--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For some reason, I wanted to tell him the…" description: "\"“For some reason, I wanted to tell him the truth. “Whether it hurts is kind of irrelevant.” “That’s a pretty good life motto,” he said.”\" — John Green" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/john-green-12_good-life_for-some-reason-i-wanted-to-tell-him-the_2792555.jpg" --- # For some reason, I wanted to tell him the truth. “Whether… ![“For some reason, I wanted to tell him the truth. “Whether it hurts is kind of irrelevant.” “That’s a pretty good life motto,” he said.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/john-green-12_good-life_for-some-reason-i-wanted-to-tell-him-the_2792555.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/john-green-12_good-life_for-some-reason-i-wanted-to-tell-him-the_2792555.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/757/john-green-12_good-life_for-some-reason-i-wanted-to-tell-him-the_2792555.jpg) > ““For some reason, I wanted to tell him the truth. “Whether it hurts is kind of irrelevant.” “That’s a pretty good life motto,” he said.”” [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character shares a blunt truth about pain being irrelevant, suggesting a pragmatic life motto. **In simple terms:** Pain isn’t always important; focus on living. Key Takeaway Adopt a practical, pain‑agnostic outlook. Themes truth pain life motto Mood thoughtful serious Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - health crises - personal revelations - friendship talks Key Concepts existentialism pragmatism Questions to Reflect On - When is it okay to dismiss pain? - What does “irrelevant” mean in context? A Different Perspective Ignoring pain can be harmful if it masks needed care. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“I actually do have a motto,” said Heat. “It’s ‘Never forget who you work for.'" 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And that's an important thing to acknowledge to yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-truth-hurts-because-it-s-real-it-hurts-because-it-mattered-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [You only life once that the motto and we boottle everythang everythangg f\*ck what anybody say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/you-only-life-once-that-the-motto-and-we-boottle-everythang/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [I have come to realize that making yourself happy is most important. Never be ashamed of what you feel. You have the right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/i-have-come-to-realize-that-making-yourself-happy-is-most-important/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [Feeling unappreciated at work lately. Time to move on. That's my life motto now. You don't know how lucky you are? Watch me walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/feeling-unappreciated-at-work-lately-time-to-move-on-that-s-my-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My LiFe MoTtO iZ sImPlE - fOlLoW yOuR dReAmS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dj-ashley/my-life-motto-iz-simple-follow-your-dreams/) Dj Ashley > [My life motto is 'Do my best, so that I can't blame myself for anything.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/my-life-motto-is-do-my-best-so-that-i-can-t-blame-myself-for-anything/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [My life motto is simple: Follow your dreams...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyanka/my-life-motto-is-simple-follow-your-dreams/) [Priyanka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyanka/) > [I have started not to take things too seriously, loving life is my motto.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-steyn/i-have-started-not-to-take-things-too-seriously-loving-life-is-my/) [Dale Steyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-steyn/) > [Just get on with it.' That's a life motto.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-weymouth/just-get-on-with-it-that-s-a-life-motto/) [Emma Weymouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-weymouth/) ## More by John Green > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More Good life quotes > [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [Remember, success is not measured by heights attained but by obstacles overcome. 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What can I say at seventy-five? ‘Thank God for my good life, and for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/a-child-says-thank-god-for-my-good-dinner-what-can-i-say-at-seventy/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [“Our lives together, our duet, also continues to evolve, and even if we can’t go back to how it was, we’re designing a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/our-lives-together-our-duet-also-continues-to-evolve-and-even-if-we/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [No one seriously doubts Socrates' maxim: The unexamined life isn't worth living. Self-assessment and attempts at self-improvement are essential aspects of "the good life."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/no-one-seriously-doubts-socrates-maxim-the-unexamined-life-isn-t/) [Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/) > [There are evidently limits to the achievements of science; and there are irresolvable contradictions both between prosperity and virtue, and between happiness and ''the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/there-are-evidently-limits-to-the-achievements-of-science-and-there/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [Reading is a basic tool in the living of a good life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/reading-is-a-basic-tool-in-the-living-of-a-good-life/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [I suppose the key to a good life is to gently overlook the truth and hope that at any moment we can all be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-van-booy/i-suppose-the-key-to-a-good-life-is-to-gently-overlook-the-truth-and/) [Simon Van Booy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-van-booy/) > [I consider myself really lucky to have had such a good life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nyjah-huston/i-consider-myself-really-lucky-to-have-had-such-a-good-life/) [Nyjah Huston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nyjah-huston/) > [I've had a good life. 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