--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A pretty sight; it would have surprised…" description: "\"“A pretty sight; it would have surprised me, if my capacity for surprise wasn't flattened.”\" — Jacqueline Carey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/417/jacqueline-carey-1938_surprise_a-pretty-sight-it-would-have-surprised-m_72080.png" --- # A pretty sight; it would have surprised me, if my capacity… ![“A pretty sight; it would have surprised me, if my capacity for surprise wasn't flattened.” quote by Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/417/jacqueline-carey-1938_surprise_a-pretty-sight-it-would-have-surprised-m_72080.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/417/jacqueline-carey-1938_surprise_a-pretty-sight-it-would-have-surprised-m_72080.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/417/jacqueline-carey-1938_surprise_a-pretty-sight-it-would-have-surprised-m_72080.png) > ““A pretty sight; it would have surprised me, if my capacity for surprise wasn't flattened.”” [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on how their emotional responsiveness has dulled, making even striking scenes feel ordinary. **In simple terms:** Desensitization to wonder Key Takeaway Emotional numbness reduces impact Themes desensitization self-awareness emotional fatigue perception psychology Mood melancholic reflective wistful Type aphoristic philosophical When to use this quote - after repeated trauma - in a monotonous routine - following chronic stress - during long-term exposure to novelty Key Concepts surprise capacity flattened sight Practical Applications - therapy to rekindle sensitivity - creative writing to explore emotional depth Questions to Reflect On - How can we restore a sense of awe? - What habits dull our capacity for surprise? A Different Perspective One might argue that surprise can be cultivated, not merely lost. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Pretty Sight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretty-sight-943911/) [Sight Surprised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sight-surprised-943909/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Surprise Wasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise-wasn-943910/) [Surprised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprised/) ## Related quotes > [The element of surprise wasn't allowed near the Periodic Table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/the-element-of-surprise-wasn-t-allowed-near-the-periodic-table/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [“What are you reading, my dear? A pretty sight, a lady with a book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/what-are-you-reading-my-dear-a-pretty-sight-a-lady-with-a-book/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [A pretty sight, a lady with a book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/a-pretty-sight-a-lady-with-a-book/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [If you thought better of me, you would not be so surprised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/if-you-thought-better-of-me-you-would-not-be-so-surprised/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [“Nobody is exempt from the surprises of life!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/nobody-is-exempt-from-the-surprises-of-life/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I surprise myself that I'm not dead in the gutter somewhere, surprised that I haven't given up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-syjuco/i-surprise-myself-that-i-m-not-dead-in-the-gutter-somewhere-surprised/) [Miguel Syjuco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-syjuco/) > [“I may be surprised. But I don't think I will be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-strauss/i-may-be-surprised-but-i-don-t-think-i-will-be/) [Andrew Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-strauss/) > [“When I came home I expected a surprise and there was no surprise for me, so of course, I was surprised.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-wittgenstein/when-i-came-home-i-expected-a-surprise-and-there-was-no-surprise-for/) [Ludwig Wittgenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-wittgenstein/) > [I had a pregnancy that wasn't private... A lot of people had their opinions about it. They were surprised that I came up pregnant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-london/i-had-a-pregnancy-that-wasn-t-private-a-lot-of-people-had-their/) [Lauren London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-london/) > [Many people would be surprised that, in fact, I'm quite shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/many-people-would-be-surprised-that-in-fact-i-m-quite-shy/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Some friends said they weren't surprised to find out Napoleon and I were related, but it came as quite a shock to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-conti/some-friends-said-they-weren-t-surprised-to-find-out-napoleon-and-i/) [Tom Conti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-conti/) > [I am surprised that anyone can profess to be an atheist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-comfort/i-am-surprised-that-anyone-can-profess-to-be-an-atheist/) [Ray Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-comfort/) > [ David Cameron was wrong on this \[Brexit\]. He didn't get the mood of his country right. He was very surprised to see what happened. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/david-cameron-was-wrong-on-this-brexit-he-didn-t-get-the-mood-of-his/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [If you leave someone for another person, don't be surprised if that person leaves you for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-leave-someone-for-another-person-don-t-be-surprised-if-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) ## More by Jacqueline Carey > [“Never before had I used my service to escape any woes that troubled me, but I did that day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/never-before-had-i-used-my-service-to-escape-any-woes-that-troubled/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [“Young men," Melisande murmured after they had left, smiling faintly. "Such a sense of honor. Is he a little bit in love with you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/young-men-melisande-murmured-after-they-had-left-smiling-faintly-such/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [For this too I learned, that a storyteller's tale may end, but history goes on always. These events, so distant in legend, play a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/for-this-too-i-learned-that-a-storyteller-s-tale-may-end-but-history/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [“for the keeping of secrets from adults is oft the only power a child may hope to possess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/for-the-keeping-of-secrets-from-adults-is-oft-the-only-power-a-child/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [Happiness is the highest form of wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/happiness-is-the-highest-form-of-wisdom/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [“If I have one pride in my calling, it is that I have never judged a patron wrongly - and I have never failed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/if-i-have-one-pride-in-my-calling-it-is-that-i-have-never-judged-a/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [A little truth seasons a lie