---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing is an easy thing to feel but a…"
description: "\"“Nothing is an easy thing to feel but a difficult thing to express (pg 20).”\" — Hilary Thayer Hamann"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f49/hilary-thayer-hamann-14252_difficult_nothing-is-an-easy-thing-to-feel-but-a-d_721064.png"
---

#  Nothing is an easy thing to feel but a difficult thing to…

![“Nothing is an easy thing to feel but a difficult thing to express (pg 20).” quote by Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f49/hilary-thayer-hamann-14252_difficult_nothing-is-an-easy-thing-to-feel-but-a-d_721064.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f49/hilary-thayer-hamann-14252_difficult_nothing-is-an-easy-thing-to-feel-but-a-d_721064.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f49/hilary-thayer-hamann-14252_difficult_nothing-is-an-easy-thing-to-feel-but-a-d_721064.png)

> ““Nothing is an easy thing to feel but a difficult thing to express (pg 20).””

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

## About This Quote

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

Feeling is easy, but articulating those feelings is challenging, highlighting a gap between emotion and expression.

**In simple terms:** Emotions are easy, expression is hard.

Key Takeaway

Practice expressing feelings clearly.

Themes

emotional intelligence communication vulnerability

Mood

introspective empathetic

Type

self‑help literary

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- therapy
- creative writing

Key Concepts

expressive writing psychological insight

Questions to Reflect On

- What emotions do you struggle to voice?
- How can you create safe spaces for expression?

A Different Perspective

Expressing feelings may still feel unsafe for some.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Difficult thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-thing/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/)

## Related quotes

> [“Having to talk to people was the one thing, but soliciting conversation was something else. If I acted squirmy or didn't make eye contact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/having-to-talk-to-people-was-the-one-thing-but-soliciting/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

> [That is the most difficult thing: to feel that you are useless, not worth as much as before, not worth as much as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkay-gundogan/that-is-the-most-difficult-thing-to-feel-that-you-are-useless-not/)

[Ilkay Gundogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkay-gundogan/)

> [All of US sometimes feel that one of the most difficult things in the world is to talk to US about US in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-i/all-of-us-sometimes-feel-that-one-of-the-most-difficult-things-in-the/)

T.I

> [When you grow up with constantly being told or made to feel that you are less than, then it's very difficult to grow into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-somerville/when-you-grow-up-with-constantly-being-told-or-made-to-feel-that-you/)

[Jimmy Somerville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-somerville/)

> [My character should not be ordinary, cliched, and if I feel that it's difficult to do this character, I take up that challenge to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawazuddin-siddiqui/my-character-should-not-be-ordinary-cliched-and-if-i-feel-that-it-s/)

[Nawazuddin Siddiqui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nawazuddin-siddiqui/)

> [If you do not know what you feel, then it is difficult to choose love; it is better to fall. Then you do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/if-you-do-not-know-what-you-feel-then-it-is-difficult-to-choose-love/)

[Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [I honestly feel, that difficult periods can be used as a means for radical rethinking and reconnection with some of the fundamental qualities that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-english/i-honestly-feel-that-difficult-periods-can-be-used-as-a-means-for/)

[Lawrence English](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-english/)

> [I think when you have to deal with everyone else's expectation and it's not in line with how you feel, that's difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-rose/i-think-when-you-have-to-deal-with-everyone-else-s-expectation-and-it/)

[Justin Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-rose/)

> [It didn't feel difficult at the time because I was so charged up about both books. Afterward, however, I was pretty tired. In a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kellerman/it-didn-t-feel-difficult-at-the-time-because-i-was-so-charged-up/)

[Jonathan Kellerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kellerman/)

> [I like to wear my dad's shoes to auditions as sort of a lucky thing. I feel like I'm on solid ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-pullman/i-like-to-wear-my-dad-s-shoes-to-auditions-as-sort-of-a-lucky-thing-i/)

[Bill Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-pullman/)

> [Hollywood is a strange, strange thing. I feel like I've been invited to a very exclusive ball and I'm just trying to make nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-criss/hollywood-is-a-strange-strange-thing-i-feel-like-i-ve-been-invited-to/)

[Darren Criss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-criss/)

> [I think the most difficult thing had been scaling the infrastructure. Trying to support the response we had received from our users and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-fanning/i-think-the-most-difficult-thing-had-been-scaling-the-infrastructure/)

[Shawn Fanning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-fanning/)

> [Moderation, we find, is an extremely difficult thing to get in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/moderation-we-find-is-an-extremely-difficult-thing-to-get-in-this/)

[Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/)

> [Maintaining marriage seems to be tougher than fatherhood: apparently its the most difficult thing in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-slater/maintaining-marriage-seems-to-be-tougher-than-fatherhood-apparently/)

[Kelly Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-slater/)

> [“The most difficult thing is to admit ourselves, and the best proof is our strength and patience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/the-most-difficult-thing-is-to-admit-ourselves-and-the-best-proof-is/)

[P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-s-jagadeesh-kumar/)

