--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s funny but true: you can much more…" description: "\"“It’s funny but true: you can much more easily bottle up an emotion when it’s hi-grade nuclear. You give away the little things, but with some small in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/michael-reilly-29203_funny-but-true_it-s-funny-but-true-you-can-much-more-ea_1740657.jpg" --- # It’s funny but true: you can much more easily bottle up an… ![“It’s funny but true: you can much more easily bottle up an emotion when it’s hi-grade nuclear. You give away the little things, but with some small ingenuity, you can conceal some really fucked-up shit, especially in plain sight. If you can’t extract the elephant from the room, paint the walls…” quote by Michael Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/michael-reilly-29203_funny-but-true_it-s-funny-but-true-you-can-much-more-ea_1740657.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/michael-reilly-29203_funny-but-true_it-s-funny-but-true-you-can-much-more-ea_1740657.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbe/michael-reilly-29203_funny-but-true_it-s-funny-but-true-you-can-much-more-ea_1740657.jpg) > ““It’s funny but true: you can much more easily bottle up an emotion when it’s hi-grade nuclear. You give away the little things, but with some small ingenuity, you can conceal some really fucked-up shit, especially in plain sight. If you can’t extract the elephant from the room, paint the walls grey. Just be mindful not to step on either end of it after.”” [Michael Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reilly/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often hide deep emotional pain behind a calm exterior, using clever distractions to avoid confronting the underlying issue. **In simple terms:** Concealing pain with distractions. Key Takeaway Recognize and address hidden emotions directly. Themes psychology self‑deception emotional health Mood reflective serious Type advice observational When to use this quote - personal relationships - therapy sessions - workplace stress - social media interactions Key Concepts defense mechanisms cognitive dissonance masking Questions to Reflect On - What emotions are you masking? - How can you safely reveal hidden pain? A Different Perspective Masking pain can prevent genuine healing and strain relationships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bottle Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottle-emotion-1516593/) [Conceal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conceal/) [Conceal Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conceal-really-1516592/) [Extract Elephant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extract-elephant-1516591/) [Funny but true](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny-but-true/) [Little things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-things/) [Walls Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walls-grey-1516590/) ## Related quotes > [“Once again, vague terminology helped conceal what was really going on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/once-again-vague-terminology-helped-conceal-what-was-really-going-on/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [Four grey walls, and four grey towers, Overlook a space of flowers, And the silent isle imbowers The Lady of Shalott.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/four-grey-walls-and-four-grey-towers-overlook-a-space-of-flowers-and/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [The same words conceal and declare the thoughts of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-same-words-conceal-and-declare-the-thoughts-of-men/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [Everyone can know what is in my heart because I find it hard to conceal myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/everyone-can-know-what-is-in-my-heart-because-i-find-it-hard-to/) [Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/) > [The greatest part of our faults are more excusable than the methods that are commonly taken to conceal them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-greatest-part-of-our-faults-are-more-excusable-than-the-methods/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [It is art to conceal art. -Ars est celare artem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/it-is-art-to-conceal-art-ars-est-celare-artem/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [There are some occasions in which a man must tell half his secret, in order to conceal the rest: but there is seldom one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/there-are-some-occasions-in-which-a-man-must-tell-half-his-secret-in/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [Our friends don't see our faults, or conceal them, or soften them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/our-friends-don-t-see-our-faults-or-conceal-them-or-soften-them/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Speech was given to the ordinary sort or men, whereby to communicate their mind; but to wise men, whereby to conceal it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-south/speech-was-given-to-the-ordinary-sort-or-men-whereby-to-communicate/) [Robert South](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-south/) > [When you got nothing, you got nothin' to lose You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/when-you-got-nothing-you-got-nothin-to-lose-you-re-invisible-now-you/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Nothing more powerfully excites any affection than to conceal some part of its object, by throwing it into a kind of shade, whichat the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/nothing-more-powerfully-excites-any-affection-than-to-conceal-some/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [It is always a poor way of reading the hearts of others to try to conceal our own. \[Fr., C'est toujours un mauvais moyen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/it-is-always-a-poor-way-of-reading-the-hearts-of-others-to-try-to/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The more identities a man has, the more they express the person they conceal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/the-more-identities-a-man-has-the-more-they-express-the-person-they/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [It requires as much to tell the truth as to conceal it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/it-requires-as-much-to-tell-the-truth-as-to-conceal-it/) [Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/) > [We reveal our joys and successes, we conceal our pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/we-reveal-our-joys-and-successes-we-conceal-our-pain/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) ## More by Michael Reilly > [“Why does he feel the need to write one woman off because he has the superficial need for another's unique trait? We are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reilly/why-does-he-feel-the-need-to-write-one-woman-off-because-he-has-the/) [Michael Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reilly/) > [“Bah! You are so not the romantic you led me to believe. For that, I’m going to plague you from the next life. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reilly/bah-you-are-so-not-the-romantic-you-led-me-to-believe-for-that-i-m/) [Michael Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reilly/) > [“You can get over a broken heart or settle the score and move on. Guilt though, you let that bitch in, you’re wedded for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reilly/you-can-get-over-a-broken-heart-or-settle-the-score-and-move-on-guilt/) [Michael Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reilly/) > [“I’m minded what my grandmother used to say. The cruelest punishment of Hell is that you get to look up and see Heaven.