--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seemed awful that the only things she…" description: "\"“It seemed awful that the only things she knew about him were those that made him miserable.”\" — Elizabeth Jane Howard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/elizabeth-jane-howard-13147_awful_it-seemed-awful-that-the-only-things-she_405414.jpg" --- # It seemed awful that the only things she knew about him… ![“It seemed awful that the only things she knew about him were those that made him miserable.” quote by Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/elizabeth-jane-howard-13147_awful_it-seemed-awful-that-the-only-things-she_405414.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/elizabeth-jane-howard-13147_awful_it-seemed-awful-that-the-only-things-she_405414.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/elizabeth-jane-howard-13147_awful_it-seemed-awful-that-the-only-things-she_405414.jpg) > ““It seemed awful that the only things she knew about him were those that made him miserable.”” [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Knowing only a person's flaws can skew perception, reducing them to misery. **In simple terms:** Focusing on negatives clouds our view of others. Key Takeaway Seek a balanced view of people. Themes perception relationships empathy Mood thoughtful empathetic Type literary observational When to use this quote - dating - family dynamics - friendship - workplace interactions Key Concepts Psychological bias character study Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of a person do you overlook? - How can you appreciate someone's strengths? A Different Perspective People are complex; focusing solely on negatives is unfair. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Miserable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miserable/) ## Related quotes > [“I hated him for not being depressed. He seemed a fool-- everyone who didn't feel like me was a fool. I alone knew the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/i-hated-him-for-not-being-depressed-he-seemed-a-fool-everyone-who/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [Nobody has had more awful things written about them than me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigitte-nielsen/nobody-has-had-more-awful-things-written-about-them-than-me/) [Brigitte Nielsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigitte-nielsen/) > [“People have to do awful things for money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/people-have-to-do-awful-things-for-money/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [I'm fascinated by the awful, awful things that human beings do to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/i-m-fascinated-by-the-awful-awful-things-that-human-beings-do-to-each/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [It's just a big excuse to say awful things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/it-s-just-a-big-excuse-to-say-awful-things/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [I assure you that some of the most awesome things God has ever done for me have come out of the most awful things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/i-assure-you-that-some-of-the-most-awesome-things-god-has-ever-done/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I accept that people are going to call me awful things every day, and I will always defend their right to do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-accept-that-people-are-going-to-call-me-awful-things-every-day-and/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [And I sing and sing of awful things The pleasure that my sadness brings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/and-i-sing-and-sing-of-awful-things-the-pleasure-that-my-sadness/) [Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/) > [“Regret, Joss. Regret does awful things to a person.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-young/regret-joss-regret-does-awful-things-to-a-person/) [Samantha Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-young/) > [“There's a funny thing I've noticed about life. When you really dread something, it turns out not to be so bad. It's the unexpected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-a-funny-thing-i-ve-noticed-about-life-when-you-really-dread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Personally I believe sometimes ugly things happen to good people and sometimes good people do awful things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-parker/personally-i-believe-sometimes-ugly-things-happen-to-good-people-and/) [Scott Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-parker/) > [There are two responses to really awful things. One is to lament and say, "Oh my God, oh lord." And the other is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcbride/there-are-two-responses-to-really-awful-things-one-is-to-lament-and/) [James McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcbride/) > [Here I am, a product of something really vicious, product of the Atlantic slave trade. And yet, I give nary a thought to some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/here-i-am-a-product-of-something-really-vicious-product-of-the/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [“To see the awful things is to see life as it really is. It makes you sharper, stronger, superior. You can stand it when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-bear/to-see-the-awful-things-is-to-see-life-as-it-really-is-it-makes-you/) [Greg Bear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-bear/) > [Sometimes awful things have their own beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/sometimes-awful-things-have-their-own-beauty/) [Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/) ## More by Elizabeth Jane Howard > [“Why do these big old country houses always have family portraits in the dining room? Do you really want to eat with someone's gloomy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/why-do-these-big-old-country-houses-always-have-family-portraits-in/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) > [A rainy day is like a lovely gift -- you can sleep late and not feel guilty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/a-rainy-day-is-like-a-lovely-gift-you-can-sleep-late-and-not-feel/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) > [“Sex on a rainy afternoon is like getting all the gloom and wetness to go away for a while. And afterwards you don't even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/sex-on-a-rainy-afternoon-is-like-getting-all-the-gloom-and-wetness-to/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) > [I have lived my life in the slipstream of experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/i-have-lived-my-life-in-the-slipstream-of-experience/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) > [“You can't oversleep if you don't make plans to wake up early.