--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't trust the natives, Olivia has told…" description: "\"“Don't trust the natives, Olivia has told me, but I was already a step ahead of her. I didn't trust anyone. Not for directions, not for rides, and not ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/sarah-dessen-110_long-ago_don-t-trust-the-natives-olivia-has-told_2286872.png" --- # Don't trust the natives, Olivia has told me, but I was… ![“Don't trust the natives, Olivia has told me, but I was already a step ahead of her. I didn't trust anyone. Not for directions, not for rides, and not for advice either. Sure it sucked to be lost, but I’d long ago realized I preferred it to depending on anyone else to get me where I needed to go…” quote by Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/sarah-dessen-110_long-ago_don-t-trust-the-natives-olivia-has-told_2286872.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/sarah-dessen-110_long-ago_don-t-trust-the-natives-olivia-has-told_2286872.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/sarah-dessen-110_long-ago_don-t-trust-the-natives-olivia-has-told_2286872.png) > ““Don't trust the natives, Olivia has told me, but I was already a step ahead of her. I didn't trust anyone. Not for directions, not for rides, and not for advice either. Sure it sucked to be lost, but I’d long ago realized I preferred it to depending on anyone else to get me where I needed to go. That was the thing about being alone, in theory or in principle. Whatever happened – good bad or anywhere in between – it was always, if nothing else, all your own.”” [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker values self-reliance over depending on others, even when it leads to isolation. **In simple terms:** Self-reliance over reliance on others. Key Takeaway Embrace independence, trust your own judgment. Themes independence self-reliance isolation personal growth Mood reflective determined Type philosophical personal When to use this quote - traveling alone - making decisions - navigating new cities - building confidence - handling setbacks Key Concepts existentialism autonomy self-trust Questions to Reflect On - Do you ever need help? How do you balance independence with connection? A Different Perspective Total isolation can lead to missed support and emotional strain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Didn Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didn-trust/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Natives Olivia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natives-olivia-5359092/) [Olivia Told](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/olivia-told-2763897/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/) [Trust Natives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust-natives-2860706/) ## Related quotes > [I was afterwards sorry for this, though, if I ever travel again, I shall trust to none but natives, as the climate of Africa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hanning-speke/i-was-afterwards-sorry-for-this-though-if-i-ever-travel-again-i-shall/) [John Hanning Speke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hanning-speke/) > [“Olivia, I once told you that I would love again, and that you would hurt forever. Do you remember? It was a lie. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/olivia-i-once-told-you-that-i-would-love-again-and-that-you-would-2/) [Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/) > [“Olivia, I once told you that I would love again, and that you would hurt forever. Do you remember?” She nods. It’s a painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/olivia-i-once-told-you-that-i-would-love-again-and-that-you-would/) [Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/) > [“WTF!” she says, throwing her hands in the air. “I didn’t know this was a fucked-up relationship reunion.” Olivia covers her eyes. “Don’t judge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/wtf-she-says-throwing-her-hands-in-the-air-i-didn-t-know-this-was-a/) [Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/) > [My dearest goose, why didn't you trust me, when I assured you that you might?' he countered. 'I have cherished throughout the believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgette-heyer/my-dearest-goose-why-didn-t-you-trust-me-when-i-assured-you-that-you/) [Georgette Heyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgette-heyer/) > [It wasn't that I didn't trust Mark's flying, it was just that, okay, I didn't trust Mark's flying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-wasn-t-that-i-didn-t-trust-mark-s-flying-it-was-just-that-okay-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The newspapers said nobody made it out alive." "Surely you didn't trust them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-barry/the-newspapers-said-nobody-made-it-out-alive-surely-you-didn-t-trust/) [Max Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-barry/) > [Marco Rubio was fighting to grant amnesty and not to secure the border, I was fighting to secure the border. And this also goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/marco-rubio-was-fighting-to-grant-amnesty-and-not-to-secure-the/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/i-know-god-will-not-give-me-anything-i-can-t-handle-i-just-wish-that/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [When I have been speaking to people in Braintree and at other places in the country they really didn't buy into Labour's economic offer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cleverly/when-i-have-been-speaking-to-people-in-braintree-and-at-other-places/) [James Cleverly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cleverly/) > [“My feelings hadn’t changed. And even though I didn’t trust