--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perhaps no word exists in our terribly…" description: "\"“Perhaps no word exists in our terribly inadequate English language to name this abstract, emotional thing that is not forgiveness, is not forgetting, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/janisse-ray-39351_english-language_perhaps-no-word-exists-in-our-terribly-i_1910912.jpg" --- # Perhaps no word exists in our terribly inadequate English… ![“Perhaps no word exists in our terribly inadequate English language to name this abstract, emotional thing that is not forgiveness, is not forgetting, and also is both.” quote by Janisse Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/janisse-ray-39351_english-language_perhaps-no-word-exists-in-our-terribly-i_1910912.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/janisse-ray-39351_english-language_perhaps-no-word-exists-in-our-terribly-i_1910912.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/932/janisse-ray-39351_english-language_perhaps-no-word-exists-in-our-terribly-i_1910912.jpg) > ““Perhaps no word exists in our terribly inadequate English language to name this abstract, emotional thing that is not forgiveness, is not forgetting, and also is both.”” [Janisse Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janisse-ray/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes an abstract, emotional experience that is neither forgiveness nor forgetting, suggesting a complex, lingering feeling. **In simple terms:** A feeling beyond forgiveness or forgetting. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and explore complex emotions. Themes emotion philosophy psychology Mood introspective poetic Type emotional philosophical When to use this quote - Therapeutic counseling - creative writing - personal reflection Key Concepts Ambiguity memory inner conflict Questions to Reflect On - What does this feeling teach about healing? - How can we name and address such emotions? A Different Perspective Hard to articulate may hinder processing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [English language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/) [Forgetting the past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetting-the-past/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Forgiving others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiving-others/) [Letting go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-go/) [Trauma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trauma/) [Trauma-healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trauma-healing/) ## Related quotes > [The abstract has no emotional content... the abstract is more powerful the more abstract it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-balmond/the-abstract-has-no-emotional-content-the-abstract-is-more-powerful/) Cecil Balmond > [“Forgiveness is a powerful mental process that detoxifies our mental, spiritual and physical realms.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-jacinta-mpalyenkana-ph-d-mba/forgiveness-is-a-powerful-mental-process-that-detoxifies-our-mental/) [Dr. Jacinta Mpalyenkana, Ph.D, MBA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-jacinta-mpalyenkana-ph-d-mba/) > [“Words exist only in theory. And then one ordinary day you run into a word that exists only in theory. And you meet it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/words-exist-only-in-theory-and-then-one-ordinary-day-you-run-into-a/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [If a good word already exists, there is no need to invent something painful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/if-a-good-word-already-exists-there-is-no-need-to-invent-something/) [William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/) > [There's one word that exists in every language on the face of the Earth and in every society since man began to speak. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-smothers/there-s-one-word-that-exists-in-every-language-on-the-face-of-the/) [Tommy Smothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-smothers/) > [“Forgiveness is not forgetting, but it is the urge to release those who have hurt you the most.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-nantaba-bogere/forgiveness-is-not-forgetting-but-it-is-the-urge-to-release-those-who/) Lydia Nantaba Bogere > [Forgiveness is what I do for me, not forgetting ,is to get over you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgiveness-is-what-i-do-for-me-not-forgetting-is-to-get-over-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Forgiveness is not a one off decision; it is a journey and a process that takes time, determination, and persistence. Forgiveness is not forgetting;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corallie-buchanan/forgiveness-is-not-a-one-off-decision-it-is-a-journey-and-a-process/) [Corallie Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corallie-buchanan/) > [Forgiveness is not about forgetting. It is about letting go of another person's throat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgiveness-is-not-about-forgetting-it-is-about-letting-go-of-another/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Forgiveness is not about forgetting. It is about letting go of another person's throat…Forgiveness does not create a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-paul-young/forgiveness-is-not-about-forgetting-it-is-about-letting-go-of-another-2/) [William Paul Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-paul-young/) > [“Forgiveness is not about forgetting, Mack. 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Paul Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wm-paul-young/) > [“Maybe they will only find one another by being somewhere they have never been and maybe none of this has a thing to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikl-paul/maybe-they-will-only-find-one-another-by-being-somewhere-they-have/) [Mikl Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikl-paul/) > [“What they didn’t understand then was that love, or even the play at love, wasn’t the same thing as forgiveness, which was what neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-rasmussen/what-they-didn-t-understand-then-was-that-love-or-even-the-play-at/) [Rebecca Rasmussen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-rasmussen/) > [if you understand something, you don't forgive it, you are the thing itself: forgiveness is for what you don't understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/if-you-understand-something-you-don-t-forgive-it-you-are-the-thing/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“It was a funny thing, forgiveness. You could spend years being angry with someone and then realize you no longer felt the same, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-ko/it-was-a-funny-thing-forgiveness-you-could-spend-years-being-angry/) [Lisa Ko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-ko/) ## More by Janisse Ray > [All I can say about Juliette of the Herbs is that it has made me look at how my life is now, still close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janisse-ray/all-i-can-say-about-juliette-of-the-herbs-is-that-it-has-made-me-look/) [Janisse Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janisse-ray/) > [The landscape of my childhood was one of fierce occupation by trees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janisse-ray/the-landscape-of-my-childhood-was-one-of-fierce-occupation-by-trees/) [Janisse Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janisse-ray/) > [“Most of us, most of our lives, are asked to live small. 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