--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is not that the Englishman can't…" description: "\"It is not that the Englishman can't feel-it is that he is afraid to feel. He has been taught at his public school that feeling is bad form. He must not..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/e-m-forster-1118_englishmen_it-is-not-that-the-englishman-can-t-feel_3161600.png" --- # It is not that the Englishman can't feel-it is that he is… ![“It is not that the Englishman can't feel-it is that he is afraid to feel. He has been taught at his public school that feeling is bad form. He must not express great joy or sorrow, or even open his mouth too wide when he talks-his pipe might fall out if he did.” quote by E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/e-m-forster-1118_englishmen_it-is-not-that-the-englishman-can-t-feel_3161600.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/e-m-forster-1118_englishmen_it-is-not-that-the-englishman-can-t-feel_3161600.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/e-m-forster-1118_englishmen_it-is-not-that-the-englishman-can-t-feel_3161600.png) > “It is not that the Englishman can't feel-it is that he is afraid to feel. He has been taught at his public school that feeling is bad form. He must not express great joy or sorrow, or even open his mouth too wide when he talks-his pipe might fall out if he did.” [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. English society suppresses genuine emotion, teaching restraint as propriety, which limits authentic expression. **In simple terms:** English culture discourages feeling. Key Takeaway Allow yourself true emotions. Themes social restraint emotional repression cultural norms Mood reflective somber Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - personal relationships - mental health counseling Key Concepts Victorian values masculine stoicism education systems Questions to Reflect On - Why do we fear showing deep emotions? - Can vulnerability improve connections? A Different Perspective Cultural expectations may conflict with personal authenticity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afraid Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid-feel-231045/) [Englishman Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/englishman-feel-5717091/) [Englishmen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/englishmen/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel/) [Feel Afraid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-afraid/) [Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Great joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-joy/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Mouths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mouths/) [Pipe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pipe/) [Public school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-school/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Social justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-justice/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Wide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wide/) ## Related quotes > [“He promised to take care of me, and yet I feel afraid. I feel like something is going wrong, very wrong, and that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/he-promised-to-take-care-of-me-and-yet-i-feel-afraid-i-feel-like/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [Because poets feel what we're afraid to feel, venture where we're reluctant to go, we learn from their journeys without taking the same dramatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/because-poets-feel-what-we-re-afraid-to-feel-venture-where-we-re/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [...the true spirit of gastronomic joylessness. Porridge fills the Englishman up, and prunes clear him out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/the-true-spirit-of-gastronomic-joylessness-porridge-fills-the/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Have you try to feel something feels so good, but you've afraid to feel good about it.?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evergreen-d/have-you-try-to-feel-something-feels-so-good-but-you-ve-afraid-to/) [Evergreen D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evergreen-d/) > [“don't be afraid to feel sad, love, anger or pain because that is what makes you human.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sirak-tsegai/don-t-be-afraid-to-feel-sad-love-anger-or-pain-because-that-is-what/) [Sirak Tsegai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sirak-tsegai/) > [“Never be afraid to feel. It’s the only way to really live. If you don’t feel, there is no way you can love, heal,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-shea/never-be-afraid-to-feel-it-s-the-only-way-to-really-live-if-you-don-t/) [Rebecca Shea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-shea/) > [If u realize that God is stands beside u when others cast stones u will never be afraid, never feel worthless & never feel alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhiess-krieg/if-u-realize-that-god-is-stands-beside-u-when-others-cast-stones-u/) [Jhiess Krieg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhiess-krieg/) > [Sometimes I feel like there is so much to be afraid of, and sometimes I feel like there is nothing left to fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/sometimes-i-feel-like-there-is-so-much-to-be-afraid-of-and-sometimes/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“Sexy does not have to be slutty. Don't be afraid to feel comfortable in your own skin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlet-rose/sexy-does-not-have-to-be-slutty-don-t-be-afraid-to-feel-comfortable/) [Scarlet Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlet-rose/) > [I gave myself permission to feel and experience all of my emotions. In order to do that, I had to stop being afraid to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/i-gave-myself-permission-to-feel-and-experience-all-of-my-emotions-in/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [Theres two kinds of people, those who try and those who dont And only time will tell which one you were And its alright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-fray/theres-two-kinds-of-people-those-who-try-and-those-who-dont-and-only/) [The Fray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-fray/) > [Don't be afraid to feel as angry or as loving as you can, because when you feel nothing, it's just death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-horne/don-t-be-afraid-to-feel-as-angry-or-as-loving-as-you-can-because-when/) [Lena Horne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena-horne/) > [I never reread what I've written. I'm far too afraid to feel ashamed of what I've done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-never-reread-what-i-ve-written-i-m-far-too-afraid-to-feel-ashamed/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [..."We were the pair. One too afraid to feel anything lest she lose control of her ironclad hold on her emotions, and the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/we-were-the-pair-one-too-afraid-to-feel-anything-lest-she-lose/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [“…she was afraid of how he made her feel, because he made her feel way too much”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-dell/she-was-afraid-of-how-he-made-her-feel-because-he-made-her-feel-way/) [Justine Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-dell/) ## More by E. M. Forster > [Do not be proud of your inconsistency. It is a pity, it is a pity that we should be equipped like this. