---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most important stuff, what was…"
description: "\"“The most important stuff, what was closest to the bone, was just what you never talked about. There were no words for it...The trivial and silly is wh..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/mick-cochrane-61930_quote_the-most-important-stuff-what-was-closes_858792.jpg"
---

#  The most important stuff, what was closest to the bone…

![“The most important stuff, what was closest to the bone, was just what you never talked about. There were no words for it...The trivial and silly is what you spend your day chatting about. You could ask your friends how they liked your hair, but you could never ask them what you really wanted to…” quote by Mick Cochrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/mick-cochrane-61930_quote_the-most-important-stuff-what-was-closes_858792.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/mick-cochrane-61930_quote_the-most-important-stuff-what-was-closes_858792.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/mick-cochrane-61930_quote_the-most-important-stuff-what-was-closes_858792.jpg)

> ““The most important stuff, what was closest to the bone, was just what you never talked about. There were no words for it...The trivial and silly is what you spend your day chatting about. You could ask your friends how they liked your hair, but you could never ask them what you really wanted to know: Is there hope for me, yes or no?””

[Mick Cochrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-cochrane/)

## About This Quote

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

The deepest concerns are often left unvoiced, while trivial topics dominate conversation, leaving essential questions unanswered.

**In simple terms:** Important feelings stay silent.

Key Takeaway

Speak your true concerns.

Themes

communication vulnerability self‑awareness hope truth

Mood

reflective introspective

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- counseling sessions
- deep friendships
- creative workshops

Key Concepts

emotional honesty existential doubt interpersonal dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What truth are you avoiding?
- How can you create safe space for honest dialogue?

A Different Perspective

People may resist confronting painful truths.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [“Sweet allowed her pregnancy to get the better of her and simply sat down. Reenie’s lips set into a straight, emotionless line. Mawu no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolen-perkins-valdez/sweet-allowed-her-pregnancy-to-get-the-better-of-her-and-simply-sat/)

[Dolen Perkins-Valdez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolen-perkins-valdez/)

> [“And it was like the longer he talked, the more words he used, the less they came to mean anything. It was an endless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/and-it-was-like-the-longer-he-talked-the-more-words-he-used-the-less/)

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

> [He lay far across the room from her, on a winter island separated by an empty sea. She talked to him for what seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/he-lay-far-across-the-room-from-her-on-a-winter-island-separated-by/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“He talked and talked, his words fell through him, trying to find the floor of his sadness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/he-talked-and-talked-his-words-fell-through-him-trying-to-find-the/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [But if you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/but-if-you-want-to-identify-me-ask-me-not-where-i-live-or-what-i-like/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [I've never had anyone just stick their hands through my hair. Yet. If they ask, I go, 'OK, you can, if you want to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-white/i-ve-never-had-anyone-just-stick-their-hands-through-my-hair-yet-if/)

[Charlie White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-white/)

> [If you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-you-want-to-identify-me-ask-me-not-where-i-live-or-what-i-like-to/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [Anytime someone does my hair and they ask me what I want to look like, I'm like Brigitte Bardot, like that big hair!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-stalter/anytime-someone-does-my-hair-and-they-ask-me-what-i-want-to-look-like/)

[Megan Stalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-stalter/)

> [I'm the first to poke fun at myself when it comes to the hair. I even ask the audience 'hands up who had big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/limahl/i-m-the-first-to-poke-fun-at-myself-when-it-comes-to-the-hair-i-even/)

[Limahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/limahl/)

> [If I know you, and you want to touch my hair, you should ask me first, and most of the time I'll say yes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franchesca-ramsey/if-i-know-you-and-you-want-to-touch-my-hair-you-should-ask-me-first/)

[Franchesca Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franchesca-ramsey/)

> [I worked a lot with Mark Frankel, and he was really just an incredibly tender soul. He liked his hair just so and his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brannagh/i-worked-a-lot-with-mark-frankel-and-he-was-really-just-an-incredibly/)

[Brigid Brannagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brannagh/)

> [“…you know how hard it is to be utterly, drop dead gorgeous," she said, twirling that shiny instrument of torture she liked to call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tai-odunsi/you-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-utterly-drop-dead-gorgeous-she-said/)

[Tai Odunsi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tai-odunsi/)

> [“But I like my big Afro. I also liked when my hair was longer and relaxed. I’m happy to have choices. They’re mine to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-yoon/but-i-like-my-big-afro-i-also-liked-when-my-hair-was-longer-and/)

[Nicola Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-yoon/)

> [I liked your hair. I liked your friends. I liked your smile. I liked your eyes. I liked your laugh. I liked your voice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guardian-hommie-g/i-liked-your-hair-i-liked-your-friends-i-liked-your-smile-i-liked/)

Guardian/Hommie G

> [“I liked that he had hair that was growing without a plan. A grin that came out of nowhere and left the same way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/i-liked-that-he-had-hair-that-was-growing-without-a-plan-a-grin-that/)

[Cath Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

## More by Mick Cochrane

> [“It’s easy to be brave in theory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-cochrane/it-s-easy-to-be-brave-in-theory/)

[Mick Cochrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-cochrane/)

