I Gave My Word - Television Tropes & Idioms

"And now, king-papa," the princess went on, "I must tell you another thing. One night long ago Curdie drove the goblins away and brought Lootie and me safe from the mountain. And I promised him a kiss when we got home, but Lootie wouldn't let me give it him. I don't want you to scold Lootie, but I want you to tell her that a princess must do as she promises."
"Indeed she must, my child—except it be wrong," said the king. "There, give Curdie a kiss."
And as he spoke he held her towards him.
The princess reached down, threw her arms round Curdie's neck, and kissed him on the mouth, saying: "There, Curdie! There's the kiss I promised you!"
—George Mac Donald, The Princess and the Goblin

Stock Phrase to indicate your deep offense that someone says that you could do something that you promised not to, or refrain from something you promised to do — or actually tries to do something you had promised would not happen. (You are, after all, "a man of your word.") Bonus points if no one would realize you had broken it: if you had given it to a dying man, or no one would believe the character you gave it to. A Last Request for some reason is actually an especially binding promise — as is a vow made to the already dead.

Generally preceded by the Stock Phrase "I give you my word."

May indicate Honor Before Reason. On the other hand, if it is known that you can be trusted, may be a way out of a Mexican Standoff, Hostage Situation, or other situation that can not be resolved by brute force. And on the third hand, when getting someone's word, beware of Exact Words.

The Blue Blood, particularly the Officer And A Gentleman, is prone to this. Indeed, he may say, "I give my word as a gentleman."

More elaborate formulas are possible. This may be because their word is not binding without them, or to emphasize their seriousness. This can be "I swear by Trope" — occasionally with the implication that Trope will personally avenge you on them if they swear falsely — or a specific curse that they invoke to fall on them if they fail.

Making a blank-check promise — "Yes, I will do something for you" — or making it only because you have been lied to may lead to Honor Before Reason, where a character insists on carrying it out anyway. However, in these situations, even the most honorable character often insists on Exact Words. More prudent characters will break it on these grounds; then, they are more likely to be sure of their facts, or refuse to make a blank-check promise.

This is a common form of Even Evil Has Standards, and often a disadvantage for the Devil in a Deal With The Devil. He will follow what he said; he'll squirm the meaning if he can; but if he gave some Impossible Task for you to follow and you somehow did, he will begrudgingly follow through. There are exceptions to this.

If an Incorruptible Pure Pureness character must break his word, or insist on Exact Words for some sound reason — such as having been tricked — he will break it but think it Dirty Business. A Knight Templar, on the other hand, will either break his word (or insist on Exact Words) without a tremor of conscience, or monomaniacally insist on carrying it out, regardless of the consequences.

Required for Combat By Champion.

Contrast Heroic Vow and Will Not Tell A Lie. Closely related to the Blood Oath.

Examples:

Anime & Manga

This is practically Naruto's catchphrase even more than dattebayo/believe it. He never backs down on his word. EVER.
- Which is based on how foxes in Japanese mythology, despite being tricksters, tend to keep promises.
Maximillian Pegasus released the souls of Seto Kaiba, Mokuba Kaiba and Solomon Mutou in the English dub of Yu-Gi-Oh after being defeated by Yugi. He gives a soliloquy about how he always keeps his word.
An interesting example in Hokuto No Ken, where Kenshiro breaks a promise to spare a Mook's life, asking the thug how many time he's kept a promise in his life, or spared someone who begged for their life, before leaving him to die messily.
Ichigo in Bleach does this. Inoue Orihime states that "when he says 'I'm going to win' those are the times that he definitely will!"
Riza Hawkeye in Fullmetal Alchemist, when she agreed to become Roy Mustang's subordinate.
- In keeping with his policy of always telling the truth, Greed will keep any promise he makes.
The titular character in Lupin III. Despite being a thief, he is known even to the ICPO as a man of his word. He will keep it even when it places him at a disadvantage.
Once when Tamahome places his life at serious risk to save Miaka in Fushigi Yuugi, she fumes at him and tells him how much he terrified her. He takes this more lightly than other examples do, though; he chuckles and asks to be repaid in time. The other instances of this trope such as when he tries to comfort Miaka after being nearly raped by Nakago by telling her that he promised to make her the happiest bride in the world don't go as well.

