---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But that was how it went sometimes, the…"
description: "\"“But that was how it went sometimes, the English language, when you really needed it, crumbled to clay in your mouth. That’s when all the real things w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/marisha-pessl-1802_english-language_but-that-was-how-it-went-sometimes-the-e_1368726.png"
---

#  But that was how it went sometimes, the English language…

![“But that was how it went sometimes, the English language, when you really needed it, crumbled to clay in your mouth. That’s when all the real things were said.” quote by Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/marisha-pessl-1802_english-language_but-that-was-how-it-went-sometimes-the-e_1368726.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/marisha-pessl-1802_english-language_but-that-was-how-it-went-sometimes-the-e_1368726.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/marisha-pessl-1802_english-language_but-that-was-how-it-went-sometimes-the-e_1368726.png)

> ““But that was how it went sometimes, the English language, when you really needed it, crumbled to clay in your mouth. That’s when all the real things were said.””

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

When language fails in crucial moments, the truth emerges in raw, unfiltered expression.

**In simple terms:** Words fail, truth remains.

Key Takeaway

Listen for meaning beyond words.

Themes

communication truth vulnerability

Mood

reflective introspective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- high‑stress conversations
- emergency situations
- personal revelations

Key Concepts

linguistics authenticity

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you convey truth when words fail?
- What non‑verbal cues become vital?

A Different Perspective

Language may be insufficient to convey complex emotions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[English language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/)

## Related quotes

> [... suddenly I was a kid in the hall standing outside my locker about to head to Math. But that was how it went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/suddenly-i-was-a-kid-in-the-hall-standing-outside-my-locker-about-to/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [It took a pretty drastic moment to shift my thinking towards visual arts. I got to a moment in my writing career when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truong-tran/it-took-a-pretty-drastic-moment-to-shift-my-thinking-towards-visual/)

Truong Tran

> [Honestly, from a very young age, before I had the language, really - anywhere that I encountered binary, whether it was in clothing or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asia-kate-dillon/honestly-from-a-very-young-age-before-i-had-the-language-really/)

[Asia Kate Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asia-kate-dillon/)

> [“sometimes it is necessary for us all to pretend together that language can really mean.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-talbot/sometimes-it-is-necessary-for-us-all-to-pretend-together-that/)

[Jill Talbot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-talbot/)

> [I learned English at school, or at least that's how it started. Also, in Holland - as opposed to some other European countries -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michiel-huisman/i-learned-english-at-school-or-at-least-that-s-how-it-started-also-in/)

[Michiel Huisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michiel-huisman/)

> [“Precision about language can be really, really annoying. It can make you miss the point of what the other person is saying altogether.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-reinhardt/precision-about-language-can-be-really-really-annoying-it-can-make/)

[Dana Reinhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-reinhardt/)

> [There is something about important stories that is not just the message, but also the way that message is conveyed, the arrangement of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/there-is-something-about-important-stories-that-is-not-just-the/)

[Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/)

> [I am a bohemian person. I don't speak German, and I live in a foreign country where all the signs are in German. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-newcombe/i-am-a-bohemian-person-i-don-t-speak-german-and-i-live-in-a-foreign/)

[Anton Newcombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-newcombe/)

> [Little things like that when you go to another country is so welcoming. You meet someone, they're so jolly, they speak the language, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-burke/little-things-like-that-when-you-go-to-another-country-is-so/)

[Oliver Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-burke/)

> [ \[Language is\] really a pretty amazing invention if you think about it. Here I have a very complicated, messy, confused idea in my head.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-hillis/language-is-really-a-pretty-amazing-invention-if-you-think-about-it/)

[Danny Hillis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-hillis/)

> [Marking the differences between them was really important. It just became second nature. When we were choosing pajamas or something, instantly you'd be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-kirby/marking-the-differences-between-them-was-really-important-it-just/)

[Vanessa Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-kirby/)

> [When the media's around, I try to be careful. I don't want to make a mistake or use bad language, and I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-nowitzki/when-the-media-s-around-i-try-to-be-careful-i-don-t-want-to-make-a/)

