---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I will never be able to say what is in my…"
description: "\"“I will never be able to say what is in my heart, because words fail us, because it is in our nature to protect, because there are times when what is p..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/terry-tempest-williams-835_nature_i-will-never-be-able-to-say-what-is-in-m_1664317.jpg"
---

#  I will never be able to say what is in my heart, because…

![“I will never be able to say what is in my heart, because words fail us, because it is in our nature to protect, because there are times when what is public and what is private must be discerned. There is comfort in keeping what is sacred inside us not as a secret, but as a prayer...Each day I…” quote by Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/terry-tempest-williams-835_nature_i-will-never-be-able-to-say-what-is-in-m_1664317.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/terry-tempest-williams-835_nature_i-will-never-be-able-to-say-what-is-in-m_1664317.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/terry-tempest-williams-835_nature_i-will-never-be-able-to-say-what-is-in-m_1664317.jpg)

> ““I will never be able to say what is in my heart, because words fail us, because it is in our nature to protect, because there are times when what is public and what is private must be discerned. There is comfort in keeping what is sacred inside us not as a secret, but as a prayer...Each day I begin with the empty page.””

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Words often fall short of deep feelings; keeping sacred thoughts private can be a protective prayer, yet each day offers a fresh start to express them.

**In simple terms:** Words fail, but daily renewal offers hope.

Key Takeaway

Begin each day with a blank page to explore inner truth.

Themes

expression privacy creativity spirituality

Mood

reflective contemplative

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- journaling
- creative writing
- personal reflection
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

writing as ritual inner dialogue

Questions to Reflect On

- What sacred truth will you write today?
- How do you decide what to keep private?

A Different Perspective

Silence can become isolation if not balanced with sharing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/)

## Related quotes

> [I like to call it a 'sacred fire' when you have it inside you: the will to win every game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-conte/i-like-to-call-it-a-sacred-fire-when-you-have-it-inside-you-the-will/)

[Antonio Conte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-conte/)

> [Material possessions and honors of the world do not endure. But your union as wife, husband, and family can. No sacrifice is too great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-m-nelson/material-possessions-and-honors-of-the-world-do-not-endure-but-your/)

[Russell M. Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-m-nelson/)

> [I will never be able to say what is in my heart because words fail us, because it is in our nature to protect,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-will-never-be-able-to-say-what-is-in-my-heart-because-words-fail-us/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [Tears are words the mouth cant say nor can the heart bare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/tears-are-words-the-mouth-cant-say-nor-can-the-heart-bare/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [“Magistra, if you save my student, I don't care a snap what you say about my heart. She snorted. "Typical of a man, caring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-charlton/magistra-if-you-save-my-student-i-don-t-care-a-snap-what-you-say/)

[Blake Charlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-charlton/)

> [What we say in private we must be willing to say with a heart burning with love and honor before the face of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bevere/what-we-say-in-private-we-must-be-willing-to-say-with-a-heart-burning/)

[John Bevere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bevere/)

> [-Theyy Say Your Heart Talkks To You¥. Butt Can it Loadd a Gun And Pull Thee Triiqqeer :/ &lt;'3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naughty-me/theyy-say-your-heart-talkks-to-you-butt-can-it-loadd-a-gun-and-pull/)

Naughty Me

> [And when you crush an apple with your teeth, say to it in your heart: Your seeds shall live in my body, And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/and-when-you-crush-an-apple-with-your-teeth-say-to-it-in-your-heart/)

[Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/)

> [And I say to my heart: rave on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/and-i-say-to-my-heart-rave-on/)

[Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/)

> [They say my heart doesn't work good like how my brain does. I just can't blame a faithful heart.. a heart that can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maddi-ni/they-say-my-heart-doesn-t-work-good-like-how-my-brain-does-i-just-can/)

Maddi Ni

> [“I love her so damned much,” Manny heard himself say. “That’s my heart right there. That’s my woman.” “Word.” As”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/i-love-her-so-damned-much-manny-heard-himself-say-that-s-my-heart/)

[J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/)

> [“sue me before you say no to my heart...!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-a-samuel/sue-me-before-you-say-no-to-my-heart/)

[felix a samuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-a-samuel/)

> [Always dare to say whatever it is in your heart ... And always be understanding enough to understand what others have in there heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-dare-to-say-whatever-it-is-in-your-heart-and-always-be/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It always seems harder to say what's in your heart than what's on your mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/it-always-seems-harder-to-say-what-s-in-your-heart-than-what-s-on/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [I stood alone to scared to say, your heart is where I belong. pushing you away I must say, yes it is very scary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-jones/i-stood-alone-to-scared-to-say-your-heart-is-where-i-belong-pushing/)

