--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are all, in a sense, experts on…" description: "\"We are all, in a sense, experts on secrecy. From earliest childhood we feel its mystery and attraction. We know both the power it confers and the burde..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ac/sissela-bok-26105_attraction_we-are-all-in-a-sense-experts-on-secrecy_1122342.png" --- # We are all, in a sense, experts on secrecy. From earliest… ![“We are all, in a sense, experts on secrecy. From earliest childhood we feel its mystery and attraction. We know both the power it confers and the burden it imposes. We learn how it can delight, give breathing space and protect.” quote by Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ac/sissela-bok-26105_attraction_we-are-all-in-a-sense-experts-on-secrecy_1122342.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ac/sissela-bok-26105_attraction_we-are-all-in-a-sense-experts-on-secrecy_1122342.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ac/sissela-bok-26105_attraction_we-are-all-in-a-sense-experts-on-secrecy_1122342.png) > “We are all, in a sense, experts on secrecy. From earliest childhood we feel its mystery and attraction. We know both the power it confers and the burden it imposes. We learn how it can delight, give breathing space and protect.” [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We are fascinated by secrecy, recognizing its power and the responsibility it brings, and we use it to create privacy and protect ourselves. **In simple terms:** Secrecy offers power and protection but also responsibility. Key Takeaway Balance privacy with transparency. Themes privacy power responsibility trust Mood reflective cautious Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - national security - corporate confidentiality - online data protection Key Concepts ethics psychology social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - When does secrecy become harmful? - How can we protect privacy without hiding truth? A Different Perspective Secrecy can erode trust if overused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attraction/) [Breathing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breathing/) [Breathing space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breathing-space/) [Burden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burden/) [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Delight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delight/) [Experts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experts/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Secrecy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrecy/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) ## Related quotes > [“What comes in when daylight leaves is a kind of certainty: that beneath the skin there is a secret, some mystery both black and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/what-comes-in-when-daylight-leaves-is-a-kind-of-certainty-that/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“There is no father,’ he said eventually, ‘And I believe you’re running away from something. You’re a lovely woman trying to hold it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-tebby-germaine/there-is-no-father-he-said-eventually-and-i-believe-you-re-running/) [Elizabeth Tebby Germaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-tebby-germaine/) > [We all move on the fringes of eternity and are sometimes granted vistas through fabric of illusion. Many refuse to admit it: I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/we-all-move-on-the-fringes-of-eternity-and-are-sometimes-granted-2/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [While all deception requires secrecy, all secrecy is not meant to deceive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/while-all-deception-requires-secrecy-all-secrecy-is-not-meant-to/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Secrecy is as indispensable to human beings as fire, and as greatly feared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/secrecy-is-as-indispensable-to-human-beings-as-fire-and-as-greatly/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Confidentiality refers to the boundaries surrounding shared secrets and to the process of guarding these boundaries. While confidentiality protects much that is not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/confidentiality-refers-to-the-boundaries-surrounding-shared-secrets/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Work before eating, rest after eating. Eat not ravenously, filling the mouth gulp after gulp without breathing space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maimonides/work-before-eating-rest-after-eating-eat-not-ravenously-filling-the/) [Maimonides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maimonides/) > [“That is all life is. Breathing in, breathing out. The space between two breaths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/that-is-all-life-is-breathing-in-breathing-out-the-space-between-two/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [Because of my job, my hair gets played with a lot on set, so I try to give it little bit of breathing space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gugu-mbatha-raw/because-of-my-job-my-hair-gets-played-with-a-lot-on-set-so-i-try-to/) [Gugu Mbatha-Raw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gugu-mbatha-raw/) > [ \[The public lands represent\] in a sense, the breathing space of the nation. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/the-public-lands-represent-in-a-sense-the-breathing-space-of-the/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [“Silence can be breathing space and spawn release and wellness in a time of appalling inflation of words. But silence may be intolerably screaming,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/silence-can-be-breathing-space-and-spawn-release-and-wellness-in-a/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [The eighteen years he has lived seem but a moment, a breathing space in the long march of humanity. Already he hears death calling.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-anderson/the-eighteen-years-he-has-lived-seem-but-a-moment-a-breathing-space/) [Sherwood Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-anderson/) > [The confined air of a metropolis is hurtful to the minds and bodies of those who have never lived out of it. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-confined-air-of-a-metropolis-is-hurtful-to-the-minds-and-bodies/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [“Meditation is to understand that one breath, which connects all beings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-ray/meditation-is-to-understand-that-one-breath-which-connects-all-beings/) [Amit Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-ray/) > [The time in between my clapping is ma. If you just have non-stop action with no breathing space at all, it's just busyness, But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/the-time-in-between-my-clapping-is-ma-if-you-just-have-non-stop/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) ## More by Sissela Bok > [Secrecy is as indispensable to human beings as fire, and as greatly feared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/secrecy-is-as-indispensable-to-human-beings-as-fire-and-as-greatly/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Sitting too long in front of a screen proves both physically and psychologically debilitating, no matter how innocuous or even beneficial the programs may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/sitting-too-long-in-front-of-a-screen-proves-both-physically-and/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Some level of truthfulness has always been seen as essential to human society, no matter how deficient the observance of other moral principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/some-level-of-truthfulness-has-always-been-seen-as-essential-to-human/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Are