--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What was happening to them was that every…" description: "\"“What was happening to them was that every bad time produced a bad feeling that in turn produced several more bad times and several more bad feelings, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/lydia-davis-3244_bad-feelings_what-was-happening-to-them-was-that-ever_2115968.jpg" --- # What was happening to them was that every bad time… ![“What was happening to them was that every bad time produced a bad feeling that in turn produced several more bad times and several more bad feelings, so that their life together became crowded with bad times and bad feelings, so crowded that almost nothing else could grow in that dark field. But…” quote by Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/lydia-davis-3244_bad-feelings_what-was-happening-to-them-was-that-ever_2115968.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/lydia-davis-3244_bad-feelings_what-was-happening-to-them-was-that-ever_2115968.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/lydia-davis-3244_bad-feelings_what-was-happening-to-them-was-that-ever_2115968.jpg) > ““What was happening to them was that every bad time produced a bad feeling that in turn produced several more bad times and several more bad feelings, so that their life together became crowded with bad times and bad feelings, so crowded that almost nothing else could grow in that dark field. But then she had a feeling of peace one morning that lingered from the evening before spent sewing while he sat reading in the next room. And a day or two later, she had a feeling of contentment that lingered in the morning from the evening before when he kept her company in the kitchen while she washed the dinner dishes. If the good times increased, she thought, each good time might produce a good feeling that would in turn produce several more good times that would produce several more good feelings. What she meant was that the good times might multiply perhaps as rapidly as the square of the square, or perhaps more rapidly, like mice, or like mushrooms springing up overnight from the scattered spore of a parent mushroom which in turn had sprung up overnight with a crowd of others from the scattered spore of a parent, until her life with him with be so crowded with good times that the good times might crowd out the bad as the bad times had by now almost crowded out the good. ”” [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Positive experiences can compound, creating a feedback loop that outweighs negativity over time. **In simple terms:** Good moments build more good moments. Key Takeaway Cultivate and cherish positive interactions. Themes growth optimism feedback loops relationships psychology Mood hopeful inspirational Type literary reflective When to use this quote - marriage - longterm partnerships - friendships - team dynamics Key Concepts positive psychology compound effect Questions to Reflect On - What daily habits can you and to nurture good times? - How do you break a negative feedback loop? A Different Perspective Positive cycles can be fragile and require conscious effort to maintain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-feelings/) [Bad time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-time/) [Bad times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-times/) [Feeling Contentment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-contentment-830606/) [Feeling Of Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-of-peace/) [Feeling Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-peace/) [Feelings Crowded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings-crowded-4293736/) [Good Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-feelings/) [Good times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-times/) [Later Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/later-feeling-2365995/) [Life together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-together/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“There was such a feeling of peace around them, it was soft and pink and smelled of butter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/there-was-such-a-feeling-of-peace-around-them-it-was-soft-and-pink/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [“When you take God into partnership, when you are conscious that you are doing His work, you have a feeling of peace and security.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/when-you-take-god-into-partnership-when-you-are-conscious-that-you/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [I always have kind of underneath feeling of peace of mind that I get from just the basic tenants of spirituality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/i-always-have-kind-of-underneath-feeling-of-peace-of-mind-that-i-get/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [As we attend the temple, there can come to us a dimension of spirituality and a feeling of peace which will transcend any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/as-we-attend-the-temple-there-can-come-to-us-a-dimension-of/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [Perhaps we don't need these religious concoctions to pillow the fear of death. Just the fact that there is an unknown, and something greater,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/perhaps-we-don-t-need-these-religious-concoctions-to-pillow-the-fear/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [What I got was not so much gifts and whishes come trues but a feeling of peace. I got peace itself, actually. And when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-noonan/what-i-got-was-not-so-much-gifts-and-whishes-come-trues-but-a-feeling/) [Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/) > [I love paddle boarding. It gives me that feeling of peace as well as an opportunity to enjoy nature's true beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-grammer/i-love-paddle-boarding-it-gives-me-that-feeling-of-peace-as-well-as/) [Camille Grammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-grammer/) > [“Holy shit. I've just been having one of the best days in my life. If not the best. I have a feeling of peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janita/holy-shit-i-ve-just-been-having-one-of-the-best-days-in-my-life-if/) [Janita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janita/) > [“When you do the right thing, you get the feeling of peace and serenity associated with it. Do it again and again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-t-bennett/when-you-do-the-right-thing-you-get-the-feeling-of-peace-and-serenity/) [Roy T. Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-t-bennett/) > [I get a feeling of peace from a low so high, as I sit in my chair and watch life go by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-rock/i-get-a-feeling-of-peace-from-a-low-so-high-as-i-sit-in-my-chair-and/) [Kid Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-rock/) > [I was in a garden at the Rodin Museum. For a few minutes I was alone, sitting on a bench between two long hedges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/i-was-in-a-garden-at-the-rodin-museum-for-a-few-minutes-i-was-alone/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) > [When one great passion seizes possession of the soul all other feelings are crowded out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/when-one-great-passion-seizes-possession-of-the-soul-all-other/) [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/) > [There are moments when you feel trapped, ill at ease. A year later the same feeling can turn out to be the theme of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francoise-sagan/there-are-moments-when-you-feel-trapped-ill-at-ease-a-year-later-the/) [Francoise Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francoise-sagan/) > [When I proposed to the game I figured life was merry… 5 years later I'm feeling like Tyler Perry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-budden/when-i-proposed-to-the-game-i-figured-life-was-merry-5-years-later-i/) [Joe Budden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-budden/) > [“I can imagine that the oceanic feeling could become connected with religion later on. That feeling of oneness with the universe which is its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/i-can-imagine-that-the-oceanic-feeling-could-become-connected-with/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) ## More by Lydia Davis > [Heart weeps. Head tries to help heart. Head tells heart how it is, again: You will lose the ones you love. They will all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/heart-weeps-head-tries-to-help-heart-head-tells-heart-how-it-is-again/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“But on that particular day I did not even begin to feel interested in this chore, and was suddenly more deeply bored than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/but-on-that-particular-day-i-did-not-even-begin-to-feel-interested-in/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [If a translation doesn't have obvious writing problems, it may seem quite all right at first glance. We readers, after all, quickly adapt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/if-a-translation-doesn-t-have-obvious-writing-problems-it-may-seem/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I always interrupt work with other work, either in a small way or big way, so that's normal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-always-interrupt-work-with-other-work-either-in-a-small-way-or-big/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [ I worked more intensively hour after hour when I was starting out \[writing\]. More laboriously. I'd say quantity is important as well as quality,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-worked-more-intensively-hour-after-hour-when-i-was-starting-out/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I don't feel I have to struggle against allegory. I let the readers do the interpreting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-don-t-feel-i-have-to-struggle-against-allegory-i-let-the-readers-do/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“because she couldn’t write the name of what she was: a wa wam owm owamn womn”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/because-she-couldn-t-write-the-name-of-what-she-was-a-wa-wam-owm/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“Everything was sharper, clearer, and closer, as though, before, I had been seeing only little bits at a time, not all of it, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/everything-was-sharper-clearer-and-closer-as-though-before-i-had-been/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“He did not know exactly when to thank his hostess after attending a dinner or a weekend party. In his uncertainty, he would thank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/he-did-not-know-exactly-when-to-thank-his-hostess-after-attending-a/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“There was no confusion of our bodies. I knew which arm was his and which mine, and which leg, and which shoulder. I did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/there-was-no-confusion-of-our-bodies-i-knew-which-arm-was-his-and/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“So it’s not really $100 a shot because it goes on all day, from the start when you wake up and feel her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/so-it-s-not-really-100-a-shot-because-it-goes-on-all-day-from-the/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“The people of the town, though, remained strangers: I could not realize that I must be seeing some of them over and over again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/the-people-of-the-town-though-remained-strangers-i-could-not-realize/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [“He does not trust her: she will claim to be in a bad mood when she is not, and then require him to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/he-does-not-trust-her-she-will-claim-to-be-in-a-bad-mood-when-she-is/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I would recommend, definitely, developing a 'day job' that you like - don't expect to make money writing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/i-would-recommend-definitely-developing-a-day-job-that-you-like-don-t/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [the translator, a lonely sort of acrobat, becomes confused in a labyrinth of paradox, or climbs a pyramid of dependent clauses and has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/the-translator-a-lonely-sort-of-acrobat-becomes-confused-in-a/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) [Explore all 135 Lydia Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) ## More Bad feelings quotes > [We don't need to complicate all the "reasons" behind our emotions. It's much simpler than that. Two categories .. good feelings, bad feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/we-don-t-need-to-complicate-all-the-reasons-behind-our-emotions-it-s/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [Life is too short to waste time harboring bad feelings about anyone. Forgive, forget, then move on!