--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If someone says something unpleasant, I…" description: "\"If someone says something unpleasant, I can't say it doesn't smart a bit. It always does. Someone can take a really nasty swipe if they want because it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e18/annie-lennox-1546_doe_if-someone-says-something-unpleasant-i-c_432269.jpg" --- # If someone says something unpleasant, I can't say it… ![“If someone says something unpleasant, I can't say it doesn't smart a bit. It always does. Someone can take a really nasty swipe if they want because it kind of feels powerful for a person to write in a paper and get that thing out there.” quote by Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e18/annie-lennox-1546_doe_if-someone-says-something-unpleasant-i-c_432269.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e18/annie-lennox-1546_doe_if-someone-says-something-unpleasant-i-c_432269.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e18/annie-lennox-1546_doe_if-someone-says-something-unpleasant-i-c_432269.jpg) > “If someone says something unpleasant, I can't say it doesn't smart a bit. It always does. Someone can take a really nasty swipe if they want because it kind of feels powerful for a person to write in a paper and get that thing out there.” [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker observes that expressing harsh thoughts feels powerful, yet the act of writing them down often diminishes their impact, suggesting a tension between catharsis and restraint. **In simple terms:** Writing harsh words feels strong but can lessen their sting. Key Takeaway Consider restraint before publishing criticism. Themes self‑expression catharsis power dynamics communication writing Mood reflective conflicted Type cautionary philosophical When to use this quote - social media posts - opinion columns - personal journals - creative writing Key Concepts psychology of aggression media ethics personal boundaries Questions to Reflect On - When is it appropriate to voice harsh truth? - How does writing affect emotional release? A Different Perspective If you suppress criticism, you may internalize negativity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Nasty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nasty/) [Nasty Swipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nasty-swipe-3807793/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Person Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-write-354835/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) [Says](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says/) [Says Unpleasant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says-unpleasant-3807794/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Unpleasant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unpleasant/) [Unpleasant Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unpleasant-say-2895428/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“The first person who says anything unpleasant will get a swift kick in the ass. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-knowles/the-first-person-who-says-anything-unpleasant-will-get-a-swift-kick/) [John Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-knowles/) > [Whenever one has anything unpleasant to say, one should always be quite candid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/whenever-one-has-anything-unpleasant-to-say-one-should-always-be/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“Pray do! 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Even though we fight a lot,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-mckee/obviously-i-love-writing-with-katy-pery-i-feel-like-we-re-the-same/) [Bonnie McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-mckee/) > [“You don't teach a person how to write as much as you teach that person how to survive the writing process.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-ricardo-phillips/you-don-t-teach-a-person-how-to-write-as-much-as-you-teach-that/) [Rowan Ricardo Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-ricardo-phillips/) > [Novelists have, on the average, about the same IQs as the cosmetic consultants at Bloomingdale’s department store. Our power is patience. We have discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/novelists-have-on-the-average-about-the-same-iqs-as-the-cosmetic/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Now, what sort of person would write a scene where a young man stumbles upon a castle full only of beautiful young women? Answer:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-palin/now-what-sort-of-person-would-write-a-scene-where-a-young-man/) [Michael Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-palin/) ## More by Annie Lennox > [Having children, they're not your property. They need to figure out their own views. I think my daughters have a pretty healthy self-awareness, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/having-children-they-re-not-your-property-they-need-to-figure-out/) [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) > [You have to be quite grounded, and I don't know what that is. 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You can live with almost any condition if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/the-worst-thing-someone-gets-is-isolated-isolation-is-the-darkest/) [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) > [I only want to make music because I have a passion for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/i-only-want-to-make-music-because-i-have-a-passion-for-it/) [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) > [There are two kinds of artists left: those who endorse Pepsi and those who simply won't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/there-are-two-kinds-of-artists-left-those-who-endorse-pepsi-and-those/) [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) > [If you do nothing, if a mother doesn't come for care, if she breastfeeds her baby, the chances of the baby getting HIV are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/if-you-do-nothing-if-a-mother-doesn-t-come-for-care-if-she/) [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) > [The person who inspired me the most was a friend of mine, Anita Roddick. I know that Anita wasn't known to be an ardent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-lennox/the-person-who-inspired-me-the-most-was-a-friend-of-mine-anita/) [Annie Lennox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-lennox/) > [I've had my share of dark days of the soul. 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Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Sometimes a sign or a quote is simply interesting by itself and does not require anything beyond being framed on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/sometimes-a-sign-or-a-quote-is-simply-interesting-by-itself-and-does/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/) [Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. 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