--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The feelings that hurt most, the emotions…" description: "\"“The feelings that hurt most, the emotions that sting most, are those that are absurd: the longing for impossible things, precisely because they are im..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/fernando-pessoa-177_desire_the-feelings-that-hurt-most-the-emotions_2859242.jpg" --- # The feelings that hurt most, the emotions that sting most… ![“The feelings that hurt most, the emotions that sting most, are those that are absurd: the longing for impossible things, precisely because they are impossible; nostalgia for what never was; the desire for what could have been; regret over not being someone else; dissatisfaction with the world’s…” quote by Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/fernando-pessoa-177_desire_the-feelings-that-hurt-most-the-emotions_2859242.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/fernando-pessoa-177_desire_the-feelings-that-hurt-most-the-emotions_2859242.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/fernando-pessoa-177_desire_the-feelings-that-hurt-most-the-emotions_2859242.jpg) > ““The feelings that hurt most, the emotions that sting most, are those that are absurd: the longing for impossible things, precisely because they are impossible; nostalgia for what never was; the desire for what could have been; regret over not being someone else; dissatisfaction with the world’s existence.”” [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Absurd longing for impossible or unattainable things causes deep emotional pain. **In simple terms:** Impossible desires hurt the most. Key Takeaway Accept limits and find peace. Themes longing nostalgia regret existential angst Mood melancholic contemplative Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - artistic creation - therapeutic writing - mindfulness practice Key Concepts Philosophy psychology literary analysis Questions to Reflect On - What unattainable desire dominates your thoughts? - How can you transform regret into motivation? A Different Perspective Focusing on impossibility may hinder growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absurd Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd-longing-664782/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Emotions Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions-sting-3849107/) [Feelings Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings-hurt/) [Hurt Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt-emotions-225882/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) ## Related quotes > [“The feelings that hurt most, the motions that sting most, are those that are absurd; the longing for impossible things, precisely because they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/the-feelings-that-hurt-most-the-motions-that-sting-most-are-those/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [I care about him soo much...that I'm willing to let him go...because I'm afraid of being hurt. Too many emotions..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-care-about-him-soo-much-that-i-m-willing-to-let-him-go-because-i-m/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never back down from bullys stand up and fight back!because the more you run from them the more they going to hurt you with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenchqueen/never-back-down-from-bullys-stand-up-and-fight-back-because-the-more/) [Frenchqueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frenchqueen/) > [I wanted the next family to hurt, because you made my family hurt. Them emotions were still running in me... Whether I'm a rap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendrick-lamar/i-wanted-the-next-family-to-hurt-because-you-made-my-family-hurt-them/) [Kendrick Lamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendrick-lamar/) > [This is my story. look I can't stand acting like everything is ok everyday because is is far from perfect. I have been through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-is-my-story-look-i-can-t-stand-acting-like-everything-is-ok/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm cautious about catching feelings, being hurt too many times made me like that...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-cautious-about-catching-feelings-being-hurt-too-many-times-made/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Be the Inviter “When I began my speaking career, I designed and delivered motivational programs for children teaching them success skills for life. Before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/be-the-inviter-when-i-began-my-speaking-career-i-designed-and/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [“Abel flared his Grace and allowed the power to spark behind his eyes. “That is the second minor insult you’ve tossed my way. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tricia-skinner/abel-flared-his-grace-and-allowed-the-power-to-spark-behind-his-eyes/) [Tricia Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tricia-skinner/) > [Quite honestly, I'm the kind of person to get my feelings hurt over something somebody said on Twitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yara-shahidi/quite-honestly-i-m-the-kind-of-person-to-get-my-feelings-hurt-over/) [Yara Shahidi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yara-shahidi/) > [When I get my feelings hurt, or when things scare me, or freak out my sensibilities, or when my feathers get ruffled, it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-mcgowan/when-i-get-my-feelings-hurt-or-when-things-scare-me-or-freak-out-my/) [Rose McGowan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-mcgowan/) > [When someone says something and your feelings get hurt remember its not about you. Its almost never about you whatever someone says, its always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/when-someone-says-something-and-your-feelings-get-hurt-remember-its/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“...in a certain sense, it's harder for men to say no to sex than it is for women. When a woman says no, nobody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adelle-waldman/in-a-certain-sense-it-s-harder-for-men-to-say-no-to-sex-than-it-is/) [Adelle Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adelle-waldman/) > [“I’m sensitive. I’m nothing but a big ball of mushy sensitive stuff inside. Tell her, pumpkin.” “Your son is very sensitive,” I dutifully recited.