## More by Hilary Thayer Hamann

> [“Hell is only loneliness, a place without play for the soul, a place without God. How could there be God in loneliness when God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/hell-is-only-loneliness-a-place-without-play-for-the-soul-a-place/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

> [“Having to talk to people was the one thing, but soliciting conversation was something else. If I acted squirmy or didn't make eye contact,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/having-to-talk-to-people-was-the-one-thing-but-soliciting/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

> [“I shook my head. I couldn't remember the time before, or the way it used to be. There were things we used to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/i-shook-my-head-i-couldn-t-remember-the-time-before-or-the-way-it/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

> [“Why remain polite but powerless, in love but a beggar?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/why-remain-polite-but-powerless-in-love-but-a-beggar/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

> [“They were sorting, or classifying. It's easy-anyone dressed funny is the enemy, especially if they reject your supremacy or do not acknowledge school as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/they-were-sorting-or-classifying-it-s-easy-anyone-dressed-funny-is/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

> [“The families of graduating seniors emptied out of cars, sheepish in uncommon splendor, like milling clans at the origin of a parade. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/the-families-of-graduating-seniors-emptied-out-of-cars-sheepish-in/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

> [And loneliness. I should say something of loneliness. The panic, the sweeping hysteria that comes not when you are without others, but when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/and-loneliness-i-should-say-something-of-loneliness-the-panic-the/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

> [“My mother refuses to go into the ocean. She respects it, she says, which is basically the same as saying she's afraid. I go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/my-mother-refuses-to-go-into-the-ocean-she-respects-it-she-says-which/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

> [“The unusual thing about quiet is that when you seek it, it is almost impossible to achieve. When you strive for quiet, you become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/the-unusual-thing-about-quiet-is-that-when-you-seek-it-it-is-almost/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

> [“I liked the idea of marking the place where a life ends as opposed to the place a corpse is buried. And also the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/i-liked-the-idea-of-marking-the-place-where-a-life-ends-as-opposed-to/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

> [“My hand reaches for his eye. He does not pull away but breathes into my touch. His normal lid drifts closed, and beneath my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/my-hand-reaches-for-his-eye-he-does-not-pull-away-but-breathes-into/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

> [“Envy is awful. Unlike jealousy, which comes from the threat of losing what you cherish, envy is a dark desire for things over which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/envy-is-awful-unlike-jealousy-which-comes-from-the-threat-of-losing/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

> [“Jocks were pretty much exempt from the standards that bound the rest of us. Teachers and administrators humor them because it's in everyone's interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/jocks-were-pretty-much-exempt-from-the-standards-that-bound-the-rest/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

> [“This is where I falter. This is where I lose myself. This is where years invert and minutes reverse and ideas of what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/this-is-where-i-falter-this-is-where-i-lose-myself-this-is-where/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

> [“If you travel internationally, you will feel shocked by contemptuous talk of America. To hear your fellow citizens characterized as barbarians who know nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/if-you-travel-internationally-you-will-feel-shocked-by-contemptuous/)

[Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

[Explore all 47 Hilary Thayer Hamann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/)

## More Difficult quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [Consumers can choose organic cotton grown without pesticides, but it uses more water and requires more land than conventional crops. Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/)

[Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/)

> [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/)

[Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/)

> [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/)

[Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/)

> [It's only a little difficult to say no. You've got to believe that the work you're doing is ultimately more useful to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/it-s-only-a-little-difficult-to-say-no-you-ve-got-to-believe-that-the/)

[Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/)

> [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/)

[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/)

> [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/)

[Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/)

> [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/)

[Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/)

> [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/)

[Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/)

> [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/)

[Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/)

> [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/)

[Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/)

> [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/)

[Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/)

> [Someone else who liked what I did might turn around and say, "She's reworking and rethinking everything. She could just be making blankets now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/someone-else-who-liked-what-i-did-might-turn-around-and-say-she-s/)

[Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/)

Browse all 13,132 Difficult quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Nothing is an easy thing to feel but a difficult thing to express (pg 20).”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hilary Thayer Hamann"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/nothing-is-an-easy-thing-to-feel-but-a-difficult-thing-to-express-pg/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Difficult"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/nothing-is-an-easy-thing-to-feel-but-a-difficult-thing-to-express-pg/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f49/hilary-thayer-hamann-14252_difficult_nothing-is-an-easy-thing-to-feel-but-a-d_721064.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f49/hilary-thayer-hamann-14252_difficult_nothing-is-an-easy-thing-to-feel-but-a-d_721064.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f49/hilary-thayer-hamann-14252_difficult_nothing-is-an-easy-thing-to-feel-but-a-d_721064.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Nothing is an easy thing to feel but a difficult thing to express (pg 20).” — Hilary Thayer Hamann",
                "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": "Hilary Thayer Hamann",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Nothing is an easy thing to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/nothing-is-an-easy-thing-to-feel-but-a-difficult-thing-to-express-pg/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/nothing-is-an-easy-thing-to-feel-but-a-difficult-thing-to-express-pg/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