Comic Books

Doctor Doom's word is always good, but make sure you understand his phrasing.
Lobo always keeps his promises. He'll merrily violate the spirit of a contract, but never the word of it. If he's promised not to kill you, he won't, no matter how much he may hate you. (Do note, however, that under the right circumstances, it's quite possible to survive multiple cases of dismemberment.)
Lucifer from, well, Lucifer never breaks his word, deliberately lies, or leaves a service unpaid. It's a point of pride for him, and those aware of his character often warn against mistaking it for a virtue. His wording needs to be watched, sometimes; if he tells that he gives you a chance to do something, it doesn't mean that he's compelled to tell you when that chance comes, or just what you should do to get the desired outcome.
- One of the victims - er, characters - from that series explained it this way: Being the incarnation of Pride, telling a bald-faced lie is beneath Lucifer. Instead, he tells you the exact truth, and lets you find your own way to Hell.
In Flash Gordon, Ming the Merciless rewarded Sonja's treachery as promised: by marrying her and making her his empress. Then he ordered her execution.

Film

Deconstructed (along with several other Western tropes) in The Wild Bunch. Sykes is shot by bounty hunters led by Thornton, who used to be one of the titular outlaws, on his way to rendezvous with the rest of the bunch. Dutch is pissed.
Dutch Engstrom: Damn that Deke Thornton to hell!
Pike Bishop: What would you do in his place? He gave his word.
Dutch Engstrom: He gave his word to a railroad!
Pike Bishop: It's his word!
Dutch Engstrom: That ain't what counts! It's WHO you give it TO!
Captain Barbossa is another one of those who keeps to the word of his promise but not the spirit; he has gotten grievously offended by both Elizabeth's and Will's accusation that he didn't fulfill his part of the bargain he made to them, and tells them if they have a problem with how he did it, it's their fault for not being specific in the agreement.
Taken to the melodramatic extreme with No Country For Old Men. Chigurh promises Moss that if he doesn't hand him the money, he will go after his wife. Moss not only didn't hand-deliver the money to Chigurh as he was supposed to, but he dies trying to hatch a plan to keep his wife safe, and after he is buried, Moss's now-widow sees Chigurh sitting in the living room, waiting to kill her. Chigurh knew that Moss's wife did nothing wrong, but he felt he had no choice but to kill her, since gave his word that he would kill Moss's wife if Moss didn't return the money. He flips a quarter to determine if she lives or not, but she loses the coin toss, and she gets killed.
- Not completely correct. Moss's wife doesn't lose the coin toss, she refuses to call it at all, essentially saying that it's just a half-assed excuse for Chigurh to avoid responsibility for his actions. Her refusal to call it is also the one time we see Chigurh look genuinely upset.
In The Princess Bride, Inigo wants to help the Man in Black climb the last few feet of cliff—so that he can kill him in a duel:
Inigo: I could give you my word as a Spaniard.
Man in Black: No good. I've known too many Spaniards.
Inigo: Isn't there any way you trust me?
Man in Black: Nothing comes to mind.
Inigo: I swear on the soul of my father, Domingo Montoya, you will reach the top alive.
Man in Black: pause Throw me the rope.
From Jerry Maguire:
Jerry: "Tell me you didn't sign. Tell me you didn't sign because I'm still rather moved by that whole "Stronger than oak" thing."
"...We signed an hour ago."
From Finding Nemo: "No... I promised I'd never let anything happen to him..."
In The Good The Bad And The Ugly, Angel Eyes shoots his employer after taking money from his last victim to do so. He always keeps a contract, even with a man he's just killed.