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/do-not-be-proud-of-your-inconsistency-it-is-a-pity-it-is-a-pity-that/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Reverence is fatal to literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/reverence-is-fatal-to-literature/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [This element of surprise or mystery - the detective element as it is sometimes rather emptily called - is of great importance in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/this-element-of-surprise-or-mystery-the-detective-element-as-it-is/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [It is so difficult - at least, I find it difficult - to understand people who speak the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/it-is-so-difficult-at-least-i-find-it-difficult-to-understand-people/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Railway termini are our gates to the glorious and the unknown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/railway-termini-are-our-gates-to-the-glorious-and-the-unknown/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Ah, but you see, I didn't want to be fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/ah-but-you-see-i-didn-t-want-to-be-fair/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [The final test for a novel will be our affection for it, as it is the test of our friends, and of anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/the-final-test-for-a-novel-will-be-our-affection-for-it-as-it-is-the/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [America is rather like life. You can usually find in it what you look for It will probably be interesting, and it is sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/america-is-rather-like-life-you-can-usually-find-in-it-what-you-look/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [A critic has no right to the narrowness which is the frequent prerogative of the creative artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/a-critic-has-no-right-to-the-narrowness-which-is-the-frequent/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [All men are equal — all men, that is to say, who possess umbrellas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/all-men-are-equal-all-men-that-is-to-say-who-possess-umbrellas/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Before the civil war, Pottibakia was a normal member of the Comity of Nations. She erected tariff walls, broke treaties, persecuted minorities, obstructed at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/before-the-civil-war-pottibakia-was-a-normal-member-of-the-comity-of/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Chess is a forcing house where the fruits of character can ripen more fully than in life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/chess-is-a-forcing-house-where-the-fruits-of-character-can-ripen-more/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [I distrust Great Men... I believe in aristocracy, though... Its members are to be found in all nations and classes, and all through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/i-distrust-great-men-i-believe-in-aristocracy-though-its-members-are/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Liking one person is an extra reason for liking another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/liking-one-person-is-an-extra-reason-for-liking-another/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [We are not concerned with the very poor. They are unthinkable, and only to be approached by the statistician or the poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/we-are-not-concerned-with-the-very-poor-they-are-unthinkable-and-only/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) [Explore all 287 E. M. Forster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) ## More Englishmen quotes > [“This spending of the best part of one's life earning money in order to enjoy a questionable liberty during the least valuable part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-spending-of-the-best-part-of-one-s-life-earning-money-in-order/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [My motto is "Unite now, today if you can; fight if you must. But in every case avoid British intervention."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/my-motto-is-unite-now-today-if-you-can-fight-if-you-must-but-in-every/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [By education I am an Englishman, by views an internationalist, by culture a Muslim and a Hindu only by accident of birth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jawaharlal-nehru/by-education-i-am-an-englishman-by-views-an-internationalist-by/) [Jawaharlal Nehru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jawaharlal-nehru/) > [ The fact that an Englishman has an Argentinian as an idol is very rare. I keep watching my \[title-winning\] goal against QPR and every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-aguero/the-fact-that-an-englishman-has-an-argentinian-as-an-idol-is-very/) [Sergio Aguero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-aguero/) > [The collectors of revenue and the policeman are the only symbols by which millions in India's villages know British rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-collectors-of-revenue-and-the-policeman-are-the-only-symbols-by/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I am by nature the most intolerant and insular Englishman... 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You may learn another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikes/remember-that-those-five-hundred-words-an-average-englishman-uses-are/) [George Mikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikes/) > [Personally I crave not for 'independence', which I do not understand, but I long for freedom from the English yoke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/personally-i-crave-not-for-independence-which-i-do-not-understand-but/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [ I think it impossible, utterly impossible, for any Englishman to live here \[in America\], and be happy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-think-it-impossible-utterly-impossible-for-any-englishman-to-live/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [My love of the British is equal to that of my own people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/my-love-of-the-british-is-equal-to-that-of-my-own-people/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [Here the Frenchman, Spaniard, and Englishman all passed, leaving each his legend; and a brilliant and more or less feudal civilization with its aristocracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hervey-allen/here-the-frenchman-spaniard-and-englishman-all-passed-leaving-each/) [Hervey Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hervey-allen/) > [Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/mad-dogs-and-englishmen-go-out-in-the-mid-day-sun/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) [Browse all 395 Englishmen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/englishmen/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is not that the Englishman can't feel-it is that he is afraid to feel. 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