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-austin/life-is-too-short-to-waste-time-harboring-bad-feelings-about-anyone/) [Denise Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-austin/) > [“I felt I should repeat it for the other slipper, in case there should be any bad feelings between the two. One should never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/i-felt-i-should-repeat-it-for-the-other-slipper-in-case-there-should/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [“Pretend that you’re the paddle and the rubber ball is your feelings. When something bad happens to us, our natural instinct is to try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-dobrenski/pretend-that-you-re-the-paddle-and-the-rubber-ball-is-your-feelings/) [Rob Dobrenski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-dobrenski/) > [“We got into the car. It was my first time. The car was spotless and I liked its smell, the smell of old leather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/we-got-into-the-car-it-was-my-first-time-the-car-was-spotless-and-i/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [The worst feeling in the world hands down is hopelessness, although it is not the only bad feeling. Other bad feelings include death of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-frisch/the-worst-feeling-in-the-world-hands-down-is-hopelessness-although-it/) [Matt Frisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-frisch/) > [I don't like bad feelings gnawing away at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mclachlan/i-don-t-like-bad-feelings-gnawing-away-at-me/) [Sarah McLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mclachlan/) > [Even in my personal life, I can't bear to have bad feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshaye-khanna/even-in-my-personal-life-i-can-t-bear-to-have-bad-feelings/) [Akshaye Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshaye-khanna/) > [The recipe for creating anything is really quite simple. Take good or bad feelings (meaning positive or negative vibrations), bake with varying degrees of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-grabhorn/the-recipe-for-creating-anything-is-really-quite-simple-take-good-or/) [Lynn Grabhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-grabhorn/) > [“There is no need returning anger to those who made your past horrible, do not think of making them feel bitter, maybe a help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/there-is-no-need-returning-anger-to-those-who-made-your-past-horrible/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“This is the way it ought to be, he thought to himself, to be able to dance with a girl you like and really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-okada/this-is-the-way-it-ought-to-be-he-thought-to-himself-to-be-able-to/) [John Okada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-okada/) > [I never sensed really bad blood between Microsoft and Apple. A lot of Macintosh users feel badly about PCs and do have some bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-wozniak/i-never-sensed-really-bad-blood-between-microsoft-and-apple-a-lot-of/) [Steve Wozniak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-wozniak/) > [Never will I ever have any bad feelings toward Orlando; it will always be positive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-vucevic/never-will-i-ever-have-any-bad-feelings-toward-orlando-it-will-always/) [Nikola Vucevic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-vucevic/) > [Catering to bad feelings feeds and empowers them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/catering-to-bad-feelings-feeds-and-empowers-them/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [If I don't feel good in myself, I pray, and I can throw off those bad feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-sneijder/if-i-don-t-feel-good-in-myself-i-pray-and-i-can-throw-off-those-bad/) [Wesley Sneijder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-sneijder/) [Browse all 78 Bad feelings quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-feelings/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What was happening to them was that every bad time produced a bad feeling that in turn produced several more bad times and several more bad feelings, so that their life together became crowded with bad times and bad feelings, so crowded that almost nothing else could grow in that dark field. But then she had a feeling of peace one morning that lingered from the evening before spent sewing while he sat reading in the next room. And a day or two later, she had a feeling of contentment that lingered in the morning from the evening before when he kept her company in the kitchen while she washed the dinner dishes. If the good times increased, she thought, each good time might produce a good feeling that would in turn produce several more good times that would produce several more good feelings. What she meant was that the good times might multiply perhaps as rapidly as the square of the square, or perhaps more rapidly, like mice, or like mushrooms springing up overnight from the scattered spore of a parent mushroom which in turn had sprung up overnight with a crowd of others from the scattered spore of a parent, until her life with him with be so crowded with good times that the good times might crowd out the bad as the bad times had by now almost crowded out the good. ”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lydia Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/what-was-happening-to-them-was-that-every-bad-time-produced-a-bad/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad feelings" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/what-was-happening-to-them-was-that-every-bad-time-produced-a-bad/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/lydia-davis-3244_bad-feelings_what-was-happening-to-them-was-that-ever_2115968.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/lydia-davis-3244_bad-feelings_what-was-happening-to-them-was-that-ever_2115968.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15f/lydia-davis-3244_bad-feelings_what-was-happening-to-them-was-that-ever_2115968.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What was happening to them was that every bad time produced a bad feeling that in turn produced several more…” — Lydia Davis", "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": "Lydia Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“What was happening to them was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/what-was-happening-to-them-was-that-every-bad-time-produced-a-bad/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/what-was-happening-to-them-was-that-every-bad-time-produced-a-bad/#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 } } ] } ```