---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of the frustrations about the modern…"
description: "\"One of the frustrations about the modern world is that we don't even have a good vocabulary to describe our state. The word sentiment sounds mushy. [....."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e32/david-brooks-644_frustration_one-of-the-frustrations-about-the-modern_2745352.png"
---

#  One of the frustrations about the modern world is that we…

![“One of the frustrations about the modern world is that we don't even have a good vocabulary to describe our state. The word sentiment sounds mushy. &#91;...&#93; Sentiment is not mushy.” quote by David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e32/david-brooks-644_frustration_one-of-the-frustrations-about-the-modern_2745352.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e32/david-brooks-644_frustration_one-of-the-frustrations-about-the-modern_2745352.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e32/david-brooks-644_frustration_one-of-the-frustrations-about-the-modern_2745352.png)

> “One of the frustrations about the modern world is that we don't even have a good vocabulary to describe our state. The word sentiment sounds mushy. \[...\] Sentiment is not mushy.”

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

## About This Quote

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

Modern language lacks precise terms for complex feelings, making emotional nuance hard to express.

**In simple terms:** We lack words for deep feelings.

Key Takeaway

Expand emotional vocabulary.

Themes

language emotion communication

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

philosophical observational

When to use this quote

- personal journals
- therapy
- public speaking
- writing

Key Concepts

psychology linguistics

Questions to Reflect On

- What feelings are hard to name?
- How can new words help?

A Different Perspective

New terms may be misunderstood without context.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Frustration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frustration/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Modern world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-world/) [Sentiment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentiment/) [Sentiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentiments/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Vocabulary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocabulary/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [“(...) an inner feeling called "Stimmung" by the germans and best translated as sentiment (it is to be regreted that this word, sentiment, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wassily-kandinsky/an-inner-feeling-called-stimmung-by-the-germans-and-best-translated/)

[Wassily Kandinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wassily-kandinsky/)

> [Politicians neither love nor hate. Interest, not sentiment, directs them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/politicians-neither-love-nor-hate-interest-not-sentiment-directs-them/)

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

> [Some read for style, and some for argument: one has little care about the sentiment, he observes only how it is expressed; another regards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/some-read-for-style-and-some-for-argument-one-has-little-care-about/)

[Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/)

> [With cooking, there's always the tangible and the intangible: that which is in the domain of sentiment, of the individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-ducasse/with-cooking-there-s-always-the-tangible-and-the-intangible-that/)

[Alain Ducasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-ducasse/)

> [This sentiment of self-contempt is a frequent one in young people of both sexes. Their valuation of themselves varies as much as the barometer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humphry-davy/this-sentiment-of-self-contempt-is-a-frequent-one-in-young-people-of/)

[Humphry Davy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humphry-davy/)

> [If it’s going to be a world with no time for sentiment, it’s not a world that I want to live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/if-it-s-going-to-be-a-world-with-no-time-for-sentiment-it-s-not-a/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [I like grit, I like love and death, I'm tired of irony. ... A lot of good fiction is sentimental. ... The novelist who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/i-like-grit-i-like-love-and-death-i-m-tired-of-irony-a-lot-of-good/)

[Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/)

> [ANTIPATHY, n. The sentiment inspired by one's friend's friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/antipathy-n-the-sentiment-inspired-by-one-s-friend-s-friend/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [Why does a man cry? he wondered. Not like a woman; not for that. Not for sentiment. A man cries over the loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/why-does-a-man-cry-he-wondered-not-like-a-woman-not-for-that-not-for/)

[Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/)

> [I would spend hours absorbing every intonation, every inflection - how the singer would convey a sentiment and how it would sound coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-edmonson/i-would-spend-hours-absorbing-every-intonation-every-inflection-how/)

[Kat Edmonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-edmonson/)

> [I know no subject more elevating, more amazing, more ready to the poetical enthusiasm, the philosophical reflection, and the moral sentiment than the works…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-thomson/i-know-no-subject-more-elevating-more-amazing-more-ready-to-the/)

[James Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-thomson/)

> [“Love is not an honorable sentiment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidonie-gabrielle-colette-2/love-is-not-an-honorable-sentiment/)

Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette

> [“He returned her gaze, yearning for sentimental solace; love which emanated from a familiar source, mattered little how bedevilling. They shared an intimate moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-h-septimius/he-returned-her-gaze-yearning-for-sentimental-solace-love-which/)

[A. H. Septimius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-h-septimius/)

> [A lost love. Deny it who will, ridicule it, treat it as mere imagination and sentiment, the thing is and will be; and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/a-lost-love-deny-it-who-will-ridicule-it-treat-it-as-mere-imagination/)

[Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/)

> [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/)

[Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/)

## More by David Brooks

> [The brain is not the mind. It is probably impossible to look at a map of brain activity and predict or even understand the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/the-brain-is-not-the-mind-it-is-probably-impossible-to-look-at-a-map/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

> [When you're running for president, you're a guest in the living room for four years. And if people don't think you're going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/when-you-re-running-for-president-you-re-a-guest-in-the-living-room/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

> [“I’ve come to think that flourishing consists of putting yourself in situations in which you lose self-consciousness and become fused with other people, experiences,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/i-ve-come-to-think-that-flourishing-consists-of-putting-yourself-in/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

> [We have rapidly increasing technology, which is making life very good for people who are good at using words, and not so good for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/we-have-rapidly-increasing-technology-which-is-making-life-very-good/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

