--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had that feeling you have when you're…" description: "\"I had that feeling you have when you're watching a sad movie, sobbing at the heartbreak you are feeling at the same time that you know the heartbreak i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/anna-quindlen-467_cup-of-tea_i-had-that-feeling-you-have-when-you-re_2409891.png" --- # I had that feeling you have when you're watching a sad… ![“I had that feeling you have when you're watching a sad movie, sobbing at the heartbreak you are feeling at the same time that you know the heartbreak isn't exactly real, that it will be gone by the time you get home and make a cup of tea. I found a lot of life like that when I was younger, as…” quote by Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/anna-quindlen-467_cup-of-tea_i-had-that-feeling-you-have-when-you-re_2409891.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/anna-quindlen-467_cup-of-tea_i-had-that-feeling-you-have-when-you-re_2409891.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa2/anna-quindlen-467_cup-of-tea_i-had-that-feeling-you-have-when-you-re_2409891.png) > “I had that feeling you have when you're watching a sad movie, sobbing at the heartbreak you are feeling at the same time that you know the heartbreak isn't exactly real, that it will be gone by the time you get home and make a cup of tea. I found a lot of life like that when I was younger, as though I was practicing for what came later.” [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes the bittersweet feeling of empathizing with fictional heartbreak, knowing it’s temporary, and using it as rehearsal for real emotions later. **In simple terms:** Feeling sad for a story teaches us about real grief. Key Takeaway Embrace temporary sorrow to build emotional resilience. Themes empathy reflection growth Mood melancholic contemplative Type reflective philosophical When to use this quote - watching movies - reading literature - processing personal loss - preparing for future grief Key Concepts emotional rehearsal temporary pain anticipatory coping Questions to Reflect On - How does vicarious sorrow shape your real emotional responses? - Can temporary grief be a healthy rehearsal? A Different Perspective The feeling may be fleeting and not fully prepare for deep personal trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cup of tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cup-of-tea/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Heartbreak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartbreak/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tea/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [My music comes from heartbreak - from feeling what it's like to lose everything and not being able to express it through words because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bibi-bourelly/my-music-comes-from-heartbreak-from-feeling-what-it-s-like-to-lose/) [Bibi Bourelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bibi-bourelly/) > [I put hibiscus flower in every cup of tea I have. It's sweet, sexy, and cleansing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/i-put-hibiscus-flower-in-every-cup-of-tea-i-have-it-s-sweet-sexy-and/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [When you're writing it's a very solitary job. It's you and your word processor and a cup of tea. It's nice- that again, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-w-s-anderson/when-you-re-writing-it-s-a-very-solitary-job-it-s-you-and-your-word/) [Paul W. S. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-w-s-anderson/) > [If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at 2 AM clutching a book to her chest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pattinson/if-you-find-a-girl-who-reads-keep-her-close-when-you-find-her-up-at-2/) [Robert Pattinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-pattinson/) > [Tea ceremony is a way of worshipping the beautiful and the simple. All one's efforts are concentrated on trying to achieve perfection through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/tea-ceremony-is-a-way-of-worshipping-the-beautiful-and-the-simple-all/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [If at first you don't succeed, have a cup of tea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-scott/if-at-first-you-don-t-succeed-have-a-cup-of-tea/) [Peter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-scott/) > [Usually she ordered a cup of coffee and a cup of tea, as well as a brownie, propping up her sadness with chocolate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/usually-she-ordered-a-cup-of-coffee-and-a-cup-of-tea-as-well-as-a/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [As soon as I reach my destination I have a cup of tea, something to eat and then sleep for about 13 hours. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-collins/as-soon-as-i-reach-my-destination-i-have-a-cup-of-tea-something-to/) [Jackie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-collins/) > [I always wanted to host a show, throw whipped-cream pies. Theater is not my cup of tea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-davidson/i-always-wanted-to-host-a-show-throw-whipped-cream-pies-theater-is/) [Doug Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-davidson/) > [The joy of life is born of concentration. When you are having a cup of tea, the value of that experience depends on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-joy-of-life-is-born-of-concentration-when-you-are-having-a-cup-of/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [May you get more out of life than a cup of tea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-st-james/may-you-get-more-out-of-life-than-a-cup-of-tea/) [Rebecca St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-st-james/) > [Love, sex, food, friendship, art, play, beauty and the simple pleasure of a cup of tea are all well and good, but never forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-lorre/love-sex-food-friendship-art-play-beauty-and-the-simple-pleasure-of-a/) [Chuck Lorre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-lorre/) > [I do have one very brutal writing ritual. If I'm working in the morning, I don't allow myself a cup of tea until I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/i-do-have-one-very-brutal-writing-ritual-if-i-m-working-in-the/) [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) > [If someone says, hey, you know, this long weekend, let's go skydiving - I would say, no, are you nuts? I'd just as soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-mercer/if-someone-says-hey-you-know-this-long-weekend-let-s-go-skydiving-i/) [Rick Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-mercer/) > [I'm singing 'English Tea' from my new album 'Chaos and Creation in the Backyard.' I have a cup of tea in the morning, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/i-m-singing-english-tea-from-my-new-album-chaos-and-creation-in-the/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) ## More by Anna Quindlen > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Trying to be perfect may be inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious and interested in the world and its good opinion...What is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/trying-to-be-perfect-may-be-inevitable-for-people-who-are-smart-and/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Sometimes change came all at once, with a sound like a fire taking hold of dry wood and paper, with a roar that rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/sometimes-change-came-all-at-once-with-a-sound-like-a-fire-taking/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Loss as muse. Loss as character. Loss as