--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you describe the miserable and…" description: "\"When you describe the miserable and unfortunate, and want to make the reader feel pity, try to be somewhat colder - that seems to give a kind of backgr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/anton-chekhov-298_backgrounds_when-you-describe-the-miserable-and-unfo_1441658.jpg" --- # When you describe the miserable and unfortunate, and want… ![“When you describe the miserable and unfortunate, and want to make the reader feel pity, try to be somewhat colder - that seems to give a kind of background to another's grief, against which it stands out more clearly. Whereas in your story the characters cry and you sigh. Yes, be more cold…” quote by Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/anton-chekhov-298_backgrounds_when-you-describe-the-miserable-and-unfo_1441658.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/anton-chekhov-298_backgrounds_when-you-describe-the-miserable-and-unfo_1441658.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/anton-chekhov-298_backgrounds_when-you-describe-the-miserable-and-unfo_1441658.jpg) > “When you describe the miserable and unfortunate, and want to make the reader feel pity, try to be somewhat colder - that seems to give a kind of background to another's grief, against which it stands out more clearly. Whereas in your story the characters cry and you sigh. Yes, be more cold. ... The more objective you are, the stronger will be the impression you make.” [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adopting a detached tone when describing suffering can highlight the tragedy more starkly than overt sentimentality. **In simple terms:** Cold description makes grief stand out. Key Takeaway Use objective language to deepen impact. Themes writing empathy tone narrative literature Mood reflective analytical Type instructional literary When to use this quote - Novels - journalism - memoir - screenwriting Key Concepts Objectivity emotional distance contrast Questions to Reflect On - How does distance affect reader compassion? - When is emotional closeness appropriate? A Different Perspective Overly cold tone may alienate readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Crafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crafts/) [Cry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cry/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) [Miserable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miserable/) [Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity/) [Standing out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standing-out/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ## Related quotes > [My "mission", if you can call it that, is to connect with my readers on an emotional level and have them come away with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/my-mission-if-you-can-call-it-that-is-to-connect-with-my-readers-on/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [Quiet moves often make a stronger impression than a wild combination with heavy sacrifices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/quiet-moves-often-make-a-stronger-impression-than-a-wild-combination/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [When you want to touch the reader's heart, try to be colder. It gives their grief as it were, a background, against which it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/when-you-want-to-touch-the-reader-s-heart-try-to-be-colder-it-gives/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [I want the reader to feel something is astonishing. Not the 'what happens,' but the way everything happens. These long short story fictions do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/i-want-the-reader-to-feel-something-is-astonishing-not-the-what/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [ \[from a reader\] Whenever I feel myself resenting someone, I reach out. I have made good friends that way. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-dickinson/from-a-reader-whenever-i-feel-myself-resenting-someone-i-reach-out-i/) [Amy Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-dickinson/) > [The poet should try to give his poem the quiet swiftness of flame, so that the reader will feel and not think while he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-teasdale/the-poet-should-try-to-give-his-poem-the-quiet-swiftness-of-flame-so/) [Sara Teasdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-teasdale/) > [A lot of writing is everybody being revealed, but the reader should feel like only they are being revealed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torrey-peters/a-lot-of-writing-is-everybody-being-revealed-but-the-reader-should/) [Torrey Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torrey-peters/) > [If your depiction of loss doesn't make the reader feel loss, then you didn't depict it right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-james/if-your-depiction-of-loss-doesn-t-make-the-reader-feel-loss-then-you/) [Marlon James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-james/) > [I would also hope that readers receive a larger understanding, or a different understanding, of what it means to be human, than they might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-would-also-hope-that-readers-receive-a-larger-understanding-or-a/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [When I was a little girl, my first link to the world was as a reader. Sometimes, I feel a nostalgia for those times,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-slimani/when-i-was-a-little-girl-my-first-link-to-the-world-was-as-a-reader/) [Leila Slimani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-slimani/) > [I read John Irving's novel 'The World According To Garp' when I was about 14 or 15. It was the first grown-up book that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/i-read-john-irving-s-novel-the-world-according-to-garp-when-i-was/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) > [I'm bothered, as a reader, when I feel the writer is filling in too much. Again, whether it's nonfiction or fiction, I think writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-tillman/i-m-bothered-as-a-reader-when-i-feel-the-writer-is-filling-in-too/) [Lynne Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-tillman/) > [Fiction works when it makes a reader feel something strongly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/fiction-works-when-it-makes-a-reader-feel-something-strongly/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“Sensory experience should not be draped on top of the story as sort of a last-minute decoration. Done right, it is woven into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilson/sensory-experience-should-not-be-draped-on-top-of-the-story-as-sort/) [Douglas Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilson/) > [I try to be aware of what I'm concerned about, aware of how I feel about myself in the world, aware of how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-try-to-be-aware-of-what-i-m-concerned-about-aware-of-how-i-feel/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) ## More by Anton Chekhov > [“Using vile means to attain worthy ends makes the ends themselves vile. Let them ride on the backs of doctors and medical assistants, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/using-vile-means-to-attain-worthy-ends-makes-the-ends-themselves-vile/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [If ever my life can be of any use to you, come and claim it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/if-ever-my-life-can-be-of-any-use-to-you-come-and-claim-it/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [There are still many more days of failure ahead, whole seasons of failure, things will go terribly wrong, you will have huge disappointments ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/there-are-still-many-more-days-of-failure-ahead-whole-seasons-of/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“But here was all the timorousness and angularity of inexperienced youth, a feeling of awkwardness, and an impression of bewilderment, as if someone had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/but-here-was-all-the-timorousness-and-angularity-of-inexperienced/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“At the water's edge, barrels of pitch blazed like huge bonfires. Their reflection, crimson as the rising moon, crept to meet us in long,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/at-the-water-s-edge-barrels-of-pitch-blazed-like-huge-bonfires-their/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [Anna Petrovna: Never talk to women about your own good