Literature

In Dan Abnett's Gaunts Ghosts novel His Last Command, Gaunt holds Van Voytz at gunpoint to demand his word for the safety of his men. Van Voytz gives it, Gaunt lowers his gun, one of Van Voytz's subordinates starts to rush him, and Van Voytz bellows in outrage that he had given his word. (And demands that he salute Gaunt.)
- Of course, he never said Gaunt wouldn't be arrested for pulling that stunt...
In Lois Mc Master Bujold's Vorkosigan novels, the backstory includes a massacre of prisoners who had surrendered on Aral Vorkosigan's personal word of honor. Vorkosigan strangled the man responsible for the deaths as soon as he heard of it. Various other Vor give their words throughout the books.
- This is then subverted later on in Shards of Honor when Aral obtains privacy to discuss various sensitive subjects with Cordelia by giving his word as a Vorkosigan that they would only discuss his past proposal of marriage. Cordelia remarks on the fact that there had been a time when he would never have given his word falsely.
  - Ironically, technically Aral didn't break his word — they discussed only his past proposal of marriage and matters directly relating thereto, just as promised. Its not Aral's fault that his exalted birth means that the Barrayaran political scene in general, survivability index of, is a matter directly relating...
- Ekaterin feels guilt over her decision to abandon her first marriage not because abusive Jerk Ass Tien deserved better, but because in marrying him she had given her word.
- Generally speaking, if a member of the Barrayarran upper-class says "My word as Vor", they frakking mean it.
  - In fact, this is the basis for Barrayar's entire legal system. When a Vor gives you his word, it has the force of a signed contract — and if he fails to keep his promise, he can be sued for breach of contract.
- Closing the generational circle, large parts of both Memory and A Civil Campaign revolve around how Ekaterin and Miles cope with living after failing to keep their words. It's a survivors problem, as Miles puts it, since sooner or later a philosphy based on "death before dishonor" inevitably forces one to choose between being dead or forsworn.
In L. M. Montogomery's Emily of New Moon, Emily, while feverish, told her aunt to open up a well that had been sealed. Her aunt gives her word and goes to do it. Others are shocked that she feels herself bound by a promise given to quiet a delirious child, but she does. Emily is psychic, and the well turns out to hold the body of a woman who had been believed to have run away with a lover on a ship that had sunk, but had actually broken her neck falling in.
Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe — if he gives his word, it's good. Even Inspector Cramer believes him under those circumstances.
Mowgli in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book set out to kill Shere Khan "to keep my word."
- In The Second Jungle Book, he persuades Kaa to help against the dhole by explaining that he had given his word to help the Free People.
It is my Word which I have spoken. The Trees know, the River knows. Till the dhole have gone by my Word comes not back to me.
In Patricia C Wrede's Talking to Dragons, Daystar rashly promises to help a princess, without knowing what she wants. Some quibbling about Exact Words and some work later, he manages to disentangle himself.
In Sir Walter Scott's Ivanhoe, after Rebecca declares that she will throw herself from a window to escape him, de Bois-Guilbert vows that she is safe.
Many a law, many a commandment have I broken, but my word never.
In Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, at the end, Henry Tilney asks Catherine to marry him, and then tells her that his father has forbidden it. She is glad of the order: if she had known first, she would have been honor-bound to refuse him, but now, she has said she would and is bound by that.
- In Persuasion, Anne Eliot's friend Mrs. Smith fishes to discover whether she is engaged to Walter Eliot before she reveals the truth; if Anne had been, she would be bound by her word, and for Mrs.Smith to tell her the truth would not warn her off but merely make her unhappy for no good reason. (Fortunately, Anne wasn't.)
In Graham Mc Neill's Warhammer 40000 Ultramarines novel Warriors Of Ultramar, after the Inquisitor promised that he would not call Exterminus on a planet to keep it from the tyrannids, Uriel rebukes him for failing this: "I thought you were a man of your word."
In George Mac Donald's The Princess and the Goblin, Princess Irene takes — as the page quote shows — most of the book to manage to keep her word.
In the Chivalric Romance Sir Orfeo, when Orfeo presents himself at the court of the King of Fairy, the king promises him a reward for his ministrelry. Orfeo asks for his kidnapped wife. The king objects that he is all dirty and tattered and unfit for such a lady; Orfeo says it would be more unfitting for the king to break his word, and the king has to concede.
