--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was no more meaningless phrase in…" description: "\"“There was no more meaningless phrase in all of language than \"Cheer up!\" The only way to get someone to cheer up was to help them forget, and saying \"..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/koji-suzuki-28778_cheer-up_there-was-no-more-meaningless-phrase-in_1133026.jpg" --- # There was no more meaningless phrase in all of language… ![“There was no more meaningless phrase in all of language than "Cheer up!" The only way to get someone to cheer up was to help them forget, and saying "cheer up" had quite the opposite effect, only reminding the person why he or she was depressed in the first place.” quote by Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/koji-suzuki-28778_cheer-up_there-was-no-more-meaningless-phrase-in_1133026.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/koji-suzuki-28778_cheer-up_there-was-no-more-meaningless-phrase-in_1133026.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/koji-suzuki-28778_cheer-up_there-was-no-more-meaningless-phrase-in_1133026.jpg) > ““There was no more meaningless phrase in all of language than "Cheer up!" The only way to get someone to cheer up was to help them forget, and saying "cheer up" had quite the opposite effect, only reminding the person why he or she was depressed in the first place.”” [Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cheerful platitudes can backfire, reminding people of their pain instead of alleviating it; true help comes from genuine support, not empty phrases. **In simple terms:** Empty encouragement can worsen sadness. Key Takeaway Offer real help, not clichés. Themes empathy communication mental health Mood empathetic thoughtful Type advice psychological When to use this quote - counseling - friendship - self‑care Key Concepts psychology social interaction Questions to Reflect On - What genuine actions could replace hollow phrases? - When is silence more supportive than speech? A Different Perspective Words alone may not heal; they can highlight the problem. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cheer up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheer-up/) [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Forgetting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetting/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) ## Related quotes > [Moving on is not about ,I already forget you nor saying I already move on. It's about letting go and facing the pain ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivy-ban/moving-on-is-not-about-i-already-forget-you-nor-saying-i-already-move/) [Ivy Ban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivy-ban/) > [a meaningless phrase repeated again and again begins to resemble truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/a-meaningless-phrase-repeated-again-and-again-begins-to-resemble-truth/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [All of her heart, a meaningless phrase, but correct and precise, too. She used her heart to love him, not her head, and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/all-of-her-heart-a-meaningless-phrase-but-correct-and-precise-too-she/) [Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/) > [Military intelligence is a meaningless phrase because the two words are mutually exclusive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-kallen/military-intelligence-is-a-meaningless-phrase-because-the-two-words/) [Lucille Kallen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-kallen/) > [Treat every moment as a gift, that is why it is called the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/treat-every-moment-as-a-gift-that-is-why-it-is-called-the-present/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Amor Fati – “Love Your Fate”, which is in fact your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/amor-fati-love-your-fate-which-is-in-fact-your-life/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Failure is not the falling down but the staying down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pickford/failure-is-not-the-falling-down-but-the-staying-down/) [Mary Pickford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pickford/) > [I adore all Agatha Christie's books and turn to them whenever I'm ill or need cheering up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/i-adore-all-agatha-christie-s-books-and-turn-to-them-whenever-i-m-ill/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [Haters, I'm not your enemy I'm your hero. Cheer up, you should be happy I'm here](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/haters-i-m-not-your-enemy-i-m-your-hero-cheer-up-you-should-be-happy/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [Cheer up! The worst effects of what we're doing won't be felt until after we're all dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-brilliant/cheer-up-the-worst-effects-of-what-we-re-doing-won-t-be-felt-until/) [Ashleigh Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-brilliant/) > [You must find the place inside yourself where nothing is impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/you-must-find-the-place-inside-yourself-where-nothing-is-impossible/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [You've got to S-M-I-L-E To be H-A-Double-P-Y](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-temple/you-ve-got-to-s-m-i-l-e-to-be-h-a-double-p-y/) [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) > [“How could you be sad, when you can sing?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/how-could-you-be-sad-when-you-can-sing/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively; unless you can choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/do-not-stop-thinking-of-life-as-an-adventure-you-have-no-security/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [Have the self-confidence to say no when it is necessary and the strength to stand alone. Give yourself the approval to love and respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-olson/have-the-self-confidence-to-say-no-when-it-is-necessary-and-the/) Jackie Olson ## More by Koji Suzuki > [“Asakawa himself didn't much care if the company made money or lost it. All that mattered to him was whether or not the work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/asakawa-himself-didn-t-much-care-if-the-company-made-money-or-lost-it/) [Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) > [“My life's been defined by my actions. I've shaped my destiny through my battles. I would rather keep chasing after my dreams until I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/my-life-s-been-defined-by-my-actions-i-ve-shaped-my-destiny-through/) [Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) > [“My friend loves taking a bath all by herself. She never ever gets out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/my-friend-loves-taking-a-bath-all-by-herself-she-never-ever-gets-out/) [Kōji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) > [“When a new object emerges that satisfies the same purpose as an older one, the older one falls into obsolescence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/when-a-new-object-emerges-that-satisfies-the-same-purpose-as-an-older/) [Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) > [“I don't want to get old. I want to stay young forever. Wouldn't that be great?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/i-don-t-want-to-get-old-i-want-to-stay-young-forever-wouldn-t-that-be/) [Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) > [“Reality and the virtual space reflect each other. They correspond to each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/reality-and-the-virtual-space-reflect-each-other-they-correspond-to/) [Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) > [“Life is the name of all things that have shells separating them from the outside, the ability to sustain and reproduce themselves, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/life-is-the-name-of-all-things-that-have-shells-separating-them-from/) [Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) > [“Think! There's nothing certain in our future! All we can hope for is a vague continuation. But in spite of that, you're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/think-there-s-nothing-certain-in-our-future-all-we-can-hope-for-is-a/) [Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) > [“Right. Mutation is the trigger that moves evolution forward. So, how do mutations happen?