--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are always suicides,\" Garp wrote…" description: "\"“There are always suicides,\" Garp wrote, \"among people who are unable to say what they mean\".”\" — John Irving" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/john-irving-337_suicide_there-are-always-suicides-garp-wrote-amo_1891862.png" --- # There are always suicides," Garp wrote, "among people who… ![“There are always suicides," Garp wrote, "among people who are unable to say what they mean".” quote by John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/john-irving-337_suicide_there-are-always-suicides-garp-wrote-amo_1891862.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/john-irving-337_suicide_there-are-always-suicides-garp-wrote-amo_1891862.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/john-irving-337_suicide_there-are-always-suicides-garp-wrote-amo_1891862.png) > ““There are always suicides," Garp wrote, "among people who are unable to say what they mean".”” [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Inability to articulate feelings can lead to despair and extreme actions. **In simple terms:** Unspoken pain can be deadly. Key Takeaway Speak your truth. Themes communication mental health authenticity Mood empathetic serious Type advice reflective When to use this quote - therapy - personal journals - relationships - workplace discussions Key Concepts self‑expression psychology Questions to Reflect On - What prevents you from speaking your mind? - How can you support someone struggling to articulate? A Different Perspective Not everyone can express themselves easily. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Garp Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garp-wrote-841179/) [People Unable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-unable-1090015/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) [Suicides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicides/) [Suicides Garp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicides-garp-2739026/) [Unable Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unable-say-1765027/) ## Related quotes > [There are always suicides among people who are unable to say what they mean.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/there-are-always-suicides-among-people-who-are-unable-to-say-what/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Death, it seems," Garp wrote, "does not like to wait until we are prepared for it. Death is indulgent and enjoys, when it can,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/death-it-seems-garp-wrote-does-not-like-to-wait-until-we-are-prepared/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Life," Garp wrote, "is sadly not structured like a good old-fashioned novel. Instead an end occurs when those who are meant to peter out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/life-garp-wrote-is-sadly-not-structured-like-a-good-old-fashioned/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I have a particular affliction. I am unable to say a word I can't spell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/i-have-a-particular-affliction-i-am-unable-to-say-a-word-i-can-t-spell/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [I am shy. I was unable to say I love you to my wife, unable to propose, so I am that shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gurmeet-choudhary/i-am-shy-i-was-unable-to-say-i-love-you-to-my-wife-unable-to-propose/) [Gurmeet Choudhary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gurmeet-choudhary/) > [The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-role-of-a-writer-is-not-to-say-what-we-all-can-say-but-what-we/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [“The role of a writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-role-of-a-writer-is-not-to-say-what-we-can-all-say-but-what-we/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [“down the road.  Yet he remained unable to say where it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-harmon/down-the-road-yet-he-remained-unable-to-say-where-it/) [Brian Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-harmon/) > [“Some people’s self-esteem was secretly improved when they discovered that their then-lovers had killed themselves over them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-people-s-self-esteem-was-secretly-improved-when-they-discovered/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“We're all suicides. The tragedy is every day that we don't die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/we-re-all-suicides-the-tragedy-is-every-day-that-we-don-t-die/) [Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/) > [You can't drown yourself that simply. All good suicides involve speed and irreversibility, because the body will always move to protect itself against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-humphreys/you-can-t-drown-yourself-that-simply-all-good-suicides-involve-speed/) [Josephine Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-humphreys/) > [What annoys a person who suicides? The life itself. Boredom. Tiredness that descends on every morning when you look at yourself at the mirror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-mankell/what-annoys-a-person-who-suicides-the-life-itself-boredom-tiredness/) [Henning Mankell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-mankell/) > [“People commit thousands of small suicides every day that go unnoticed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-godwin/people-commit-thousands-of-small-suicides-every-day-that-go-unnoticed/) [Gail Godwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-godwin/) > [But suicides have a special language. Like carpenters they want to know which tools. They never ask why build. Twice I have so simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/but-suicides-have-a-special-language-like-carpenters-they-want-to/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [All my life I have had the utmost admiration for suicides. I have always considered them superior to me in every way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bernhard/all-my-life-i-have-had-the-utmost-admiration-for-suicides-i-have/) [Thomas Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bernhard/) ## More by John Irving > [Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/your-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-doesn-t-it-simply-files-things/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Watch out for people who call themselves religious; make sure you know what they mean––make sure they know what they mean!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/watch-out-for-people-who-call-themselves-religious-make-sure-you-know/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [The desire to never leave your side, the desire to never see you again. The desire to see your face asleep on the pillow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/the-desire-to-never-leave-your-side-the-desire-to-never-see-you-again/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I had been a student in Vienna, and one of the neat little things I had found out was about that zoo. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-had-been-a-student-in-vienna-and-one-of-the-neat-little-things-i/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“God, I think I just hit a high E-flat - and I really held it!" Esmeralda said, after one of her more prolonged orgasms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/god-i-think-i-just-hit-a-high-e-flat-and-i-really-held-it-esmeralda/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Nostalgia!" Miss Frost cried. "You´re nostalgic!" She repeated. "Just how old are you, William?" She asked. "Seventeen, " I told her. "Seventeen!" Miss Frost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/nostalgia-miss-frost-cried-you-re-nostalgic-she-repeated-just-how-old/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [ “JUST BECAUSE A BUNCH OF ATHEISTS ARE BETTER WRITERS THAN THE GUYS WHO WROTE THE BIBLE DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE THEM RIGHT!" \[Owen Meany\] said… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/just-because-a-bunch-of-atheists-are-better-writers-than-the-guys-who/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [It is much easier to be flexible about where a story begins than it ever was for me to change my mind about where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/it-is-much-easier-to-be-flexible-about-where-a-story-begins-than-it/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Only the chicken-lover will understand me. He will give me a kindly look, maybe mildly desirous. His eyes will tell me: You might look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/only-the-chicken-lover-will-understand-me-he-will-give-me-a-kindly/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [You're nice,' Cushie told him, squeezing his hand. 'And you're my oldest friend.' But they both must have known that you can know someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/you-re-nice-cushie-told-him-squeezing-his-hand-and-you-re-my-oldest/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Because of A Prayer for Owen Meany, many of my readers assume I am “religious.” I go to church only occasionally—like a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/because-of-a-prayer-for-owen-meany-many-of-my-readers-assume-i-am/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Did anyone who was in love and was unsatisfied with how he was loved in return ever feel saved?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/did-anyone-who-was-in-love-and-was-unsatisfied-with-how-he-was-loved/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“I TRUST THAT GOD WILL HELP ME, BECAUSE WHAT I’M SUPPOSED TO DO LOOKS VERY HARD.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-trust-that-god-will-help-me-because-what-i-m-supposed-to-do-looks/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) [Explore all 641 John Irving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) ## More Suicide quotes > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [We hear war called murder. It is not; it is suicide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-hear-war-called-murder-it-is-not-it-is-suicide/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If I died If I died tonight would you notice? Would you even care? If I died tonight would you find it humorous? Would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-died-if-i-died-tonight-would-you-notice-would-you-even-care-if-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My bodies cold lips are blue why did I do this because of you? I feel the earth below me like a pillow under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nik-is-dead/my-bodies-cold-lips-are-blue-why-did-i-do-this-because-of-you-i-feel/) [Nik Is Dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nik-is-dead/) > [When people are suicidal, their thinking is paralyzed, their options appear spare or nonexistent, their mood is despairing, and hopelessness permeates their entire mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/when-people-are-suicidal-their-thinking-is-paralyzed-their-options/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [“The walls of the cell fell away, the sky came down, I saw the big yellow bird.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/the-walls-of-the-cell-fell-away-the-sky-came-down-i-saw-the-big/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [I lay on my floor crying again¦ shaking. Searching for inner strength and coming up empty. My eyes burned and my mouth was dry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-daniels/i-lay-on-my-floor-crying-again-shaking-searching-for-inner-strength/) [Nathan Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-daniels/) > [“Why do people kill themselves? I think they do it when they can no longer find a reason to keep going. When nothing in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beth-miller/why-do-people-kill-themselves-i-think-they-do-it-when-they-can-no/) [Mary Beth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beth-miller/) > [“No," I say. "I didn't know that," and as I say it I feel flooded with bitterness at all the things Ingrid kept secret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/no-i-say-i-didn-t-know-that-and-as-i-say-it-i-feel-flooded-with/) [Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/) > [You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to surmise that war has a perverse appeal for the human race, nor is the attraction limited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/you-don-t-have-to-be-sigmund-freud-to-surmise-that-war-has-a-perverse/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [“And thus they form a perfect group; he walks back two or three paces, selects his point of sight, and begins to sketch a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-braddon/and-thus-they-form-a-perfect-group-he-walks-back-two-or-three-paces/) [Mary Elizabeth Braddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-braddon/) > [Why don't you pass the gun around and give everyone a shot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-cooper/why-don-t-you-pass-the-gun-around-and-give-everyone-a-shot/) [Alice Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-cooper/) > [ The question is whether \[suicide\] is the way out, or the way in. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-question-is-whether-suicide-is-the-way-out-or-the-way-in/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“I want him to live if HE wants to live. If he doesn't, then by forcing him to carry on, you, me… we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/i-want-him-to-live-if-he-wants-to-live-if-he-doesn-t-then-by-forcing/) [Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/) [Browse all 3,631 Suicide quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There are always suicides,\" Garp wrote, \"among people who are unable to say what they mean\".”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Irving" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/there-are-always-suicides-garp-wrote-among-people-who-are-unable-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Suicide" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/there-are-always-suicides-garp-wrote-among-people-who-are-unable-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/john-irving-337_suicide_there-are-always-suicides-garp-wrote-amo_1891862.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/john-irving-337_suicide_there-are-always-suicides-garp-wrote-amo_1891862.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8d8/john-irving-337_suicide_there-are-always-suicides-garp-wrote-amo_1891862.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are always suicides,\" Garp wrote, \"among people who are unable to say what they mean\".” — John Irving", "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 Irving", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There are always suicides,\" Garp wrote,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/there-are-always-suicides-garp-wrote-among-people-who-are-unable-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/there-are-always-suicides-garp-wrote-among-people-who-are-unable-to/#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 } } ] } ```