[Dirk Nowitzki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-nowitzki/)

> [You know, I was a kid who had difficulty speaking English when I first immigrated. But in my head, when I read a book,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-know-i-was-a-kid-who-had-difficulty-speaking-english-when-i-first/)

[Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [Hebrew is my first language, so it's really the most personal and the most simple. When I write in Hebrew, I don't look for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yael-naim/hebrew-is-my-first-language-so-it-s-really-the-most-personal-and-the/)

[Yael Naim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yael-naim/)

> [English is really free for me; there's no limits to the music and the imagination. And French, it's just I live in Paris, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yael-naim/english-is-really-free-for-me-there-s-no-limits-to-the-music-and-the/)

[Yael Naim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yael-naim/)

## More by Marisha Pessl

> [“America's greatest revelation was not the atom bomb, not Fundamentalism, not fat farms, not Elvis, not even the quite astute observation that gentlemen prefer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/america-s-greatest-revelation-was-not-the-atom-bomb-not/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“I remembered what Dad said once, that some people have all of life's answers worked out the day they're born and there's no use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/i-remembered-what-dad-said-once-that-some-people-have-all-of-life-s/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“But you go through with it, continue to fight, because you hope one day it won’t be like this. Life can be so cruel.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/but-you-go-through-with-it-continue-to-fight-because-you-hope-one-day/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“The dark side of life has a way of finding us all anyway, so stop chasing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/the-dark-side-of-life-has-a-way-of-finding-us-all-anyway-so-stop/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“ Secrets —even in hardened criminals, they were just air pockets lodged under debris at the bottom of an ocean. It might take an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/secrets-even-in-hardened-criminals-they-were-just-air-pockets-lodged/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [It's kind of funny...the moments on which life hinges. I think growing up you always imagine your life--your success--depends on your family and how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/it-s-kind-of-funny-the-moments-on-which-life-hinges-i-think-growing/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“It was the cause of many of Dad's outrages too, when people elected themselves his personal oracle of Delphi... They'd made the mistake of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/it-was-the-cause-of-many-of-dad-s-outrages-too-when-people-elected/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“Today dies a crooked and gluttonus man' - it was true, at least literally; McCullough allegedly weighed three hundred pounds and suffered from scoliosis.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/today-dies-a-crooked-and-gluttonus-man-it-was-true-at-least-literally/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [Always live your life with your biography in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/always-live-your-life-with-your-biography-in-mind/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [Life was a freight train barreling toward just one stop, our loved ones streaking past our windows in blurs of color and light. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/life-was-a-freight-train-barreling-toward-just-one-stop-our-loved/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“Whilst man is in one location, he thinks of another. Dancing with one woman, he can't help but long to see the quiet curve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/whilst-man-is-in-one-location-he-thinks-of-another-dancing-with-one/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [His characters are ravaged, beaten. They walk through infernos and emerged charred doves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/his-characters-are-ravaged-beaten-they-walk-through-infernos-and/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“A deus ex machina will never appear in real life so you best make other arrangements.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/a-deus-ex-machina-will-never-appear-in-real-life-so-you-best-make/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [“Well, everyone and their grandmother knows she's still banging Charles after all these years —" "Like a screen in a tornado. Sure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/well-everyone-and-their-grandmother-knows-she-s-still-banging-charles/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [I think every writer has a book that haunts them, and on some level, every book you write is a reaction to it. 'Lolita'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/i-think-every-writer-has-a-book-that-haunts-them-and-on-some-level/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

[Explore all 205 Marisha Pessl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

## More English language quotes

> [“Fine’s a funny word, don’t you think? I don’t think there’s another like it in the English language that says so much while actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/fine-s-a-funny-word-don-t-you-think-i-don-t-think-there-s-another/)

[Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/)

> [The language we share is at the core of our identity as citizens, and our ticket to full participation in American political life. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-i-hayakawa/the-language-we-share-is-at-the-core-of-our-identity-as-citizens-and/)