> [I think Barack Obama's foreign policy will be regarded more failure than success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/i-think-barack-obama-s-foreign-policy-will-be-regarded-more-failure/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

> [If you know that most processing is below the level of awareness, you learn the value of sleep. You're brain is working on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/if-you-know-that-most-processing-is-below-the-level-of-awareness-you/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

> [Trade has suddenly become massively unpopular. I think that's massively unjust. I think free trade has been wonderful for America on balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/trade-has-suddenly-become-massively-unpopular-i-think-that-s/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

> [Politics is based on social identity, and so, again, there is going to be differences between rural and urban and between left and right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/politics-is-based-on-social-identity-and-so-again-there-is-going-to/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

> [Pain now is better than pain deferred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/pain-now-is-better-than-pain-deferred/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

> [It’s worth noting that you can devote your life to community service and be a total schmuck. You can spend your life on Wall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/it-s-worth-noting-that-you-can-devote-your-life-to-community-service/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

> [If it feels all right for you, it's probably OK.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/if-it-feels-all-right-for-you-it-s-probably-ok/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

> [I do think Donald Trump is a fundamentally unstabilizing force and that the people who swore to uphold the Constitution are going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/i-do-think-donald-trump-is-a-fundamentally-unstabilizing-force-and/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

> [Tim Kaine has been obviously a governor. He's been a senator. He's one of the smartest rising stars in the Democratic Party. He is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/tim-kaine-has-been-obviously-a-governor-he-s-been-a-senator-he-s-one/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

> [“Women, in general, are less visually aroused than men, a trait that has nearly cut the market for pornography in half.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/women-in-general-are-less-visually-aroused-than-men-a-trait-that-has/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

> [I wasn't born with a tie or with Mark Shields stapled to my left hip. I have another life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/i-wasn-t-born-with-a-tie-or-with-mark-shields-stapled-to-my-left-hip/)

[David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

[Explore all 431 David Brooks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/)

## More Frustration quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

Ted Martinez

> [Its a lack of clarity that creates chaos and frustration. Those emotions are poison to any living goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/its-a-lack-of-clarity-that-creates-chaos-and-frustration-those/)

[Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/)

> [At the outset, my notion of being a writer was that you would have moments of inspiration and moments of frustration, when you'd crumple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/at-the-outset-my-notion-of-being-a-writer-was-that-you-would-have/)

[Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/)

> [If you try to control everything, and then worry about the things you can't control, you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-rai/if-you-try-to-control-everything-and-then-worry-about-the-things-you/)

[Suman Rai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-rai/)

> [I turned to music originally because of my past and needing a release or an outlet to get out anger or frustration or hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/i-turned-to-music-originally-because-of-my-past-and-needing-a-release/)

[Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/)

> [“I swear , this stupid town. Why does every hideous supernatural thing that happens happen here ? I'm gone for a few months and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-swear-this-stupid-town-why-does-every-hideous-supernatural-thing/)

[Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/)

> [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/)

[Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/)

> [We don't always know the details of our future. We do not know what lies ahead. We live in a time of uncertainty. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/we-don-t-always-know-the-details-of-our-future-we-do-not-know-what/)

[Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/)

> [Having people around you that are honest with you, and having a team around you that can actually track and communicate where things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muneshine/having-people-around-you-that-are-honest-with-you-and-having-a-team/)

[Muneshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muneshine/)

> [frustration, complication and misery are available in abundance, but so is God's grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/frustration-complication-and-misery-are-available-in-abundance-but-so/)

[Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/)

> [When the darkness is seen as a necessary prelude to the creative light, one is less likely to ascribe frustration to personal inadequacy or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/when-the-darkness-is-seen-as-a-necessary-prelude-to-the-creative/)

[Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/)

> [ \[Hazel\] hissed in frustration. 'I hate eidolons. I thought Piper made them promise to stay away.' 'Oh...' Frank said, like he'd just had his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/hazel-hissed-in-frustration-i-hate-eidolons-i-thought-piper-made-them/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [But the grind has begun. The windows don’t open, and even the availability of near-constant jokes about Jews and Mormons fails to stem the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/but-the-grind-has-begun-the-windows-don-t-open-and-even-the/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [For a tree to become tall it must grow tough roots among the rocks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/for-a-tree-to-become-tall-it-must-grow-tough-roots-among-the-rocks/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [“When you are pushed to the wall, you will act and do things you have never done before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/when-you-are-pushed-to-the-wall-you-will-act-and-do-things-you-have/)

[Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/)

[Browse all 1,344 Frustration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frustration/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "One of the frustrations about the modern world is that we don't even have a good vocabulary to describe our state. The word sentiment sounds mushy. [...] Sentiment is not mushy.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Brooks"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/one-of-the-frustrations-about-the-modern-world-is-that-we-don-t-even/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Frustration"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/one-of-the-frustrations-about-the-modern-world-is-that-we-don-t-even/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e32/david-brooks-644_frustration_one-of-the-frustrations-about-the-modern_2745352.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e32/david-brooks-644_frustration_one-of-the-frustrations-about-the-modern_2745352.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e32/david-brooks-644_frustration_one-of-the-frustrations-about-the-modern_2745352.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“One of the frustrations about the modern world is that we don't even have a good vocabulary to describe our…” — David Brooks",
                "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": "David Brooks",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "One of the frustrations about the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/one-of-the-frustrations-about-the-modern-world-is-that-we-don-t-even/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/one-of-the-frustrations-about-the-modern-world-is-that-we-don-t-even/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
