---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The honest truth is that it was just…"
description: "\"The honest truth is that it was just traumatizing with the piano, with the authority of the piano teacher, getting rapped across the knuckles, and so w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/hans-zimmer-11401_authority_the-honest-truth-is-that-it-was-just-tra_1117652.jpg"
---

#  The honest truth is that it was just traumatizing with the…

![“The honest truth is that it was just traumatizing with the piano, with the authority of the piano teacher, getting rapped across the knuckles, and so whenever you put a piece of music in front of me, there's a Pavlovian reaction where it starts off.” quote by Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/hans-zimmer-11401_authority_the-honest-truth-is-that-it-was-just-tra_1117652.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/hans-zimmer-11401_authority_the-honest-truth-is-that-it-was-just-tra_1117652.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/hans-zimmer-11401_authority_the-honest-truth-is-that-it-was-just-tra_1117652.jpg)

> “The honest truth is that it was just traumatizing with the piano, with the authority of the piano teacher, getting rapped across the knuckles, and so whenever you put a piece of music in front of me, there's a Pavlovian reaction where it starts off.”

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The piano teacher's harsh discipline creates a conditioned, painful response to music.

**In simple terms:** Harsh teaching causes a negative reaction to music.

Key Takeaway

Address past trauma to enjoy music again.

Themes

trauma conditioning music authority

Mood

introspective empathetic

Type

psychological artistic

When to use this quote

- music therapy
- education
- personal healing
- performance anxiety

Key Concepts

psychology behavioral conditioning artistic expression

Questions to Reflect On

- What triggers your aversion to music?
- How can you reframe the piano experience positively?

A Different Perspective

Healing may require confronting past authority figures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Honest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest/) [Honest truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honest-truth/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Piano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/piano/) [Song](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/song/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Traumatizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traumatizing/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/)

## Related quotes

> [Ramones music has a Pavlovian effect on me - the song starts, and the world blurs around the sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/ramones-music-has-a-pavlovian-effect-on-me-the-song-starts-and-the/)

[Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/)

> [Music is indeed the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-van-beethoven/music-is-indeed-the-mediator-between-the-spiritual-and-the-sensual/)

[Ludwig van Beethoven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-van-beethoven/)

> [I have a piano in my living room that I mess around on a little bit and when I asked Len if I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-farrell/i-have-a-piano-in-my-living-room-that-i-mess-around-on-a-little-bit/)

[Colin Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-farrell/)

> [I started going to a piano teacher at 5 years old, but pretty soon I started picking things out on my own and stopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mose-allison/i-started-going-to-a-piano-teacher-at-5-years-old-but-pretty-soon-i/)

[Mose Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mose-allison/)

> [I love anything that gets me outside of my own head. I love music because it's really just - I tried to play piano…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/i-love-anything-that-gets-me-outside-of-my-own-head-i-love-music/)

[Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/)

> [I come from a musical family. Mom was a piano teacher for a large portion of her life, and Dad is a saxophone hobbyist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-cox/i-come-from-a-musical-family-mom-was-a-piano-teacher-for-a-large/)

Gerard Cox

> [I became really creative around the time I started understanding that people could be creative with music and that that was allowed. I stated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-angelakos/i-became-really-creative-around-the-time-i-started-understanding-that/)

[Michael Angelakos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-angelakos/)

> [There wasn't a lot of music in the home when I was growing up. We didn't have a piano or anything like that but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-brandis/there-wasn-t-a-lot-of-music-in-the-home-when-i-was-growing-up-we-didn/)

[George Brandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-brandis/)

> [I went through eight years of classical piano lessons without being able to read notes. I only have to hear a melody to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-howlett/i-went-through-eight-years-of-classical-piano-lessons-without-being/)

[Liam Howlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-howlett/)

> [Abortions can be, and frequently are, traumatizing, as are other invasive surgeries performed to the sexual and internal organs. All or any of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-a-levine/abortions-can-be-and-frequently-are-traumatizing-as-are-other/)

[Peter A. Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-a-levine/)

> [“Daddy, I want to be a pop singer when I grow up.’ There, it’s out, I’ve dared to voice my dream, to say it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viv-albertine/daddy-i-want-to-be-a-pop-singer-when-i-grow-up-there-it-s-out-i-ve/)

[Viv Albertine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viv-albertine/)

> [“He was the monster that no one thought to look for in the light of day. It was a common mistake. People often believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-roberts/he-was-the-monster-that-no-one-thought-to-look-for-in-the-light-of/)

[C.J. Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-roberts/)

> [Isolation is huge when you go through something traumatizing. You tend to want to isolate and kind of hide in your hole and kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bauman/isolation-is-huge-when-you-go-through-something-traumatizing-you-tend/)

[Jeff Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bauman/)

> [Even painless research is fascism, supremacism, because the act of confinement is traumatizing in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-newkirk/even-painless-research-is-fascism-supremacism-because-the-act-of/)

[Ingrid Newkirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-newkirk/)

> [“Winnicott’s understanding of the way experience can become traumatizing is quite different from Freud’s. Trauma for Winnicott is not just the introduction of something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-a-mitchell/winnicott-s-understanding-of-the-way-experience-can-become/)

[Stephen A. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-a-mitchell/)

## More by Hans Zimmer

> [What are you going to do when you are not saving the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/what-are-you-going-to-do-when-you-are-not-saving-the-world/)

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

> [The challenge in scoring a sequel is, how do you not get bored? The only way around that one is to go, "Okay, let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/the-challenge-in-scoring-a-sequel-is-how-do-you-not-get-bored-the/)

