--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In real life, when you have an emotional…" description: "\"In real life, when you have an emotional experience, it's never just because of the thing that's been said. There's the backstory. It's like [Ernest] H..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/999/george-saunders-317_currents_in-real-life-when-you-have-an-emotional_2358315.jpg" --- # In real life, when you have an emotional experience, it's… ![“In real life, when you have an emotional experience, it's never just because of the thing that's been said. There's the backstory. It's like [Ernest] Hemingway's iceberg theory - the current emotional moment is the tip of the iceberg and all of the past is the seven-eighths of the iceberg that's…” quote by George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/999/george-saunders-317_currents_in-real-life-when-you-have-an-emotional_2358315.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/999/george-saunders-317_currents_in-real-life-when-you-have-an-emotional_2358315.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/999/george-saunders-317_currents_in-real-life-when-you-have-an-emotional_2358315.jpg) > “In real life, when you have an emotional experience, it's never just because of the thing that's been said. There's the backstory. It's like \[Ernest\] Hemingway's iceberg theory - the current emotional moment is the tip of the iceberg and all of the past is the seven-eighths of the iceberg that's underwater.” [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emotions stem from deep, unseen histories, not just immediate words; context shapes feeling. **In simple terms:** Emotions are shaped by hidden past experiences. Key Takeaway Consider underlying stories behind reactions. Themes psychology communication empathy Mood reflective insightful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal relationships - writing - therapy - conflict resolution Key Concepts iceberg theory contextual emotion Questions to Reflect On - What hidden narratives affect your feelings? - How can you uncover the 'iceberg' in conversations? A Different Perspective Ignoring backstory leads to misinterpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Current Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/current-emotional-5765583/) [Currents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/currents/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Emotional Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional-experience/) [Emotional Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional-moment-1303631/) [Iceberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iceberg/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-emotional-1073646/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Seven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seven/) [Theory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theory/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Tip of the iceberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tip-of-the-iceberg/) [Underwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/underwater/) ## Related quotes > [Life is a very emotional experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/life-is-a-very-emotional-experience/) [Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/) > [If a writer of prose knows enough about what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/if-a-writer-of-prose-knows-enough-about-what-he-is-writing-about-he/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [What we do and accomplish is only the tip of the iceberg of what's possible for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-brown/what-we-do-and-accomplish-is-only-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-of-what-s/) [Les Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-brown/) > [Whats in the movie compared to what we shot is the tip of the iceberg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-richardson/whats-in-the-movie-compared-to-what-we-shot-is-the-tip-of-the-iceberg/) [Natasha Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-richardson/) > [Talking out loud to fictional characters is just the tip of the iceberg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/talking-out-loud-to-fictional-characters-is-just-the-tip-of-the/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The Fed cannot reduce inequality on its own; far from it. This requires a concerted effort by the government, broadly speaking, to support a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-epstein/the-fed-cannot-reduce-inequality-on-its-own-far-from-it-this-requires/) [Gerald Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-epstein/) > [The basic thing a man should know is how to change a tyre and how to drive a tractor. Whatever that bearded dude is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-olyphant/the-basic-thing-a-man-should-know-is-how-to-change-a-tyre-and-how-to/) [Timothy Olyphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-olyphant/) > [Power is no more than a part, no more than the tip of the iceberg of limitless profundity and sublimate of Karate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mas-oyama/power-is-no-more-than-a-part-no-more-than-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-of/) [Mas Oyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mas-oyama/) > [I've seen the tip of the iceberg and I worry about you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush/i-ve-seen-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-and-i-worry-about-you/) [Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush/) > [Journalists often ask me when I go to the field, 'What do you expect to find?' 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I always look at science and technology because I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-rhodes/i-m-fascinated-with-genetic-science-and-i-have-been-for-a-very-long/) [Nick Rhodes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-rhodes/) > [What I'm doing on stage now is just the tip of the iceberg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-watts/what-i-m-doing-on-stage-now-is-just-the-tip-of-the-iceberg/) [Reggie Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-watts/) > [Police violence is the tip of the iceberg when it relates to the conditions overall of black people across the globe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-garza/police-violence-is-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-when-it-relates-to-the/) [Alicia Garza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-garza/) > [Twenty-eight years ago, I created my first game on an Apple II in my bedroom closet at a time when the interactive entertainment industry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-garriott/twenty-eight-years-ago-i-created-my-first-game-on-an-apple-ii-in-my/) [Richard Garriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-garriott/) ## More by George Saunders > [Success is like a mountain in front of you that keeps growing. If you're not careful, it will take up your whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/success-is-like-a-mountain-in-front-of-you-that-keeps-growing-if-you/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Wow wow wow is all I can say! Remember how I always buy lunchtime Scratch-Off ticket? Have I said? Maybe did not say? Well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/wow-wow-wow-is-all-i-can-say-remember-how-i-always-buy-lunchtime/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“None of it was real; nothing was real. Everything was real; inconceivably real, infinitely dear. 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Think about Frank Sinatra, he says: born to sing. Think about Willie Mays: born to play ball.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/a-clinton-staffer-tells-me-his-theory-think-about-frank-sinatra-he/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [We try, we fail, we posture, we aspire, we pontificate - and then we age, shrink, die, and vanish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-try-we-fail-we-posture-we-aspire-we-pontificate-and-then-we-age/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. 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It's good for us to hear someone speak the irrational truth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-good-the-prophet-in-the-wilderness-may-do-is-incremental-and/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [We're in the transition between birth and death. 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You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [ The young man \[Turgot\] destined for an ecclesiastical career was placed within walls carefully designed to keep out all currents of new thought; his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dickson-white/the-young-man-turgot-destined-for-an-ecclesiastical-career-was-placed/) [Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dickson-white/) > [I take the seashell from my jeans pocket and rub my fingers across its silken, indented surface, shallow as my own open hand. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kenison/i-take-the-seashell-from-my-jeans-pocket-and-rub-my-fingers-across/) [Katrina Kenison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kenison/) > [Have the courage to go against the tide of current values that do not conform to the path of Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/have-the-courage-to-go-against-the-tide-of-current-values-that-do-not/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I earn my living by teaching film, mostly filmmaking but also teaching courses on current cinema. I'm interested in movies. I hope that's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-andersen/i-earn-my-living-by-teaching-film-mostly-filmmaking-but-also-teaching/) [Thom Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-andersen/) > [I think that's the beauty of the current setup, is that Legends is meant to be a bit of a revolving door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/i-think-that-s-the-beauty-of-the-current-setup-is-that-legends-is/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [The seed of your next artwork lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-seed-of-your-next-artwork-lies-embedded-in-the-imperfections-of/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [Combining the experience of a seasoned university president with the analysis of a respected legal scholar, Derek Bok explores what he concludes are 'signs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-h-t-rhodes/combining-the-experience-of-a-seasoned-university-president-with-the/) [Frank H. 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