--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's all very well to read about sorrows…" description: "\"It's all very well to read about sorrows and imagine yourself living through them heroically, but it's not so nice when you really come to have them, i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/anonymous-1_imagine_it-s-all-very-well-to-read-about-sorrows_97743.jpg" --- # It's all very well to read about sorrows and imagine… ![“It's all very well to read about sorrows and imagine yourself living through them heroically, but it's not so nice when you really come to have them, is it?” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/anonymous-1_imagine_it-s-all-very-well-to-read-about-sorrows_97743.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/anonymous-1_imagine_it-s-all-very-well-to-read-about-sorrows_97743.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/anonymous-1_imagine_it-s-all-very-well-to-read-about-sorrows_97743.jpg) > “It's all very well to read about sorrows and imagine yourself living through them heroically, but it's not so nice when you really come to have them, is it?” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Imagining heroic endurance of sorrow feels safe, but confronting real grief reveals its raw, uncomfortable nature. **In simple terms:** Reading about pain is easier than living it. Key Takeaway Empathy grows from experiencing, not just imagining, suffering. Themes suffering empathy psychology heroism Mood somber thoughtful Type reflective emotional When to use this quote - watching a drama about loss - reading a memoir of trauma - supporting a grieving friend Key Concepts vicarious experience emotional authenticity Practical Applications - listen without romanticizing pain - offer practical help rather than heroic platitudes Questions to Reflect On - Why do we romanticize suffering? - How can we support others without turning pain into a story? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heroically Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroically-nice-1195472/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Living Heroically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-heroically-1160669/) [Nice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice/) [Read Sorrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-sorrows-1195470/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Sorrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrows/) [Sorrows Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrows-imagine-1195471/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [The sorrows we imagine are more profound and inconsolable than real life leaves us time for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-fairbrother/the-sorrows-we-imagine-are-more-profound-and-inconsolable-than-real/) [Nan Fairbrother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-fairbrother/) > [“You see, as kids, my friends and I assumed we'd grow up to become like our heroes--that someday, like them, we'd do great things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-noel-bassior/you-see-as-kids-my-friends-and-i-assumed-we-d-grow-up-to-become-like/) [Jean-Noel Bassior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-noel-bassior/) > [Every heart has its secret sorrows, which the world knows not; and oftentimes we call a man cold when he is only sad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-heart-has-its-secret-sorrows-which-the-world-knows-not-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We tell our triumphs to the crowds, but our own hearts are the sole confidants of our sorrows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-tell-our-triumphs-to-the-crowds-but-our-own-hearts-are-the-sole/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The girl let the braid drop back with a sigh that seemed to come from her very toes and to exhale forth all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-girl-let-the-braid-drop-back-with-a-sigh-that-seemed-to-come-from/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Bear sorrows and calamities patiently, otherwise you will never be happy...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bear-sorrows-and-calamities-patiently-otherwise-you-will-never-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [...the sorrows God sent us brought comfort and strength with them, while the sorrows we brought on ourselves, through folly or wickedness, were by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sorrows-god-sent-us-brought-comfort-and-strength-with-them-while/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You are the only one who can make me smile even in my deepest sorrows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-the-only-one-who-can-make-me-smile-even-in-my-deepest-sorrows/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [These tears that I cry may not mean nothing to anyone anymore but I still manage to over come all those sad sorrows that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/these-tears-that-i-cry-may-not-mean-nothing-to-anyone-anymore-but-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The sorrows we brought on ourselves, through folly or wickedness, were by far the hardest to bear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sorrows-we-brought-on-ourselves-through-folly-or-wickedness-were/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-choose-our-joys-and-sorrows-long-before-we-experience-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All sorrows are less with bread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-sorrows-are-less-with-bread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The depth of my sorrow is the height of my joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-depth-of-my-sorrow-is-the-height-of-my-joy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Neither my place, nor aught I heard of business, Hath raised me from my bed; nor doth the general care Take hold on me;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/neither-my-place-nor-aught-i-heard-of-business-hath-raised-me-from-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“The only thing to do with one's old sorrows is to tuck them up neatly in their shroud and turn one's face away from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-von-arnim/the-only-thing-to-do-with-one-s-old-sorrows-is-to-tuck-them-up-neatly/) [Elizabeth von Arnim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-von-arnim/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“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/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Imagine quotes > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Many patients imagine that they have tried everything. True, they have used many remedies, but they have never had the cause of their infirmity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-palmer/many-patients-imagine-that-they-have-tried-everything-true-they-have/) [Daniel D. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-palmer/) > [It seems an insult to nature and to the Creator to imagine that pregnancy was ever intended to be a sickness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-bisbee-duffey/it-seems-an-insult-to-nature-and-to-the-creator-to-imagine-that/) [Eliza Bisbee Duffey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-bisbee-duffey/) > [A vacuum can only exist, I imagine, by the things which enclose it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelda-fitzgerald/a-vacuum-can-only-exist-i-imagine-by-the-things-which-enclose-it/) [Zelda Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelda-fitzgerald/) > [Never in a million years would I imagine Calvin Klein flying me out to my first men's fashion show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-dallas/never-in-a-million-years-would-i-imagine-calvin-klein-flying-me-out/) [Cameron Dallas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-dallas/) > [Jonah Lehrer is one of the most talented explainers of science that we’ve got. What a pleasure it is to follow his investigation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/jonah-lehrer-is-one-of-the-most-talented-explainers-of-science-that/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [I can't imagine not working, really. I just think work's more fun than fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-quant/i-can-t-imagine-not-working-really-i-just-think-work-s-more-fun-than/) [Mary Quant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-quant/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [ I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect \[Donald Trump\], or then-president \[Barack Obama\]. But it's - I'm very clear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/i-can-t-imagine-that-i-would-be-asked-that-by-the-president-elect/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [We live in such a special time when literally anything we can think of is possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-willey/we-live-in-such-a-special-time-when-literally-anything-we-can-think/) [Daniel Willey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-willey/) > [Imagine what you'd do if it absolutely didn't matter what people thought of you. Got it? Good. Never go back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/imagine-what-you-d-do-if-it-absolutely-didn-t-matter-what-people/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [ Together he \[Girolamo Savonarola\] and his archenemy Lorenzo \[de' Medici\] would have been the stuff of gargoyles. One could almost imagine the diptych in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dunant/together-he-girolamo-savonarola-and-his-archenemy-lorenzo-de-medici/) [Sarah Dunant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dunant/) [Browse all 6,768 Imagine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's all very well to read about sorrows and imagine yourself living through them heroically, but it's not so nice when you really come to have them, is it?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-all-very-well-to-read-about-sorrows-and-imagine-yourself-living/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Imagine" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-all-very-well-to-read-about-sorrows-and-imagine-yourself-living/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/anonymous-1_imagine_it-s-all-very-well-to-read-about-sorrows_97743.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/anonymous-1_imagine_it-s-all-very-well-to-read-about-sorrows_97743.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/anonymous-1_imagine_it-s-all-very-well-to-read-about-sorrows_97743.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's all very well to read about sorrows and imagine yourself living through them heroically, but it's not…” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's all very well to read...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-all-very-well-to-read-about-sorrows-and-imagine-yourself-living/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-all-very-well-to-read-about-sorrows-and-imagine-yourself-living/#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 } } ] } ```