--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This is one of those things that you can…" description: "\"“This is one of those things that you can never explain to anyone; that's what I want to explain - one of those free-association moments with connectio..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/dan-chaon-2729_connections_this-is-one-of-those-things-that-you-can_2102402.png" --- # This is one of those things that you can never explain to… ![“This is one of those things that you can never explain to anyone; that's what I want to explain - one of those free-association moments with connections that dissolve when you start to try to put them into words.” quote by Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/dan-chaon-2729_connections_this-is-one-of-those-things-that-you-can_2102402.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/dan-chaon-2729_connections_this-is-one-of-those-things-that-you-can_2102402.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/dan-chaon-2729_connections_this-is-one-of-those-things-that-you-can_2102402.png) > ““This is one of those things that you can never explain to anyone; that's what I want to explain - one of those free-association moments with connections that dissolve when you start to try to put them into words.”” [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes a fleeting, intuitive insight that collapses when forced into language. **In simple terms:** Insights can vanish when over‑explained. Key Takeaway Accept mystery, avoid over‑analysis. Themes creativity intuition communication Mood reflective curious Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - writing - brainstorming - artistic inspiration - problem solving Key Concepts psychology free association language limits Questions to Reflect On - How do you capture fleeting ideas without losing them? - When is it better to stay silent? A Different Perspective Words can constrain and distort the original feeling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Connections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connections/) [Connections Dissolve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connections-dissolve-4205830/) [Explain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explain/) [Explain Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explain-free-4205831/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Things Explain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-explain-399221/) [Want Explain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-explain-512156/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [Things explain each other, not themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-oppen/things-explain-each-other-not-themselves/) [George Oppen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-oppen/) > [I have been to China. I noticed that wherever you went, you could ask an ordinary citizen, and he would explain, in detail, about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharad-pawar/i-have-been-to-china-i-noticed-that-wherever-you-went-you-could-ask/) [Sharad Pawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharad-pawar/) > [Teachers deserve respect," I explain. "Why do they get it for free, when everyone else has to earn it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/teachers-deserve-respect-i-explain-why-do-they-get-it-for-free-when/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“I still don't say anything. I want to but I can't. I want to explain everything that's going on in my head but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/i-still-don-t-say-anything-i-want-to-but-i-can-t-i-want-to-explain/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [You can not do anything new, and you are not handled old, then what do you want to do. can you explain me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/you-can-not-do-anything-new-and-you-are-not-handled-old-then-what-do/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [If I paint something, I don't want to have to explain what it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-ross/if-i-paint-something-i-don-t-want-to-have-to-explain-what-it-is/) [Bob Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-ross/) > [We write for the same reason that we walk, talk, climb mountains or swim the oceans - because we can. We have some impulse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/we-write-for-the-same-reason-that-we-walk-talk-climb-mountains-or/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I want to explain to people by working hard, but people doesn't understand that what I wrote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/i-want-to-explain-to-people-by-working-hard-but-people-doesn-t/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [Whenever I was with a woman, I always sort of want another one. So there was always another one. I can't explain this](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/klaus-kinski/whenever-i-was-with-a-woman-i-always-sort-of-want-another-one-so/) [Klaus Kinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/klaus-kinski/) > [Why do dumb people all ways want you to explain something that's already understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-do-dumb-people-all-ways-want-you-to-explain-something-that-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We all want to explain ourselves. Nobody wants to be forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-all-want-to-explain-ourselves-nobody-wants-to-be-forgotten/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Never do anything that you wouldn't want to explain to the paramedics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-do-anything-that-you-wouldn-t-want-to-explain-to-the-paramedics/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's obvious that I must explain what I want from an actor, but I don't want to discuss everything I ask him to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelangelo-antonioni/it-s-obvious-that-i-must-explain-what-i-want-from-an-actor-but-i-don/) [Michelangelo Antonioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelangelo-antonioni/) > [I'm just looking for a little mystery in life... like things you can't explain. Like, you go to Mexico, they tell you don't drink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-alexandro/i-m-just-looking-for-a-little-mystery-in-life-like-things-you-can-t/) [Ted Alexandro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-alexandro/) > [The value of a principle is the number of things it will explain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-value-of-a-principle-is-the-number-of-things-it-will-explain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More by Dan Chaon > [“Maybe love, like suffering, is relative. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/maybe-love-like-suffering-is-relative/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [Even when our death is imminent, we carry the image of ourselves moving forward, alive, into the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/even-when-our-death-is-imminent-we-carry-the-image-of-ourselves/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [For the last few years I've tried to force myself to write at least one page every day, which doesn't sound like much but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/for-the-last-few-years-i-ve-tried-to-force-myself-to-write-at-least/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“It's hard to believe that this is how it's done. That this is how we get here into the world, by accident or design,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/it-s-hard-to-believe-that-this-is-how-it-s-done-that-this-is-how-we/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [I also have just my own limits about stuff. I'm not interested in writing graphically about sexual assault for example. I feel like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-also-have-just-my-own-limits-about-stuff-i-m-not-interested-in/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“I have to admit that most of the time I read in the same way that I smoke and chew gum and jiggle my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-have-to-admit-that-most-of-the-time-i-read-in-the-same-way-that-i/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“Outside, the sleet had gotten thicker. 