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/right-mutation-is-the-trigger-that-moves-evolution-forward-so-how-do/) [Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) > [“To put it in terms of information theory, the new technology overwrites the old one. The technology saved under a new file name survives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/to-put-it-in-terms-of-information-theory-the-new-technology/) [Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) > [“Humanity as such, we might say, is a large collective drifting into the future with survival as its shared interest. This law differs from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/humanity-as-such-we-might-say-is-a-large-collective-drifting-into-the/) [Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) > [“The world doesn't hate you as much as you think it does.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/the-world-doesn-t-hate-you-as-much-as-you-think-it-does/) [Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) > [“He had given her a copy of a recently published paper that held that the power of entropy weakens near the event horizon of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/he-had-given-her-a-copy-of-a-recently-published-paper-that-held-that/) [Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) > [“DNA was the chemical material on which hereditary information was recorded, while a gene was one unit of that nearly infinite amount of hereditary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/dna-was-the-chemical-material-on-which-hereditary-information-was/) [Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) > [“People can endure almost anything but there's one thing they can't survive. Man is an animal that can't stand boredom”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/people-can-endure-almost-anything-but-there-s-one-thing-they-can-t/) [Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) [Explore all 16 Koji Suzuki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) ## More Cheer up quotes > [Have the self-confidence to say no when it is necessary and the strength to stand alone. Give yourself the approval to love and respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-olson/have-the-self-confidence-to-say-no-when-it-is-necessary-and-the/) Jackie Olson > [Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively; unless you can choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/do-not-stop-thinking-of-life-as-an-adventure-you-have-no-security/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [“How could you be sad, when you can sing?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/how-could-you-be-sad-when-you-can-sing/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [You've got to S-M-I-L-E To be H-A-Double-P-Y](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-temple/you-ve-got-to-s-m-i-l-e-to-be-h-a-double-p-y/) [Shirley Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-temple/) > [You must find the place inside yourself where nothing is impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/you-must-find-the-place-inside-yourself-where-nothing-is-impossible/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Cheer up! The worst effects of what we're doing won't be felt until after we're all dead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-brilliant/cheer-up-the-worst-effects-of-what-we-re-doing-won-t-be-felt-until/) [Ashleigh Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-brilliant/) > [Haters, I'm not your enemy I'm your hero. Cheer up, you should be happy I'm here](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/haters-i-m-not-your-enemy-i-m-your-hero-cheer-up-you-should-be-happy/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [I adore all Agatha Christie's books and turn to them whenever I'm ill or need cheering up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/i-adore-all-agatha-christie-s-books-and-turn-to-them-whenever-i-m-ill/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [Failure is not the falling down but the staying down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pickford/failure-is-not-the-falling-down-but-the-staying-down/) [Mary Pickford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pickford/) > [Amor Fati – “Love Your Fate”, which is in fact your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/amor-fati-love-your-fate-which-is-in-fact-your-life/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Treat every moment as a gift, that is why it is called the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/treat-every-moment-as-a-gift-that-is-why-it-is-called-the-present/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Do you really want to be happy? You can begin by being appreciative of who you are and what you've got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/do-you-really-want-to-be-happy-you-can-begin-by-being-appreciative-of/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [No matter where life takes me, you'll find me with a smile. Presumed to be happy, always laughing like a child. I never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-miller/no-matter-where-life-takes-me-you-ll-find-me-with-a-smile-presumed-to/) [Mac Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-miller/) > [Daisy smiled and said, "Jay Berry, you won't die. You may think you will, but you won't. In a day or two, you'll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilson-rawls/daisy-smiled-and-said-jay-berry-you-won-t-die-you-may-think-you-will/) [Wilson Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilson-rawls/) > [Cheer up,' I said. 'All countries look just like the moving pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/cheer-up-i-said-all-countries-look-just-like-the-moving-pictures/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) [Browse all 101 Cheer up quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheer-up/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There was no more meaningless phrase in all of language than \"Cheer up!\" The only way to get someone to cheer up was to help them forget, and saying \"cheer up\" had quite the opposite effect, only reminding the person why he or she was depressed in the first place.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Koji Suzuki" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/there-was-no-more-meaningless-phrase-in-all-of-language-than-cheer-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cheer up" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/there-was-no-more-meaningless-phrase-in-all-of-language-than-cheer-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/koji-suzuki-28778_cheer-up_there-was-no-more-meaningless-phrase-in_1133026.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/koji-suzuki-28778_cheer-up_there-was-no-more-meaningless-phrase-in_1133026.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e6/koji-suzuki-28778_cheer-up_there-was-no-more-meaningless-phrase-in_1133026.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There was no more meaningless phrase in all of language than \"Cheer up!\" The only way to get someone to…” — Koji Suzuki", "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": "Koji Suzuki", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There was no more meaningless phrase...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/there-was-no-more-meaningless-phrase-in-all-of-language-than-cheer-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/there-was-no-more-meaningless-phrase-in-all-of-language-than-cheer-up/#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 } } ] } ```