him with my heart, it was his nonetheless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-meredith-walters/my-feelings-hadn-t-changed-and-even-though-i-didn-t-trust-him-with-my/) [A. Meredith Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-meredith-walters/) > [“I didn't trust men. I wanted to trust them because I knew there must be some good men in the world, but the ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theresa-weir/i-didn-t-trust-men-i-wanted-to-trust-them-because-i-knew-there-must/) [Theresa Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theresa-weir/) > [The really sad part about being lied to is not just that you can't trust that person any more; it's the fact that that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-really-sad-part-about-being-lied-to-is-not-just-that-you-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Also, I didn’t trust any guy who used more styling products than I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/also-i-didn-t-trust-any-guy-who-used-more-styling-products-than-i-did/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [“Josh didn't trust inanimates; not one bit; but he didn’t trust men either, nor did he trust the sea. The first could drive you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-vargas/josh-didn-t-trust-inanimates-not-one-bit-but-he-didn-t-trust-men/) [Fred Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-vargas/) ## More by Sarah Dessen > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“if i were a book i would be so open”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/if-i-were-a-book-i-would-be-so-open/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Harder to get in than out, like so little else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/harder-to-get-in-than-out-like-so-little-else/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“At times, I found myself questioning his very existence, even though I knew I had, in fact, spotted him, with my own eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/at-times-i-found-myself-questioning-his-very-existence-even-though-i/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You don't have to say it out loud. I already know why you like me.' 'You do, huh?' 'Yep.' He wrapped his arms around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-don-t-have-to-say-it-out-loud-i-already-know-why-you-like-me-you/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [No relationship is perfect, ever. There are always some ways you have to bend, to compromise, to give something up in order to gain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/no-relationship-is-perfect-ever-there-are-always-some-ways-you-have/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [When you had to do something, you had to do it. And eventually, if you were lucky, you did it well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/when-you-had-to-do-something-you-had-to-do-it-and-eventually-if-you/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [the truth about forever is that it is happening right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/the-truth-about-forever-is-that-it-is-happening-right-now/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I jammed my hand in my jacket pocket, bracing myself fo the next hit, and fel something. Something grainy and samll, sticking to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-jammed-my-hand-in-my-jacket-pocket-bracing-myself-fo-the-next-hit/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I had no illusions about love anymore. It came, it went, it left casualties or it didn't. People weren't meant to be together forever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-had-no-illusions-about-love-anymore-it-came-it-went-it-left/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“But maybe that isn't so bad. You can't love anyone that way more than once in a lifetime. It's too hard and it hurts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/but-maybe-that-isn-t-so-bad-you-can-t-love-anyone-that-way-more-than/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [This was just one night, one chance to vary and see where it took me. The fireflies were probably already out: maybe it wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/this-was-just-one-night-one-chance-to-vary-and-see-where-it-took-me/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [call it chicken salad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/call-it-chicken-salad/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“For me, however, it was a mix of the two, this constant push and pull. I loved it here. But I'd been in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/for-me-however-it-was-a-mix-of-the-two-this-constant-push-and-pull-i/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I think whenever a writer is really enjoying themselves and liking what they are doing, that shows on the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-think-whenever-a-writer-is-really-enjoying-themselves-and-liking/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) [Explore all 1,251 Sarah Dessen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) ## More Long ago quotes > [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/) [Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/) > [A wholesome regard for the memory of the great men of long ago is the best assurance to a people of a continuation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/a-wholesome-regard-for-the-memory-of-the-great-men-of-long-ago-is-the/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [“Not very long ago I was driving with my husband on the back roads of Grey County, which is to the north and