---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can give yourself a headache trying…"
description: "\"You can give yourself a headache trying to decipher the tattoos on a naked man who’s leaping up and down on a bed.\" — John Irving"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/john-irving-337_bed_you-can-give-yourself-a-headache-trying_547671.png"
---

#  You can give yourself a headache trying to decipher the…

![“You can give yourself a headache trying to decipher the tattoos on a naked man who’s leaping up and down on a bed.” quote by John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/john-irving-337_bed_you-can-give-yourself-a-headache-trying_547671.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/john-irving-337_bed_you-can-give-yourself-a-headache-trying_547671.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/john-irving-337_bed_you-can-give-yourself-a-headache-trying_547671.png)

> “You can give yourself a headache trying to decipher the tattoos on a naked man who’s leaping up and down on a bed.”

[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.

Attempting to understand complex, chaotic situations can be overwhelming and futile.

**In simple terms:** Complexity can cause confusion.

Key Takeaway

Simplify and focus on essential details.

Themes

complexity confusion analysis

Mood

curious reflective

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- artisticanalysis
- life

Key Concepts

Chaos theory interpretation

Questions to Reflect On

- When is it better to accept mystery?
- How do you decide what to analyze?

A Different Perspective

Overanalysis may lead to paralysis.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed/) [Decipher Tattoos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decipher-tattoos-4565606/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Headache](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headache/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Naked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naked/) [Naked Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naked-man-459922/) [Tattoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tattoo/) [Tattoos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tattoos/) [Tattoos Naked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tattoos-naked-4565605/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/)

## Related quotes

> [“If you guys want to get a MOM tattoo and save a little money, just get two letters done. Get about a one-inch capital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/if-you-guys-want-to-get-a-mom-tattoo-and-save-a-little-money-just-get/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [Tattoos aren't fun unless you're an idiot. It's not fun to get tattoos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riff-raff/tattoos-aren-t-fun-unless-you-re-an-idiot-it-s-not-fun-to-get-tattoos/)

[Riff Raff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riff-raff/)

> [I think tattoos are horrible. It's like living in a Pucci dress full-time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/i-think-tattoos-are-horrible-it-s-like-living-in-a-pucci-dress-full/)

[Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/)

> [If I see a black kid in a hoodie and it's late at night, I'm walking to the other side of the street. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/if-i-see-a-black-kid-in-a-hoodie-and-it-s-late-at-night-i-m-walking/)

[Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/)

> [I am wearing a gray shirt, blue jeans, black shoes--new clothes, but beneath them, my Dauntless tattoos. It is impossible to erase my choices.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-am-wearing-a-gray-shirt-blue-jeans-black-shoes-new-clothes-but/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [Put tattoos all up and down our thighs, do anything our parents would despise. Take uppers, downers, blues, and reds and yellows, our brains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/put-tattoos-all-up-and-down-our-thighs-do-anything-our-parents-would/)

[Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/)

> [I have a lot of tattoos that are day-of tattoos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-victor/i-have-a-lot-of-tattoos-that-are-day-of-tattoos/)

[Eva Victor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-victor/)

> [“Perhaps we say things with tattoos that we can't say other ways”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hudock/perhaps-we-say-things-with-tattoos-that-we-can-t-say-other-ways/)

[Amy Hudock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hudock/)

> [Tattoos are my way of expressing myself without the need for words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-park/tattoos-are-my-way-of-expressing-myself-without-the-need-for-words/)

[Jay Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-park/)

> [I'm a big guy and I can't have any tiny tattoos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-long/i-m-a-big-guy-and-i-can-t-have-any-tiny-tattoos/)

[Chris Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-long/)

> [I have a lot of tattoos. I probably have over 100 tattoos. I don't know. It's just a mural... a collage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyga/i-have-a-lot-of-tattoos-i-probably-have-over-100-tattoos-i-don-t-know/)

[Tyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyga/)

> [My tattoos are reminders to hang in there when things get rough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/my-tattoos-are-reminders-to-hang-in-there-when-things-get-rough/)

[Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/)

> [If you like tattoos, perfect. But I'm scared. I think: 'At 60, I'm going to have this?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodri/if-you-like-tattoos-perfect-but-i-m-scared-i-think-at-60-i-m-going-to/)

[Rodri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodri/)

> [The biggest misconception about me is the bad-boy image that everyone stuck me into due to my tattoos, drug days and the constant changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-mclean/the-biggest-misconception-about-me-is-the-bad-boy-image-that-everyone/)

[A. J. McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-mclean/)

> [I have no tattoos at all - it was a huge undertaking for me in the '80s to let my parents know I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-smits/i-have-no-tattoos-at-all-it-was-a-huge-undertaking-for-me-in-the-80s/)

[Jimmy Smits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-smits/)

## 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 Bed quotes

> [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/)

[Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/)

> [Your idea of fidelity is not having more than one man in bed at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-raphael/your-idea-of-fidelity-is-not-having-more-than-one-man-in-bed-at-the/)

[Frederic Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-raphael/)

> [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

> [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I wish I had as much in bed as I get in the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-wish-i-had-as-much-in-bed-as-i-get-in-the-newspapers/)

[Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/)

> [ Leave a cavity behind the \[wall\] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-and-on-the-inside-build-walls/)

[Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/)

> [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/)

[Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/)

> [“In the parking lot, she drove and parked in a dark area with no other cars around. She reclined her seat, and listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/in-the-parking-lot-she-drove-and-parked-in-a-dark-area-with-no-other/)

[Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/)

> [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [I have to meditate before I go to bed, always. I have to let the day go and let the eternal in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bellamy-young/i-have-to-meditate-before-i-go-to-bed-always-i-have-to-let-the-day-go/)

[Bellamy Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bellamy-young/)

> [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I think life is full of challenges and problems. I don't believe that anyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's not a bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-mansell/i-think-life-is-full-of-challenges-and-problems-i-don-t-believe-that/)

[Nigel Mansell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-mansell/)

> [When I saw him I thought I could curl up inside him and go to sleep and never wake up." "Men are no good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/when-i-saw-him-i-thought-i-could-curl-up-inside-him-and-go-to-sleep/)

[Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/)

> [I always wanted to be a movie star. I thought it meant being famous and having breakfast in bed. I didn't know you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-allyson/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-movie-star-i-thought-it-meant-being-famous/)

[June Allyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-allyson/)

[Browse all 4,159 Bed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "You can give yourself a headache trying to decipher the tattoos on a naked man who’s leaping up and down on a bed.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Irving"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/you-can-give-yourself-a-headache-trying-to-decipher-the-tattoos-on-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bed"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/you-can-give-yourself-a-headache-trying-to-decipher-the-tattoos-on-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/john-irving-337_bed_you-can-give-yourself-a-headache-trying_547671.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/john-irving-337_bed_you-can-give-yourself-a-headache-trying_547671.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e55/john-irving-337_bed_you-can-give-yourself-a-headache-trying_547671.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You can give yourself a headache trying to decipher the tattoos on a naked man who’s leaping up and down on…” — 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": "You can give yourself a headache...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/you-can-give-yourself-a-headache-trying-to-decipher-the-tattoos-on-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/you-can-give-yourself-a-headache-trying-to-decipher-the-tattoos-on-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
