--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Really, I’ve never understood why we…" description: "\"“Really, I’ve never understood why we haven’t thought of an English word for Schadenfreude.”\" — Gilly Macmillan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/gilly-macmillan-23580_schadenfreude_really-i-ve-never-understood-why-we-have_28853.jpg" --- # Really, I’ve never understood why we haven’t thought of an… ![“Really, I’ve never understood why we haven’t thought of an English word for Schadenfreude.” quote by Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/gilly-macmillan-23580_schadenfreude_really-i-ve-never-understood-why-we-have_28853.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/gilly-macmillan-23580_schadenfreude_really-i-ve-never-understood-why-we-have_28853.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/gilly-macmillan-23580_schadenfreude_really-i-ve-never-understood-why-we-have_28853.jpg) > ““Really, I’ve never understood why we haven’t thought of an English word for Schadenfreude.”” [Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Observes the lack of an English term for taking pleasure in others' misfortunes, highlighting a cultural lexical gap. **In simple terms:** Notes missing English word for Schadenfreude. Key Takeaway Language reflects cultural attitudes toward schadenfreude. Themes language culture psychology emotion lexicon Mood curious wry intellectual Type observation commentary When to use this quote - discussing idioms - teaching English - cross‑cultural communication - writing humor - psychology lectures Key Concepts schadenfreude semantic gaps social emotions Practical Applications - expanding vocabulary resources - creating educational content Questions to Reflect On - Why do some emotions lack precise terms? - How does naming affect perception? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Haven Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/haven-thought-420343/) [Schadenfreude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schadenfreude/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Thought English](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-english-420344/) [Word Schadenfreude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-schadenfreude-420342/) ## Related quotes > [“In the superficial activity of her life, she was all English. She even thought in English. But her long blanks and darkness of abstraction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/in-the-superficial-activity-of-her-life-she-was-all-english-she-even/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [There is nothing I can say that I haven't thought before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/there-is-nothing-i-can-say-that-i-haven-t-thought-before/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [I haven't thought about it. I'm not capable of deep thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-simms/i-haven-t-thought-about-it-i-m-not-capable-of-deep-thinking/) [Phil Simms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-simms/) > [I hate it when you can't stop thinking about that person and you know deep down inside you know they probably haven't thought about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beronica-limon/i-hate-it-when-you-can-t-stop-thinking-about-that-person-and-you-know/) [Beronica Limon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beronica-limon/) > [You're cutting my life into pieces...don't you notice that I cry everyday...? I thought you had cared, guess I was wrong...you have lost your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naquitta-faith/you-re-cutting-my-life-into-pieces-don-t-you-notice-that-i-cry/) [Naquitta Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naquitta-faith/) > [I hate it when you can't stop thinking about that one person. But deep down, you know they probably haven't thought about you once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-micah-rosales/i-hate-it-when-you-can-t-stop-thinking-about-that-one-person-but-deep/) [Maria Micah Rosales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-micah-rosales/) > [I'm gonna die but I haven't thought about retiring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/i-m-gonna-die-but-i-haven-t-thought-about-retiring/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [I hate it when you can't stop thinking about that person and deep down inside you know they probably haven't thought of about you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-it-when-you-can-t-stop-thinking-about-that-person-and-deep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [So I haven't thought about the critics for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-argento/so-i-haven-t-thought-about-the-critics-for-a-long-time/) [Dario Argento](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-argento/) > [I hate it when I can't stop thinking about that one person, and deep down inside, I know they probably haven't thought about me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-it-when-i-can-t-stop-thinking-about-that-one-person-and-deep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People respect unhappiness and find it especially hard to forgive success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-sagan/people-respect-unhappiness-and-find-it-especially-hard-to-forgive/) [Francoise Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-sagan/) > [We are all the judges and the judged, victims of the casual malice and fantasy of others, and ready sources of fantasy and malice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/we-are-all-the-judges-and-the-judged-victims-of-the-casual-malice-and/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [“The English feel schadenfreude even about themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/the-english-feel-schadenfreude-even-about-themselves/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [“Joy