In Graham Mc Neill's Warhammer 40000 novel Storm of Iron, when rounding up prisoners to flush out where the guns are, Kroeger tells them if they live, they will be permitted to live, he gives his word, and one of them jeers at him for saying that — the word of an Iron Warrior. She does survive, and observes that he gave his word, but she had judged him correctly; he jeers at the notion.
At the end of Patricia A Mc Killip's Heir of Sea and Fire, Raederle swears by the ghost of Ylon that she will not leave Morgon. When, in the next book, she does leave him, Morgon tracks her down, worried that the ghost must already be troubling her for breaking it.
In E. Nesbit's The Story of the Amulet, the children and an Egyptian priests give their words: the priest by a secret name on a certain altar, and the children say they will do it, which means the same. The priest then declares that there is no such name, so he is not bound, but the Psammead knows that there is, and threatens to call upon it.
In Lee Lightner's Warhammer 40000 Space Wolf novel Sons of Fenris, when prisoner to the Space Wolves, Jeremiah promises not to escape, and Ragnar gives him and his men their weapons back. Later, after he disputes with Ragnar about where they should go, it ends when he says, "I gave you my word."
Ragnar, I pledge to you by my faith in Lion El'Johnson and the Emperor, that my men and I will remain your prisoners, until the time comes when our brethern free us or you release us.
- Later, Jeremiah pleads with Ragnar to let him be the one to deal with Cadmus, because he had pledged his word to his chapter; Ragnar gives his word that Cadmus will be his to deal with. When they meet Cadmus, Cadmus offers information in return for his life, and Ragnar promises, much to Jeremiah's outrage. When Cadmus demands that Ragnar let him go free, Ragnar says that he only promised him his life, and it's his, and Ragnar suggests that he start defending it. The Space Wolves leave and the Dark Angels don't.
- In Wolf's Honour, Bulveye assures Ragnar that he knows, in time, Leman Russ and he will meet again, because Russ gave him his word on it.
In Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files practically any magical being keeps to their word if they give it. Dresden explains that if a wizard gives their word (especially if they swear by their power) then going back on it will permanently damage their magic. The Fair Folk are naturally bound by the letter of their word (if not by the spirit). The Knights of the Cross keep their word on general principle. It seems one of the advantages of being powered by a Fallen Angels that you can go back on your word with no negative repercussions, but the downside of that is that, since you are being powered by a Fallen Angel, you go back so often it no longer has any meaning at al.
In Ben Counter's Warhammer 40000 Horus Heresy novel Galaxy In Flames, when Tarvitz is trying to warn the betrayed Marines on Isstavan III, he invokes The Power Of Friendship to get Garro to believe his word, because of their Fire Forged Friendship.
as my honor brother I ask you to trust me like you have never trusted me before. On my life I swear that I do not lie to you, Nathaniel.
- In Graham Mc Neill's Fulgrim, Fulgrim gives Ferrus Manus his word as his sworn honour brother that he does not lie. Alas, that is exactly when Ferrus Manus is bound to fight him.
- In Matt Farrer's "After Desh'ea" (in Tales of Heresy), Kharn tells Angron that despite Angron's demand that he fight, he had given his word]] not to lift his hand to him, and if that means he dies, he dies. Angron is clearly moved by such devotion.
In Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, the D'regs will follow this if they give their word. They will not feel bound to oaths or to swearing on something, though.
- In Terry Pratchett's Unseen Academicals, Trev promised his mum not to play football. He insists on keeping it, even though she's dead.
In Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson And The Olympians, gods are bound by their promises by the River Styx. Hades keeps his to Nico even without that, though he insists on Exact Words. And Luke's promise to Annabeth is crucial to his final Heroic Sacrifice.
Shadow from Neil Gaiman's American Gods keeps his promises, from little things like having a proper bath the moment he gets out of prison, to letting a god swing at his skull with a sledgehammer, having wagered his life in a checker game. The god doesn't come for him; Shadow voluntarily returns to his house to pay off this debt.
In Ben Counter's Soul Drinkers novel Chapter War, when the Howling Griffons are introduced, Mercaeno explains the Back Story of the daemon they had just killed: three thousand years before, they had sworn to avenge the death of Orlando Furioso, and had finally done so. Part of why it had taken so long was that they had other oaths. He explains that they are traveling to this planet to fulfill an oath. The Inquisitor he tells this to says that he, also, is traveling there to keep his word. Indeed, the Howling Griffons' chief motivation throughout the novel is keeping their word; when the Soul Drinkers persuade them that they are not the Black Chalice they have sworn Revenge on, the Howling Griffons stop fighting them and go to keep their oath to protect a planet from orks.
