--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seems we need someone to know us as we…" description: "\"“It seems we need someone to know us as we are--with all we have done--and forgive us. We need to tell. We need to be whole in someone's sight: Know th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/sue-miller-18553_forgiveness_it-seems-we-need-someone-to-know-us-as-w_2013571.png" --- # It seems we need someone to know us as we are--with all we… ![“It seems we need someone to know us as we are--with all we have done--and forgive us. We need to tell. We need to be whole in someone's sight: Know this about me, and yet love me. Please. ...for...others it seems there must be a person to redeem us to ourselves. It isn't enough, apparently, to…” quote by Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/sue-miller-18553_forgiveness_it-seems-we-need-someone-to-know-us-as-w_2013571.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/sue-miller-18553_forgiveness_it-seems-we-need-someone-to-know-us-as-w_2013571.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/647/sue-miller-18553_forgiveness_it-seems-we-need-someone-to-know-us-as-w_2013571.png) > ““It seems we need someone to know us as we are--with all we have done--and forgive us. We need to tell. We need to be whole in someone's sight: Know this about me, and yet love me. Please. ...for...others it seems there must be a person to redeem us to ourselves. It isn't enough, apparently, to know oneself. To forgive oneself in secret.”” [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People seek external validation and forgiveness, but true redemption requires self-acceptance and inner forgiveness. **In simple terms:** We need others to accept us, yet must forgive ourselves. Key Takeaway Cultivate self-compassion alongside seeking support. Themes forgiveness self-acceptance relationships Mood introspective empathetic Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - therapy - confessional writing - personal growth - spiritual practice Key Concepts psychology spirituality humanism Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to forgive yourself? - How can we balance external support with internal healing? A Different Perspective Relying solely on others can hinder personal responsibility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Secrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrets/) ## Related quotes > [“A secret weighs on us, a terrible secret weighs with a terrible weight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/a-secret-weighs-on-us-a-terrible-secret-weighs-with-a-terrible-weight/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [“For it wasn't the secret--the secret that wasn't a secret anyway--that led to austerity in our lives. It was the austerity that led to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/for-it-wasn-t-the-secret-the-secret-that-wasn-t-a-secret-anyway-that/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [“But even then I knew how it was going to be, I could feel the coming silence in the long, poisonous pauses that expanded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/but-even-then-i-knew-how-it-was-going-to-be-i-could-feel-the-coming/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [“The abundance of ordinary things, their convenient arrangement here, seemed for the moment a personal gift to me. As did my ability to notice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/the-abundance-of-ordinary-things-their-convenient-arrangement-here/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [“...the words make our silences easier--they're the current that runs under them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/the-words-make-our-silences-easier-they-re-the-current-that-runs/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [It seems we need someone to know us as we are - with all we have done - and forgive us. We need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/it-seems-we-need-someone-to-know-us-as-we-are-with-all-we-have-done/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [The very person you find it hardest to forgive is the one you need to let go of the most. Forgiveness means letting go.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-hay/the-very-person-you-find-it-hardest-to-forgive-is-the-one-you-need-to/) [Louise Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-hay/) > [“We do not have to know HOW to forgive. All we need to do is to be WILLING to forgive. The Universe will take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-l-hay/we-do-not-have-to-know-how-to-forgive-all-we-need-to-do-is-to-be/) [Louise L. Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-l-hay/) > [To forgive oneself? No, that doesn't work: we have to be forgiven. But we can only believe this is possible if we ourselves can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/to-forgive-oneself-no-that-doesn-t-work-we-have-to-be-forgiven-but-we/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [“order to truly forgive oneself, one must either explicitly or implicitly acknowledge that one’s behavior was wrong and accept responsibility or blame for such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/order-to-truly-forgive-oneself-one-must-either-explicitly-or/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [To understand is to forgive, even oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-chase/to-understand-is-to-forgive-even-oneself/) [Alexander Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-chase/) > [In the range of my character at any given moment, I have acted in the only way it seemed to me I could have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-truitt/in-the-range-of-my-character-at-any-given-moment-i-have-acted-in-the/) [Anne Truitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-truitt/) > [“In order to truly forgive oneself, one must either explicitly or implicitly acknowledge that one’s behavior was wrong and accept responsibility or blame for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/in-order-to-truly-forgive-oneself-one-must-either-explicitly-or/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [“It is a difficult thing―if not impossible―to forgive oneself for foolish errors, not for trampling a life or goring another with sharp horns, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/it-is-a-difficult-thing-if-not-impossible-to-forgive-oneself-for/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“A major issue with estrangement is that it really is a two-fold forgiveness journey. It’s never just one side’s fault … so there’s an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-macdonald-andrew/a-major-issue-with-estrangement-is-that-it-really-is-a-two-fold/) [Roger Macdonald Andrew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-macdonald-andrew/) ## More by Sue Miller > [It seems we need someone to know us as we are - with all we have done - and forgive us. We need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/it-seems-we-need-someone-to-know-us-as-we-are-with-all-we-have-done/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [And what if we’d been utterly open? Made jokes about the first wife? What if we’d been that kind of family? Well, I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/and-what-if-we-d-been-utterly-open-made-jokes-about-the-first-wife/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [Kids need to see that Jesus is the best thing that ever happened to us. And they need to know it can happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/kids-need-to-see-that-jesus-is-the-best-thing-that-ever-happened-to/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [ “I tried to talk about it to Lily, to make her see that for once, I'd earned