--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes it's hard not to let other…" description: "\"“Sometimes it's hard not to let other people's misery seep into your own bones.”\" — Gilly Macmillan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/gilly-macmillan-23580_grief_sometimes-it-s-hard-not-to-let-other-peo_1563230.jpg" --- # Sometimes it's hard not to let other people's misery seep… ![“Sometimes it's hard not to let other people's misery seep into your own bones.” quote by Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/gilly-macmillan-23580_grief_sometimes-it-s-hard-not-to-let-other-peo_1563230.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/gilly-macmillan-23580_grief_sometimes-it-s-hard-not-to-let-other-peo_1563230.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/gilly-macmillan-23580_grief_sometimes-it-s-hard-not-to-let-other-peo_1563230.jpg) > ““Sometimes it's hard not to let other people's misery seep into your own bones.”” [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. It warns that others' suffering can emotionally affect you if you don't set boundaries. **In simple terms:** Other people's pain can affect you. Key Takeaway Guard your emotional health. Themes emotional health boundaries empathy Mood reflective cautious Type advice psychological When to use this quote - workplace stress - family gatherings - social media - conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology emotional contagion Questions to Reflect On - How do you protect yourself from others' negativity? - What signs show you're absorbing others' misery? A Different Perspective It may be hard to recognize subtle influences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Trauma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trauma/) ## Related quotes > [“I'm tired of being responsible for other people's misery. I can't even put up with my own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katja-millay/i-m-tired-of-being-responsible-for-other-people-s-misery-i-can-t-even/) [Katja Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katja-millay/) > [I follow married people because misery loves company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-follow-married-people-because-misery-loves-company/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know it's hard to let go of people that have been with you forever. Sometimes it's time to call it a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-williams/i-know-it-s-hard-to-let-go-of-people-that-have-been-with-you-forever/) [Wendy Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-williams/) > [Miserable people take misery every where they go. Happy people take happy everywhere they go. Who are you? Dont let misery fuck with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-wayans/miserable-people-take-misery-every-where-they-go-happy-people-take/) [Marlon Wayans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-wayans/) > [“Only miserable people give misery to others. A happy person will give (only) happiness to others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/only-miserable-people-give-misery-to-others-a-happy-person-will-give/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“Do not feel sorry for the bad luck of people, because behind everyone’s misery is their own stupidity and laziness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/do-not-feel-sorry-for-the-bad-luck-of-people-because-behind-everyone/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [People in misery is what most important in art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-yimou/people-in-misery-is-what-most-important-in-art/) [Zhang Yimou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-yimou/) > [“The estate had always been this way. A parade of people, joined together by tedium and curiosity, passing other people’s misery around between themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-cannon/the-estate-had-always-been-this-way-a-parade-of-people-joined/) [Joanna Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-cannon/) > [There is little consolation in the fact that millions of people are unhappier than we are. Why should other people's misery make us happier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/there-is-little-consolation-in-the-fact-that-millions-of-people-are/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [Its hard to let that feelin go when you love who you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian/its-hard-to-let-that-feelin-go-when-you-love-who-you-love/) [Adrian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian/) > [I do my best to come in and work hard and let everything else take care of itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-ariza/i-do-my-best-to-come-in-and-work-hard-and-let-everything-else-take/) [Trevor Ariza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-ariza/) > [It's hard to let go when someone is still holding on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serenity-karma/it-s-hard-to-let-go-when-someone-is-still-holding-on/) [Serenity Karma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serenity-karma/) > [I work too hard to let something affect me that's already happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-carter-williams/i-work-too-hard-to-let-something-affect-me-that-s-already-happened/) [Michael Carter-Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-carter-williams/) > [“But you, you can never do anything hard. And I let you be that way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/but-you-you-can-never-do-anything-hard-and-i-let-you-be-that-way/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Old habits are hard to let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/effy-stonem/old-habits-are-hard-to-let-go/) [Effy Stonem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/effy-stonem/) ## More by Gilly Macmillan > [“Really, I’ve never understood why we haven’t thought of an English word for Schadenfreude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/really-i-ve-never-understood-why-we-haven-t-thought-of-an-english/) [Gilly Macmillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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/) > [“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 Grief quotes > [“...they had lived, they'd lived intensely. But no matter how deeply you live, it comes to this in the end: one of you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-morton/they-had-lived-they-d-lived-intensely-but-no-matter-how-deeply-you/) [Brian Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-morton/) > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you're in a beautiful place and the sun is going down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thrity-umrigar/you-felt-a-deep-sorrow-the-kind-of-melancholy-you-feel-when-you-re-in/) [Thrity Umrigar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thrity-umrigar/) > [... how much of our inner substance is it good for us to give to public griefs? The whole modern tendency to agonize over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bogan/how-much-of-our-inner-substance-is-it-good-for-us-to-give-to-public/) [Louise Bogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bogan/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“When we learn to attribute meaning to the events in our lives, we connect with our Higher Purpose, Higher Wisdom, or Source; we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-barbara-apollon/when-we-learn-to-attribute-meaning-to-the-events-in-our-lives-we/) [Susan Barbara Apollon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-barbara-apollon/) > [Only to have a grief equal to all these tears!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/only-to-have-a-grief-equal-to-all-these-tears/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [Suppressed grief suffocates, it rages within the breast, and is forced to multiply its strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/suppressed-grief-suffocates-it-rages-within-the-breast-and-is-forced/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [That Woman is in love with her own grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/that-woman-is-in-love-with-her-own-grief/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Short time seems long in sorrow's sharp sustaining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/short-time-seems-long-in-sorrow-s-sharp-sustaining/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“You've been my beacon of light in my storm of grief, and I don't know if I could live without you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-ashley/you-ve-been-my-beacon-of-light-in-my-storm-of-grief-and-i-don-t-know/) [Katie Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-ashley/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) [Browse all 8,012 Grief quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sometimes it's hard not to let other people's misery seep into your own bones.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gilly Macmillan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/sometimes-it-s-hard-not-to-let-other-people-s-misery-seep-into-your/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Grief" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/sometimes-it-s-hard-not-to-let-other-people-s-misery-seep-into-your/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/gilly-macmillan-23580_grief_sometimes-it-s-hard-not-to-let-other-peo_1563230.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/gilly-macmillan-23580_grief_sometimes-it-s-hard-not-to-let-other-peo_1563230.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8a/gilly-macmillan-23580_grief_sometimes-it-s-hard-not-to-let-other-peo_1563230.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes it's hard not to let other people's misery seep into your own bones.” — 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": "“Sometimes it's hard not to let...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/sometimes-it-s-hard-not-to-let-other-people-s-misery-seep-into-your/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilly-macmillan/sometimes-it-s-hard-not-to-let-other-people-s-misery-seep-into-your/#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 } } ] } ```