people the best judges of their own happiness, or outsiders? In defining happiness, should we think of entire lives or of shorter periods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/are-people-the-best-judges-of-their-own-happiness-or-outsiders-in/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Psychologists have found that we are more likely, in looking back at our lives, to remember high points and dramatic shifts in far greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/psychologists-have-found-that-we-are-more-likely-in-looking-back-at/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Confidentiality refers to the boundaries surrounding shared secrets and to the process of guarding these boundaries. While confidentiality protects much that is not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/confidentiality-refers-to-the-boundaries-surrounding-shared-secrets/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Deceit and violence - these are the two forms of deliberate assault on human beings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/deceit-and-violence-these-are-the-two-forms-of-deliberate-assault-on/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Liars share with those they deceive the desire not to be deceived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/liars-share-with-those-they-deceive-the-desire-not-to-be-deceived/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Empathy and fellow feeling form the very basis of morality. The capacities for empathy, for feeling responsibility toward others and for reaching out to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/empathy-and-fellow-feeling-form-the-very-basis-of-morality-the/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Whatever matters to human beings, trust is the atmosphere in which it thrives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/whatever-matters-to-human-beings-trust-is-the-atmosphere-in-which-it/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Regardless of how often the appetite for entertainment violence becomes addictive, increased exposure does risk further desensitizing viewers. And the element of pleasure that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/regardless-of-how-often-the-appetite-for-entertainment-violence/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Three sorts of goods, Aristotle specified, contribute to happiness: goods of the soul, including moral and intellectual virtues and education; bodily goods, such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/three-sorts-of-goods-aristotle-specified-contribute-to-happiness/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [The television screen is the lens through which most children learn about violence. Through the magnifying power of this lens, their everyday life becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/the-television-screen-is-the-lens-through-which-most-children-learn/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [Trust and integrity are precious resources, easily squandered, hard to regain. They can thrive only on a foundation of respect for veracity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/trust-and-integrity-are-precious-resources-easily-squandered-hard-to/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) > [“It is not possible, many argue, to insist on respecting both difference and sameness when it comes to moral values: on honoring individual and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sissela-bok/it-is-not-possible-many-argue-to-insist-on-respecting-both-difference/) [Sissela Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) [Explore all 22 Sissela Bok quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sissela-bok/) ## More Attraction quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [You cannot perceive what you are not in the vibration of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-anka/you-cannot-perceive-what-you-are-not-in-the-vibration-of/) [Darryl Anka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-anka/) > [What the Laws of Attraction are really about; how to harness the power of creation within you to make life what you truly desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/what-the-laws-of-attraction-are-really-about-how-to-harness-the-power/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [You are the one who calls the law of attraction into action, and you do it through your thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/you-are-the-one-who-calls-the-law-of-attraction-into-action-and-you/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [The vast majority of people are born, grow up, struggle and go through life in misery and failure, not realizing that it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-vast-majority-of-people-are-born-grow-up-struggle-and-go-through/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [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/) > [You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to surmise that war has a perverse appeal for the human race, nor is the attraction limited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/you-don-t-have-to-be-sigmund-freud-to-surmise-that-war-has-a-perverse/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [It doesn't matter if they say you can't do it. It only matters if you say you can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-mackay/it-doesn-t-matter-if-they-say-you-can-t-do-it-it-only-matters-if-you/) [Harvey Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-mackay/) > [If you want to find greater happiness and fulfillment in your life, you must begin to understand and live in harmony with the law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/if-you-want-to-find-greater-happiness-and-fulfillment-in-your-life/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) > [We don't need to complicate all the "reasons" behind our emotions. It's much simpler than that. Two categories .. good feelings, bad feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/we-don-t-need-to-complicate-all-the-reasons-behind-our-emotions-it-s/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [Focus on being grateful for what you have already .. enjoy it!! Then release into the universe. The universe will manifest it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/focus-on-being-grateful-for-what-you-have-already-enjoy-it-then/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber but rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy which spurs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-want-to-remind-priests-that-the-confessional-must-not-be-a-torture/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [All of my work is meant to evoke a whole bunch of different layers of discord between the attraction and repulsion that we feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-jordan/all-of-my-work-is-meant-to-evoke-a-whole-bunch-of-different-layers-of/) [Chris Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-jordan/) > [War is thus divine in itself, since it is a law of the world. War is divine through its consequences of a supernatural nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/war-is-thus-divine-in-itself-since-it-is-a-law-of-the-world-war-is/) [Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/) > [As your awareness of the riches available to you in your everyday life grows, you are on the way to becoming the laughing Buddha.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/as-your-awareness-of-the-riches-available-to-you-in-your-everyday/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) [Browse all 2,005 Attraction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attraction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are all, in a sense, experts on secrecy. From earliest childhood we feel its mystery and attraction. We know both the power it confers and the burden it imposes. 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