--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He had the same empty confusion in his…" description: "\"He had the same empty confusion in his eyes that I saw in my mirror every morning, that odd sort of denial that only seems to come when the world decid..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/mira-grant-1141_confusion_he-had-the-same-empty-confusion-in-his-e_2957392.jpg" --- # He had the same empty confusion in his eyes that I saw in… ![“He had the same empty confusion in his eyes that I saw in my mirror every morning, that odd sort of denial that only seems to come when the world decides to jump the rails without warning you first.” quote by Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/mira-grant-1141_confusion_he-had-the-same-empty-confusion-in-his-e_2957392.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/mira-grant-1141_confusion_he-had-the-same-empty-confusion-in-his-e_2957392.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/mira-grant-1141_confusion_he-had-the-same-empty-confusion-in-his-e_2957392.jpg) > “He had the same empty confusion in his eyes that I saw in my mirror every morning, that odd sort of denial that only seems to come when the world decides to jump the rails without warning you first.” [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker sees a familiar denial in another’s eyes, reflecting their own avoidance when unexpected chaos occurs. **In simple terms:** Seeing denial mirrors personal avoidance. Key Takeaway Acknowledge denial in crises. Themes denial reflection unexpected change Mood thoughtful somber Type philosophical introspective When to use this quote - personal crisis - unexpected events - self‑reflection Key Concepts psychological avoidance self‑recognition Questions to Reflect On - When have you denied reality? - How does recognizing denial help you act? A Different Perspective Denial can prevent effective response. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confusion/) [Denial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denial/) [Every morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-morning/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mirrors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirrors/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) [Warning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warning/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes people come and they have so much pain and confusion in their eyes... what to do? A few words is a little bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/sometimes-people-come-and-they-have-so-much-pain-and-confusion-in/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [“I just wanted to be a human being. I just wanted to be whoever I saw in the mirror, without a race or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-dean-myers/i-just-wanted-to-be-a-human-being-i-just-wanted-to-be-whoever-i-saw/) [Walter Dean Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-dean-myers/) > [“Whatever you ever saw in that mirror left it long ago and became part of you. No one can steal that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-baker/whatever-you-ever-saw-in-that-mirror-left-it-long-ago-and-became-part/) [Tiffany Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-baker/) > [The Universe began when Nothing saw itself in the mirror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tor-n-rretranders/the-universe-began-when-nothing-saw-itself-in-the-mirror/) Tor Nørretranders > [“Watch,” he rasped, fluttering his mouth along her neck. “Watch what?” “Us. In the mirror.” Julia opened her eyes and saw the mirror mounted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvain-reynard/watch-he-rasped-fluttering-his-mouth-along-her-neck-watch-what-us-in/) [Sylvain Reynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvain-reynard/) > [“Though the sleepy, myopic, and rather bald-pated figure reflected in the mirror was precisely of such insignificant quality as to arrest decidedly no one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/though-the-sleepy-myopic-and-rather-bald-pated-figure-reflected-in/) [Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/) > [During my adolescent years, I watched a lot of theatre. I had the habit of enacting every scene I saw in front of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saswata-chatterjee/during-my-adolescent-years-i-watched-a-lot-of-theatre-i-had-the-habit/) [Saswata Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saswata-chatterjee/) > [“Sayama: 'He is truly a troublesome man. A man with such self-conceit is a harm to the world.' Shinjou: '…Have you looked at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minoru-kawakami/sayama-he-is-truly-a-troublesome-man-a-man-with-such-self-conceit-is/) Minoru Kawakami > [I don't look at myself in the mirror. I'll flash past a mirror in the morning to check how I'm dressed, that's it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-macpherson/i-don-t-look-at-myself-in-the-mirror-i-ll-flash-past-a-mirror-in-the/) [Elle Macpherson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-macpherson/) > [“I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/i-have-looked-in-the-mirror-every-morning-and-asked-myself-if-today/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“I remember looking at myself in the mirror one morning and thinking, I am not a handsome guy. What am I going to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/i-remember-looking-at-myself-in-the-mirror-one-morning-and-thinking-i/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [When I look in the mirror in the morning, I want to take a swing at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-hayes/when-i-look-in-the-mirror-in-the-morning-i-want-to-take-a-swing-at-me/) [Woody Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-hayes/) > [“I don't remember looking like this in the mirror this morning. Obviously, I still had my 'Tru looks awesome in anything' margarita goggles still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-towle/i-don-t-remember-looking-like-this-in-the-mirror-this-morning/) [Samantha Towle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-towle/) > [“Don’t you love my idealism? My hypocrisy? My willingness to sound as loving and naive as possible? At least I know that I don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-trope/don-t-you-love-my-idealism-my-hypocrisy-my-willingness-to-sound-as/) [Zoe Trope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-trope/) > [Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you'll start to see a big difference in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/smile-in-the-mirror-do-that-every-morning-and-you-ll-start-to-see-a/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) ## More by Mira Grant > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [And then everything was in the hands of gravity, which has never had much love for the terminally stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/and-then-everything-was-in-the-hands-of-gravity-which-has-never-had/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Rick stared at him. "Your brother is an alien." "Yeah, but he's a cute one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/rick-stared-at-him-your-brother-is-an-alien-yeah-but-he-s-a-cute-one/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [May posterity show mercy when it look back upon the work we do today. We did what we could with what we