Rachel Jones

## More by Terry Tempest Williams

> [I admire how she protects her energy and understands her limitations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-admire-how-she-protects-her-energy-and-understands-her-limitations/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [Buddha says there are two kinds of suffering: the kind that leads to more suffering and the kind that brings an end to suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/buddha-says-there-are-two-kinds-of-suffering-the-kind-that-leads-to/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [I wonder how, among the Fremont, mothers and daughters shared their world. Did they walk side by side along the lake edge? What stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-wonder-how-among-the-fremont-mothers-and-daughters-shared-their/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [I believe the personal is the collective. One of the ironies of writing memoir is in using the "I" it becomes an alchemical "we."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-believe-the-personal-is-the-collective-one-of-the-ironies-of/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [“I write to discover. I write to uncover. I write to meet my ghosts... I write because it is dangerous, a bloody risk, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-write-to-discover-i-write-to-uncover-i-write-to-meet-my-ghosts-i/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [“I write to make peace with the things I cannot control. I write to create red in a world that often appears black and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-write-to-make-peace-with-the-things-i-cannot-control-i-write-to/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [Hope is not attached to outcomes but is a state of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/hope-is-not-attached-to-outcomes-but-is-a-state-of-mind/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [I have spoken about what we can do as citizens, what we can do as a responsive citizenry, and this is where we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-have-spoken-about-what-we-can-do-as-citizens-what-we-can-do-as-a/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [The moment Eve bit into the apple, her eyes opened and she became free. She exposed the truth of what every woman knows: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/the-moment-eve-bit-into-the-apple-her-eyes-opened-and-she-became-free/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [I accept the Organic Trinity of Mineral, Vegetable, and Animal with as much authority as I accept the Holy Trinity. Both are sacred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-accept-the-organic-trinity-of-mineral-vegetable-and-animal-with-as/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [Good writing must stay open to the questions and not fall prey to the pull of a polemic, otherwise, words simply become predictable, sentimental,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/good-writing-must-stay-open-to-the-questions-and-not-fall-prey-to-the/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [“I believe we must do things in our lives for the right reasons, because we enjoy doing them, with no expectation of getting something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-believe-we-must-do-things-in-our-lives-for-the-right-reasons/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [A mother and daughter are an edge. Edges are ecotones, transitional zones, places of danger or opportunity. House-dwelling tension. When I stand on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/a-mother-and-daughter-are-an-edge-edges-are-ecotones-transitional/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [“To be read. To be heard. To be seen. I want to be read, I want to be heard. I don't need to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/to-be-read-to-be-heard-to-be-seen-i-want-to-be-read-i-want-to-be/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [The Eyes of the Future are looking back at us and they are praying for us to see beyond our own time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/the-eyes-of-the-future-are-looking-back-at-us-and-they-are-praying/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

[Explore all 357 Terry Tempest Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

## More Nature quotes

> [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/)

[Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/)

> [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Borrow trouble for yourself, if that's your nature, but don't lend it to your neighbours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/borrow-trouble-for-yourself-if-that-s-your-nature-but-don-t-lend-it/)

[Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/)

> [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [“Men mistook measurement for understanding. And they always had to put themselves at the center of everything. That was their greatest conceit. The earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/men-mistook-measurement-for-understanding-and-they-always-had-to-put/)

[Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/)

> [“She was, he knew- and had known very early, he supposed- one of those rare and always lovely humans whose moral nature was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/she-was-he-knew-and-had-known-very-early-he-supposed-one-of-those/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [“When the water covers the earth the sun will vanish the darkess and the cold will come.When the last dragon and the last Elf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silvana-de-mari/when-the-water-covers-the-earth-the-sun-will-vanish-the-darkess-and/)

[Silvana de Mari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silvana-de-mari/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/)

[William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

[Browse all 47,383 Nature quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I will never be able to say what is in my heart, because words fail us, because it is in our nature to protect, because there are times when what is public and what is private must be discerned. There is comfort in keeping what is sacred inside us not as a secret, but as a prayer...Each day I begin with the empty page.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Terry Tempest Williams"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-will-never-be-able-to-say-what-is-in-my-heart-because-words-fail-us-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Nature"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-will-never-be-able-to-say-what-is-in-my-heart-because-words-fail-us-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/terry-tempest-williams-835_nature_i-will-never-be-able-to-say-what-is-in-m_1664317.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/terry-tempest-williams-835_nature_i-will-never-be-able-to-say-what-is-in-m_1664317.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b18/terry-tempest-williams-835_nature_i-will-never-be-able-to-say-what-is-in-m_1664317.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I will never be able to say what is in my heart, because words fail us, because it is in our nature to…” — Terry Tempest Williams",
                "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": "Terry Tempest Williams",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I will never be able to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-will-never-be-able-to-say-what-is-in-my-heart-because-words-fail-us-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/i-will-never-be-able-to-say-what-is-in-my-heart-because-words-fail-us-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