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She hated to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-ve-been-talking-to-myself-a-lot-lately-i-don-t-know-what-that-s/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“Your Mom's Car. Think about that. Try to wrap your brain around the supernatural and spiritual implications that the name bears down you. Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/your-mom-s-car-think-about-that-try-to-wrap-your-brain-around-the/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“He pictures amputated human arms flopping like fish down the center of the road; syringes floating on beds of liposuctioned fat; gelatinous human eyeballs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/he-pictures-amputated-human-arms-flopping-like-fish-down-the-center/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“In the basement of Sydney's new house is a little room that is about the size and shape of a coffin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/in-the-basement-of-sydney-s-new-house-is-a-little-room-that-is-about/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“It’s called apophenia. It’s the tendency we humans have to find meaning in disconnected information. For example, some people believe in what’s called the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/it-s-called-apophenia-it-s-the-tendency-we-humans-have-to-find/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [I would say that all short stories have mystery naturally built into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/i-would-say-that-all-short-stories-have-mystery-naturally-built-into/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) [Explore all 152 Dan Chaon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) ## More Connections quotes > [I guess at it's very core love is connection that just makes so much sense you wonder how you used to live before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-stone/i-guess-at-it-s-very-core-love-is-connection-that-just-makes-so-much/) [Benjamin Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-stone/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [Suffering did different things to different people...Some souls became tempered, unshakable in their faith, while others became twisted and mis-shapen, throwing off all connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-ragen/suffering-did-different-things-to-different-people-some-souls-became/) [Naomi Ragen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-ragen/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I wouldn't want to play a normal princess who always walks around in nice dresses. I never had a connection to it when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-stewart/i-wouldn-t-want-to-play-a-normal-princess-who-always-walks-around-in/) [Kristen Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-stewart/) > [“When we let go of our battles and open our heart to things as they are, then we come to rest in the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/when-we-let-go-of-our-battles-and-open-our-heart-to-things-as-they/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [If our homes should provide anything, they should provide a sense of who we are and how we got here, a sense of connection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-conran/if-our-homes-should-provide-anything-they-should-provide-a-sense-of/) [Terence Conran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-conran/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [I love using the latest technologies to make life more efficient, but I don't want to advocate that technology replaces the need to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-webb/i-love-using-the-latest-technologies-to-make-life-more-efficient-but/) [Maynard Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-webb/) > [Synchronicity reveals the meaningful connections between the subjective and objective world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/synchronicity-reveals-the-meaningful-connections-between-the/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Half of the pleasure of painting and feeling the joy of the creative act is sharing it with others and the feeling of connection.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/half-of-the-pleasure-of-painting-and-feeling-the-joy-of-the-creative/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) > [On the road, I try to maintain my connections with friends and family as much as I possibly can. That keeps me pretty grounded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noelle-scaggs/on-the-road-i-try-to-maintain-my-connections-with-friends-and-family/) [Noelle Scaggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noelle-scaggs/) > [I'm from California, but my father, who passed away when I was young, was from Newark. When I was kid, we would go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-daly/i-m-from-california-but-my-father-who-passed-away-when-i-was-young/) [Carson Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-daly/) > [I'm uninterested in superheroes. I am only interested in real stories, real people, real connection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lee-curtis/i-m-uninterested-in-superheroes-i-am-only-interested-in-real-stories/) [Jamie Lee Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lee-curtis/) > [Souls love. That’s what souls do. Egos don’t, but souls do. Become a soul, look around, and you’ll be amazed-all the beings around you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/souls-love-that-s-what-souls-do-egos-don-t-but-souls-do-become-a-soul/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) [Browse all 2,951 Connections quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connections/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This is one of those things that you can never explain to anyone; that's what I want to explain - one of those free-association moments with connections that dissolve when you start to try to put them into words.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dan Chaon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/this-is-one-of-those-things-that-you-can-never-explain-to-anyone-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Connections" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/this-is-one-of-those-things-that-you-can-never-explain-to-anyone-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/dan-chaon-2729_connections_this-is-one-of-those-things-that-you-can_2102402.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/dan-chaon-2729_connections_this-is-one-of-those-things-that-you-can_2102402.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/dan-chaon-2729_connections_this-is-one-of-those-things-that-you-can_2102402.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This is one of those things that you can never explain to anyone; that's what I want to explain - one of…” — Dan Chaon", "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": "Dan Chaon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“This is one of those things...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/this-is-one-of-those-things-that-you-can-never-explain-to-anyone-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/this-is-one-of-those-things-that-you-can-never-explain-to-anyone-that/#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 } } ] } ```