In the Back Story of Simon Spurrier's Warhammer 40000 novel Lord of the Night, Sahaal had watched the Night Haunter be assassinated, because the Night Haunter had foreseen it and extracted a promise from him to do so.
In Brian Jacques's Redwall, Warbeak gives her word on her mother's egg. When the king orders Matthias's death, Warbeak says so, and the king immediately revokes the order.
- Vilu Daskar has a fondness for using this trope — and Exact Words — on his victims. When he no longer has a use for certain slaves, he tells them they're free to leave and makes them Walk The Plank. His crew are also seen discussing various ways he's "set prisoners free", including telling them they will leave the ship alive, then sewing them up in sacks and dropping them overboard.
- Also see Matthias' Crowning Moment Of Awesome.
In GK Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday, Syme promises not to reveal what he learns to the police before his companion reveals a serious anarchist club. Despite everything he learns, he keeps it to the end.
In JRR Tolkien's The Silmarillion, why Beren insists on trying to carry out the Impossible Task when Luthien asks him to just run off with her.
- The Oath of Fëanor : Fëanor and his sons swore to recover the Silmarils. It led them to slaughter other Elves three times, which was not only despicable in itself (which they knew) but also very much hindered their own quest in the long term.
  - This may be why this trope is pointedly averted where the Fellowship of the Ring -except Frodo- are concerned: Gimli wants to make them swear an oath, but Elrond absolutely refuses. (The Silmarillion was published posthumously, so the connection is never made explicitly, but Elrond and his family, by blood and by adoption, suffered from the consequences of the Oath of Fëanor.)
Horton Hatches the Egg, by Dr Seuss: "I meant what I said, and I said what I meant; an elephant's faithful, one hundred percent." Horton sticks with his agreed-upon egg-sitting, no matter how much suffering it puts him through, and no matter how much the bird is abusing it.
In JK Rowling's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry is reluctantly made to give his word to Dumbledore that, during their mission, if he tells Harry to run, he'll run; that if he tells him to leave him and save himself, he will do so. Also used in the movie.
- Also, see The Unbreakable Vow, a more literal version of this trope.
  - To be more specific, the Unbreakable Vow is a spell that forces a person into this trope. If the person who gives his word goes back on it, he/she dies. Period.
  - In other words, he has the option of a Heroic Sacrifice or this trope.
- In many Harry Potter Fan Fic stories, characters swear on their magic, with the less drastic consequence of losing their magic instead of their life if they break it.
In Edgar Rice Burroughs's A Princess of Mars, when Dejah Thoris is chained, John Carter tries to get the key. Tars Tarkas tells him he may have it for giving his word that neither he nor she would try to escape. John Carter tells him to keep it.
- Thuvia in Thuvia, Maid of Mars and Tara in The Chessmen of Mars are deeply distressed at falling in love with the hero while promised to another man.
- In A Fighting Man of Mars, although Tul Axtar is a Dirty Coward and has beautiful women abducted for him, he nevertheless keeps his word not to murder Tan Hadron out of hand. Though he does throw him into the most dangerous regions he can find.
In Andre Norton's Catseye, when Rangers try to hire Troy, he tells them that his current employer asked him to stay on after his temporary contract ends; he had given his word. The Rangers admit that that is the disadvantage of dealing with honorable men. Later, when one Ranger persuades Troy to accept his word to a truce, they are ambushed. Furious, Troy takes him hostage and knocks him out while he makes his escape. Later, he almost apologizes; he had not realized at the time that the ambushers were not the Ranger's men.
In James Swallow's Warhammer 40000 Blood Angels novel Deus Encarmine, Rafen had promised their father to look out for Arkio. Making their Cain And Abel fight particularly hard on Rafen — and he apologizes to the dying Arkio for not having helped him. And Stele has Koris and other sergeant promise to keep a secret before he lies to them; they would think of this trope and not consider it was a lie.
In Frank Yerby's The Saracen Blade, protagonist Pietro and his friend Gautier find Gautier's Albigensian uncle wants to die of his wounds. Gautier is troubled when Pietro, ignoring the man's wishes, starts tending the injuries as soon as the uncle passes out. "I gave my word, Pietro," he says. Pietro snaps, "I didn't."