east…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/not-very-long-ago-i-was-driving-with-my-husband-on-the-back-roads-of/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [There must be a technique for meeting pain. There must be a technique of endurance based on the power of the soul to maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stannard-baker/there-must-be-a-technique-for-meeting-pain-there-must-be-a-technique/) [Ray Stannard Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stannard-baker/) > [Women will forgive anything. Otherwise, the race would have died out long ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/women-will-forgive-anything-otherwise-the-race-would-have-died-out/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [Up until 1986, the top marginal rate, the top statutory rate was 50 percent. Now it's 35 percent. And all the pressure is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/up-until-1986-the-top-marginal-rate-the-top-statutory-rate-was-50/) [Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/) > [“We ought to live each day as though it were our last day here below. But if I did, alas, I know it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-hein/we-ought-to-live-each-day-as-though-it-were-our-last-day-here-below/) [Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/) > [I was landscaping not too long ago, so I'm extremely grateful for the people supporting me in wrestling. Not that landscaping is terrible, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-riddle/i-was-landscaping-not-too-long-ago-so-i-m-extremely-grateful-for-the/) [Matt Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-riddle/) > [“Most people would probably call me a ghost. I am, after all, dead. But I don't think of myself that way. It wasn't so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/most-people-would-probably-call-me-a-ghost-i-am-after-all-dead-but-i/) [Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/) > [“Waiting for Vengeance' Well, what is this? What am I coming to? And beyond that, what am I gonna do? Now there’s blankness Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/waiting-for-vengeance-well-what-is-this-what-am-i-coming-to-and/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [“We were putting into these gomers our fear of death, but who knew if they feared death? Perhaps they welcomed death like a dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-shem/we-were-putting-into-these-gomers-our-fear-of-death-but-who-knew-if/) [Samuel Shem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-shem/) > [“...The devil had long ago taken a shine to Tert Card, filled him like a cream horn with itch and irritation. His middle name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-annie-proulx-author/the-devil-had-long-ago-taken-a-shine-to-tert-card-filled-him-like-a/) [E. Annie Proulx (Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-annie-proulx-author/) > [So here is my story, may it bring Some smiles and a tear or so, It happened once upon a time, Far away, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-jacques/so-here-is-my-story-may-it-bring-some-smiles-and-a-tear-or-so-it/) [Brian Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-jacques/) > [“In the middle of the cemetery is a grassy plane, strangely vacant. There are no granite tombs or crumbling concrete, just a sun-washed treeless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-caldwell-crosby/in-the-middle-of-the-cemetery-is-a-grassy-plane-strangely-vacant/) [Molly Caldwell Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-caldwell-crosby/) > [He had long ago learned that society imposes insults that must be borne, comforted by the knowledge that in this world there comes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-puzo/he-had-long-ago-learned-that-society-imposes-insults-that-must-be/) [Mario Puzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-puzo/) [Browse all 2,059 Long ago quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Don't trust the natives, Olivia has told me, but I was already a step ahead of her. I didn't trust anyone. Not for directions, not for rides, and not for advice either. Sure it sucked to be lost, but I’d long ago realized I preferred it to depending on anyone else to get me where I needed to go. That was the thing about being alone, in theory or in principle. Whatever happened – good bad or anywhere in between – it was always, if nothing else, all your own.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Dessen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/don-t-trust-the-natives-olivia-has-told-me-but-i-was-already-a-step/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Long ago" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/don-t-trust-the-natives-olivia-has-told-me-but-i-was-already-a-step/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/sarah-dessen-110_long-ago_don-t-trust-the-natives-olivia-has-told_2286872.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/sarah-dessen-110_long-ago_don-t-trust-the-natives-olivia-has-told_2286872.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/82f/sarah-dessen-110_long-ago_don-t-trust-the-natives-olivia-has-told_2286872.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Don't trust the natives, Olivia has told me, but I was already a step ahead of her. I didn't trust anyone…” — Sarah Dessen", "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": "Sarah Dessen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Don't trust the natives, Olivia has...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/don-t-trust-the-natives-olivia-has-told-me-but-i-was-already-a-step/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/don-t-trust-the-natives-olivia-has-told-me-but-i-was-already-a-step/#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 } } ] } ```