like salt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/a-little-truth-seasons-a-lie-like-salt/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [I had begun to think my ripening body would wither untasted on the vine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/i-had-begun-to-think-my-ripening-body-would-wither-untasted-on-the/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [Garner knowledge, by any means possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/garner-knowledge-by-any-means-possible/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [Pain obliterates everything else. In pain, there is only the eternal present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/pain-obliterates-everything-else-in-pain-there-is-only-the-eternal/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [I would that I could have stopped time and preserved that day forever. It was a perfect day. There was the shadow of sorrow,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/i-would-that-i-could-have-stopped-time-and-preserved-that-day-forever/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [To recongnize that the treachery of one member of a house does not taint all born within it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/to-recongnize-that-the-treachery-of-one-member-of-a-house-does-not/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [Grief heals ... unshed tears fester like a canker in the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/grief-heals-unshed-tears-fester-like-a-canker-in-the-soul/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [Are you a minor character in my tale, or am I a lesser figure in yours?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/are-you-a-minor-character-in-my-tale-or-am-i-a-lesser-figure-in-yours/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) > [There are those who do not hold that there is any innate goodness to mankind. To them I say, had you lived my life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/there-are-those-who-do-not-hold-that-there-is-any-innate-goodness-to/) [Jacqueline Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) [Explore all 188 Jacqueline Carey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/) ## More Surprise quotes > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Every coach in the league does an unbelievable job, and they're prepared and think you're going to outcoach people, or you think that you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-d-antoni/every-coach-in-the-league-does-an-unbelievable-job-and-they-re/) [Mike D'Antoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-d-antoni/) > [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/) > [No Time For Goodbye is a deliciously smart thriller, full of surprises and perfect pacing. I'm jealous I didn't write it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alafair-burke/no-time-for-goodbye-is-a-deliciously-smart-thriller-full-of-surprises/) [Alafair Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alafair-burke/) > [I love Derrick Brown for the surprise of one word waking up next to another. One moment tender, funny or romantic, the next, visceral,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/i-love-derrick-brown-for-the-surprise-of-one-word-waking-up-next-to/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [I always want to surprise audiences and tell stories that are entertaining and challenging at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-hechinger/i-always-want-to-surprise-audiences-and-tell-stories-that-are/) [Fred Hechinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-hechinger/) > [Don't let your imagination take you by surprise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimi-hendrix/don-t-let-your-imagination-take-you-by-surprise/) [Jimi Hendrix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimi-hendrix/) > [History is full of surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/history-is-full-of-surprises/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [I can't imagine, I can't get in the mind of a wrestling fan who wants to break news that spoils a surprise for somebody.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ambrose/i-can-t-imagine-i-can-t-get-in-the-mind-of-a-wrestling-fan-who-wants/) [Dean Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ambrose/) > [It doesn't matter to me if it has a surprise ending or not. I usually go for the material or the project.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-wahlberg/it-doesn-t-matter-to-me-if-it-has-a-surprise-ending-or-not-i-usually/) [Donnie Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-wahlberg/) > [I think there's something funny about people who laugh in the face of convention or surprise us morally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-waller-bridge/i-think-there-s-something-funny-about-people-who-laugh-in-the-face-of/) [Phoebe Waller-Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-waller-bridge/) > [The thing that I like about magazines, paper magazines, and papers in any kind of tangible format is the surprise factor of turning the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/the-thing-that-i-like-about-magazines-paper-magazines-and-papers-in/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [And the commitment that I've been giving to the Australian people is that there'll be no surprises and no excuses under a Coalition government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/and-the-commitment-that-i-ve-been-giving-to-the-australian-people-is/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [What a wonderfully exciting cough,' said the little man, quite startled by it, 'do you mind if I join you?' And with that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/what-a-wonderfully-exciting-cough-said-the-little-man-quite-startled/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) [Browse all 3,219 Surprise quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A pretty sight; it would have surprised me, if my capacity for surprise wasn't flattened.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jacqueline Carey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/a-pretty-sight-it-would-have-surprised-me-if-my-capacity-for-surprise/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Surprise" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/a-pretty-sight-it-would-have-surprised-me-if-my-capacity-for-surprise/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/417/jacqueline-carey-1938_surprise_a-pretty-sight-it-would-have-surprised-m_72080.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/417/jacqueline-carey-1938_surprise_a-pretty-sight-it-would-have-surprised-m_72080.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/417/jacqueline-carey-1938_surprise_a-pretty-sight-it-would-have-surprised-m_72080.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A pretty sight; it would have surprised me, if my capacity for surprise wasn't flattened.” — Jacqueline Carey", "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": "Jacqueline Carey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-carey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A pretty sight; it would have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/a-pretty-sight-it-would-have-surprised-me-if-my-capacity-for-surprise/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-carey/a-pretty-sight-it-would-have-surprised-me-if-my-capacity-for-surprise/#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 } } ] } ```