Live Action TV

Subverted in The Sopranos: when Carmella and Tony are discussing ratting out other criminals and going into witness protection, Tony says this. Carmella replies: "What are you, a kid in a treehouse?" A nice way to point out how ridiculous this trope can be, when the choice is following your word or protecting your family.
Boss Hogg is about as corrupt as you can get, but he will keep his word if he "spits and shakes" on it.
In Farscape Aeryn swears that Scorpius will not be harmed because he saved her life. She binds John to it as well, making him promise. Of course, she's delirious at the time so it wasn't really a fair way to get sanctuary. Not that Scorpius cares.
In The Late Shift (based on real events), Jay Leno has difficulty firing his out-of-control executive producer, Helen Kushnick, because he gave his word to her late husband on his deathbed that he'd take care of her.
Obligatory Star Trek example: in the episode "The Die is cast", when Odo is missing in the Gamma Quadrant, Michael Eddigton sabotaged the Cloaking Device in an attempt to stop Sisko's rescue operation. Sisko decided to continue the mission anyway, at which point Eddington pledged to help, invoking this trope.
Kira: What makes you think we'll trust you again?
Eddington: Because I give you my word.
Sisko: I make it a policy to never question the word of anyone who wears that uniform. Don't make me change that policy.

Professional Wrestling

If a certain someone "guaran-damn-tees" a win, expect said win over whoever Vince is feuding with that year.

Tabletop Games

In D&D, a devil (Lawful Evil beastie) does not give his word often, but when he does, you know for certain that he will keep it. However how he keeps it is another matter entirely...

Web Comics

Girl Genius: they broke their sacred vow. . . . good thing no one noticed

Web Original

"He gave his word, and his word was his bond." The wording itself is a reference to the creators' Catchphrase: "Word is Bond".

Western Animation

Done in Ducktales, where Scrooge gives his word not to leave the Beagle Boys behind on a pirate isle. And, he keeps his word, going back for them when he could have escaped.
Used in Disney's Peter Pan. Hook acuses Peter of being a coward because he always flies away instead of fighting him fair and square. Pan gives his word to fight Hook without flying, despite Wendy begging him to.
Lady Tremaine in Cinderella gives her word that Cinderella can go to the ball if she "gets all her work done and finds something suitable to wear." She does both. Lady Tremaine says "I never go back on my word." Unfortunately, she never promised that she wouldn't let her daughters tear the suitable dress to bits.
Omi in Xiaolin Showdown keeps his word, even to the point of withholding the secret to defeating all evil because of a promise to Chase Young.

Video Games

In Halo 3, there's a scene where Master Chief and Cortana have a little conversation when the former tells the latter that when he makes a promise, he keeps it.

Real Life

Germany's political scene went bullocks in 1999 about the contributions scandal of the Christian Democratic Union, the country's major conservative party, especially as then recently retired chancellor Helmut Kohl refused to admit the names of their contributors on the grounds that "I gave them my word of honor". It was a major blow for him and his party, and the "word of honor" became a meme on par with Bill Clinton allegedly not having had "[...]sexual relations with that woman[...]"