--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did not deceive him, he did not deceive…" description: "\"I did not deceive him, he did not deceive me, I did not leave him, he did not leave me, I freed him, he freed me.\" — Sharon Olds" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/sharon-olds-8682_deceiving_i-did-not-deceive-him-he-did-not-deceive_2576341.jpg" --- # I did not deceive him, he did not deceive me, I did not… ![“I did not deceive him, he did not deceive me, I did not leave him, he did not leave me, I freed him, he freed me.” quote by Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/sharon-olds-8682_deceiving_i-did-not-deceive-him-he-did-not-deceive_2576341.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/sharon-olds-8682_deceiving_i-did-not-deceive-him-he-did-not-deceive_2576341.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/sharon-olds-8682_deceiving_i-did-not-deceive-him-he-did-not-deceive_2576341.jpg) > “I did not deceive him, he did not deceive me, I did not leave him, he did not leave me, I freed him, he freed me.” [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) ## 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 reflects on mutual deception and liberation, suggesting a complex, intertwined relationship of trust and freedom. **In simple terms:** Mutual deception and freedom are linked. Key Takeaway Consider how honesty and freedom intertwine. Themes relationships trust freedom deception Mood introspective poetic Type emotional philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - conflict resolution - self‑discovery - emotional healing Key Concepts existentialism interpersonal dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What does freedom mean in a relationship? - Can honesty coexist with liberation? A Different Perspective Freedom can be compromised by deceit. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deceive Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceive-did-1737161/) [Deceiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceiving/) [Did Deceive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-deceive-1737160/) [Freed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freed/) [Freed Freed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freed-freed-1737159/) [Leave Freed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leave-freed-1737162/) [Leaving me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaving-me/) ## Related quotes > [“A lie means saying something with a deliberate intent to deceive, and what I did is more like embellish the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-mason/a-lie-means-saying-something-with-a-deliberate-intent-to-deceive-and/) [Debbie Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-mason/) > [I did not deceive you, mon ami. At most, I permitted you to deceive yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-did-not-deceive-you-mon-ami-at-most-i-permitted-you-to-deceive/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [Many whites, even white Southerners told me that even though it may have seemed like the blacks were being freed (by my actions) they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosa-parks/many-whites-even-white-southerners-told-me-that-even-though-it-may/) [Rosa Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosa-parks/) > [Resolve to serve no more, and you are at once freed. I do not ask that you place hands upon the tyrant to topple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etienne-de-la-boetie/resolve-to-serve-no-more-and-you-are-at-once-freed-i-do-not-ask-that/) [Etienne de La Boetie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etienne-de-la-boetie/) > [“You didn't break my heart; you freed it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/you-didn-t-break-my-heart-you-freed-it/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [“Without hope, Chöd practitioners are freed from the limits of hope and fear; having cut the ropes of grasping, definitely enlightened, where does one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machik-labdr-n/without-hope-ch-d-practitioners-are-freed-from-the-limits-of-hope-and/) [Machik Labdrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machik-labdr-n/) > [Espousing the melancholy of ancient symbols, I would have freed myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/espousing-the-melancholy-of-ancient-symbols-i-would-have-freed-myself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Then with no throbs of fiery pain, No cold gradations of decay, Death broke at once the vital chain, And freed his soul the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/then-with-no-throbs-of-fiery-pain-no-cold-gradations-of-decay-death/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [I found that not having a public profile was not hurting the work, and it freed me up to be the satirist I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-trudeau/i-found-that-not-having-a-public-profile-was-not-hurting-the-work-and/) [Garry Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-trudeau/) > [I was thankful to him, this man who freed me. At the same time I was annoyed be cause the man who freed me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikis-theodorakis/i-was-thankful-to-him-this-man-who-freed-me-at-the-same-time-i-was/) [Mikis Theodorakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikis-theodorakis/) > [I had written a tune called 'Shake, Rattle and Roll,' but the white stations refused to play it - they thought it was low-class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-stone/i-had-written-a-tune-called-shake-rattle-and-roll-but-the-white/) [Jesse Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-stone/) > [“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crossway/to-him-who-loves-us-and-has-freed-us-from-our-sins-by-his-blood/) [Crossway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crossway/) > [Politicians, in many cases - their moral code will be dictated by what can get them reelected, what they can get away with. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/politicians-in-many-cases-their-moral-code-will-be-dictated-by-what/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [They definitely mean to maintain that the process called death is a mere severence of soul and body, and that the soul is freed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-joseph-lodge/they-definitely-mean-to-maintain-that-the-process-called-death-is-a/) [Oliver Joseph Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-joseph-lodge/) > [By the mind one is bound; by the mind one is freed. ... He who asserts with strong conviction: "I am not bound, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramakrishna/by-the-mind-one-is-bound-by-the-mind-one-is-freed-he-who-asserts-with/) [Ramakrishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramakrishna/) ## More by Sharon Olds > [Poems come from ordinary experiences and objects, I think. Out of memory - a dress I lent my daughter on her way back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/poems-come-from-ordinary-experiences-and-objects-i-think-out-of/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [There are some fine books and essays about that. Lewis Hyde has written about alcoholism and poets and the role that society gives its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/there-are-some-fine-books-and-essays-about-that-lewis-hyde-has/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [I'm not asking a poem to carry a lot of rocks in its pockets. Just being an ordinary observer and liver and feeler and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/i-m-not-asking-a-poem-to-carry-a-lot-of-rocks-in-its-pockets-just/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [“How do they do it, the ones who make love without love? How do they come to the come to the come to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/how-do-they-do-it-the-ones-who-make-love-without-love-how-do-they/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [She'd crack A joke sharp as a tin lid Hot from the teeth of the can-opener, And cackle her crack-corn laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/she-d-crack-a-joke-sharp-as-a-tin-lid-hot-from-the-teeth-of-the-can/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [If I wrote in a sonnet form, I would be distorting. Or if I had some great new idea for line breaks and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/if-i-wrote-in-a-sonnet-form-i-would-be-distorting-or-if-i-had-some/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [Many poets write books. They'll tell you: Well, I've got my next book, but there are two poems I need to write, one about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/many-poets-write-books-they-ll-tell-you-well-i-ve-got-my-next-book/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [“as if languagelessness was a step up, in evolution, from the chatter of consciousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/as-if-languagelessness-was-a-step-up-in-evolution-from-the-chatter-of/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [Maybe we can use a metaphor for it, out of dance. I think for many years I was aware of the need, in dance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/maybe-we-can-use-a-metaphor-for-it-out-of-dance-i-think-for-many/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [Who wants to put together something that will bear some relationship to the vision or memory or experience or story or idea or dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/who-wants-to-put-together-something-that-will-bear-some-relationship/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [“I put my arms around a trunk and squeezed it, then I lay down on my father's grave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/i-put-my-arms-around-a-trunk-and-squeezed-it-then-i-lay-down-on-my/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [“...the liquor like fire in his hand”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/the-liquor-like-fire-in-his-hand/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [I'm probably so out of it at my age that I don't know what people think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/i-m-probably-so-out-of-it-at-my-age-that-i-don-t-know-what-people/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [“Some people think I should be over my ex by now — maybe I thought I might have been over him more by now.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/some-people-think-i-should-be-over-my-ex-by-now-maybe-i-thought-i/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [Maybe in order to understand sex fully/one has to risk being destroyed by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/maybe-in-order-to-understand-sex-fully-one-has-to-risk-being/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) [Explore all 78 Sharon Olds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) ## More Deceiving quotes > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [We deceive ourselves when giving respect to the person for whom we have surrendered ourselves, when we respectively expect them to be as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-deceive-ourselves-when-giving-respect-to-the-person-for-whom-we/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Who’s to say that it takes something like a drug to mess with your perception of reality? How did Hitler deceive a nation? How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/who-s-to-say-that-it-takes-something-like-a-drug-to-mess-with-your/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) > [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Half-instructed confessors have done my soul great harm; for I could not always have such learned ones as I would have desired. They certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/half-instructed-confessors-have-done-my-soul-great-harm-for-i-could/) [Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) > [The intention of never deceiving often exposes us to deception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-intention-of-never-deceiving-often-exposes-us-to-deception/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [It is unhappily true that much insincere Literature and Art, executed solely with a view to effect, does succeed by deceiving the public.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/it-is-unhappily-true-that-much-insincere-literature-and-art-executed/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [Amusement that is excessive and followed only for its own sake, allures and deceives us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/amusement-that-is-excessive-and-followed-only-for-its-own-sake/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [“Looks sure can be deceiving: not every ‘ugly’ person is a ‘bad’ person (or is guilty of whatever it is that they are accused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/looks-sure-can-be-deceiving-not-every-ugly-person-is-a-bad-person-or/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“The man was no stranger to deception, and yet his heart was pounding wildly now. He took another deep, throbbing breath. You've been deceiving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-man-was-no-stranger-to-deception-and-yet-his-heart-was-pounding/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Nothing is so easy as to deceive oneself; for what we wish, we readily believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/nothing-is-so-easy-as-to-deceive-oneself-for-what-we-wish-we-readily/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [No, it's not that they're bad. It's that they're obliged to pretend they're good. They've been brought up to deceive and be cunning, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-fuentes/no-it-s-not-that-they-re-bad-it-s-that-they-re-obliged-to-pretend/) [Carlos Fuentes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-fuentes/) > [You should have taken me with you," I whisper to him. Then I lean my head against his and begin to cry. In my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/you-should-have-taken-me-with-you-i-whisper-to-him-then-i-lean-my/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) > [I smile but it doesn't mean that I'm okay and happy. Remember, looks can be deceiving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-smile-but-it-doesn-t-mean-that-i-m-okay-and-happy-remember-looks/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Cunning grows in deceit at seeing itself discovered, and tries to deceive with truth itselft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cunning-grows-in-deceit-at-seeing-itself-discovered-and-tries-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 704 Deceiving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceiving/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I did not deceive him, he did not deceive me, I did not leave him, he did not leave me, I freed him, he freed me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sharon Olds" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/i-did-not-deceive-him-he-did-not-deceive-me-i-did-not-leave-him-he/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deceiving" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/i-did-not-deceive-him-he-did-not-deceive-me-i-did-not-leave-him-he/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/sharon-olds-8682_deceiving_i-did-not-deceive-him-he-did-not-deceive_2576341.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/sharon-olds-8682_deceiving_i-did-not-deceive-him-he-did-not-deceive_2576341.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bd/sharon-olds-8682_deceiving_i-did-not-deceive-him-he-did-not-deceive_2576341.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I did not deceive him, he did not deceive me, I did not leave him, he did not leave me, I freed him, he…” — Sharon Olds", "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": "Sharon Olds", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I did not deceive him, he...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/i-did-not-deceive-him-he-did-not-deceive-me-i-did-not-leave-him-he/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/i-did-not-deceive-him-he-did-not-deceive-me-i-did-not-leave-him-he/#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 } } ] } ```