--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He could no more describe the feeling he…" description: "\"“He could no more describe the feeling he got from her than you can describe a smell. It's like the scorch of electricity. It's like burnt kernels of w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/alice-munro-1231_smell_he-could-no-more-describe-the-feeling-he_1019903.png" --- # He could no more describe the feeling he got from her than… ![“He could no more describe the feeling he got from her than you can describe a smell. It's like the scorch of electricity. It's like burnt kernels of wheat. No, it's like a bitter orange. I give up.” quote by Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/alice-munro-1231_smell_he-could-no-more-describe-the-feeling-he_1019903.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/alice-munro-1231_smell_he-could-no-more-describe-the-feeling-he_1019903.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2da/alice-munro-1231_smell_he-could-no-more-describe-the-feeling-he_1019903.png) > ““He could no more describe the feeling he got from her than you can describe a smell. It's like the scorch of electricity. It's like burnt kernels of wheat. No, it's like a bitter orange. I give up.”” [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes an indescribable, intense emotional experience using vivid, sensory metaphors. **In simple terms:** Hard to put feelings into words. Key Takeaway Accept that some emotions resist precise description. Themes emotion language metaphor Mood creative introspective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - creative writing - therapy sessions Key Concepts subjective experience literary expression Questions to Reflect On - How do you convey deep emotions without clichés? - When is metaphor more effective than literal description? A Different Perspective May romanticize ineffable feelings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bitter Orange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitter-orange-2266485/) [Got Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got-smell-684489/) [Like Bitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-bitter-1069731/) [Like Burnt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-burnt-611334/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) ## Related quotes > [A book has got to smell. You have to hold it in your hands and pray to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/a-book-has-got-to-smell-you-have-to-hold-it-in-your-hands-and-pray-to/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [My partner is a Frenchman, so I have got to smell right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halle-berry/my-partner-is-a-frenchman-so-i-have-got-to-smell-right/) [Halle Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halle-berry/) > [If you hate life because of someone , then you are just like the one who burnt his house in order to get rid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mly-ab/if-you-hate-life-because-of-someone-then-you-are-just-like-the-one/) [MLY AB](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mly-ab/) > [“I drink coffee sometimes, but Starbucks’ coffee tastes like burnt ass,” I say. “Actually, it tastes nothing like burnt ass, Anna.” “And how would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-merkin/i-drink-coffee-sometimes-but-starbucks-coffee-tastes-like-burnt-ass-i/) [Fanny Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-merkin/) > [I don't like to do burnt material on stage. Even though my crowd loves to hear me do old stuff, I don't like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/i-don-t-like-to-do-burnt-material-on-stage-even-though-my-crowd-loves/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [“Honesty must sometimes be taken in small measure, like a bitter medicine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-cox-speas/honesty-must-sometimes-be-taken-in-small-measure-like-a-bitter/) [Jan Cox Speas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-cox-speas/) > [Moving on is like a bitter vegetable, it doesn't taste good, but it's good for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/moving-on-is-like-a-bitter-vegetable-it-doesn-t-taste-good-but-it-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I feel like everyone has been in a bitter situation, regardless whether it's cheating or just not being over someone who is over you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-mai/i-feel-like-everyone-has-been-in-a-bitter-situation-regardless/) [Ella Mai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-mai/) > [“I was 19 when I finally stopped opening the door for unrequited love. I was 20 when I first learned that courage tasted like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlyn-s/i-was-19-when-i-finally-stopped-opening-the-door-for-unrequited-love/) [Caitlyn S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlyn-s/) > [“But time is like that, it’s a bitter acquaintance that no matter how hard one tries to fight it one can’t. One always is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-aquino/but-time-is-like-that-it-s-a-bitter-acquaintance-that-no-matter-how/) [Anna Aquino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-aquino/) > [If I thought about it, I could be bitter, but I don't feel like being bitter. Being bitter makes you immobile, and there's too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-pryor/if-i-thought-about-it-i-could-be-bitter-but-i-don-t-feel-like-being/) [Richard Pryor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-pryor/) > [But I like it Because it is bitter, And because it is my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/but-i-like-it-because-it-is-bitter-and-because-it-is-my-heart/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [A good story is like a bitter pill, with the sugar coating inside of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/a-good-story-is-like-a-bitter-pill-with-the-sugar-coating-inside-of-it/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [Peoples lives, in Jubilee as elsewhere, were dull, simple, amazing, unfathomable-deep caves paved with kitchen linoleum. . . . What I wanted \[to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/peoples-lives-in-jubilee-as-elsewhere-were-dull-simple-amazing/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) ## More by Alice Munro > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“Not very long ago I was driving with my husband on the back roads of Grey County, which is to the north and east…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/not-very-long-ago-i-was-driving-with-my-husband-on-the-back-roads-of/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“Her silent singing wrapped around the story she was telling herself, which she extended further every night on the deck. (Averill often told herself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/her-silent-singing-wrapped-around-the-story-she-was-telling-herself/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“Something happened here. In your life there are a few places, or maybe only the one place, were something happened, and then there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/something-happened-here-in-your-life-there-are-a-few-places-or-maybe/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [My