--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But if neither sadness or rage could…" description: "\"“But if neither sadness or rage could unite us, I didn't know what could - the more I wanted to identify with her, the more I identified with myself; a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/jean-christophe-valtat-33097_anger_but-if-neither-sadness-or-rage-could-uni_706124.jpg" --- # But if neither sadness or rage could unite us, I didn't… ![“But if neither sadness or rage could unite us, I didn't know what could - the more I wanted to identify with her, the more I identified with myself; and the more I tried to understand her, the less, necessarily, I succeeded: the failure of an intelligent mind to grasp feeblemindedness was dark and…” quote by Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/jean-christophe-valtat-33097_anger_but-if-neither-sadness-or-rage-could-uni_706124.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/jean-christophe-valtat-33097_anger_but-if-neither-sadness-or-rage-could-uni_706124.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/jean-christophe-valtat-33097_anger_but-if-neither-sadness-or-rage-could-uni_706124.jpg) > ““But if neither sadness or rage could unite us, I didn't know what could - the more I wanted to identify with her, the more I identified with myself; and the more I tried to understand her, the less, necessarily, I succeeded: the failure of an intelligent mind to grasp feeblemindedness was dark and deep, no less than the failure of a feeble mind to grasp intelligence, because intelligence got its shape by not understanding the thing it could never be.”” [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on the paradox that both intelligence and lack of it fail to truly understand each other, highlighting the limits of empathy across cognitive gaps. **In simple terms:** Intelligence and ignorance cannot fully comprehend each other. Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of understanding across differing minds. Themes empathy cognition limits paradox Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical analytical When to use this quote - cross‑cultural dialogue - mental health counseling - education - conflict resolution Key Concepts cognitive bias theory of mind intellectual humility Questions to Reflect On - How can we bridge gaps between differing cognitive abilities? - What role does humility play in understanding others? A Different Perspective It may overlook the potential for shared experience despite cognitive differences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Intelligence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intelligence/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) ## Related quotes > [“The state of admiration is a condition of feeblemindedness. Most people are feebleminded all their lives only because they admire. Only a dimwit admires,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-kopf/the-state-of-admiration-is-a-condition-of-feeblemindedness-most/) Gerhard Kopf > [“A feeble body makes a feeble mind. I do not know what doctors cure us of, but I know this: they infect us with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rousseau-jean-jacques-2/a-feeble-body-makes-a-feeble-mind-i-do-not-know-what-doctors-cure-us/) Rousseau, Jean-Jacques > [If the body be feeble, the mind will not be strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/if-the-body-be-feeble-the-mind-will-not-be-strong/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Revenge is the pleasure of a small feeble mind -- I read that somewhere back in college.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/revenge-is-the-pleasure-of-a-small-feeble-mind-i-read-that-somewhere/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A feeble mind, conscious of its own feebleness, grows feeble under that very consciousness. As soon as the power of fear becomes known to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hector-berlioz/a-feeble-mind-conscious-of-its-own-feebleness-grows-feeble-under-that/) [Hector Berlioz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hector-berlioz/) > [“the feeble mind of man did not presume to resist the clear evidence of truth, but yielded its infirmity to wholesome doctrines, as to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-of-hippo/the-feeble-mind-of-man-did-not-presume-to-resist-the-clear-evidence/) [Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-of-hippo/) > [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/) [Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/) > [But I saw the pain and sadness in everything, and swirled it round my mouth like a fine wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-forrest/but-i-saw-the-pain-and-sadness-in-everything-and-swirled-it-round-my/) [Emma Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-forrest/) > [Got those moods a swinging, tears a slinging, nothing fits me, when it hits me, ranting, raving, misbehaving, PMS blues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/got-those-moods-a-swinging-tears-a-slinging-nothing-fits-me-when-it/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [One must not let oneself be overwhelmed by sadness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-must-not-let-oneself-be-overwhelmed-by-sadness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/) Kirsten Gilchrist > [Stop trying to give me hope ... I have no room left for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-f/stop-trying-to-give-me-hope-i-have-no-room-left-for-it/) [Jenn F](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenn-f/) > [“She searched her mind for a single day when it had felt good to be alive. There must have been one, surely?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-abbott/she-searched-her-mind-for-a-single-day-when-it-had-felt-good-to-be/) [Rachel Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-abbott/) > [Every man has his secret sadness and sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-man-has-his-secret-sadness-and-sorrows-which-the-world-knows/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) ## More by Jean-Christophe Valtat > [“I didn't like what that word-'childhood'-conjured up, or rather, I didn't like the way most people use it: that presumption of innocence and starry-eyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/i-didn-t-like-what-that-word-childhood-conjured-up-or-rather-i-didn-t/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“I heard a song that nailed it: "And if the day came when I felt a natural emotion / I'd get such a shock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/i-heard-a-song-that-nailed-it-and-if-the-day-came-when-i-felt-a/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“I dismissed