[S. I. Hayakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-i-hayakawa/)

> [“The first phase of modernism, which so far as the English language goes we associate with Pound and Yeats, Wyndham Lewis and Eliot and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-kermode/the-first-phase-of-modernism-which-so-far-as-the-english-language/)

[Frank Kermode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-kermode/)

> [These men of many nations must be taught American ways, the English language, and the right way to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/these-men-of-many-nations-must-be-taught-american-ways-the-english/)

[Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/)

> [“Nevertheless . . was a word, certainly, but much more than a word, it was a concept. "Nevertheless" was what you said when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brunonia-barry/nevertheless-was-a-word-certainly-but-much-more-than-a-word-it-was-a/)

[Brunonia Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brunonia-barry/)

> [My motto is "Unite now, today if you can; fight if you must. But in every case avoid British intervention."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/my-motto-is-unite-now-today-if-you-can-fight-if-you-must-but-in-every/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“Hear me now or regret it later: Everything you write must be read aloud. Once all the context items are in place, this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiro-adachi/hear-me-now-or-regret-it-later-everything-you-write-must-be-read/)

Jiro Adachi

> [It was Ronald Reagan who used to say that the 10 most frightening words in the English language are, "I'm from the federal government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/it-was-ronald-reagan-who-used-to-say-that-the-10-most-frightening/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [A pronoun, too, will aptly reflect the number of its antecedent: "they" does not refer to one person, no matter how many personalities she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-elizabeth-gordon/a-pronoun-too-will-aptly-reflect-the-number-of-its-antecedent-they/)

[Karen Elizabeth Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-elizabeth-gordon/)

> [The collectors of revenue and the policeman are the only symbols by which millions in India's villages know British rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-collectors-of-revenue-and-the-policeman-are-the-only-symbols-by/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“Nothing was worse than a bovine with a 150 IQ trying to wrap its stunned mollusk tongue around the finely tuned syllables of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-anderson/nothing-was-worse-than-a-bovine-with-a-150-iq-trying-to-wrap-its/)

Gary Anderson

> [English literature is a glorious inheritance which is open to all - there are no barriers, no coupons, and no restrictions. In the English…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/english-literature-is-a-glorious-inheritance-which-is-open-to-all/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [My God! The English language is a form of communication! Conversation isn't just crossfire where you shoot and get shot at! Where you've got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/my-god-the-english-language-is-a-form-of-communication-conversation/)

[Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/)

> [“ 'Hubba-Hubba' never slips out," Zeke said. "You selected those words with deliberate intent, and I question your commitment to the respectable use of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-beth-durst/hubba-hubba-never-slips-out-zeke-said-you-selected-those-words-with/)

[Sarah Beth Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-beth-durst/)

> [Soundbite and slogan, strapline and headline, at every turn we meet hyperbole. The soaring inflation of the English language is more urgently in need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-nunn/soundbite-and-slogan-strapline-and-headline-at-every-turn-we-meet/)

[Trevor Nunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-nunn/)

[Browse all 686 English language quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/english-language/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“But that was how it went sometimes, the English language, when you really needed it, crumbled to clay in your mouth. That’s when all the real things were said.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marisha Pessl"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/but-that-was-how-it-went-sometimes-the-english-language-when-you/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "English language"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/but-that-was-how-it-went-sometimes-the-english-language-when-you/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/marisha-pessl-1802_english-language_but-that-was-how-it-went-sometimes-the-e_1368726.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/marisha-pessl-1802_english-language_but-that-was-how-it-went-sometimes-the-e_1368726.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/702/marisha-pessl-1802_english-language_but-that-was-how-it-went-sometimes-the-e_1368726.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But that was how it went sometimes, the English language, when you really needed it, crumbled to clay in…” — Marisha Pessl",
                "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": "Marisha Pessl",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“But that was how it went...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/but-that-was-how-it-went-sometimes-the-english-language-when-you/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/but-that-was-how-it-went-sometimes-the-english-language-when-you/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