can span from the pleasure of others’ good fortune, what Buddhists call mudita, to the pleasure in others’ misfortune, what the Germans call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama-xiv/joy-can-span-from-the-pleasure-of-others-good-fortune-what-buddhists/) [Dalai Lama XIV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama-xiv/) > [“GRUBELEIEN: German word for a not entirely unpleasant form of brooding; a sort of inward directed schadenfreude, i.e., perverse delight in one's own troubles”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-winokur/grubeleien-german-word-for-a-not-entirely-unpleasant-form-of-brooding/) [Jon Winokur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-winokur/) ## More by Gilly Macmillan > [“The way she said his name, the tenderness in those two words, the loss, told me that it was Charlie who she mourned above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/the-way-she-said-his-name-the-tenderness-in-those-two-words-the-loss/) [Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/) > [“I should have celebrated my life as it was, imperfections, sadness, and all, and not forensically examined its faults.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/i-should-have-celebrated-my-life-as-it-was-imperfections-sadness-and/) [Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/) > [“the only life is a shadowy turbulence at the periphery of my vision, a fox perhaps,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/the-only-life-is-a-shadowy-turbulence-at-the-periphery-of-my-vision-a/) [Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/) > [“long odds don’t always make any difference at all. Somebody always makes up that small percentage of people to whom unlikely or desperate things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/long-odds-don-t-always-make-any-difference-at-all-somebody-always/) [Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/) > [“Outside, I take in the fact that the night is deeply dusky and warm, and that feels like a balm after the cold air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/outside-i-take-in-the-fact-that-the-night-is-deeply-dusky-and-warm/) [Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/) > [“it’s to do with not being able to let go of what Richard and I had, the perfect idea of us, even though our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/it-s-to-do-with-not-being-able-to-let-go-of-what-richard-and-i-had/) [Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/) > [“I should have celebrated my life as it was, imperfections, sadness and all, and not forensically examined its faults. Those faults were largely in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/i-should-have-celebrated-my-life-as-it-was-imperfections-sadness-and-2/) [Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/) > [“At home, in the empty flat, I wish more than anything that I had somebody who would come home to me tonight, somebody I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/at-home-in-the-empty-flat-i-wish-more-than-anything-that-i-had/) [Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/) > [“limit my answer because my trust in others has been eroded by what happened; of course it has. Within many of my relationships doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/limit-my-answer-because-my-trust-in-others-has-been-eroded-by-what/) [Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/) > [“What I know now is that even after the divorce I should simply have been grateful for what I had. I should have celebrated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/what-i-know-now-is-that-even-after-the-divorce-i-should-simply-have/) [Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/) > [“Our friendship didn’t survive. Some things are too big for other people to bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/our-friendship-didn-t-survive-some-things-are-too-big-for-other/) [Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/) > [“Instead, I count my blessings every day for my blemished, damaged family, which is full of love, and that is fine, and that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/instead-i-count-my-blessings-every-day-for-my-blemished-damaged/) [Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/) > [“laugh. How is it that manners are so strong that they pervade all situations?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/laugh-how-is-it-that-manners-are-so-strong-that-they-pervade-all/) [Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/) > [“Sometimes it's hard not to let other people's misery seep into your own bones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/sometimes-it-s-hard-not-to-let-other-people-s-misery-seep-into-your/) [Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/) > [“I’m tempted to walk away from this city and this life and this relationship that’s brought me the greatest feelings of joy but also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/i-m-tempted-to-walk-away-from-this-city-and-this-life-and-this/) [Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/) [Explore all 25 Gilly Macmillan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/) ## More Schadenfreude quotes > [“GRUBELEIEN: German word for a not entirely unpleasant form of brooding; a sort of inward directed schadenfreude, i.e., perverse delight in one's own troubles”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-winokur/grubeleien-german-word-for-a-not-entirely-unpleasant-form-of-brooding/) [Jon Winokur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-winokur/) > [“Joy can span from the pleasure of others’ good fortune, what Buddhists call mudita, to the pleasure in others’ misfortune, what the Germans call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama-xiv/joy-can-span-from-the-pleasure-of-others-good-fortune-what-buddhists/) [Dalai