--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is an expectation that we can talk…" description: "\"There is an expectation that we can talk about sins but no one must be identified as a sinner...\" — Teju Cole" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/teju-cole-2851_expectations_there-is-an-expectation-that-we-can-talk_1792310.png" --- # There is an expectation that we can talk about sins but no… ![“There is an expectation that we can talk about sins but no one must be identified as a sinner...” quote by Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/teju-cole-2851_expectations_there-is-an-expectation-that-we-can-talk_1792310.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/teju-cole-2851_expectations_there-is-an-expectation-that-we-can-talk_1792310.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/teju-cole-2851_expectations_there-is-an-expectation-that-we-can-talk_1792310.png) > “There is an expectation that we can talk about sins but no one must be identified as a sinner...” [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Society avoids naming sinners, preserving anonymity but limiting accountability. **In simple terms:** Avoiding labels hides responsibility. Key Takeaway Balance truth with compassion. Themes ethics privacy accountability Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - public discourse - media - legal contexts Key Concepts social norms identity justice Questions to Reflect On - Who should be held accountable? - Is anonymity always protective? A Different Perspective Anonymity can enable impunity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Sins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sins/) ## Related quotes > [“People talk about the sins of omission. What does that mean? Who decides if something is a sin? I know that I'm being semantic,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-robotham/people-talk-about-the-sins-of-omission-what-does-that-mean-who/) [Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) > [There may be some sins of which a man cannot speak, but there is no sin which the blood of Christ cannot wash away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/there-may-be-some-sins-of-which-a-man-cannot-speak-but-there-is-no/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [Sin is what you do when your heart is not satisfied with God. No one sins out of duty. We sin because it holds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/sin-is-what-you-do-when-your-heart-is-not-satisfied-with-god-no-one/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [One who is allowed to sin, sins less](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-who-is-allowed-to-sin-sins-less/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We used to say that those amongst us with the most sins are those who spend their time talking about the sins of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-sirin/we-used-to-say-that-those-amongst-us-with-the-most-sins-are-those-who/) Ibn Sirin > [The sinner sins against himself; the wrongdoer wrongs himself, becoming the worse by his own action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/the-sinner-sins-against-himself-the-wrongdoer-wrongs-himself-becoming/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [“Sin lies only in hurting other people unnecessarily. All other "sins" are invented nonsense. (Hurting yourself is not sinful -- just stupid.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/sin-lies-only-in-hurting-other-people-unnecessarily-all-other-sins/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [When we were kids, we had a lot of structure. They taught us there are two big sins: mortal sins and venial sins. Venial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/when-we-were-kids-we-had-a-lot-of-structure-they-taught-us-there-are/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [Your unforgivable sins do not allow you to see my splendor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/your-unforgivable-sins-do-not-allow-you-to-see-my-splendor/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The sin underneath all our sins is to trust the lie of the serpent that we cannot trust the love and grace of Christ…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/the-sin-underneath-all-our-sins-is-to-trust-the-lie-of-the-serpent/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [Sin is a matter of opinion. Sins are only sins if you are hurting other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-taylor/sin-is-a-matter-of-opinion-sins-are-only-sins-if-you-are-hurting/) [Corey Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-taylor/) > [You see, sins are of different types. The worst sin is blasphemy. Then there are sins that are great sins. Then there are sins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/you-see-sins-are-of-different-types-the-worst-sin-is-blasphemy-then/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [“Sure I got sins. Ever'body got sins. A sin is somepin you ain't sure about. Them people that's sure about ever'thing an' ain't got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/sure-i-got-sins-ever-body-got-sins-a-sin-is-somepin-you-ain-t-sure/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [We are not to look upon our sins as insignificant trifles. On the other hand, we are not to regard them as so terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/we-are-not-to-look-upon-our-sins-as-insignificant-trifles-on-the/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [“What sorts of sin?" Any sort. When other people commit them, you are startled, but when you commit them yourself, they seem absolutely natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elspeth-huxley/what-sorts-of-sin-any-sort-when-other-people-commit-them-you-are/) [Elspeth Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elspeth-huxley/) ## More by Teju Cole > [One of the difficulties of photography is that it is much better at being explicit than at being reticent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/one-of-the-difficulties-of-photography-is-that-it-is-much-better-at/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [Note-taking is important to me: a week's worth of reading notes (or "thoughts I had in the shower" notes) is cumulatively more interesting than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/note-taking-is-important-to-me-a-week-s-worth-of-reading-notes-or/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [It's an Obama book, certainly. I was delighted, and astonished, to hear recently that he was reading it. It's a book about a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/it-s-an-obama-book-certainly-i-was-delighted-and-astonished-to-hear/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [Because I'm an art historian, I have some experience of writing that comes out of close attention. That's what really art history is. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/because-i-m-an-art-historian-i-have-some-experience-of-writing-that/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [For purposes of marketing, writers are designated as poets, novelists, or something else. But writing is about matchmaking, an attempt to marry sensations with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/for-purposes-of-marketing-writers-are-designated-as-poets-novelists/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [“Most of the people around me yesterday were middle-aged or old. I am used to it, but it never ceases to surprise me how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/most-of-the-people-around-me-yesterday-were-middle-aged-or-old-i-am/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [“I look at his hands. In those hands is new knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/i-look-at-his-hands-in-those-hands-is-new-knowledge/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [“The mind roams more widely in the dark than it does in light. It is no surprise, then, stepping out of the unlit house…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/the-mind-roams-more-widely-in-the-dark-than-it-does-in-light-it-is-no/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [“Each person must, on some level, take himself as the calibration point for normalcy, must assume that the room of his own mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/each-person-must-on-some-level-take-himself-as-the-calibration-point/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [Writing as writing. Writing as rioting. Writing as righting. On the best days, all three.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/writing-as-writing-writing-as-rioting-writing-as-righting-on-the-best/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [“The site was a palimpsest, as was all the city, written, erased, rewritten...Generations rushed through the eye of the needle, and I, one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/the-site-was-a-palimpsest-as-was-all-the-city-written-erased/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [“As I contemplated the silent world before me, I thought of the many romantic ideas attached to blindness. Ideas of unusual sensitivity and genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/as-i-contemplated-the-silent-world-before-me-i-thought-of-the-many/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [Always say 'no pun intended' to draw attention to the intended pun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/always-say-no-pun-intended-to-draw-attention-to-the-intended-pun/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [In a sense, Open City is a kind of Wunderkammer, one of those little rooms assembled with bric-a-brac by Renaissance scholars. I don't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/in-a-sense-open-city-is-a-kind-of-wunderkammer-one-of-those-little/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [One of the chief characteristics of a mob is its quickness. It is sudden. It pounces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/one-of-the-chief-characteristics-of-a-mob-is-its-quickness-it-is/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) [Explore all 146 Teju Cole quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) ## More Expectations quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [I say this all the time: I've always been really good at managing my expectations so that I'm not let down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-young/i-say-this-all-the-time-i-ve-always-been-really-good-at-managing-my/) [Brett Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-young/) > [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/) [Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/) > [Keeping up with everybody's expectation is soooo hard!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi/keeping-up-with-everybody-s-expectation-is-soooo-hard/) [Naomi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi/) > [I recognize I am essentially a failed human being in the sense that I can't possibly live up to the expectations of an Almighty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-recognize-i-am-essentially-a-failed-human-being-in-the-sense-that-i/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [We're wired to expect the world to be brighter and more meaningful and more obviously interesting than it actually is. And when we realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/we-re-wired-to-expect-the-world-to-be-brighter-and-more-meaningful/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“Does your reality match your expectations? If not it's time to change either your expectations or your reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/does-your-reality-match-your-expectations-if-not-it-s-time-to-change/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [Jesus' kingdom was not like the popular expectation. He used the phrase 'kingdom of God' with a different meaning. His kingdom was not of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-harpur/jesus-kingdom-was-not-like-the-popular-expectation-he-used-the-phrase/) [Tom Harpur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-harpur/) > [Disappointment contains an appointment for doing much better. High expectations mean your higher capacity and belief in abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/disappointment-contains-an-appointment-for-doing-much-better-high/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [It's a good place when all you have is hope and not expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-boyle/it-s-a-good-place-when-all-you-have-is-hope-and-not-expectations/) [Danny Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-boyle/) > [When we give from a place of love, rather than from a place of expectation, more usually comes back to us than we could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/when-we-give-from-a-place-of-love-rather-than-from-a-place-of/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [Everybody out there watches the show and has expectations of wanting to be an 'Idol', but we're going to teach them how much hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-bice/everybody-out-there-watches-the-show-and-has-expectations-of-wanting/) [Bo Bice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-bice/) > [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) [Browse all 4,210 Expectations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is an expectation that we can talk about sins but no one must be identified as a sinner...", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Teju Cole" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/there-is-an-expectation-that-we-can-talk-about-sins-but-no-one-must/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Expectations" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/there-is-an-expectation-that-we-can-talk-about-sins-but-no-one-must/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/teju-cole-2851_expectations_there-is-an-expectation-that-we-can-talk_1792310.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/teju-cole-2851_expectations_there-is-an-expectation-that-we-can-talk_1792310.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/adf/teju-cole-2851_expectations_there-is-an-expectation-that-we-can-talk_1792310.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is an expectation that we can talk about sins but no one must be identified as a sinner...” — Teju Cole", "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": "Teju Cole", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is an expectation that we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/there-is-an-expectation-that-we-can-talk-about-sins-but-no-one-must/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/there-is-an-expectation-that-we-can-talk-about-sins-but-no-one-must/#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 } } ] } ```