life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/loss-as-muse-loss-as-character-loss-as-life/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [knowledge of our own mortality is the greatest gift God ever gives us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/knowledge-of-our-own-mortality-is-the-greatest-gift-god-ever-gives-us/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [You teach your 16-year-old with your heart in your mouth to be a good driver and none of that makes any difference when some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/you-teach-your-16-year-old-with-your-heart-in-your-mouth-to-be-a-good/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Every reader, I suspect, has a book like this somewhere in his or her past, a book that seemed to hold within it, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/every-reader-i-suspect-has-a-book-like-this-somewhere-in-his-or-her/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“I’ve finally recognized my body for what it is: a personality-delivery system, designed expressly to carry my character from place to place, now and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-ve-finally-recognized-my-body-for-what-it-is-a-personality-delivery/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [A man who builds his own pedestal had better use strong cement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/a-man-who-builds-his-own-pedestal-had-better-use-strong-cement/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“In England I am always madam; I arrived too late to ever be a miss. In New York I have only been madamed once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/in-england-i-am-always-madam-i-arrived-too-late-to-ever-be-a-miss-in/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“Yet there was always in me, even when I was very small, the sense that I ought to be somewhere else. And wander I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/yet-there-was-always-in-me-even-when-i-was-very-small-the-sense-that/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I can't think of a single downside to motherhood now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-can-t-think-of-a-single-downside-to-motherhood-now/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It would take a helluva man to replace no man at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/it-would-take-a-helluva-man-to-replace-no-man-at-all/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Not writing at all leads to nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/not-writing-at-all-leads-to-nothing/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Reading has always been my home, my sustenance, my great invincible companion. "Book love," Trollope called it. "It will make your hours pleasant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/reading-has-always-been-my-home-my-sustenance-my-great-invincible/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) [Explore all 538 Anna Quindlen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) ## More Cup of tea quotes > [Our friendship is like a cup of tea¦a special blend of you and me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orebela-gbenga/our-friendship-is-like-a-cup-of-tea-a-special-blend-of-you-and-me/) [Orebela Gbenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orebela-gbenga/) > [I put hibiscus flower in every cup of tea I have. It's sweet, sexy, and cleansing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/i-put-hibiscus-flower-in-every-cup-of-tea-i-have-it-s-sweet-sexy-and/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [“Sample Daily Plan: Begin your morning with hydration – think green tea and water. Also, make a breakfast that has lean proteins and don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-allan/sample-daily-plan-begin-your-morning-with-hydration-think-green-tea/) [Jenny Allan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-allan/) > [I can't live without my cup of tea. When I was a judge on 'America's Next Top Model,' they had to put me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twiggy/i-can-t-live-without-my-cup-of-tea-when-i-was-a-judge-on-america-s/) [Twiggy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twiggy/) > [I'm not your usual cup of tea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralphie-may/i-m-not-your-usual-cup-of-tea/) [Ralphie May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralphie-may/) > [If someone says, hey, you know, this long weekend, let's go skydiving - I would say, no, are you nuts? I'd just as soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-mercer/if-someone-says-hey-you-know-this-long-weekend-let-s-go-skydiving-i/) [Rick Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-mercer/) > [“There were few things Dr. Chef enjoyed more than a cup of tea. He made tea for the crew every day at breakfast time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-chambers/there-were-few-things-dr-chef-enjoyed-more-than-a-cup-of-tea-he-made/) [Becky Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-chambers/) > [“I keep collecting books I know I'll never, never read; My wife and daughter tell me so, And yet I never heed. "Please make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-w-service/i-keep-collecting-books-i-know-i-ll-never-never-read-my-wife-and/) [Robert W. Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-w-service/) > [“From somewhere above me, there was an irritated hiss. ‘Food.’ I strained my head upwards. ‘Hi, Brutus.’ His yellow eyes stared down at me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-harper/from-somewhere-above-me-there-was-an-irritated-hiss-food-i-strained/) [Helen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-harper/) > [I do have one very brutal writing ritual. If I'm working in the morning, I don't allow myself a cup of tea until I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lane/i-do-have-one-very-brutal-writing-ritual-if-i-m-working-in-the/) [Anthony Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lane/) > [Love, sex, food, friendship, art, play, beauty and the simple pleasure of a cup of tea are all well and good, but never forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-lorre/love-sex-food-friendship-art-play-beauty-and-the-simple-pleasure-of-a/) [Chuck Lorre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-lorre/) > ['Whatever it takes' is my opinion of method acting and, indeed, any other kind of acting. Look at Brando and De Niro. But it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-holm/whatever-it-takes-is-my-opinion-of-method-acting-and-indeed-any-other/) [Ian Holm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-holm/) > [May you get more out of life than a cup of tea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-st-james/may-you-get-more-out-of-life-than-a-cup-of-tea/) [Rebecca St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-st-james/) > [I want a cup of tea but my maid gave me a warm hot cocoa instead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbie-girl/i-want-a-cup-of-tea-but-my-maid-gave-me-a-warm-hot-cocoa-instead/) Barbie Girl > [The joy of life is born of concentration. When you are having a cup of tea, the value of that experience depends on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-joy-of-life-is-born-of-concentration-when-you-are-having-a-cup-of/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) [Browse all 495 Cup of tea quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cup-of-tea/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had that feeling you have when you're watching a sad movie, sobbing at the heartbreak you are feeling at the same time that you know the heartbreak isn't exactly real, that it will be gone by the time you get home and make a cup of tea. 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