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/you-can-t-oversleep-if-you-don-t-make-plans-to-wake-up-early/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) > [“Charity couldn't bring herself to cry on Lady Beddington's shoulder -- not until after she'd mopped up a plate or two of spaghetti with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/charity-couldn-t-bring-herself-to-cry-on-lady-beddington-s-shoulder/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) > [“Sir Humphrey looked like a sleepy old hippo -- and when he yawned in that big, big, hippopotamus way Charity couldn't help doing likewise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/sir-humphrey-looked-like-a-sleepy-old-hippo-and-when-he-yawned-in/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) > [“Sir Humphrey's stories about Africa made Charity feel exactly like one of his stuffed trophy heads -- lifeless and glassy eyed. The only difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/sir-humphrey-s-stories-about-africa-made-charity-feel-exactly-like/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) > [Holidays were invented so single women could overeat without feeling guilty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/holidays-were-invented-so-single-women-could-overeat-without-feeling/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) > [You can't run from feelings, Charity. You have to face them. Otherwise your future will look just like your past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/you-can-t-run-from-feelings-charity-you-have-to-face-them-otherwise/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) > [It's not a luxury if you can't do without it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/it-s-not-a-luxury-if-you-can-t-do-without-it/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) > [“What I like about limousines is they have tinted windows, so no-one can see if you're snogging in the back seat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/what-i-like-about-limousines-is-they-have-tinted-windows-so-no-one/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) > [“Men will consider deeply before they buy a tie or choose a meal; but when it comes to throwing aside their purpose in life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/men-will-consider-deeply-before-they-buy-a-tie-or-choose-a-meal-but/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) > [“She looked as though everything that she didn't like had happened to her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/she-looked-as-though-everything-that-she-didn-t-like-had-happened-to/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) > [A massage is just like a movie, really relaxing and a total escape, except in a massage you're the star. And you don't miss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/a-massage-is-just-like-a-movie-really-relaxing-and-a-total-escape/) [Elizabeth Jane Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) [Explore all 51 Elizabeth Jane Howard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/) ## More Awful quotes > [It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-must-be-that-i-am-dreaming-and-that-i-shall-awaken-in-a-moment-to/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [I spent two years in Palo Alto - what an awful, suffocating place for those of us who don't care about yoga, yogurts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/i-spent-two-years-in-palo-alto-what-an-awful-suffocating-place-for/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [Layla brought her arms around herself, no doubt because she was remembering the feel of another, stronger set. "I have wanted to, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/layla-brought-her-arms-around-herself-no-doubt-because-she-was/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [You've seen the first issue and what happened in the last page. Some pretty awful stuff. I don't know why I seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-shalvey/you-ve-seen-the-first-issue-and-what-happened-in-the-last-page-some/) [Declan Shalvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-shalvey/) > [It is not like studying German, where you mull along, in a groping, uncertain way, for thirty years; and at last, just as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-not-like-studying-german-where-you-mull-along-in-a-groping/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [There was a special challenge in describing the awful childhood of a person who happens to be my own husband. It was very painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-stephenson/there-was-a-special-challenge-in-describing-the-awful-childhood-of-a/) [Pamela Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-stephenson/) > [On balance the moral influence of religion has been awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/on-balance-the-moral-influence-of-religion-has-been-awful/) [Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/) > [When you finish a poem, it clicks shut like the top of a jewel box, but prose is endless. I haven't experienced an awful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-koch/when-you-finish-a-poem-it-clicks-shut-like-the-top-of-a-jewel-box-but/) [Kenneth Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-koch/) > [Fascism: awful stench of saw and axe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-leiris/fascism-awful-stench-of-saw-and-axe/) [Michel Leiris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-leiris/) > [No one with a bad tie is getting my vote. Some Lib Dems wear the most shockingly awful ties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-fox/no-one-with-a-bad-tie-is-getting-my-vote-some-lib-dems-wear-the-most/) [Freddie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-fox/) > [“Here she was back in the brightly lit world she had been avoiding for twenty years, and it was exactly as awful as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-charles-wilson/here-she-was-back-in-the-brightly-lit-world-she-had-been-avoiding-for/) [Robert Charles Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-charles-wilson/) > [I'm pretty indiscriminating, and I have awful taste, generally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/i-m-pretty-indiscriminating-and-i-have-awful-taste-generally/) [Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/) > [The blessed Religion revealed in the word of God will remain an eternal and awful monument to prove that the best Institution may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-blessed-religion-revealed-in-the-word-of-god-will-remain-an/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [“I am awful. I am heartless. I am scared that these things are actually true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-am-awful-i-am-heartless-i-am-scared-that-these-things-are-actually/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Democracy is an awful way to run a country, but it's the best system we have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/democracy-is-an-awful-way-to-run-a-country-but-it-s-the-best-system/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) Browse all 1,826 Awful quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It seemed awful that the only things she knew about him were those that made him miserable.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elizabeth Jane Howard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/it-seemed-awful-that-the-only-things-she-knew-about-him-were-those/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Awful" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/it-seemed-awful-that-the-only-things-she-knew-about-him-were-those/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/elizabeth-jane-howard-13147_awful_it-seemed-awful-that-the-only-things-she_405414.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/elizabeth-jane-howard-13147_awful_it-seemed-awful-that-the-only-things-she_405414.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f8/elizabeth-jane-howard-13147_awful_it-seemed-awful-that-the-only-things-she_405414.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It seemed awful that the only things she knew about him were those that made him miserable.” — Elizabeth Jane Howard", "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": "Elizabeth Jane Howard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-jane-howard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It seemed awful that the only...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/it-seemed-awful-that-the-only-things-she-knew-about-him-were-those/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-jane-howard/it-seemed-awful-that-the-only-things-she-knew-about-him-were-those/#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 } } ] } ```