--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I took out my journal. I'd been avoiding…" description: "\"“I took out my journal. I'd been avoiding writing in it. I think I was afraid all my anger would spill out on the pages. And I just didn't want to look..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/benjamin-alire-s-enz-1125_anger_i-took-out-my-journal-i-d-been-avoiding_270093.png" --- # I took out my journal. I'd been avoiding writing in it. I… ![“I took out my journal. I'd been avoiding writing in it. I think I was afraid all my anger would spill out on the pages. And I just didn't want to look at all that rage. It was a different kind of pain. A pain I couldn't stand. I tried not to think. I just started writing.” quote by Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/benjamin-alire-s-enz-1125_anger_i-took-out-my-journal-i-d-been-avoiding_270093.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/benjamin-alire-s-enz-1125_anger_i-took-out-my-journal-i-d-been-avoiding_270093.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25a/benjamin-alire-s-enz-1125_anger_i-took-out-my-journal-i-d-been-avoiding_270093.png) > ““I took out my journal. I'd been avoiding writing in it. I think I was afraid all my anger would spill out on the pages. And I just didn't want to look at all that rage. It was a different kind of pain. A pain I couldn't stand. I tried not to think. I just started writing.”” [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing helps confront and process repressed anger, turning pain into insight. **In simple terms:** Writing lets you face hidden anger safely. Key Takeaway Write to release and understand anger. Themes emotional health self‑expression healing Mood reflective introspective Type advice therapeutic When to use this quote - therapy - personal growth - emotional processing Key Concepts journaling psychology anger management Questions to Reflect On - What emotions surface when you write? - How can you ensure safe processing? A Different Perspective Writing may trigger intense emotions without support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afraid Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid-anger-395622/) [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Avoiding Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoiding-writing-2642413/) [Journal Avoiding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journal-avoiding-2642414/) [Started Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/started-writing/) [Took Journal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/took-journal-2642412/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“I’d been avoiding writing in it. I think I was afraid all my anger would spill out on the pages. And I just didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-d-been-avoiding-writing-in-it-i-think-i-was-afraid-all-my-anger/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think I'm afraid of my anger embarrassing me. If it comes out, everyone will be like, 'Okay freak, calm down.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cole-escola/i-think-i-m-afraid-of-my-anger-embarrassing-me-if-it-comes-out/) [Cole Escola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cole-escola/) > [Anger is a response that can lead to harm if we don't evaluate what we are upset about. Ask yourself what you are afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-james/anger-is-a-response-that-can-lead-to-harm-if-we-don-t-evaluate-what/) [Jennifer James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-james/) > [You're afraid of your own anger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/you-re-afraid-of-your-own-anger/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [We're afraid that this anger or sorrow or loneliness is going to last forever... Instead, acting it out is what makes it last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/we-re-afraid-that-this-anger-or-sorrow-or-loneliness-is-going-to-last/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [I could fight with the living but I could not fight the dead. If there was some woman in London that Maxim loved, someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/i-could-fight-with-the-living-but-i-could-not-fight-the-dead-if-there/) [Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/) > [I only started writing in the latter days of Spandau Ballet. I didnt know I could write because all had our roles within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hadley/i-only-started-writing-in-the-latter-days-of-spandau-ballet-i-didnt/) [Tony Hadley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hadley/) > [I've always loved to write, and I wrote fiction all my life. That's what I thought I was going to do in my life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-shears/i-ve-always-loved-to-write-and-i-wrote-fiction-all-my-life-that-s/) [Jake Shears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-shears/) > [If you watch home videos, at 4 years old, I was doing nothing but being the entertainer. Singing 'Boot Scootin' Boogie' in the living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-rhett/if-you-watch-home-videos-at-4-years-old-i-was-doing-nothing-but-being/) [Thomas Rhett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-rhett/) > [I was watching the Oprah show one day and she said that it's cathartic to write things down, so I started writing down the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-perry/i-was-watching-the-oprah-show-one-day-and-she-said-that-it-s/) [Tyler Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-perry/) > [I finished 'Hell or High Water' and started writing 'Wind River' literally the next day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-sheridan/i-finished-hell-or-high-water-and-started-writing-wind-river/) [Taylor Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-sheridan/) > [I just started writing for my own amusement and occasionally singing in little clubs around Los Angeles. 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Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-ward/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) ## More by Benjamin Alire Sáenz > [“If we studied birds ,maybe we could learn to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/if-we-studied-birds-maybe-we-could-learn-to-be-free/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“It felt like there was a whole world inside her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/it-felt-like-there-was-a-whole-world-inside-her/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“Breakfast seemed to be a good time for throwing your emotions around. Jodie said that at this place emotions were like Frisbees – people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/breakfast-seemed-to-be-a-good-time-for-throwing-your-emotions-around/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“I loved the different rules of summer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/i-loved-the-different-rules-of-summer/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“I decided that maybe we left each other alone too much. Leaving each other alone was killing us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/i-decided-that-maybe-we-left-each-other-alone-too-much-leaving-each/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [Why do we smile? Why do we laugh? Why do we feel alone? Why are we sad and confused? 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"You don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/did-the-thought-ever-occur-to-you-that-i-might-care-about-you-people/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“Words exist only in theory. And then one ordinary day you run into a word that exists only in theory. And you meet it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/words-exist-only-in-theory-and-then-one-ordinary-day-you-run-into-a/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“I don't like remembering. Remembering makes me feel things. I don't like to feel things. I'm thinking I could spend the rest of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/i-don-t-like-remembering-remembering-makes-me-feel-things-i-don-t/) [Benjamin Alire Saenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“In the distance, I can see a storm coming in, the dark clouds and the lightning on the horizon moving towards me. I wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/in-the-distance-i-can-see-a-storm-coming-in-the-dark-clouds-and-the/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“I kind of liked his voice. He sounded like he had a cold, you know, like he was about to lose his voice. "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/i-kind-of-liked-his-voice-he-sounded-like-he-had-a-cold-you-know-like/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“I have this idea that the reason we have dreams is that we're thinking about things that we don't know we're thinking about-and those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/i-have-this-idea-that-the-reason-we-have-dreams-is-that-we-re/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [“Everyone expected something from me. Something I just couldn't give.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/everyone-expected-something-from-me-something-i-just-couldn-t-give/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) [Explore all 283 Benjamin Alire Sáenz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) ## More Anger quotes > [“If I let myself think of it the pain and anger were still fresh, adrenalin racing down my limbs to pool, hot and itchy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/if-i-let-myself-think-of-it-the-pain-and-anger-were-still-fresh/) [Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [My care will be in the heart n not in words My anger will be in Words n not in the Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/my-care-will-be-in-the-heart-n-not-in-words-my-anger-will-be-in-words/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect was already in the cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/the-present-contains-nothing-more-than-the-past-and-what-is-found-in/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [ “Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari \[living a worldly life\] regardless of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-deceit-greed-there-is-worldly/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) [Browse all 7,469 Anger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I took out my journal. I'd been avoiding writing in it. I think I was afraid all my anger would spill out on the pages. And I just didn't want to look at all that rage. It was a different kind of pain. A pain I couldn't stand. I tried not to think. 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