qualities. Let them find out for themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/anna-petrovna-never-talk-to-women-about-your-own-good-qualities-let/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [While you're playing cards with a regular guy or having a bite to eat with him, he seems a peaceable, good-humoured and not entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/while-you-re-playing-cards-with-a-regular-guy-or-having-a-bite-to-eat/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“Lebedev: France has a clear and defined policy... The French know what they want. They just want to wipe out the Krauts, finish, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/lebedev-france-has-a-clear-and-defined-policy-the-french-know-what/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“My holy of holies are the human body, health, intelligence, talent, inspiration, love, and the most absolute freedom - freedom from force and falsity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/my-holy-of-holies-are-the-human-body-health-intelligence-talent/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“What we have, we do not treasure,” and what’s more we do not even love it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/what-we-have-we-do-not-treasure-and-what-s-more-we-do-not-even-love-it/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [No matter how corrupt and unjust a convict may be, he loves fairness more than anything else. If the people placed over him are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/no-matter-how-corrupt-and-unjust-a-convict-may-be-he-loves-fairness/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“It is my opinion that every woman can be a writer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/it-is-my-opinion-that-every-woman-can-be-a-writer/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“His reading suggested a man swimming in the sea among the wreckage of his ship, and trying to save his life by greedily clutching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/his-reading-suggested-a-man-swimming-in-the-sea-among-the-wreckage-of/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“Experience often repeated, truly bitter experience, had taught him long ago that with decent people, especially Moscow people -- always slow to move and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/experience-often-repeated-truly-bitter-experience-had-taught-him-long/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“Why do you always wear black?” "I am mourning for my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/why-do-you-always-wear-black-i-am-mourning-for-my-life/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) [Explore all 679 Anton Chekhov quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) ## More Backgrounds quotes > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-morasca/when-you-see-how-fragile-and-delicate-life-can-be-all-else-fades-into/) [Jenna Morasca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-morasca/) > [Worship is not about personality, temperament, personal limitations, church background, or comfort. It is about God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wimber/worship-is-not-about-personality-temperament-personal-limitations/) [John Wimber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wimber/) > [Eventually the consumer will come to appreciate the editorial point of view of every different brand. User-generated content without editorial oversight will simply be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-eisner/eventually-the-consumer-will-come-to-appreciate-the-editorial-point/) [Michael Eisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-eisner/) > [I bring my classical training - some of it, but not all of it - and also my background and culture, to spirituals. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-battle/i-bring-my-classical-training-some-of-it-but-not-all-of-it-and-also/) [Kathleen Battle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-battle/) > [The acting background helped a lot when I started writing. I was training for it. In acting class they teach you about the stakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-higgins-clark/the-acting-background-helped-a-lot-when-i-started-writing-i-was/) [Carol Higgins Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-higgins-clark/) > [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [I think it is a sin to look at another person as inferior to yourself because of race or because of ethnic background and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/i-think-it-is-a-sin-to-look-at-another-person-as-inferior-to-yourself/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [The thing that is making jazz healthy today is that people are coming out of other backgrounds - from rock, folk, from ethnic music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-taylor/the-thing-that-is-making-jazz-healthy-today-is-that-people-are-coming/) Billy Taylor > [We do not have to be ashamed of what we are. As sentient beings we have wonderful backgrounds. These backgrounds may not be particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-do-not-have-to-be-ashamed-of-what-we-are-as-sentient-beings-we/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [People from my sort of background needed grammar schools to compete with children from privileged homes like Shirley Williams and Anthony Wedgwood Benn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/people-from-my-sort-of-background-needed-grammar-schools-to-compete/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [Persons who have cleansed themselves of any transgression and who have shown their ability to deal with homosexual inclinations and put them in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallin-h-oaks/persons-who-have-cleansed-themselves-of-any-transgression-and-who/) [Dallin H. Oaks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallin-h-oaks/) > [I come from a theater background, so I always like to dissect the scene and try to get some hint about what the author…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adina-porter/i-come-from-a-theater-background-so-i-always-like-to-dissect-the/) [Adina Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adina-porter/) > [And, of course, some SF is set close enough to here and now that Anglo and European do apply. Since many of the writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/and-of-course-some-sf-is-set-close-enough-to-here-and-now-that-anglo/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [For me, I try to look at a person's swagger and a little background on them if I already haven't liked them as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bivins/for-me-i-try-to-look-at-a-person-s-swagger-and-a-little-background-on/) [Michael Bivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bivins/) Browse all 1,648 Backgrounds quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you describe the miserable and unfortunate, and want to make the reader feel pity, try to be somewhat colder - that seems to give a kind of background to another's grief, against which it stands out more clearly. Whereas in your story the characters cry and you sigh. Yes, be more cold. ... The more objective you are, the stronger will be the impression you make.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anton Chekhov" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/when-you-describe-the-miserable-and-unfortunate-and-want-to-make-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Backgrounds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/when-you-describe-the-miserable-and-unfortunate-and-want-to-make-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/anton-chekhov-298_backgrounds_when-you-describe-the-miserable-and-unfo_1441658.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/anton-chekhov-298_backgrounds_when-you-describe-the-miserable-and-unfo_1441658.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21b/anton-chekhov-298_backgrounds_when-you-describe-the-miserable-and-unfo_1441658.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you describe the miserable and unfortunate, and want to make the reader feel pity, try to be somewhat…” — Anton Chekhov", "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": "Anton Chekhov", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you describe the miserable and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/when-you-describe-the-miserable-and-unfortunate-and-want-to-make-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/when-you-describe-the-miserable-and-unfortunate-and-want-to-make-the/#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 } } ] } ```