--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Emotions, in my experience aren't covered…" description: "\"Emotions, in my experience aren't covered by single words. I don't believe in \"sadness,\" \"joy,\" or \"regret.\" I'd like to have at my disposal complicate..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b3/jeffrey-eugenides-462_believe_emotions-in-my-experience-aren-t-covered_356727.png" --- # Emotions, in my experience aren't covered by single words… ![“Emotions, in my experience aren't covered by single words. I don't believe in "sadness," "joy," or "regret." I'd like to have at my disposal complicated hybrid emotions, Germanic traincar constructions like, say, "the happiness that attends disaster." Or: "the disappointment of sleeping with one's…” quote by Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b3/jeffrey-eugenides-462_believe_emotions-in-my-experience-aren-t-covered_356727.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b3/jeffrey-eugenides-462_believe_emotions-in-my-experience-aren-t-covered_356727.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b3/jeffrey-eugenides-462_believe_emotions-in-my-experience-aren-t-covered_356727.png) > “Emotions, in my experience aren't covered by single words. I don't believe in "sadness," "joy," or "regret." I'd like to have at my disposal complicated hybrid emotions, Germanic traincar constructions like, say, "the happiness that attends disaster." Or: "the disappointment of sleeping with one's fantasy." ... I'd like to have a word for "the sadness inspired by failing restaurants" as well as for "the excitement of getting a room with a minibar." I've never had the right words to describe my life...” [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author argues that language often lacks terms for complex, mixed emotions, prompting a desire for richer vocabulary to capture nuanced feelings. **In simple terms:** Words miss many mixed emotions. Key Takeaway Create or adopt terms for hybrid feelings. Themes language emotion expression Mood reflective curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing - therapy - interpersonal communication - artistic description Key Concepts psychology semantics lexicography Questions to Reflect On - What hybrid emotion have you felt recently? - How could a new word change your perception of that feeling? A Different Perspective Complex emotions may still be hard to convey even with new words. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believe Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe-sadness-3196466/) [Complicated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complicated/) [Construction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/construction/) [Covered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/covered/) [Disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointment/) [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Don't believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-t-believe/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions/) [Emotions Germanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotions-germanic-2194007/) [Excitement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excitement/) [Failing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failing/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Hybrid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hybrid/) [Hybrid Emotions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hybrid-emotions-1574146/) [Inspired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspired/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Restaurants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restaurants/) [Right words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-words/) [Rooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rooms/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Single word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-word/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Word Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-sadness-2194008/) ## Related quotes > [“Emotions, in my experience, aren't covered by single words. 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Maybe the best proof that the language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/emotions-in-my-experience-aren-t-covered-by-single-words-i-don-t-2/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [I'd like to have a word for 'the sadness inspired by failing restaurants' as well as for 'the excitement of getting a room with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-d-like-to-have-a-word-for-the-sadness-inspired-by-failing/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“Depression, contrary to what we normally believe, is not sadness but an inability to fully feel sadness. Depression is sorrow denied.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/depression-contrary-to-what-we-normally-believe-is-not-sadness-but-an/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [I always believed that I had to pretend to be happy. 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"Remember that play we saw ("The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-don-t-approve-of-women-driving-mind-you-and-now-they-get-to-vote-he/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [“Her face was calm, but inside she was tense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/her-face-was-calm-but-inside-she-was-tense/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [I know that attaching memories to books may be going out of the world, but while it lasts, it's a strong record of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-know-that-attaching-memories-to-books-may-be-going-out-of-the-world/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [I spend most of every day writing. I like to write every day if I can. I don't start extremely early.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/i-spend-most-of-every-day-writing-i-like-to-write-every-day-if-i-can/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [Maybe the best proof that the language is patriarchal is that it oversimplifies feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/maybe-the-best-proof-that-the-language-is-patriarchal-is-that-it/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [We knew that Cecilia had killed herself because she was a misfit, because the beyond called to her, and we knew that her sisters,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/we-knew-that-cecilia-had-killed-herself-because-she-was-a-misfit/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [You can tell when something's not moving forward anymore. 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