> [“It was her street, her neighborhood, her life. She knew that someday in the future it would not be hers anymore. But she would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-cochrane/it-was-her-street-her-neighborhood-her-life-she-knew-that-someday-in/)

[Mick Cochrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-cochrane/)

> [“Molly wondered if these boys really loved baseball, the sound and smell of it, the rhythm of it, the leather and wood, the grass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-cochrane/molly-wondered-if-these-boys-really-loved-baseball-the-sound-and/)

[Mick Cochrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-cochrane/)

> [“Molly stood up. You made an error! She felt like saying. A bad throw. So what? It's a baseball game. A game. Who really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-cochrane/molly-stood-up-you-made-an-error-she-felt-like-saying-a-bad-throw-so/)

[Mick Cochrane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-cochrane/)

[Explore all 5 Mick Cochrane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-cochrane/)

## More Talked quotes

> [If we accept being talked to any kind of a way, then we are telling ourselves we are not quite worth the best. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-we-accept-being-talked-to-any-kind-of-a-way-then-we-are-telling/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [When I first talked to you, I never thought you would be this important to me(:](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-first-talked-to-you-i-never-thought-you-would-be-this/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“You deserve better." Mercifully, he kept eating as he spoke. "You've got to stop thinking of me that way. When it's just you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiera-cass/you-deserve-better-mercifully-he-kept-eating-as-he-spoke-you-ve-got/)

[Kiera Cass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiera-cass/)

> [I haven't talked to any young artists for a long time. But if we did sit down, I'd definitely tell them my viewpoint. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzi-quatro/i-haven-t-talked-to-any-young-artists-for-a-long-time-but-if-we-did/)

[Suzi Quatro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzi-quatro/)

> [“Gossip is an idle talk that makes you look worse than the person you are talking about, and people tend to have more confidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uzoma-nnadi/gossip-is-an-idle-talk-that-makes-you-look-worse-than-the-person-you/)

[Uzoma Nnadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uzoma-nnadi/)

> [I met Mr. Hoover socially. I never talked to him about anything connected with his work. We just met him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sherman-cooper/i-met-mr-hoover-socially-i-never-talked-to-him-about-anything/)

[John Sherman Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sherman-cooper/)

> [“We resent being talked to. We’d rather be talked with. So will all of the experts and the terminally self-absorbed please leave the room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-scott/we-resent-being-talked-to-we-d-rather-be-talked-with-so-will-all-of/)

[Susan Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-scott/)

> [I learned most, not from those who taught me but from those who talked with me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-learned-most-not-from-those-who-taught-me-but-from-those-who-talked/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I dont care how far you are form me,or how long its been since we've talked,i dont care how mad I got at you,or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/i-dont-care-how-far-you-are-form-me-or-how-long-its-been-since-we-ve/)

[Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/)

> [“One didn’t talk about one’s feelings any more than one talked about taking out the garbage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-howe-colt/one-didn-t-talk-about-one-s-feelings-any-more-than-one-talked-about/)

George Howe Colt

> [One thing which I know about this world of glamour is that it is better to have people talking about you than not being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonakshi-sinha/one-thing-which-i-know-about-this-world-of-glamour-is-that-it-is/)

[Sonakshi Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonakshi-sinha/)

> [When my mother talked about her brother, there was this light in her eyes. I thought, 'This is the basis of a novel.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/when-my-mother-talked-about-her-brother-there-was-this-light-in-her/)

[Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/)

> [I have publicly talked about Mexico's need to open ourselves up to the participation of the private sector in the energy sector, however this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrique-pena-nieto/i-have-publicly-talked-about-mexico-s-need-to-open-ourselves-up-to/)

[Enrique Pena Nieto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrique-pena-nieto/)

> [Call your girlfriend. I think it's time you talked. Give your reasons. Say it's not her fault. But you just met somebody new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/call-your-girlfriend-i-think-it-s-time-you-talked-give-your-reasons/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I know we only talked once-" "But it meant something to you." Our eyes met for only an instant. "It meant something to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-gray/i-know-we-only-talked-once-but-it-meant-something-to-you-our-eyes-met/)

[Claudia Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-gray/)

Browse all 517 Talked quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The most important stuff, what was closest to the bone, was just what you never talked about. There were no words for it...The trivial and silly is what you spend your day chatting about. You could ask your friends how they liked your hair, but you could never ask them what you really wanted to know: Is there hope for me, yes or no?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mick Cochrane"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-cochrane/the-most-important-stuff-what-was-closest-to-the-bone-was-just-what/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Talked"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-cochrane/the-most-important-stuff-what-was-closest-to-the-bone-was-just-what/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/mick-cochrane-61930_quote_the-most-important-stuff-what-was-closes_858792.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/mick-cochrane-61930_quote_the-most-important-stuff-what-was-closes_858792.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/290/mick-cochrane-61930_quote_the-most-important-stuff-what-was-closes_858792.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The most important stuff, what was closest to the bone, was just what you never talked about. There were no…” — Mick Cochrane",
                "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": "Mick Cochrane",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-cochrane/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The most important stuff, what was...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-cochrane/the-most-important-stuff-what-was-closest-to-the-bone-was-just-what/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-cochrane/the-most-important-stuff-what-was-closest-to-the-bone-was-just-what/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
