---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a sad story, I thought for so long…"
description: "\"What a sad story, I thought for so long. Not that I now think it was happy. But I think it is true, and thus the question of whether it is sad or happy..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/bernhard-schlink-3329_feeling-sad_what-a-sad-story-i-thought-for-so-long-n_2418239.png"
---

#  What a sad story, I thought for so long. Not that I now…

![“What a sad story, I thought for so long. Not that I now think it was happy. But I think it is true, and thus the question of whether it is sad or happy has no meaning whatever.” quote by Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/bernhard-schlink-3329_feeling-sad_what-a-sad-story-i-thought-for-so-long-n_2418239.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/bernhard-schlink-3329_feeling-sad_what-a-sad-story-i-thought-for-so-long-n_2418239.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/bernhard-schlink-3329_feeling-sad_what-a-sad-story-i-thought-for-so-long-n_2418239.png)

> “What a sad story, I thought for so long. Not that I now think it was happy. But I think it is true, and thus the question of whether it is sad or happy has no meaning whatever.”

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The story’s emotional tone is ambiguous, making the sad/happy question meaningless.

**In simple terms:** Emotion is ambiguous, rendering labels meaningless.

Key Takeaway

Accept emotional ambiguity.

Themes

philosophy literary analysis emotion

Mood

thoughtful philosophical

Type

literary analytical

When to use this quote

- reading
- discussion
- therapy
- creative writing

Key Concepts

existentialism subjectivity

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we label emotions?
- How does ambiguity affect interpretation?

A Different Perspective

Some seek clear emotional categorization for comfort.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Feeling sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-sad/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [“At first I wanted to write our story in order to be free of it. But the memories wouldn’t come back for that. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/at-first-i-wanted-to-write-our-story-in-order-to-be-free-of-it-but/)

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

> [The question, O me! so sad, recurring - What good amid these, O me, O life? That you are here - that life exists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/the-question-o-me-so-sad-recurring-what-good-amid-these-o-me-o-life/)

[Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/)

> [It made me very sad, that question. Sad and defeated. Because I knew she knew why I was thinking about that woman-I was thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-cameron/it-made-me-very-sad-that-question-sad-and-defeated-because-i-knew-she/)

[Peter Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-cameron/)

> [“He found himself thinking about his childhood. "Why do you drink so much, Maestro?" "This is not a music question." "Are you sad, Maestro?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-found-himself-thinking-about-his-childhood-why-do-you-drink-so/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [Is this what sadness is all about? Is it what comes over us when beautiful memories shatter in hindsight because the remembered happiness fed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/is-this-what-sadness-is-all-about-is-it-what-comes-over-us-when/)

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

> [They suggested I should introduce an element of reincarnation in the story. At first, I thought that was silly. But then, this whole time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-joffe/they-suggested-i-should-introduce-an-element-of-reincarnation-in-the/)

[Roland Joffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-joffe/)

> [“There was so much force and beauty in the windows, such unsettled sadness in what little I knew of Rose's life, all her longing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-edwards/there-was-so-much-force-and-beauty-in-the-windows-such-unsettled/)

[Kim Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-edwards/)

> [Because of all the concurrent stories going in 24 and its fast pace, it can be complicated in terms of the story, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hopkins/because-of-all-the-concurrent-stories-going-in-24-and-its-fast-pace/)

[Stephen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hopkins/)

> [That is many poets don't know how to tell a story and they don't have a sense of how to put things in order…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/that-is-many-poets-don-t-know-how-to-tell-a-story-and-they-don-t-have/)

[Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/)

> [I have people constantly come up to me telling me that I have written their life. When I wrote the story I thought it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blackie/i-have-people-constantly-come-up-to-me-telling-me-that-i-have-written/)

Blackie

> [Gender has always been considered a fact immutable. But we now know it's actually more fluid, complex, and mysterious. Because of my success, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geena-rocero/gender-has-always-been-considered-a-fact-immutable-but-we-now-know-it/)

[Geena Rocero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geena-rocero/)

> [“When I began writing this story, I thought I had some idea of what it was about. I was wrong. In my life writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/when-i-began-writing-this-story-i-thought-i-had-some-idea-of-what-it/)

[Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/)

> [A story once went the rounds of Israel to the effect that Ben-Gurion described me as 'the only man' in his cabinet. What amused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/golda-meir/a-story-once-went-the-rounds-of-israel-to-the-effect-that-ben-gurion/)

[Golda Meir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/golda-meir/)

> [A book suggests a whole world and story that I could have never thought of in a million years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/a-book-suggests-a-whole-world-and-story-that-i-could-have-never/)

[Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/)

> [ “I remember a television program I once saw \[...\] I must have been seven or eight, too young to understand it. It was the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-remember-a-television-program-i-once-saw-i-must-have-been-seven-or/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

## More by Bernhard Schlink

> [“Ne ispada li, onda, da je egzistencijalni umor rezultat premalog, a ne prevelikog angažovanja? Postajemo li umorni usled toga što olakšavamo sebi situaciju, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/ne-ispada-li-onda-da-je-egzistencijalni-umor-rezultat-premalog-a-ne/)

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

> [Why? Why does what was beautiful suddenly shatter in hindsight because it concealed dark truths? Why does the memory of years of happy marriage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/why-why-does-what-was-beautiful-suddenly-shatter-in-hindsight-because/)

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

> [“...if something hurts me, the hurts I suffered back then come back to me, and when I feel guilty, the feelings of guilt return;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/if-something-hurts-me-the-hurts-i-suffered-back-then-come-back-to-me/)

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

> [“The truth of what one says lies in what one does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/the-truth-of-what-one-says-lies-in-what-one-does/)

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

> [“When she had fallen asleep on me, and the saw in the yard was quiet, and a blackbird was singing as the colors of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/when-she-had-fallen-asleep-on-me-and-the-saw-in-the-yard-was-quiet/)

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

> [“To anyone ignorant of history, it would be easy to see ways of life in earlier times simply as ways of life in foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/to-anyone-ignorant-of-history-it-would-be-easy-to-see-ways-of-life-in/)

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

> [“What is it?' 'Nothing,' he said, and put his arm around her. 'You sighed.' 'I'd like to be further along than I am.' She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/what-is-it-nothing-he-said-and-put-his-arm-around-her-you-sighed-i-d/)

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

> [“But the finger I pointed at her turned back to me. I had loved her. Not only had I loved her, I had chosen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/but-the-finger-i-pointed-at-her-turned-back-to-me-i-had-loved-her-not/)

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

> [“I wanted to pose myself both tasks - understanding and condemnation. But it was impossible to do both”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/i-wanted-to-pose-myself-both-tasks-understanding-and-condemnation-but/)

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

> [Sometimes the memory of happiness cannot stay true because it ended unhappily..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/sometimes-the-memory-of-happiness-cannot-stay-true-because-it-ended/)

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

> [“I had no one to point at. Certainly not my parents, because I had nothing to accuse them of. The zeal for letting in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/i-had-no-one-to-point-at-certainly-not-my-parents-because-i-had/)

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

> [Sometimes I had the feeling that all of us in his family were like pets to him. The dog you take for a walk,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/sometimes-i-had-the-feeling-that-all-of-us-in-his-family-were-like/)

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

> [“There are matters one simply cannot get drawn into, that one must distance oneself from, if the price is not life and limb. هناك أمور لا يمكن للواحد ببساطة أن ينخرط فيها ، يجب على الواحد ان ينحي نفسه عنها ، حتى وإن كان الثمن موته أو بتره.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/there-are-matters-one-simply-cannot-get-drawn-into-that-one-must/)

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

> [She was struggling, as she always had struggled, not to show what she could do but to hide what she couldn't do. A life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/she-was-struggling-as-she-always-had-struggled-not-to-show-what-she/)

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

> [As an author, you hope for a director and a cast that will make something wonderful out of your book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/as-an-author-you-hope-for-a-director-and-a-cast-that-will-make/)

[Bernhard Schlink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

[Explore all 104 Bernhard Schlink quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/)

