--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It felt like everything was rising up in…" description: "\"“It felt like everything was rising up in me, like i was drowning in this weirdly painful joy.”\" — John Green" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/246/john-green-12_joy_it-felt-like-everything-was-rising-up-in_1415044.jpg" --- # It felt like everything was rising up in me, like i was… ![“It felt like everything was rising up in me, like i was drowning in this weirdly painful joy.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/246/john-green-12_joy_it-felt-like-everything-was-rising-up-in_1415044.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/246/john-green-12_joy_it-felt-like-everything-was-rising-up-in_1415044.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/246/john-green-12_joy_it-felt-like-everything-was-rising-up-in_1415044.jpg) > ““It felt like everything was rising up in me, like i was drowning in this weirdly painful joy.”” [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. Intense emotions feel overwhelming, mixing pain with joy in a confusing way. **In simple terms:** Painful joy can feel like drowning. Key Takeaway Accept mixed feelings, breathe. Themes emotion conflict growth young adult Mood melancholic hopeful Type literary reflective When to use this quote - grief counseling - creative expression - relationship building - mental health coping Key Concepts psychology existentialism intense experience Questions to Reflect On - When have you felt joy and pain together? - How do you navigate such moments? A Different Perspective Joy and pain can be hard to separate, causing distress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) ## Related quotes > [It felt like everything was rising up in me, like I was drowning in this weirdly painful joy, but I couldn't say it back.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-felt-like-everything-was-rising-up-in-me-like-i-was-drowning-in-2/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [This is one moment, / But know that another / Shall pierce you with a sudden painful joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-is-one-moment-but-know-that-another-shall-pierce-you-with-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Living was a dangerous past-time, and often quite painful—but there was also such joy in living, such beauty, things that one would otherwise never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/living-was-a-dangerous-past-time-and-often-quite-painful-but-there-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I read: This is one moment, / But know that another / Shall pierce you with a sudden painful joy. I started to cry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-read-this-is-one-moment-but-know-that-another-shall-pierce-you-with/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Living was a dangerous past-time, and often quite painful—but there was also such joy in living, such beauty, things that one would otherwise never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/living-was-a-dangerous-past-time-and-often-quite-painful-but-there/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [“Janeway had thought her heart full, but now it overflowed. For the rest of her life, she knew, she would remember this: walking down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-golden/janeway-had-thought-her-heart-full-but-now-it-overflowed-for-the-rest/) [Christie Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-golden/) > [I got to a point where I had no self-esteem and I just felt like I was drowning, and I had no way out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-anderson/i-got-to-a-point-where-i-had-no-self-esteem-and-i-just-felt-like-i/) [Megan Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-anderson/) > [“It felt like I was watching the whole thing from somewhere else, like I was watching a movie about my life instead of living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-felt-like-i-was-watching-the-whole-thing-from-somewhere-else-like/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Do you ever wonder whether people would like you more or less if they could see inside you? I mean, I've always felt like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/do-you-ever-wonder-whether-people-would-like-you-more-or-less-if-they/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I always felt like you had to be important to have enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-always-felt-like-you-had-to-be-important-to-have-enemies/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“And even though I laughed with them, it felt like I was watching the whole thing from somewhere else, like I was watching a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-even-though-i-laughed-with-them-it-felt-like-i-was-watching-the/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Walking through the X-ray machine marked the first time I’d taken a step without oxygen in some months, and it felt pretty amazing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/walking-through-the-x-ray-machine-marked-the-first-time-i-d-taken-a/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [And then the line was quite but not dead. I almost felt like he was there in my room with me, but in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-then-the-line-was-quite-but-not-dead-i-almost-felt-like-he-was/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“and even though I was in bed and he was in his basement, it really felt like we were back in that uncreated third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-even-though-i-was-in-bed-and-he-was-in-his-basement-it-really/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He kissed like he was drowning and I was air. It was passionate, and desperate, and like nothing I had ever experienced before. This”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/he-kissed-like-he-was-drowning-and-i-was-air-it-was-passionate-and/) [Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/) ## 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 Joy quotes > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [“When you finally realize your gifts and talents, joy and satisfaction come as you walk in your purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanya-richards-ross/when-you-finally-realize-your-gifts-and-talents-joy-and-satisfaction/) [Sanya Richards-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanya-richards-ross/) > [When I first started, my message was about joy, but I didn't really have the vocabulary and life experience to fully deliver it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/when-i-first-started-my-message-was-about-joy-but-i-didn-t-really/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [Safin, in his way, is very talented. It is a joy to watch them play; it is tennis of a very high quality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-krajicek/safin-in-his-way-is-very-talented-it-is-a-joy-to-watch-them-play-it/) [Richard Krajicek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-krajicek/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd > [“Start the daily practice of joyful living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/start-the-daily-practice-of-joyful-living/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [I have touched with a sense of art some people-they felt the love and the life. Can you offer me anything to compare to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-cassatt/i-have-touched-with-a-sense-of-art-some-people-they-felt-the-love-and/) [Mary Cassatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-cassatt/) > [“Reverend Veronica Goines sums this up as, “Peace is joy at rest, and joy is peace on its feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/reverend-veronica-goines-sums-this-up-as-peace-is-joy-at-rest-and-joy/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Be in a state of gratitude for everything that shows up in your life. Be thankful for the storms as well as the smooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/be-in-a-state-of-gratitude-for-everything-that-shows-up-in-your-life/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Spiritually, life is a festival, a celebration. Joy is of the essence of life;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnivesh/spiritually-life-is-a-festival-a-celebration-joy-is-of-the-essence-of/) [Agnivesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnivesh/) [Browse all 15,003 Joy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It felt like everything was rising up in me, like i was drowning in this weirdly painful joy.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-felt-like-everything-was-rising-up-in-me-like-i-was-drowning-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Joy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-felt-like-everything-was-rising-up-in-me-like-i-was-drowning-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/246/john-green-12_joy_it-felt-like-everything-was-rising-up-in_1415044.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/246/john-green-12_joy_it-felt-like-everything-was-rising-up-in_1415044.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/246/john-green-12_joy_it-felt-like-everything-was-rising-up-in_1415044.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It felt like everything was rising up in me, like i was drowning in this weirdly painful joy.” — John Green", "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": "John Green", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It felt like everything was rising...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-felt-like-everything-was-rising-up-in-me-like-i-was-drowning-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-felt-like-everything-was-rising-up-in-me-like-i-was-drowning-in/#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 } } ] } ```