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

> [I've never had a real job in my life. I didn't learn anything, I was terrible at school. It was just this thing. Music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/i-ve-never-had-a-real-job-in-my-life-i-didn-t-learn-anything-i-was/)

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

> [The first thing I think about is music, and the last thing I think about is music. I'm like some Monk. I don't see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/the-first-thing-i-think-about-is-music-and-the-last-thing-i-think/)

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

> [I wake up around noon, light a cigarette, get a cup of coffee, sit in the bathtub for an hour and daydream, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/i-wake-up-around-noon-light-a-cigarette-get-a-cup-of-coffee-sit-in/)

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

> [I loved this idea of always being a foreigner. There's this thing where people bring cultures, bring the music together. I love it when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/i-loved-this-idea-of-always-being-a-foreigner-there-s-this-thing/)

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

> [Inspired music arises from an inspired movie which arises from an inspired script.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/inspired-music-arises-from-an-inspired-movie-which-arises-from-an/)

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

> [I have to give credit to Giorgio Moroder ; among the first to make us realize the importance of music in film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/i-have-to-give-credit-to-giorgio-moroder-among-the-first-to-make-us/)

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

> [I have all these computers and keyboards and synthesizers, and I rattle away. For instance, with The Lion King I wrote over four hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/i-have-all-these-computers-and-keyboards-and-synthesizers-and-i/)

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

> [All music is based in one way or the other, or influenced through the ages, on technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/all-music-is-based-in-one-way-or-the-other-or-influenced-through-the/)

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

> [What's the point of getting up in the morning unless you're gonna have an adventure? As the moments of our life are ticking away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/what-s-the-point-of-getting-up-in-the-morning-unless-you-re-gonna/)

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

> [Having the great opportunity on a daily basis to sit in front of a blank page is terrifying, and at the same time really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/having-the-great-opportunity-on-a-daily-basis-to-sit-in-front-of-a/)

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

> [Electronic music lends itself to an abstract way of storytelling, so it keeps evolving. Theres a whole movement truly driving music further and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/electronic-music-lends-itself-to-an-abstract-way-of-storytelling-so/)

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

> [The writing gets done away from the keyboard and away from the studio in my head, in solitude. And then I come in and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/the-writing-gets-done-away-from-the-keyboard-and-away-from-the-studio/)

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

> [I'm a geek and I'm a nerd, and I can listen into any piece of music. I think, I can usually tell you what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/i-m-a-geek-and-i-m-a-nerd-and-i-can-listen-into-any-piece-of-music-i/)

[Hans Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

[Explore all 60 Hans Zimmer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/)

## More Authority quotes

> [I don't believe in competitions between artists. This is insane. Who has the authority to say someone is better?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-don-t-believe-in-competitions-between-artists-this-is-insane-who/)

[Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/)

[Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/)

> [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/)

[Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/)

> [Throughout human history, as our species has faced the frightening, terrorizing fact that we do not know who we are, or where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/throughout-human-history-as-our-species-has-faced-the-frightening/)

[Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/)

> [“I'm of the age and immaturity level that I cannot give you my respect solely because you are older or ranked higher on an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-goros/i-m-of-the-age-and-immaturity-level-that-i-cannot-give-you-my-respect/)

[Erica Goros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-goros/)

> [In the end theologians are jealous of science, for they are aware that it has greater authority than do their own ways of finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-a-coyne/in-the-end-theologians-are-jealous-of-science-for-they-are-aware-that/)

[Jerry A. Coyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-a-coyne/)

> [Every wife ought to answer for her man. If the husband be engaged in a seditious club, or drinks mysterious healths, or be frugal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/every-wife-ought-to-answer-for-her-man-if-the-husband-be-engaged-in-a/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Miracles are like candles lit up until the sun rises, and then blown out. Therefore, I am amused when I hear sects and churches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/miracles-are-like-candles-lit-up-until-the-sun-rises-and-then-blown/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/)

[Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/)

> [The rationale which accompanies that imposition of male authority euphemistically referred to as 'the battle of the sexes' bears a certain resemblance to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/the-rationale-which-accompanies-that-imposition-of-male-authority/)

[Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/)

> [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/)

[Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/)

> [Sometimes it's easier for people who are in authority to be authoritarian, because people know where you stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/sometimes-it-s-easier-for-people-who-are-in-authority-to-be/)

[Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/)

> [The victory of Hamas is not only based on the corruption of the Palestinian Authority. Hamas has a vision and a program, and this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-haniyeh/the-victory-of-hamas-is-not-only-based-on-the-corruption-of-the/)

[Ismail Haniyeh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-haniyeh/)

[Browse all 4,003 Authority quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The honest truth is that it was just traumatizing with the piano, with the authority of the piano teacher, getting rapped across the knuckles, and so whenever you put a piece of music in front of me, there's a Pavlovian reaction where it starts off.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hans Zimmer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/the-honest-truth-is-that-it-was-just-traumatizing-with-the-piano-with/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Authority"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/the-honest-truth-is-that-it-was-just-traumatizing-with-the-piano-with/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/hans-zimmer-11401_authority_the-honest-truth-is-that-it-was-just-tra_1117652.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/hans-zimmer-11401_authority_the-honest-truth-is-that-it-was-just-tra_1117652.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b99/hans-zimmer-11401_authority_the-honest-truth-is-that-it-was-just-tra_1117652.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The honest truth is that it was just traumatizing with the piano, with the authority of the piano teacher…” — Hans Zimmer",
                "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": "Hans Zimmer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-zimmer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The honest truth is that it...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/the-honest-truth-is-that-it-was-just-traumatizing-with-the-piano-with/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-zimmer/the-honest-truth-is-that-it-was-just-traumatizing-with-the-piano-with/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
