--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why the thanks so often felt hollow, as…" description: "\"“Why the thanks so often felt hollow, as if it was little more than what people had been conditioned to say to someone in uniform without even giving w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/dirk-patton-14812_gratitude_why-the-thanks-so-often-felt-hollow-as-i_2046921.jpg" --- # Why the thanks so often felt hollow, as if it was little… ![“Why the thanks so often felt hollow, as if it was little more than what people had been conditioned to say to someone in uniform without even giving what they were speaking a thought. “Thank” quote by Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/dirk-patton-14812_gratitude_why-the-thanks-so-often-felt-hollow-as-i_2046921.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/dirk-patton-14812_gratitude_why-the-thanks-so-often-felt-hollow-as-i_2046921.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/dirk-patton-14812_gratitude_why-the-thanks-so-often-felt-hollow-as-i_2046921.jpg) > ““Why the thanks so often felt hollow, as if it was little more than what people had been conditioned to say to someone in uniform without even giving what they were speaking a thought. “Thank”” [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Expressions of gratitude can feel empty when they are rote and unconsidered, especially toward authority figures. **In simple terms:** Thanks feel hollow when they’re automatic. Key Takeaway Seek genuine appreciation. Themes gratitude authenticity authority Mood reflective critical Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - military interactions - customer service - team meetings - public speaking Key Concepts social conditioning empathy Questions to Reflect On - How can you make thanks feel sincere? - When do you give thanks out of habit? A Different Perspective If the recipient feels insincere, the gesture may backfire. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) ## Related quotes > [To those of you who have pushed me, thank you¦ without you, I wouldnt have fallen. 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Maybe because Voron left me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/i-should-ve-been-furious-but-for-some-reason-i-wasn-t-maybe-because-i/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [When I first left Florida for Boston, I was so eager to shed my Floridian identity, perhaps some of my earlier surreal gestures felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/when-i-first-left-florida-for-boston-i-was-so-eager-to-shed-my/) [Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/) > [“how to be poignant and moving and clever on the face of that, when all I felt was hollow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/how-to-be-poignant-and-moving-and-clever-on-the-face-of-that-when-all/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) > [“Perhaps this is what the stories meant when they called somebody heartsick. Your heart and your stomach and your whole insides felt hollow and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-marillier/perhaps-this-is-what-the-stories-meant-when-they-called-somebody-2/) [Juliet Marillier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-marillier/) > [And in general, the residents of the town wondered why they all felt hollow just beneath the throat, the result of missing something they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/and-in-general-the-residents-of-the-town-wondered-why-they-all-felt/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Her bones felt thin and hollow beneath my fists, but her frailty didn't deter me. I wanted her to feel my pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-cole/her-bones-felt-thin-and-hollow-beneath-my-fists-but-her-frailty-didn/) [Courtney Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-cole/) > [When not deeply engaged in creative activities, or numbed out by the TV, I felt empty. My heart hurt. I often felt hollow or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-wright/when-not-deeply-engaged-in-creative-activities-or-numbed-out-by-the/) [Judith Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-wright/) > [When not deeply engaged in creative activities, or numbed by the TV, I felt empty and hungry. My heart hurt... I often felt hollow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-wright/when-not-deeply-engaged-in-creative-activities-or-numbed-by-the-tv-i/) [Judith Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-wright/) > [Perhaps this is what the stories meant when they called somebody heartsick. Your heart and your stomach and your whole insides felt empty and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/perhaps-this-is-what-the-stories-meant-when-they-called-somebody/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every night I thank God for giving me you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-night-i-thank-god-for-giving-me-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just remember: to be grateful and thank the people who are there and support you along the way is a great start to success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-davis/just-remember-to-be-grateful-and-thank-the-people-who-are-there-and/) [Meryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-davis/) > [“My thank-yous always come out rather labored. I often don't give them at all. People do what they're supposed to do and then wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-thank-yous-always-come-out-rather-labored-i-often-don-t-give-them/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [I want to thank each and every one of you for having extinguished yourselves this session.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gib-lewis/i-want-to-thank-each-and-every-one-of-you-for-having-extinguished/) [Gib Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gib-lewis/) ## More by Dirk Patton > [“A friend of mine had called it ‘the Finger of God’ because whatever it reached out and touched just ceased to exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/a-friend-of-mine-had-called-it-the-finger-of-god-because-whatever-it/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) > [“unlike in the movies, propellers don’t dice up the bad guy to end the fight then keep on spinning like nothing happened. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/unlike-in-the-movies-propellers-don-t-dice-up-the-bad-guy-to-end-the/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) > [“but at heart, he was still a coward which he masked by being a bully. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/but-at-heart-he-was-still-a-coward-which-he-masked-by-being-a-bully/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) > [“We had been hiding and fighting for days and were still within a two hour drive of Atlanta. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/we-had-been-hiding-and-fighting-for-days-and-were-still-within-a-two/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) > [“It was just like a scene out of The Walking Dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/it-was-just-like-a-scene-out-of-the-walking-dead/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) > [“We blasted through Laramie, Wyoming, seeing nothing other than the empty pavement brightly illuminated by the Charger’s lights.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/we-blasted-through-laramie-wyoming-seeing-nothing-other-than-the/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) > [“The concern was an infected getting sucked into an engine. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/the-concern-was-an-infected-getting-sucked-into-an-engine/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) > [“They’d found both, and brought back a variety of non-lethal weapons.  He snorted at the oxymoron.  How could a weapon be non-lethal?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/they-d-found-both-and-brought-back-a-variety-of-non-lethal-weapons-he/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) > [“leaned into the void and placed his”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/leaned-into-the-void-and-placed-his/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) > [“A deep strike to the kidneys will send the human body into immediate shock, rendering it unable to fight or flee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/a-deep-strike-to-the-kidneys-will-send-the-human-body-into-immediate/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) > [“Outfitted with a 25 mm GAU-12 Equalizer, one Bofors 40 mm autocannon, and one 105 mm M102 cannon, it can and does unleash hell on earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/outfitted-with-a-25-mm-gau-12-equalizer-one-bofors-40-mm-autocannon/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) > [“The truck was two-wheel drive,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/the-truck-was-two-wheel-drive/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) > [“Screeching to a stop, he jumped out and quickly unhooked the chain from the back bumper, hopped back in and roared away, female infected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/screeching-to-a-stop-he-jumped-out-and-quickly-unhooked-the-chain/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) > [“you fight with what you have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/you-fight-with-what-you-have/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) > [“There was no tickle of breath as she held her face in front of the pilot’s.  He was dead.  Rachel sat back with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/there-was-no-tickle-of-breath-as-she-held-her-face-in-front-of-the/) [Dirk Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) [Explore all 45 Dirk Patton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/) ## More Gratitude quotes > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [“A treacherous President stood in the way; and it can be easily seen how reluctant good men might be to admit an apostasy which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/a-treacherous-president-stood-in-the-way-and-it-can-be-easily-seen/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [I listen to heavy metal thanks to my son. When I argue with him on the kind of music he is listening to, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeenat-aman/i-listen-to-heavy-metal-thanks-to-my-son-when-i-argue-with-him-on-the/) [Zeenat Aman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeenat-aman/) > [“Thanks for teaching us to talk. Thanks for teaching us to be of the world and in the world and to make our way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-isay/thanks-for-teaching-us-to-talk-thanks-for-teaching-us-to-be-of-the/) [Dave Isay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-isay/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I want to thank each and every one of you for having extinguished yourselves this session.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gib-lewis/i-want-to-thank-each-and-every-one-of-you-for-having-extinguished/) [Gib Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gib-lewis/) > [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Be in a state of gratitude for everything that shows up in your life. Be thankful for the storms as well as the smooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/be-in-a-state-of-gratitude-for-everything-that-shows-up-in-your-life/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [“Good Seeds! Gratitude is the Greatest Attitude that has no Substitute.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kelvin-clive/good-seeds-gratitude-is-the-greatest-attitude-that-has-no-substitute/) [Bernard Kelvin Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-kelvin-clive/) > [Man has an almost infinite capacity for taking things and people for granted and thereby missing out on the pleasure of being grateful that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/man-has-an-almost-infinite-capacity-for-taking-things-and-people-for/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [“and man, though idiotic, and knowing not what he does, yet full of the sweet things of love and gratitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/and-man-though-idiotic-and-knowing-not-what-he-does-yet-full-of-the/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) [Browse all 9,111 Gratitude quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Why the thanks so often felt hollow, as if it was little more than what people had been conditioned to say to someone in uniform without even giving what they were speaking a thought. “Thank”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dirk Patton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/why-the-thanks-so-often-felt-hollow-as-if-it-was-little-more-than/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gratitude" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/why-the-thanks-so-often-felt-hollow-as-if-it-was-little-more-than/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/dirk-patton-14812_gratitude_why-the-thanks-so-often-felt-hollow-as-i_2046921.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/dirk-patton-14812_gratitude_why-the-thanks-so-often-felt-hollow-as-i_2046921.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/dirk-patton-14812_gratitude_why-the-thanks-so-often-felt-hollow-as-i_2046921.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Why the thanks so often felt hollow, as if it was little more than what people had been conditioned to say…” — Dirk Patton", "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": "Dirk Patton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-patton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Why the thanks so often felt...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/why-the-thanks-so-often-felt-hollow-as-if-it-was-little-more-than/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-patton/why-the-thanks-so-often-felt-hollow-as-if-it-was-little-more-than/#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 } } ] } ```