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-scott/i-m-sensitive-i-m-nothing-but-a-big-ball-of-mushy-sensitive-stuff/) [Kylie Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-scott/) > [I'd forgotten how much feelings hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-scott/i-d-forgotten-how-much-feelings-hurt/) [Elizabeth Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-scott/) > [Im scared to fall in love again on the low…i dont like my feelings being hurt !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-scared-to-fall-in-love-again-on-the-low-i-dont-like-my-feelings/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Fernando Pessoa > [Everything interests me, but nothing holds me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/everything-interests-me-but-nothing-holds-me/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“If only, I feel now, if only I could be someone able to see all this as if he had no other relation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/if-only-i-feel-now-if-only-i-could-be-someone-able-to-see-all-this-as/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [What's given, in fact, always depends on the person or thing it's given to. A minor incident in the street brings the cook to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/what-s-given-in-fact-always-depends-on-the-person-or-thing-it-s-given/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Smell is a strange sight. It evokes sentimental landscapes through a sudden sketching of the subconscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/smell-is-a-strange-sight-it-evokes-sentimental-landscapes-through-a/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“Tudo vale a pena quando a alma não é pequena”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/tudo-vale-a-pena-quando-a-alma-n-o-pequena/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“no nostalgia hurts as much as nostalgia for things that never existed!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/no-nostalgia-hurts-as-much-as-nostalgia-for-things-that-never-existed/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [pg.9 "In my heart there's a peaceful anguish, and my calm is made of resignation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/pg-9-in-my-heart-there-s-a-peaceful-anguish-and-my-calm-is-made-of/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“The feelings that hurt most, the motions that sting most, are those that are absurd; the longing for impossible things, precisely because they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/the-feelings-that-hurt-most-the-motions-that-sting-most-are-those/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“I try to say what I feel Without thinking about what I feel. I try to place words right next to my idea So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/i-try-to-say-what-i-feel-without-thinking-about-what-i-feel-i-try-to/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Have you ever considered, beloved other, how invisible we are to each other? We look at each other without seeing. We listen to each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/have-you-ever-considered-beloved-other-how-invisible-we-are-to-each/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“To associate is to die. Only my consciousness of myself is real for me; other people are hazy phenomena in this consciousness, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/to-associate-is-to-die-only-my-consciousness-of-myself-is-real-for-me/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“When it comes to dreams, I’m no different from the errand boy and the seamstress. The only thing that distinguishes me from them is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/when-it-comes-to-dreams-i-m-no-different-from-the-errand-boy-and-the/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“No intelligent idea can gain general acceptance unless some stupidity is mixed in with it. Collective thought is stupid because it’s collective. Nothing passes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/no-intelligent-idea-can-gain-general-acceptance-unless-some-stupidity/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [God gave the sea the danger and the abyss, but it was in it that He mirrored the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/god-gave-the-sea-the-danger-and-the-abyss-but-it-was-in-it-that-he/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“Everything that surrounds us becomes part of us, it seeps into us with every experience of the flesh and of life and, like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/everything-that-surrounds-us-becomes-part-of-us-it-seeps-into-us-with/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) [Explore all 781 Fernando Pessoa quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) ## More Desire 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The feelings that hurt most, the emotions that sting most, are those that are absurd: the longing for impossible things, precisely because they are impossible; nostalgia for what never was; the desire for what could have been; regret over not being someone else; dissatisfaction with the world’s existence.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fernando Pessoa" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/the-feelings-that-hurt-most-the-emotions-that-sting-most-are-those/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Desire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/the-feelings-that-hurt-most-the-emotions-that-sting-most-are-those/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/fernando-pessoa-177_desire_the-feelings-that-hurt-most-the-emotions_2859242.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/fernando-pessoa-177_desire_the-feelings-that-hurt-most-the-emotions_2859242.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9f/fernando-pessoa-177_desire_the-feelings-that-hurt-most-the-emotions_2859242.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The feelings that hurt most, the emotions that sting most, are those that are absurd: the longing for…” — Fernando Pessoa", "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": "Fernando Pessoa", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The feelings that hurt most, the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/the-feelings-that-hurt-most-the-emotions-that-sting-most-are-those/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/the-feelings-that-hurt-most-the-emotions-that-sting-most-are-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 } } ] } ```