--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: there are things you mustn't even try to…" description: "\"there are things you mustn't even try to explain. They either become trite or they tie you down to something that's only half true.\" — Martha Albrand" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/martha-albrand-38392_explain_there-are-things-you-mustn-t-even-try-to_2601344.png" --- # there are things you mustn't even try to explain. They… ![“there are things you mustn't even try to explain. They either become trite or they tie you down to something that's only half true.” quote by Martha Albrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/martha-albrand-38392_explain_there-are-things-you-mustn-t-even-try-to_2601344.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/martha-albrand-38392_explain_there-are-things-you-mustn-t-even-try-to_2601344.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b9/martha-albrand-38392_explain_there-are-things-you-mustn-t-even-try-to_2601344.png) > “there are things you mustn't even try to explain. They either become trite or they tie you down to something that's only half true.” [Martha Albrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-albrand/) ## 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 explain certain things can reduce them to clichés or partial truths, limiting understanding. **In simple terms:** Explaining some things makes them shallow or misleading. Key Takeaway Accept limits of explanation. Themes communication truth limitations Mood reflective cautious Type advisory philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - public speaking - teaching - writing Key Concepts philosophy epistemology Questions to Reflect On - When is it better to stay silent? - How do we recognize when explanation harms? A Different Perspective Explanation can oversimplify complex realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ties/) ## Related quotes > [I guess I want people to see me and to try to explain myself, and you don't always get the chance. Sometimes you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gord-downie/i-guess-i-want-people-to-see-me-and-to-try-to-explain-myself-and-you/) [Gord Downie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gord-downie/) > [Don't try to explain it, just sell it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colonel-tom-parker/don-t-try-to-explain-it-just-sell-it/) [Colonel Tom Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colonel-tom-parker/) > [“We should try to explain ourselves only to those who value us in their life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/we-should-try-to-explain-ourselves-only-to-those-who-value-us-in/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [The more I try to explain myself, the less I understand myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/the-more-i-try-to-explain-myself-the-less-i-understand-myself/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [“I know well enough what it is, provided that nobody asks me; but if I am asked what it is and try to explain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-augustine-of-hippo/i-know-well-enough-what-it-is-provided-that-nobody-asks-me-but-if-i/) [St. Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-augustine-of-hippo/) > [Truth Is Simple... But, The Moment You Try To Explain... It Becomes Difficult...!!.:-)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/truth-is-simple-but-the-moment-you-try-to-explain-it-becomes-difficult/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [If you really want to understand something, the best way is to try and explain it to someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/if-you-really-want-to-understand-something-the-best-way-is-to-try-and/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [I hate it when people try to explain music. The best thing about music is that it's invisible. If you make a song and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yung-lean/i-hate-it-when-people-try-to-explain-music-the-best-thing-about-music/) [Yung Lean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yung-lean/) > [I've never had a 12-year-old try to explain to me about groove.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anderson-cooper/i-ve-never-had-a-12-year-old-try-to-explain-to-me-about-groove/) [Anderson Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anderson-cooper/) > [To try to explain something as "I love it" and "It's fun" would be like describing the sunset over the middle of the ocean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-dakides/to-try-to-explain-something-as-i-love-it-and-it-s-fun-would-be-like/) Tara Dakides > [Everyone wants to understand art. Why not try to understand the song of a bird? ...people who try to explain pictures are usually barking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/everyone-wants-to-understand-art-why-not-try-to-understand-the-song/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [ “Some things in life are too complicated to explain in any language. \[ \] Not just to explain to others but to explain to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-things-in-life-are-too-complicated-to-explain-in-any-language/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Did you ever have a conversation with someone who misunderstood everything you had to say? It's exhausting, and the ironic part is that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-mauriac/did-you-ever-have-a-conversation-with-someone-who-misunderstood/) [Francois Mauriac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-mauriac/) > [The sciences do not try to explain, they hardly even try to interpret, they mainly make models. By a model is meant a mathematical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-von-neumann/the-sciences-do-not-try-to-explain-they-hardly-even-try-to-interpret/) [John von Neumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-von-neumann/) > [When so many people misunderstand you, you learn not to try and explain yourself and wait for the people who actually try to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-hanthorn/when-so-many-people-misunderstand-you-you-learn-not-to-try-and/) Morgan Hanthorn ## More by Martha Albrand > [It is a great blessing to be able to forget, but it takes a lot of wisdom to know what should be forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-albrand/it-is-a-great-blessing-to-be-able-to-forget-but-it-takes-a-lot-of/) [Martha Albrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-albrand/) > [Failure is never a reason not to try again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-albrand/failure-is-never-a-reason-not-to-try-again/) [Martha Albrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-albrand/) > [All writing is a process of elimination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-albrand/all-writing-is-a-process-of-elimination/) [Martha Albrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-albrand/) > [What would be achieved ever if people lost the ability to dream?