head was a magpie's nest lined with such bright scraps of information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/my-head-was-a-magpie-s-nest-lined-with-such-bright-scraps-of/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [The thing is to be happy, no matter what. Just try that. You can. It gets to be easier and easier. It's nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/the-thing-is-to-be-happy-no-matter-what-just-try-that-you-can-it-gets/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [What she wants to do if she can get the time to do it, is not so much to live in the past as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/what-she-wants-to-do-if-she-can-get-the-time-to-do-it-is-not-so-much/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“Children Katy's age had no problem with monotony. In fact they embraced it, diving into it and wrapping the familiar words round their tongues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/children-katy-s-age-had-no-problem-with-monotony-in-fact-they/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“This is what happens. You put it away for a little while, and now and again you look in the closet for something else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/this-is-what-happens-you-put-it-away-for-a-little-while-and-now-and/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [She sits in her usual ample armchair, with piles of books and unopened magazines around her. She sips cautiously from the mug of weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/she-sits-in-her-usual-ample-armchair-with-piles-of-books-and-unopened/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [The images, the language, of pornography, and romance are alike; monotonous and mechanically seductive, quickly leading to despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/the-images-the-language-of-pornography-and-romance-are-alike/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I was a grade B housewife, maybe a B minus. But when I got time to write, I would be unable to finish a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/i-was-a-grade-b-housewife-maybe-a-b-minus-but-when-i-got-time-to/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [She would live now, not read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/she-would-live-now-not-read/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [“You would think as you get older your mind would fill up with what they call the spiritual side of things, but mine just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/you-would-think-as-you-get-older-your-mind-would-fill-up-with-what/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [Peoples lives, in Jubilee as elsewhere, were dull, simple, amazing, unfathomable-deep caves paved with kitchen linoleum. . . . What I wanted \[to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/peoples-lives-in-jubilee-as-elsewhere-were-dull-simple-amazing/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) [Explore all 261 Alice Munro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) ## More Smell quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [“On the third day, she smelled the fruit as soon as she came in. She followed the scent to the kitchen, and the peach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/on-the-third-day-she-smelled-the-fruit-as-soon-as-she-came-in-she/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [The odor of bowel wind is known to every human, but the fragrance of book glue has crossed only a fraction of mortal nostrils.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-odor-of-bowel-wind-is-known-to-every-human-but-the-fragrance-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Spirits carry an ozone scent, and demons smell like sulfur or rotten eggs. A person might not even consciously register the smell, but they’ll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-horn/spirits-carry-an-ozone-scent-and-demons-smell-like-sulfur-or-rotten/) [J.D. Horn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-horn/) > [Stevie Wonder always smells so good... I'm like a DEA dog, I can smell people a block away!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-estefan/stevie-wonder-always-smells-so-good-i-m-like-a-dea-dog-i-can-smell/) [Gloria Estefan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-estefan/) > [I collect my tools: sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing, intellect. Night has fallen...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/i-collect-my-tools-sight-smell-touch-taste-hearing-intellect-night/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [Posing the question: does the god of love use underarm deodorant, vaginal spray and fluoride toothpaste?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-ellison/posing-the-question-does-the-god-of-love-use-underarm-deodorant/) [Harlan Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-ellison/) > [I always gravitate to perfume with rose. My mom's maiden name is Rose, and the scent of my childhood was always rose. Le Sirenuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alana-haim/i-always-gravitate-to-perfume-with-rose-my-mom-s-maiden-name-is-rose/) [Alana Haim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alana-haim/) > [Do I Stank or was it already Stanky in Here?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/do-i-stank-or-was-it-already-stanky-in-here/) [Frank B. Wilderson III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-wilderson-iii/) > [Scents as well as clothes and hairstyles can go a long way in revealing a part of yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/scents-as-well-as-clothes-and-hairstyles-can-go-a-long-way-in/) [Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/) > [Wild honey smells of freedom The dust - of sunlight The mouth of a young girl, like a violet But gold - smells of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-akhmatova/wild-honey-smells-of-freedom-the-dust-of-sunlight-the-mouth-of-a/) [Anna Akhmatova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-akhmatova/) > [“My mom is having a Scentsy party tomorrow," he said. "The scented-wax thingies? Random. But go on." He laced his fingers together on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-gibsen/my-mom-is-having-a-scentsy-party-tomorrow-he-said-the-scented-wax/) [Cole Gibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-gibsen/) > [“There was a strange exciting smell in the air - the smell of wine, cigar smoke, and perfume, mingled with the scent of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-was-a-strange-exciting-smell-in-the-air-the-smell-of-wine-cigar/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you chopped logs with the ax and they split open they smelled beautiful, like Christmas. But when you split someone's head open it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/when-you-chopped-logs-with-the-ax-and-they-split-open-they-smelled/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) [Browse all 3,930 Smell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He could no more describe the feeling he got from her than you can describe a smell. It's like the scorch of electricity. It's like burnt kernels of wheat. No, it's like a bitter orange. 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