a feeling. \[p. 174\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/i-tried-to-talk-about-it-to-lily-to-make-her-see-that-for-once-i-d/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [“I was recalling that other world in which it had thrilled me, in a way, the surprise of thinking that I could be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/i-was-recalling-that-other-world-in-which-it-had-thrilled-me-in-a-way/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [“Now he turned the radio on to the news. As we did our separate chores, we listened and commented idly to each other on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/now-he-turned-the-radio-on-to-the-news-as-we-did-our-separate-chores/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [I felt the kind of desperation, I think, that cancels the possibility of empathy...that makes you unkind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/i-felt-the-kind-of-desperation-i-think-that-cancels-the-possibility/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [But pain may be a gift to us. Remember, after all, that pain is one of the ways we register in memory the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/but-pain-may-be-a-gift-to-us-remember-after-all-that-pain-is-one-of/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [“And then heard Detective Ryan’s pleased voice talking about Eli, about killers who’ve gone free: “They have to tell,” he’d said Well, apparently so.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/and-then-heard-detective-ryan-s-pleased-voice-talking-about-eli-about/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [“But even then I knew how it was going to be, I could feel the coming silence in the long, poisonous pauses that expanded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/but-even-then-i-knew-how-it-was-going-to-be-i-could-feel-the-coming/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [“Doggone, I never thought I’d lose my mind.” I was startled at the time to realize this – that he had thought about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/doggone-i-never-thought-i-d-lose-my-mind-i-was-startled-at-the-time/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [“The abundance of ordinary things, their convenient arrangement here, seemed for the moment a personal gift to me. As did my ability to notice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/the-abundance-of-ordinary-things-their-convenient-arrangement-here/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [“You might have thought I’d worry about him, about causing him pain or at least embarrassment. I simply didn’t. I felt the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/you-might-have-thought-i-d-worry-about-him-about-causing-him-pain-or/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [“My sister and I were the ones in the family who had seen this as necessary; neither of my brothers felt there was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/my-sister-and-i-were-the-ones-in-the-family-who-had-seen-this-as/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) > [“...the words make our silences easier--they're the current that runs under them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-miller/the-words-make-our-silences-easier-they-re-the-current-that-runs/) [Sue Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) [Explore all 33 Sue Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-miller/) ## More Forgiveness quotes > [“Lord I come before you, I repent all my sins; forgive me. I repent on behalf of my children forgive them Lord. Help them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/lord-i-come-before-you-i-repent-all-my-sins-forgive-me-i-repent-on/) [Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/) > [Forgiveness is not saying, What you did to me is okay. It is saying, Im not going to let what you did to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate/forgiveness-is-not-saying-what-you-did-to-me-is-okay-it-is-saying-im/) [Nate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate/) > [“So in practicing blanket forgiveness you first assume that in any current condition of pain or discomfort there is some anger involved, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-kahili-king/so-in-practicing-blanket-forgiveness-you-first-assume-that-in-any/) Serge Kahili King > [Do what is given to you, and do it well, and you will have done enough...live together in the forgiveness of your sins. Forgive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-what-is-given-to-you-and-do-it-well-and-you-will-have-done-enough/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The public, more often than not, will forgive mistakes, but it will not forgive trying to wiggle out of one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-grizzard/the-public-more-often-than-not-will-forgive-mistakes-but-it-will-not/) [Lewis Grizzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-grizzard/) > [A Real Boyfriend does the sweetest things randomly because he never wants her to feel unappreciated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/a-real-boyfriend-does-the-sweetest-things-randomly-because-he-never/) Enhance Dreams > [“(Evil people) do not believe in forgiveness. Their transgressions are either punished or not punished. That is the only result that matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mchugh/evil-people-do-not-believe-in-forgiveness-their-transgressions-are/) [Daniel McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mchugh/) > [Friendship means understanding, not argument. it means forgiveness, not forgetting. it means the memories last, even if contact is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sokhom/friendship-means-understanding-not-argument-it-means-forgiveness-not/) [Sokhom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sokhom/) > [Grace is the wonderful spirit that imbues every fiber of our being when we practice the fruits of the spirit: kindness, patience, understanding, forgiveness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-cayce/grace-is-the-wonderful-spirit-that-imbues-every-fiber-of-our-being/) [Edgar Cayce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-cayce/) > [One of the most basic principles for making and keeping peace within and between nations. . . is that in political, military, moral, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/one-of-the-most-basic-principles-for-making-and-keeping-peace-within/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [“Have an open mind and heart. Learn to journey in understanding and forgiveness. It's not always going to be easy but it will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-elle/have-an-open-mind-and-heart-learn-to-journey-in-understanding-and/) [Alexandra Elle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-elle/) > [Forgive us our trespasses," says Margarethe, "and get out of our way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/forgive-us-our-trespasses-says-margarethe-and-get-out-of-our-way/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you can't forgive and forget, pick only one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brault/if-you-can-t-forgive-and-forget-pick-only-one/) [Robert Brault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brault/) [Browse all 8,311 Forgiveness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It seems we need someone to know us as we are--with all we have done--and forgive us. We need to tell. We need to be whole in someone's sight: Know this about me, and yet love me. Please. ...for...others it seems there must be a person to redeem us to ourselves. It isn't enough, apparently, to know oneself. 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