--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The important thing is not whatever…" description: "\"The important thing is not whatever nonsense the voices are saying, but what the voices are feeling.\" — John Green" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/john-green-12_feelings_the-important-thing-is-not-whatever-nons_1863874.jpg" --- # The important thing is not whatever nonsense the voices… ![“The important thing is not whatever nonsense the voices are saying, but what the voices are feeling.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/john-green-12_feelings_the-important-thing-is-not-whatever-nons_1863874.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/john-green-12_feelings_the-important-thing-is-not-whatever-nons_1863874.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/john-green-12_feelings_the-important-thing-is-not-whatever-nons_1863874.jpg) > “The important thing is not whatever nonsense the voices are saying, but what the voices are feeling.” [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. Emotions behind words matter more than the literal content; understanding feelings guides interpretation better than focusing on the exact phrasing. **In simple terms:** Feelings behind speech are more important than the words themselves. Key Takeaway Listen for emotion, not just words. Themes communication empathy interpretation Mood thoughtful empathetic Type literary psychological When to use this quote - personal conversations - media analysis - conflict resolution Key Concepts emotional intelligence contextual reading Questions to Reflect On - What emotions are hidden in this statement? - How does focusing on feeling change your response? A Different Perspective Ignoring emotional tone can lead to misinterpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Nonsense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nonsense/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) ## Related quotes > [“I said, “ I’m sorry , sir , but we don’t speak Swedish .” “Well, of course you don’t. Neither do I . Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-said-i-m-sorry-sir-but-we-don-t-speak-swedish-well-of-course-you/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [And he was feeling not-unique in the very best possible way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-he-was-feeling-not-unique-in-the-very-best-possible-way/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I really want to be the black Tina Fey, where I just am able to produce my own content and produce other content for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issa-rae/i-really-want-to-be-the-black-tina-fey-where-i-just-am-able-to/) [Issa Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issa-rae/) > [I used to do little sketches into my cassette tape recorder when I was a little boy. I would just turn it on and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harland-williams/i-used-to-do-little-sketches-into-my-cassette-tape-recorder-when-i/) [Harland Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harland-williams/) > [If each woman stands up and uses her voice, imagine how many voices would be together and how strong a mass that would be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-hegerberg/if-each-woman-stands-up-and-uses-her-voice-imagine-how-many-voices/) [Ada Hegerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-hegerberg/) > [I believe that voices like Ross Perot, Pat Buchanan, Ralph Nader should be heard. They don't have to be president. Give 'em a chance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinky-friedman/i-believe-that-voices-like-ross-perot-pat-buchanan-ralph-nader-should/) [Kinky Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinky-friedman/) > [I have so many different projects, I hear voices in my head - the characters talking all at once - and I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-have-so-many-different-projects-i-hear-voices-in-my-head-the/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [“Jack's doctors have told him he is crazy… but, the truth is, it's the Voices who are crazy, not him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-daydreamer/jack-s-doctors-have-told-him-he-is-crazy-but-the-truth-is-it-s-the/) Jennifer Daydreamer > [As all of us are only too aware, the loud and frantic voices of the outer world easily drown out the small, still loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/as-all-of-us-are-only-too-aware-the-loud-and-frantic-voices-of-the/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I've never had a very quiet voice. I tried in choir to make it smaller, and it just didn't work out. And I listened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-ve-never-had-a-very-quiet-voice-i-tried-in-choir-to-make-it-smaller/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [I am interested in levels of brain discourse. How articulate are the voices in your head? You know, there's a different voice for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-enright/i-am-interested-in-levels-of-brain-discourse-how-articulate-are-the/) [Anne Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-enright/) > [Through the worst we prevail so our voices will be heard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hatebreed/through-the-worst-we-prevail-so-our-voices-will-be-heard/) [Hatebreed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hatebreed/) > [The first time I went to Abbey Road and put those headphones on, I discovered I had two voices. I no longer had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cilla-black/the-first-time-i-went-to-abbey-road-and-put-those-headphones-on-i/) [Cilla Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cilla-black/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) ## 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 Feeling quotes > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My feeling has always been that 'Good Eats' would have never happened had it been left to a committee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alton-brown/my-feeling-has-always-been-that-good-eats-would-have-never-happened/) [Alton Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alton-brown/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [Tryna hide this pain with these pain killers, she said the storms only will last a little while but shit it got me feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myself/tryna-hide-this-pain-with-these-pain-killers-she-said-the-storms-only/) Myself > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) Jennifer Siebel Newsom > [Hate not knowing when things are going to happen feeling different every single day. It is called LIFE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-valdovinos/hate-not-knowing-when-things-are-going-to-happen-feeling-different/) Stephanie Valdovinos > [The best feeling comes when you realise, that you are perfectly happy without the things, once you thought you needed the most…!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-best-feeling-comes-when-you-realise-that-you-are-perfectly-happy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I love transforming myself constantly because it gives me that 'new' feeling that I'm very much addicted to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-mondo/i-love-transforming-myself-constantly-because-it-gives-me-that-new/) [Brad Mondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-mondo/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) Ryan Newman > [What I do miss that I don't get anymore? You're going to think I'm crazy, but you want the truth, so here it is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mandrell/what-i-do-miss-that-i-don-t-get-anymore-you-re-going-to-think-i-m/) [Barbara Mandrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mandrell/) > [I think kids growing up, if they were picked on and feeling inferior at 12, they're going to feel that way at 72. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/i-think-kids-growing-up-if-they-were-picked-on-and-feeling-inferior/) [Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/) > [I don't think Alfonso was a big expert on Potter either. He was feeling his way through it more than I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-thewlis/i-don-t-think-alfonso-was-a-big-expert-on-potter-either-he-was/) [David Thewlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-thewlis/) > [The most difficult part for me is feeling connected to the people that I love but always being on the go to different places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-franti/the-most-difficult-part-for-me-is-feeling-connected-to-the-people/) [Michael Franti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-franti/) Browse all 8,809 Feeling quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The important thing is not whatever nonsense the voices are saying, but what the voices are feeling.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-important-thing-is-not-whatever-nonsense-the-voices-are-saying/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Feeling" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-important-thing-is-not-whatever-nonsense-the-voices-are-saying/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/john-green-12_feelings_the-important-thing-is-not-whatever-nons_1863874.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/john-green-12_feelings_the-important-thing-is-not-whatever-nons_1863874.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/840/john-green-12_feelings_the-important-thing-is-not-whatever-nons_1863874.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The important thing is not whatever nonsense the voices are saying, but what the voices are feeling.” — 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": "The important thing is not whatever...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-important-thing-is-not-whatever-nonsense-the-voices-are-saying/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-important-thing-is-not-whatever-nonsense-the-voices-are-saying/#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 } } ] } ```