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reilly/i-m-minded-what-my-grandmother-used-to-say-the-cruelest-punishment-of/) [Michael Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reilly/) > [“Well, I think we all started off as ash, astral ash; the Big Bang and all that. You and I - stardust. Maybe a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reilly/well-i-think-we-all-started-off-as-ash-astral-ash-the-big-bang-and/) [Michael Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reilly/) > [“Good is a-dime-a-dozen. I mean perfect, quintessentially unique, unforgettable; a moment you would gladly stay in for the rest of your life, only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reilly/good-is-a-dime-a-dozen-i-mean-perfect-quintessentially-unique/) [Michael Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reilly/) > [“If you take the cemeteries tour, remember that the bigger the crypt, the bigger the bastard. You need an extra leg-up to Heaven when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reilly/if-you-take-the-cemeteries-tour-remember-that-the-bigger-the-crypt/) [Michael Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reilly/) > [“A secret is a rotting anchor, hidden in deep water. You drop it and convince yourself that it’s safe, tethered beyond sight. In that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reilly/a-secret-is-a-rotting-anchor-hidden-in-deep-water-you-drop-it-and/) [Michael Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reilly/) > [“In the final reckoning, there’s only two types of scumbag: the dumb ones locked behind the prison gate and the smart ones with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reilly/in-the-final-reckoning-there-s-only-two-types-of-scumbag-the-dumb/) [Michael Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reilly/) > [“Julianna: We are only what others strive to see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reilly/julianna-we-are-only-what-others-strive-to-see/) [Michael Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reilly/) > [“As Harold slipped the ring he’d picked special in Hong Kong onto Marie’s finger, I doubt either of them could scarce say anything; for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reilly/as-harold-slipped-the-ring-he-d-picked-special-in-hong-kong-onto/) [Michael Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reilly/) > [“I didn’t know then what a crush was or what makes one so perilously alluring. It is our biology reminding us that emotion is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reilly/i-didn-t-know-then-what-a-crush-was-or-what-makes-one-so-perilously/) [Michael Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reilly/) > [“In New Orleans, absurdity is like the humidity. It permeates everything, until you stop noticing it. It connects everything and everyone in its oddness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reilly/in-new-orleans-absurdity-is-like-the-humidity-it-permeates-everything/) [Michael Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reilly/) > [“Dig all you want. I have nothing for you. But dig all you want. I want you to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reilly/dig-all-you-want-i-have-nothing-for-you-but-dig-all-you-want-i-want/) [Michael Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reilly/) > [“Welcome to the real world, Scott. The sweet things in life don’t seem so sweet when you have to roll up your sleeves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-reilly/welcome-to-the-real-world-scott-the-sweet-things-in-life-don-t-seem/) [Michael Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reilly/) [Explore all 18 Michael Reilly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-reilly/) ## More Conceal quotes > [We reveal our joys and successes, we conceal our pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/we-reveal-our-joys-and-successes-we-conceal-our-pain/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [It requires as much to tell the truth as to conceal it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/it-requires-as-much-to-tell-the-truth-as-to-conceal-it/) [Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/) > [The more identities a man has, the more they express the person they conceal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/the-more-identities-a-man-has-the-more-they-express-the-person-they/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [It is always a poor way of reading the hearts of others to try to conceal our own. \[Fr., C'est toujours un mauvais moyen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/it-is-always-a-poor-way-of-reading-the-hearts-of-others-to-try-to/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Nothing more powerfully excites any affection than to conceal some part of its object, by throwing it into a kind of shade, whichat the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/nothing-more-powerfully-excites-any-affection-than-to-conceal-some/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [When you got nothing, you got nothin' to lose You're invisible now, you got no secrets to conceal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/when-you-got-nothing-you-got-nothin-to-lose-you-re-invisible-now-you/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [Speech was given to the ordinary sort or men, whereby to communicate their mind; but to wise men, whereby to conceal it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-south/speech-was-given-to-the-ordinary-sort-or-men-whereby-to-communicate/) [Robert South](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-south/) > [Our friends don't see our faults, or conceal them, or soften them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/our-friends-don-t-see-our-faults-or-conceal-them-or-soften-them/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [There are some occasions in which a man must tell half his secret, in order to conceal the rest: but there is seldom one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/there-are-some-occasions-in-which-a-man-must-tell-half-his-secret-in/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [It is art to conceal art. -Ars est celare artem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/it-is-art-to-conceal-art-ars-est-celare-artem/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [The greatest part of our faults are more excusable than the methods that are commonly taken to conceal them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-greatest-part-of-our-faults-are-more-excusable-than-the-methods/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [Everyone can know what is in my heart because I find it hard to conceal myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/everyone-can-know-what-is-in-my-heart-because-i-find-it-hard-to/) [Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/) > [The same words conceal and declare the thoughts of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-same-words-conceal-and-declare-the-thoughts-of-men/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [A woman, especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/a-woman-especially-if-she-have-the-misfortune-of-knowing-anything/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Men conceal the past scenes of their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/men-conceal-the-past-scenes-of-their-lives/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) [Browse all 128 Conceal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conceal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It’s funny but true: you can much more easily bottle up an emotion when it’s hi-grade nuclear. 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