…

![“That’s a powerful thing, knowing you can reveal yourself to someone. It made me want to be a better person.” quote by Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/roxane-gay-520_better-person_that-s-a-powerful-thing-knowing-you-can_3154952.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/roxane-gay-520_better-person_that-s-a-powerful-thing-knowing-you-can_3154952.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/roxane-gay-520_better-person_that-s-a-powerful-thing-knowing-you-can_3154952.png)

> ““That’s a powerful thing, knowing you can reveal yourself to someone. It made me want to be a better person.””

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

## About This Quote

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

Revealing oneself to another can inspire personal growth and self‑improvement.

**In simple terms:** Being open can make you want to improve.

Key Takeaway

Embrace vulnerability for growth.

Themes

self‑discovery relationships personal development

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

inspirational philosophical

When to use this quote

- therapy sessions
- friendship building
- mentoring
- team building

Key Concepts

authenticity empathy self‑improvement

Questions to Reflect On

- Who could you be more honest with?
- What changes might openness bring?

A Different Perspective

If you hide your true self, you may miss the chance to improve.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Better person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-person/)

## Related quotes

> [“Everyone has one or two secrets they never want to reveal to others. But they also want at least one person to accept everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minari-endou/everyone-has-one-or-two-secrets-they-never-want-to-reveal-to-others/)

[Minari Endou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minari-endou/)

> [Dialogue is used to reveal not what we want to say, but what we are trying to hide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/dialogue-is-used-to-reveal-not-what-we-want-to-say-but-what-we-are/)

[William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/)

> [Applause is the most powerful thing... people talk about the sound of it, but what I hear is glee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-c-h-pounder/applause-is-the-most-powerful-thing-people-talk-about-the-sound-of-it/)

[C. C. H. Pounder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-c-h-pounder/)

> [No! The most powerful thing in the world? Ha! I don't think so. You have no idea who you're dealing with. You want a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enchanted/no-the-most-powerful-thing-in-the-world-ha-i-don-t-think-so-you-have/)

[Enchanted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enchanted/)

> [Truth is the most powerful thing in the world, since even fiction itself must be governed by it, and can only please by its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/truth-is-the-most-powerful-thing-in-the-world-since-even-fiction/)

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

> [I'm the man I am today because of what my dad's been through, what my mum's been through and I always had love and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-wicks/i-m-the-man-i-am-today-because-of-what-my-dad-s-been-through-what-my/)

[Joe Wicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-wicks/)

> [Your mind is a very powerful thing. It can be your best friend or your worst enemy, but it's your choice to make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/your-mind-is-a-very-powerful-thing-it-can-be-your-best-friend-or-your/)

[Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/)

> [“Fake love is a very powerful thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/fake-love-is-a-very-powerful-thing/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [“Wish' is the most powerful thing in the world. Higher than God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wish-is-the-most-powerful-thing-in-the-world-higher-than-god/)

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

> [“A name is a powerful thing. It sets one apart and gives significance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-khoury/a-name-is-a-powerful-thing-it-sets-one-apart-and-gives-significance/)

[Jessica Khoury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-khoury/)

> [The most powerful thing in the world is an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/the-most-powerful-thing-in-the-world-is-an-idea/)

[David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/)

> [You have to love yourself. That's the single most powerful thing. Out of that springs: How are you eating? How are you exercising? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-peeples/you-have-to-love-yourself-that-s-the-single-most-powerful-thing-out/)

[Nia Peeples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-peeples/)

> [To be empathetic to everyone around you, I think, is such a powerful thing to hold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/to-be-empathetic-to-everyone-around-you-i-think-is-such-a-powerful/)

[Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/)

> [“Prayer is a powerful thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trice-hickman/prayer-is-a-powerful-thing/)

[Trice Hickman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trice-hickman/)

> [Imagination is a pretty powerful thing, and when you're in the moment and you're riding a train and you're asked to look scared, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/imagination-is-a-pretty-powerful-thing-and-when-you-re-in-the-moment/)

[Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/)

## More by Roxane Gay

> [“Human endurance fascinates me, probably too much because more often than not, I think of life in terms of enduring instead of living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/human-endurance-fascinates-me-probably-too-much-because-more-often/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“Being useful was a balm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/being-useful-was-a-balm/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [No woman or man is any one thing and the men in my stories, well, some of them are good and some of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/no-woman-or-man-is-any-one-thing-and-the-men-in-my-stories-well-some/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“I was a daydreamer and I resented being pulled out of my daydreams to deal with the business of living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-was-a-daydreamer-and-i-resented-being-pulled-out-of-my-daydreams-to/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [Feminism is, I hope, a way to a better future for everyone who inhabits this world. Feminism should not be something that needs a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/feminism-is-i-hope-a-way-to-a-better-future-for-everyone-who-inhabits/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [Fiction offers escape but it also interrogates the world we live in, whether the past, present or future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/fiction-offers-escape-but-it-also-interrogates-the-world-we-live-in/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“I've noticed while cooking, how ingredients in their individual and naked state and be a bit repulsive but necessary, kind of like people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-ve-noticed-while-cooking-how-ingredients-in-their-individual-and/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“I shouted, “This is not right,” knowing my words were useless. There’s no room for such distinctions in a country where too many people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-shouted-this-is-not-right-knowing-my-words-were-useless-there-s-no/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [Most of my favorite tweets go completely ignored but most of my favorite tweets are probably really lame or inside jokes between me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/most-of-my-favorite-tweets-go-completely-ignored-but-most-of-my/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“What about other women of color? For Hispanic and Latina women, Indian women, Middle Eastern women, Asian women, their absence in popular culture is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/what-about-other-women-of-color-for-hispanic-and-latina-women-indian/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [There has been, and there will continue to be, vigorous discussions about race in America. I worry that little will come of these discussions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/there-has-been-and-there-will-continue-to-be-vigorous-discussions/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [Writing, at its best and truest, can offer solace and salvation for both readers and writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/writing-at-its-best-and-truest-can-offer-solace-and-salvation-for/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“I knew I was in love with The Hunger Games when I did not want to get off the treadmill”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-knew-i-was-in-love-with-the-hunger-games-when-i-did-not-want-to-get/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“Just because you survive something does not mean you are strong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/just-because-you-survive-something-does-not-mean-you-are-strong/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“Celebrities understand the economy of thinness, and most of them are willing to participate in that economy, taking to social media, where they pose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/celebrities-understand-the-economy-of-thinness-and-most-of-them-are/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