this course of action, sensing my own reserves of strengths, but I experimented with the idea and took it as far as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/i-dismissed-this-course-of-action-sensing-my-own-reserves-of/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“She was the living effigy of everything we will never be and, in every sense of the word, she was the retard that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/she-was-the-living-effigy-of-everything-we-will-never-be-and-in-every/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“She understood nothing, she learned nothing, so she just stood there, lively sometimes, joyful even, a groundless joy that brought tears to their eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/she-understood-nothing-she-learned-nothing-so-she-just-stood-there/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“Here, too, I recognized-easily, from firsthand experience, since this kind of thing happened at my age-the heat of the moment, the very instant you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/here-too-i-recognized-easily-from-firsthand-experience-since-this/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“The blizzard seemed to be dying down, and it was now possible to enjoy the sight of the buildings and embankments and bridges smothered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/the-blizzard-seemed-to-be-dying-down-and-it-was-now-possible-to-enjoy/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“When in doubt, do what they do in books, was one of Gabriel's secret mottos and - that rarest of things - a principle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/when-in-doubt-do-what-they-do-in-books-was-one-of-gabriel-s-secret/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“The notion of this powerful childhood gaze was all the more specious given that adults, in the name of that very spontaneity, subjected chidren…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/the-notion-of-this-powerful-childhood-gaze-was-all-the-more-specious/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“It was the French of the Normans that, grafting itself onto the barbaric Saxon tongue, gave it its most magnificent blossoming. And, in these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/it-was-the-french-of-the-normans-that-grafting-itself-onto-the/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“Don't we all discover, at some stage or another that there are some things we'll never get any better at, even though we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/don-t-we-all-discover-at-some-stage-or-another-that-there-are-some/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“In English sometimes they call a mentally disabled person a retard, and there is a kind of accidental poetry in naming a human being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/in-english-sometimes-they-call-a-mentally-disabled-person-a-retard/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“Clusters of distant lights was the view of Mankind that he liked the best. The lights had the archaic charm of little fires on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/clusters-of-distant-lights-was-the-view-of-mankind-that-he-liked-the/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) > [“He considered each and every second as if he'd never encountered one before, as if the time it kept was a permanent surprise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/he-considered-each-and-every-second-as-if-he-d-never-encountered-one/) [Jean-Christophe Valtat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) [Explore all 15 Jean-Christophe Valtat quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/) ## More Anger quotes > [“If I let myself think of it the pain and anger were still fresh, adrenalin racing down my limbs to pool, hot and itchy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/if-i-let-myself-think-of-it-the-pain-and-anger-were-still-fresh/) [Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [My care will be in the heart n not in words My anger will be in Words n not in the Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/my-care-will-be-in-the-heart-n-not-in-words-my-anger-will-be-in-words/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect was already in the cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/the-present-contains-nothing-more-than-the-past-and-what-is-found-in/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [ “Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari \[living a worldly life\] regardless of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-deceit-greed-there-is-worldly/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) [Browse all 7,469 Anger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But if neither sadness or rage could unite us, I didn't know what could - the more I wanted to identify with her, the more I identified with myself; and the more I tried to understand her, the less, necessarily, I succeeded: the failure of an intelligent mind to grasp feeblemindedness was dark and deep, no less than the failure of a feeble mind to grasp intelligence, because intelligence got its shape by not understanding the thing it could never be.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean-Christophe Valtat" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/but-if-neither-sadness-or-rage-could-unite-us-i-didn-t-know-what/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Anger" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/but-if-neither-sadness-or-rage-could-unite-us-i-didn-t-know-what/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/jean-christophe-valtat-33097_anger_but-if-neither-sadness-or-rage-could-uni_706124.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/jean-christophe-valtat-33097_anger_but-if-neither-sadness-or-rage-could-uni_706124.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/jean-christophe-valtat-33097_anger_but-if-neither-sadness-or-rage-could-uni_706124.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But if neither sadness or rage could unite us, I didn't know what could - the more I wanted to identify with…” — Jean-Christophe Valtat", "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": "Jean-Christophe Valtat", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-christophe-valtat/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But if neither sadness or rage...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/but-if-neither-sadness-or-rage-could-unite-us-i-didn-t-know-what/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-christophe-valtat/but-if-neither-sadness-or-rage-could-unite-us-i-didn-t-know-what/#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 } } ] } ```