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-albrand/what-would-be-achieved-ever-if-people-lost-the-ability-to-dream/) [Martha Albrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-albrand/) > [You are free only when you care for nobody in the world. But if you stop caring, life isn't worth living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-albrand/you-are-free-only-when-you-care-for-nobody-in-the-world-but-if-you/) [Martha Albrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-albrand/) > [Once you allow anyone to terrorize you, you will be terrorized all your life. Terror corrupts. Pretty soon you'll be terrorizing others. ... Life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-albrand/once-you-allow-anyone-to-terrorize-you-you-will-be-terrorized-all/) [Martha Albrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-albrand/) > [There are as many jealousies in life as there are different flowers or trees or animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-albrand/there-are-as-many-jealousies-in-life-as-there-are-different-flowers/) [Martha Albrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-albrand/) > [when you start to bore yourself and others, that's when you begin to get old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-albrand/when-you-start-to-bore-yourself-and-others-that-s-when-you-begin-to/) [Martha Albrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-albrand/) > [No fight is harder than the struggle against the thing you want most to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-albrand/no-fight-is-harder-than-the-struggle-against-the-thing-you-want-most/) [Martha Albrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-albrand/) > [innocence is the hardest thing to prove.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-albrand/innocence-is-the-hardest-thing-to-prove/) [Martha Albrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-albrand/) > [Scientists have a second brain where other people have their hearts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-albrand/scientists-have-a-second-brain-where-other-people-have-their-hearts/) [Martha Albrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-albrand/) [Explore all 12 Martha Albrand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-albrand/) ## More Explain quotes > [You have to talk about why things happened the way they did. You can't actually explain my political life except by a series of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/you-have-to-talk-about-why-things-happened-the-way-they-did-you-can-t/) [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) > [Back home I get to see my old friends!(: But they don't understand the change in me and I can't explain it to them...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/back-home-i-get-to-see-my-old-friends-but-they-don-t-understand-the/) [Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/) > [If you have a good idea you must explain it or you will fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/if-you-have-a-good-idea-you-must-explain-it-or-you-will-fail/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [How do you explain a person like Asha Bhosle? A star or a super star or just someone from the Gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anu-malik/how-do-you-explain-a-person-like-asha-bhosle-a-star-or-a-super-star/) [Anu Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anu-malik/) > [If you win you need not explain……But if you lose you should not be there to explain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-win-you-need-not-explain-but-if-you-lose-you-should-not-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I'm afraid I can't explain myself, sir. Because I am not myself, you see?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/i-m-afraid-i-can-t-explain-myself-sir-because-i-am-not-myself-you-see/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [There is an indefinable quality possessed by some artists. You simply can't explain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-ellen/there-is-an-indefinable-quality-possessed-by-some-artists-you-simply/) [Vera-Ellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-ellen/) > [To be in a room and have to explain your point of view is a huge skill in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-savage/to-be-in-a-room-and-have-to-explain-your-point-of-view-is-a-huge/) [Stephanie Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-savage/) > [“I am not sure how to explain it, except that - truth matters to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliezer-yudkowsky/i-am-not-sure-how-to-explain-it-except-that-truth-matters-to-us/) [Eliezer Yudkowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliezer-yudkowsky/) > [When I'm creating art or music, when something is resonating or a scene is going well, that almost feels religious to me... there's this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thatcher/when-i-m-creating-art-or-music-when-something-is-resonating-or-a/) [Sophie Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thatcher/) > [In a Western, you don't over-explain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dean-morgan/in-a-western-you-don-t-over-explain/) [Jeffrey Dean Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dean-morgan/) > [I'm not the guy who will sit in a room with somebody who's using a bunch of big words and just act like I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-wahlberg/i-m-not-the-guy-who-will-sit-in-a-room-with-somebody-who-s-using-a/) [Mark Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-wahlberg/) > [I explain at the parties that I believe knitting is a transformative and intriguing act that can change the life and brain of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/i-explain-at-the-parties-that-i-believe-knitting-is-a-transformative/) [Stephanie Pearl-McPhee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-pearl-mcphee/) > [Old cookbooks connect you to your past and explain the history of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/old-cookbooks-connect-you-to-your-past-and-explain-the-history-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is no way to explain enlightenment. It is just a word to indicate something beyond, something very, very far beyond the normal human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-is-no-way-to-explain-enlightenment-it-is-just-a-word-to/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) Browse all 989 Explain quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "there are things you mustn't even try to explain. 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