--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...dancing with someone who is causing…" description: "\"“...dancing with someone who is causing you pain is a bit like trying to smile while having a tooth extracted.”\" — Kapka Kassabova" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/kapka-kassabova-25439_causing-pain_dancing-with-someone-who-is-causing-you_7631.jpg" --- # ...dancing with someone who is causing you pain is a bit… ![“...dancing with someone who is causing you pain is a bit like trying to smile while having a tooth extracted.” quote by Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/kapka-kassabova-25439_causing-pain_dancing-with-someone-who-is-causing-you_7631.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/kapka-kassabova-25439_causing-pain_dancing-with-someone-who-is-causing-you_7631.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/kapka-kassabova-25439_causing-pain_dancing-with-someone-who-is-causing-you_7631.jpg) > ““...dancing with someone who is causing you pain is a bit like trying to smile while having a tooth extracted.”” [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Enduring a harmful relationship feels forced and painful, masking true distress with a forced smile. **In simple terms:** Painful relationships feel like forced smiles. Key Takeaway Masking pain hurts more. Themes pain relationships authenticity masking discomfort Mood melancholy irony resignation Type aphor metaphor cautionary When to use this quote - staying in a toxic partnership - pretending to be okay at work - social events where you hide hurt Key Concepts emotional labor self‑deception boundaries Practical Applications - therapy for recognizing unhealthy dynamics - coaching on setting boundaries Questions to Reflect On - What are you hiding behind your smile? - How does this mask affect your well‑being? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Causing pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causing-pain/) [Dancing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancing/) [Dancing Causing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancing-causing-330731/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Pain Bit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-bit-330733/) [Trying Smile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying-smile-330732/) ## Related quotes > [Trying to smile just to prevent tears from coming out when I see you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhumika/trying-to-smile-just-to-prevent-tears-from-coming-out-when-i-see-you/) [Bhumika](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhumika/) > [Smile though your heart is aching Smile, even though it's breaking When there are clouds, in the sky, you'll get by If you smile,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-garland/smile-though-your-heart-is-aching-smile-even-though-it-s-breaking-2/) [Judy Garland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-garland/) > [You go to work the next day pretending nothing happened. Your co-workers ask if everything's okay and you tell them you're just tired. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-siken/you-go-to-work-the-next-day-pretending-nothing-happened-your-co/) [Richard Siken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-siken/) > [Mr. Knightley seemed to be trying not to smile; and succeeded without difficulty, upon Mrs. Elton's beginning to talk to him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/mr-knightley-seemed-to-be-trying-not-to-smile-and-succeeded-without/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“I’m giddy and trying not to be. This is more difficult than you’d imagine. Trying not to smile only makes you smile more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-yoon/i-m-giddy-and-trying-not-to-be-this-is-more-difficult-than-you-d/) [Nicola Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-yoon/) > [The hardest part in life is trying to show the smile you know is fake and to hide the tears that wont stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-hardest-part-in-life-is-trying-to-show-the-smile-you-know-is-fake/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We can save the world," I say, trying to smile. "You and me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/we-can-save-the-world-i-say-trying-to-smile-you-and-me/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“You are a son of Melusina,” I say, trying to smile. “You sound like her when she had to be free to go into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/you-are-a-son-of-melusina-i-say-trying-to-smile-you-sound-like-her/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [“Oh”, he said. He was trying to smile, but it was a brave smile, a sickroom smile, and I was sorry I had caused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/oh-he-said-he-was-trying-to-smile-but-it-was-a-brave-smile-a-sickroom/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [“There what is?” I purse my lips, trying not to smile. “The moment you steal my heart,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-murphy/there-what-is-i-purse-my-lips-trying-not-to-smile-the-moment-you/) [A.E. Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-murphy/) > [“She was capable of causing me pain, but no longer any joy. Pain alone kept my wearisome attachment alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/she-was-capable-of-causing-me-pain-but-no-longer-any-joy-pain-alone/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [I quit because that thing inside of me that was driving me to drink that way was causing me so much pain that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-manganiello/i-quit-because-that-thing-inside-of-me-that-was-driving-me-to-drink/) [Joe Manganiello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-manganiello/) > [There are only three sins - causing pain, causing fear, and causing anguish. The rest is window dressing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-caras/there-are-only-three-sins-causing-pain-causing-fear-and-causing/) [Roger Caras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-caras/) > [“Enduring pain is like causing pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-fantaskey/enduring-pain-is-like-causing-pain/) [Beth Fantaskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-fantaskey/) > [“... every single act we do has the potential of causing pain, and every single thing we do has consequences that echo way beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/every-single-act-we-do-has-the-potential-of-causing-pain-and-every/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) ## More by Kapka Kassabova > [“...'Not all dreams get broken. We all need dreams.'...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/not-all-dreams-get-broken-we-all-need-dreams/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [“...what exactly is there in human existence that can lure you away from pleasure: peace of mind, a walk by the sea, moderation?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/what-exactly-is-there-in-human-existence-that-can-lure-you-away-from/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [“I managed to convince myself that I’d left Bulgaria behind for good. I chose to see emigration and globe-trotting as an escape, not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/i-managed-to-convince-myself-that-i-d-left-bulgaria-behind-for-good-i/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [“I left Bulgaria when I was a seventeen-year-old East European, and I am now, by all appearances, a 32-year-old ‘global soul’. But everybody needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/i-left-bulgaria-when-i-was-a-seventeen-year-old-east-european-and-i/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [“Something must be done!’ ‘It’s because you don’t live here,’ Blago snorted. ‘You still believe in justice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/something-must-be-done-it-s-because-you-don-t-live-here-blago-snorted/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [“I chose to see emigration and globe-trotting as an escape, not as a loss. Nowhere to call home? No problem, the world is my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/i-chose-to-see-emigration-and-globe-trotting-as-an-escape-not-as-a/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [“History is written by the victors, they say, but it seems to me that history is written above all by those who weren’t there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/history-is-written-by-the-victors-they-say-but-it-seems-to-me-that/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [“People die crossing borders, and sometimes just being near them. The lucky ones are reborn on the other side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/people-die-crossing-borders-and-sometimes-just-being-near-them-the/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [“It’s precisely when you have lost your roots that everywhere you go matters hugely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/it-s-precisely-when-you-have-lost-your-roots-that-everywhere-you-go/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [“It’s funny,’ Rado says, ‘I can only be Bulgarian when I’m in France. Here, I’m semi-French. Everything is funny and bizarre, and I laugh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/it-s-funny-rado-says-i-can-only-be-bulgarian-when-i-m-in-france-here/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [“Traveling around the country where you grew up , lost some of your virginity and a few of your illusions, acquired some lasting neuroses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/traveling-around-the-country-where-you-grew-up-lost-some-of-your/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [“sealed zinc coffins, like the fallen Russian soldiers in Afghanistan – so that no one would know how they had really died.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/sealed-zinc-coffins-like-the-fallen-russian-soldiers-in-afghanistan/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [“...Tango is not just a dance. It's our human condition. To everyone who loves tango, it's what art is to the artist. A way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/tango-is-not-just-a-dance-it-s-our-human-condition-to-everyone-who/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [“But get this: you're free. Freedom is the greatest gift to the artist. Don't waste it. Go to Buenos Aires. Eat some steak. Get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/but-get-this-you-re-free-freedom-is-the-greatest-gift-to-the-artist/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [“communism was in a rush, it had no time for bourgeois things like the past or the environment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/communism-was-in-a-rush-it-had-no-time-for-bourgeois-things-like-the/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) [Explore all 23 Kapka Kassabova quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) ## More Causing pain quotes > [“... every single act we do has the potential of causing pain, and every single thing we do has consequences that echo way beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-boorstein/every-single-act-we-do-has-the-potential-of-causing-pain-and-every/) [Sylvia Boorstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-boorstein/) > [“Enduring pain is like causing pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-fantaskey/enduring-pain-is-like-causing-pain/) [Beth Fantaskey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-fantaskey/) > [There are only three sins - causing pain, causing fear, and causing anguish. The rest is window dressing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-caras/there-are-only-three-sins-causing-pain-causing-fear-and-causing/) [Roger Caras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-caras/) > [I quit because that thing inside of me that was driving me to drink that way was causing me so much pain that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-manganiello/i-quit-because-that-thing-inside-of-me-that-was-driving-me-to-drink/) [Joe Manganiello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-manganiello/) > [“She was capable of causing me pain, but no longer any joy. Pain alone kept my wearisome attachment alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/she-was-capable-of-causing-me-pain-but-no-longer-any-joy-pain-alone/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Yes, I understand why things had to happen this way. I understand his reason for causing me pain. But mere understanding does not chase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yes-i-understand-why-things-had-to-happen-this-way-i-understand-his/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He realized that he was manacled hand and foot with fetters that were only more intolerable because they consisted of nothing more substantial than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/he-realized-that-he-was-manacled-hand-and-foot-with-fetters-that-were/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [If they're causing you more pain than happiness they aren't worth holding onto.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/if-they-re-causing-you-more-pain-than-happiness-they-aren-t-worth/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [“Pain and dysfunction get passed down from generation to generation. A mixture of genetic inheritance and environmental circumstance ensures that our lives unfold according…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-neff/pain-and-dysfunction-get-passed-down-from-generation-to-generation-a/) [Kristin Neff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-neff/) > [Letting go with someone you love to protect that someone is better than causing someone pain by being in your side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisa-iglesias/letting-go-with-someone-you-love-to-protect-that-someone-is-better/) [Aisa Iglesias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisa-iglesias/) > [He who, by causing pain to others, wishes to obtain pleasure for himself, he, entangled in the bonds of hatred, will never be free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-muller/he-who-by-causing-pain-to-others-wishes-to-obtain-pleasure-for/) [Max Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-muller/) > [When there is pain, the animal instinct is 'fight or flight' (i.e., to either strike back or run away) - reflect instead. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/when-there-is-pain-the-animal-instinct-is-fight-or-flight-i-e-to/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [It's time to take my life back from the people that are causing my pain and making me unhappy. This is my life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nylle/it-s-time-to-take-my-life-back-from-the-people-that-are-causing-my/) [Nylle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nylle/) > [Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/because-only-then-does-one-feel-that-all-is-as-it-should-be-and-that/) [Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/) > [I won't let you keep (keep) hurting me, if you gone keep causing me pain. I won't let you keep (keep) hurting me, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmine-sullivan/i-won-t-let-you-keep-keep-hurting-me-if-you-gone-keep-causing-me-pain/) [Jazmine Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmine-sullivan/) [Browse all 24 Causing pain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causing-pain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...dancing with someone who is causing you pain is a bit like trying to smile while having a tooth extracted.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kapka Kassabova" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/dancing-with-someone-who-is-causing-you-pain-is-a-bit-like-trying-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Causing pain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/dancing-with-someone-who-is-causing-you-pain-is-a-bit-like-trying-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/kapka-kassabova-25439_causing-pain_dancing-with-someone-who-is-causing-you_7631.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/kapka-kassabova-25439_causing-pain_dancing-with-someone-who-is-causing-you_7631.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/kapka-kassabova-25439_causing-pain_dancing-with-someone-who-is-causing-you_7631.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...dancing with someone who is causing you pain is a bit like trying to smile while having a tooth extracted.” — Kapka Kassabova", "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": "Kapka Kassabova", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“...dancing with someone who is causing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/dancing-with-someone-who-is-causing-you-pain-is-a-bit-like-trying-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/dancing-with-someone-who-is-causing-you-pain-is-a-bit-like-trying-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 } } ] } ```