Lama XIV](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama-xiv/) > [“The English feel schadenfreude even about themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/the-english-feel-schadenfreude-even-about-themselves/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [We are all the judges and the judged, victims of the casual malice and fantasy of others, and ready sources of fantasy and malice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/we-are-all-the-judges-and-the-judged-victims-of-the-casual-malice-and/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [People respect unhappiness and find it especially hard to forgive success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-sagan/people-respect-unhappiness-and-find-it-especially-hard-to-forgive/) [Francoise Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-sagan/) > [“There are shades of schadenfreude. My favorite shade is bright red, from a haughty spanking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/there-are-shades-of-schadenfreude-my-favorite-shade-is-bright-red/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Ferocity occurs in all conditions save in joy. Schadenfreude, malicious joy, is a misrepresentation. To do evil is a pleasure, not a joy. Joy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/ferocity-occurs-in-all-conditions-save-in-joy-schadenfreude-malicious/) [Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/) > [“...No small amount of schadenfreude. Do you know what that means?" "Dad, it's the lifeline of gossip. Of course I know what it means.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cristina-garc-a/no-small-amount-of-schadenfreude-do-you-know-what-that-means-dad-it-s/) [Cristina Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cristina-garc-a/) > [“German had a lumbering, bull-in-china-shop feel, yet their culture gave birth to essential words that told much of what lay within: Schadenfreude, Angst, Weltschmerz—joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-benford/german-had-a-lumbering-bull-in-china-shop-feel-yet-their-culture-gave/) [Gregory Benford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-benford/) > [To hear that your neighbor was worse off than yourself was not an altogether unpleasant experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizette-woodworth-reese/to-hear-that-your-neighbor-was-worse-off-than-yourself-was-not-an/) [Lizette Woodworth Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizette-woodworth-reese/) > [To a generation beaten down by skyrocketing unemployment, plunging retirement savings, and mounting home foreclosures, 'Mad Men' offers the schadenfreude-filled message that their predecessors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-cohen/to-a-generation-beaten-down-by-skyrocketing-unemployment-plunging/) [Adam Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-cohen/) > [“Like you, the dead enjoy watching conflict. Schadenfreude thrills them, as do music and spectacle and loss. With the right mix, you can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-tan/like-you-the-dead-enjoy-watching-conflict-schadenfreude-thrills-them/) [Charles Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-tan/) > [The times are too difficult and the crisis too severe to indulge in schadenfreude. Looking at it in perspective, the fact that there would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-times-are-too-difficult-and-the-crisis-too-severe-to-indulge-in/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Since Madonna is positioned as always 'cooler than thou,' we all are primed for schadenfreude if something in her fabulous life goes amiss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/since-madonna-is-positioned-as-always-cooler-than-thou-we-all-are/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“Do you know, by the way, that German is the only language in the world that has a word for ‘pleasure derived from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dolan/do-you-know-by-the-way-that-german-is-the-only-language-in-the-world/) [John Dolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dolan/) [Browse all 35 Schadenfreude quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schadenfreude/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Really, I’ve never understood why we haven’t thought of an English word for Schadenfreude.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gilly Macmillan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/really-i-ve-never-understood-why-we-haven-t-thought-of-an-english/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Schadenfreude" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/really-i-ve-never-understood-why-we-haven-t-thought-of-an-english/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/gilly-macmillan-23580_schadenfreude_really-i-ve-never-understood-why-we-have_28853.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/gilly-macmillan-23580_schadenfreude_really-i-ve-never-understood-why-we-have_28853.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/de5/gilly-macmillan-23580_schadenfreude_really-i-ve-never-understood-why-we-have_28853.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Really, I’ve never understood why we haven’t thought of an English word for Schadenfreude.” — Gilly Macmillan", "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": "Gilly Macmillan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilly-macmillan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Really, I’ve never understood why we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/really-i-ve-never-understood-why-we-haven-t-thought-of-an-english/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/really-i-ve-never-understood-why-we-haven-t-thought-of-an-english/#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 } } ] } ```