[Explore all 503 Roxane Gay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

## More Better person quotes

> [“Claiming to be offended is a great way to elevate yourself at the expense of others: “Look at me! I'm a much better person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/claiming-to-be-offended-is-a-great-way-to-elevate-yourself-at-the/)

[Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/)

> [Go afield with a good attitude, with respect for the wildlife you hunt and for the forest and fields in which you walk. Immerse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-bear/go-afield-with-a-good-attitude-with-respect-for-the-wildlife-you-hunt/)

[Fred Bear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-bear/)

> [My favorite thing about being a mom is just what a better person it makes you on a daily basis,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-barrymore/my-favorite-thing-about-being-a-mom-is-just-what-a-better-person-it/)

[Drew Barrymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-barrymore/)

> [A real good artist learns to be a better person through all the changes they've been through. They keep their loving and honesty growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bradley/a-real-good-artist-learns-to-be-a-better-person-through-all-the/)

[Charles Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bradley/)

> [I wasn't paid a dime for my track career. But participating in the Olympics gave me the opportunity to learn about different cultures; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyomia-tyus/i-wasn-t-paid-a-dime-for-my-track-career-but-participating-in-the/)

Wyomia Tyus

> [I'm a better person when I'm preparing for a role, when I'm studying a role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/i-m-a-better-person-when-i-m-preparing-for-a-role-when-i-m-studying-a/)

[Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/)

> [I found myself thinking a lot about my own spirituality. What it means to be Jewish, what it means to forgive, what it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tod-goldberg/i-found-myself-thinking-a-lot-about-my-own-spirituality-what-it-means/)

[Tod Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tod-goldberg/)

> [I found the emotion that as an athlete you block out, and it really helped me to understand myself as a person. I'm a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-lewis/i-found-the-emotion-that-as-an-athlete-you-block-out-and-it-really/)

[Carl Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-lewis/)

> [I always try to see my weakness, work on it, to be better as a person and a player, everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-salah/i-always-try-to-see-my-weakness-work-on-it-to-be-better-as-a-person/)

[Mohamed Salah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-salah/)

> [Life is like a circle it has no end point and every turn is a challenge did you notice it a circle has every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/life-is-like-a-circle-it-has-no-end-point-and-every-turn-is-a/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [I started running ultras to become a better person,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-shelton/i-started-running-ultras-to-become-a-better-person/)

Jenn Shelton

> [If you live with a single parent, you don't see compromise. You witness a grown person living in a world where they do what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/if-you-live-with-a-single-parent-you-don-t-see-compromise-you-witness/)

[Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/)

> [I take no pleasure in seeing DeLay swing gently in the wind. But the thing I believe in the most is ethics. If someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/i-take-no-pleasure-in-seeing-delay-swing-gently-in-the-wind-but-the/)

[Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/)

> [Sometimes you have to steer away from the crowd in order to be a better person. It's not always easy, that's for sure. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/sometimes-you-have-to-steer-away-from-the-crowd-in-order-to-be-a/)

[Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/)

> [Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/nobody-ever-feels-100-ready-when-an-opportunity-arises-because-most/)

[Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/)

[Browse all 980 Better person quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-person/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“That’s a powerful thing, knowing you can reveal yourself to someone. It made me want to be a better person.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Roxane Gay"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/that-s-a-powerful-thing-knowing-you-can-reveal-yourself-to-someone-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Better person"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/that-s-a-powerful-thing-knowing-you-can-reveal-yourself-to-someone-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/roxane-gay-520_better-person_that-s-a-powerful-thing-knowing-you-can_3154952.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/roxane-gay-520_better-person_that-s-a-powerful-thing-knowing-you-can_3154952.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d61/roxane-gay-520_better-person_that-s-a-powerful-thing-knowing-you-can_3154952.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That’s a powerful thing, knowing you can reveal yourself to someone. It made me want to be a better person.” — Roxane Gay",
                "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": "Roxane Gay",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“That’s a powerful thing, knowing you...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/that-s-a-powerful-thing-knowing-you-can-reveal-yourself-to-someone-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/that-s-a-powerful-thing-knowing-you-can-reveal-yourself-to-someone-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