## More Feeling sad quotes

> [Giving to other people makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not what I look like in the mirror. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/giving-to-other-people-makes-me-feel-alive-not-my-car-or-my-house-not/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [Distance never separates two hearts that really care, for our memories span the miles and in seconds we are there. But whenever I start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-never-separates-two-hearts-that-really-care-for-our-memories/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Patrick had done pretty damn well for himself, but not so well that he could go around feeling sad and awkward over how many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/patrick-had-done-pretty-damn-well-for-himself-but-not-so-well-that-he/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“your heart on a shelf You've spent so much time being treated so badly That you can't see yourself without feeling sadly”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-maxon/your-heart-on-a-shelf-you-ve-spent-so-much-time-being-treated-so/)

[Ken Maxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-maxon/)

> [“it’s a bit like if we were on a planet where all the space creatures were short, green and fat. Except a very few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fielding/it-s-a-bit-like-if-we-were-on-a-planet-where-all-the-space-creatures/)

[Helen Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fielding/)

> [There is no point treating a depressed person as though she were just feeling sad, saying, 'There now, hang on, you'll get over it.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/there-is-no-point-treating-a-depressed-person-as-though-she-were-just/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [It is not true that if we had true faith we would not be sad. Prophets (as), and righteous people experienced a great deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/it-is-not-true-that-if-we-had-true-faith-we-would-not-be-sad-prophets/)

[Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/)

> [Maybe this is the point: to embrace the core sadness of life without toppling headlong into it, or assuming it will define your days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-caldwell/maybe-this-is-the-point-to-embrace-the-core-sadness-of-life-without/)

[Gail Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-caldwell/)

> [Sometimes when we're feeling sad, it's important just to feel the sadness. Like a snake shedding its skin, old feelings of remorse and regret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/sometimes-when-we-re-feeling-sad-it-s-important-just-to-feel-the/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [How can you lose something you never had, I tell myself when I'm feeling sad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-presley/how-can-you-lose-something-you-never-had-i-tell-myself-when-i-m/)

[Elvis Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-presley/)

> [I have never feel this feeling ever, I was the happy face all the time, I didn't even cared for anything that much but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raj-singh/i-have-never-feel-this-feeling-ever-i-was-the-happy-face-all-the-time/)

[Raj Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raj-singh/)

> [Most of the time, we keep looking outside and feeling sad about what others have. Those are mere excuses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yami-gautam/most-of-the-time-we-keep-looking-outside-and-feeling-sad-about-what/)

[Yami Gautam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yami-gautam/)

> [Life can be rough sometimes, and most people, at one time or another, feel like shit. This can mean different things for different people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonycvbchicago/life-can-be-rough-sometimes-and-most-people-at-one-time-or-another/)

[Tonycvbchicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonycvbchicago/)

> [Feeling sad about anything is holding onto it. Say, 'This is something I have to let go of,' and immediately you will feel better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-levenson/feeling-sad-about-anything-is-holding-onto-it-say-this-is-something-i/)

[Lester Levenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-levenson/)

> [“how ridiculous it was. There is no point in treating a depressed person as though she were just feeling sad, saying, There now, hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/how-ridiculous-it-was-there-is-no-point-in-treating-a-depressed/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

[Browse all 144 Feeling sad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-sad/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What a sad story, I thought for so long. Not that I now think it was happy. But I think it is true, and thus the question of whether it is sad or happy has no meaning whatever.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bernhard Schlink"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/what-a-sad-story-i-thought-for-so-long-not-that-i-now-think-it-was/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Feeling sad"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/what-a-sad-story-i-thought-for-so-long-not-that-i-now-think-it-was/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/bernhard-schlink-3329_feeling-sad_what-a-sad-story-i-thought-for-so-long-n_2418239.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/bernhard-schlink-3329_feeling-sad_what-a-sad-story-i-thought-for-so-long-n_2418239.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e85/bernhard-schlink-3329_feeling-sad_what-a-sad-story-i-thought-for-so-long-n_2418239.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What a sad story, I thought for so long. Not that I now think it was happy. But I think it is true, and thus…” — Bernhard Schlink",
                "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": "Bernhard Schlink",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernhard-schlink/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What a sad story, I thought...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/what-a-sad-story-i-thought-for-so-long-not-that-i-now-think-it-was/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernhard-schlink/what-a-sad-story-i-thought-for-so-long-not-that-i-now-think-it-was/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```