--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you say 'Yes' or promise something…" description: "\"When you say 'Yes' or promise something, you can very easily deceive yourself and others also, as if you had already done what you promised. It is easy..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d6/soren-kierkegaard-578_christian_when-you-say-yes-or-promise-something-yo_1353940.jpg" --- # When you say 'Yes' or promise something, you can very… ![“When you say 'Yes' or promise something, you can very easily deceive yourself and others also, as if you had already done what you promised. It is easy to think that by making a promise you have at least done part of what you promised to do, as if the promise itself were something of value. Not at…” quote by Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d6/soren-kierkegaard-578_christian_when-you-say-yes-or-promise-something-yo_1353940.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d6/soren-kierkegaard-578_christian_when-you-say-yes-or-promise-something-yo_1353940.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d6/soren-kierkegaard-578_christian_when-you-say-yes-or-promise-something-yo_1353940.jpg) > “When you say 'Yes' or promise something, you can very easily deceive yourself and others also, as if you had already done what you promised. It is easy to think that by making a promise you have at least done part of what you promised to do, as if the promise itself were something of value. Not at all! In fact, when you do not do what you promise, it is a long way back to the truth.” [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Promises give an illusion of completion, but true progress requires actual action, not just words. **In simple terms:** Promises feel like doing something, but they aren’t. Key Takeaway Act, don’t just promise. Themes responsibility integrity self‑deception Mood reflective serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal commitments - project management - relationships - leadership Key Concepts ethical philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - Do you often rely on promises instead of actions? - How can you ensure follow‑through? A Different Perspective Empty promises can damage trust and delay real solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Orthodox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orthodox/) [Orthodox christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orthodox-christian/) [Promise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/promise/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [“Stay with me.” “We’re married,” she whispered. “Of course I’ll stay.” “You could decide to leave me.” “I won’t.” “Promise me.” “I have promised.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-ashley/stay-with-me-we-re-married-she-whispered-of-course-i-ll-stay-you/) [Jennifer Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-ashley/) > [I need yuu like I need air to breath… without yuu I will die nd that's not a label it's a fact and that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breezylynn-riley/i-need-yuu-like-i-need-air-to-breath-without-yuu-i-will-die-nd-that-s/) Breezylynn Riley > [“Don't let them get me, Cassie. Don't let me die.' 'You're not going to die, Sams.' 'Promise?' I Promised.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey-the-5th-wave/don-t-let-them-get-me-cassie-don-t-let-me-die-you-re-not-going-to-die/) [Rick Yancey The 5th Wave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey-the-5th-wave/) > [“It is easy to overlook the fact that the promise that “in all things God works for the good” is made only to “those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-j-keller/it-is-easy-to-overlook-the-fact-that-the-promise-that-in-all-things/) [Timothy J. Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-j-keller/) > [Yes, I will promise you anything your little elector heart desires... Of course, I have no intention of keeping any promise I make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vermin-supreme/yes-i-will-promise-you-anything-your-little-elector-heart-desires-of/) [Vermin Supreme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vermin-supreme/) > [Jesus is the yes to every promise of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/jesus-is-the-yes-to-every-promise-of-god/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [We are in a good place. Her name is Crystal Renay. She has much promise. Yes, much promise. Quality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/we-are-in-a-good-place-her-name-is-crystal-renay-she-has-much-promise/) [Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) > [I'll bring you to my palace, I'll bring you to heaven's happiness… All of this is your promised but your promise was just take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innah-deloa-angeles/i-ll-bring-you-to-my-palace-i-ll-bring-you-to-heaven-s-happiness-all/) [Innah Deloa Angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innah-deloa-angeles/) > [I promised that I would keep that promise am sorry never did I do so,i was scared maybe I would break it but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-promised-that-i-would-keep-that-promise-am-sorry-never-did-i-do-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You aren’t gonna lose me,” he promised. “You can’t promise that,” I snapped. “Yeah, I fuckin’ can,” he shot back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/you-aren-t-gonna-lose-me-he-promised-you-can-t-promise-that-i-snapped/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) > [...the greatest thing each person can do is to give himself to God utterly and unconditionally - weaknesses, fears, and all. 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I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) [Browse all 14,306 Christian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you say 'Yes' or promise something, you can very easily deceive yourself and others also, as if you had already done what you promised. It is easy to think that by making a promise you have at least done part of what you promised to do, as if the promise itself were something of value. Not at all! 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