had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/may-posterity-show-mercy-when-it-look-back-upon-the-work-we-do-today/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Last guy I was interested in turned out to be an incestuous necrophiliac," she said. "So no, not currently dating, and definitely not doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/last-guy-i-was-interested-in-turned-out-to-be-an-incestuous/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [If you want to go foraging into the wilds of Canada without proper gear, you deserve what you get, even if that happens to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/if-you-want-to-go-foraging-into-the-wilds-of-canada-without-proper/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [“Dr. Banks and his team could have learned a lot from watching The Secret of NIMH a few times. Maybe it would have convinced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/dr-banks-and-his-team-could-have-learned-a-lot-from-watching-the/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Things it is not polite to discuss at the dinner table: politics, religion, and the walking dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/things-it-is-not-polite-to-discuss-at-the-dinner-table-politics/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [If anything, global response to the Rising only confirmed something that many Australians had quietly believed for quite some time: If forced to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/if-anything-global-response-to-the-rising-only-confirmed-something/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [This is what I do know: A lie, however well-intended, can't prepare you for reality or change the world... To tell the truth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/this-is-what-i-do-know-a-lie-however-well-intended-can-t-prepare-you/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [“The Imagine Network has already agreed to pay the FAA fines for this one-time display of the unedited footage,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/the-imagine-network-has-already-agreed-to-pay-the-faa-fines-for-this/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Sometimes in the news, "luck" is just a matter of "capitalizing on someone else's pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/sometimes-in-the-news-luck-is-just-a-matter-of-capitalizing-on/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [“She was sitting on the counter, holding a can of Coke. “Looking for this?” she asked. “My savior.” I walked toward her, making grabbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/she-was-sitting-on-the-counter-holding-a-can-of-coke-looking-for-this/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Every life has a watershed moment, an instant when you realize you're about to make a choice that will define everything else you ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/every-life-has-a-watershed-moment-an-instant-when-you-realize-you-re/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [...even saying good-bye isn’t enough. There’s always one more thing you should have had the time to say, or do, or ask. There’s always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/even-saying-good-bye-isn-t-enough-there-s-always-one-more-thing-you/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) [Explore all 284 Mira Grant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) ## More Confusion quotes > [The fog of illusion, the fog of confusion is hanging all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/the-fog-of-illusion-the-fog-of-confusion-is-hanging-all-over-the-world/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [I believe confusion is good. Worldwide market leaders gain when there is confusion in the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhash-chandra/i-believe-confusion-is-good-worldwide-market-leaders-gain-when-there/) [Subhash Chandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhash-chandra/) > [Being actors we are dealing with the beauty and complexity of human confusion, no? And we are always trying to get answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-cruz/being-actors-we-are-dealing-with-the-beauty-and-complexity-of-human/) [Penelope Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-cruz/) > [“Wait, seriously, what's a piss pot?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-shand/wait-seriously-what-s-a-piss-pot/) [Pat Shand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-shand/) > [I think there's confusion around what the point of social networks is. A lot of different companies characterized as social networks have different goals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/i-think-there-s-confusion-around-what-the-point-of-social-networks-is/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [In history as it comes to be written, there is usually some Spirit of the Age which historians can define, but the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/in-history-as-it-comes-to-be-written-there-is-usually-some-spirit-of/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) > [Establish an atmosphere that energizes you. Some creative people flourish in confusion; others need to be free from interruption. Many prepare themselves for work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-leland/establish-an-atmosphere-that-energizes-you-some-creative-people/) [Nita Leland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-leland/) > [Love is doing what will enthrall the beloved with the greatest and longest joy. What will enthrall the beloved this way is the glory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/love-is-doing-what-will-enthrall-the-beloved-with-the-greatest-and/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Psychedelic drugs cause paranoia, confusion, and total loss of reality in politicians that have never taken them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-leary/psychedelic-drugs-cause-paranoia-confusion-and-total-loss-of-reality/) [Timothy Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-leary/) > [That feeling you get when you know you are forgetting something, but you don't know what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-feeling-you-get-when-you-know-you-are-forgetting-something-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What are we doing here, that is the question. And we are blessed in this, that we happen to know the answer. Yes, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/what-are-we-doing-here-that-is-the-question-and-we-are-blessed-in/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [But, when it comes to global warming, the public- at-large really doesn't know whom to believe anymore. And NASA has contributed to that confusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cunningham/but-when-it-comes-to-global-warming-the-public-at-large-really-doesn/) [Walter Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cunningham/) > [You know your in LOVE,because,for once.. You know reality is better than your DREAMS..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-your-in-love-because-for-once-you-know-reality-is-better/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In these days of faith-cures, and hypnotism, and telepathy, and subliminalities – why, the simple old world grows very confusing. But rarely, very rarely novel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-de-la-mare/in-these-days-of-faith-cures-and-hypnotism-and-telepathy-and/) [Walter de la Mare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-de-la-mare/) > [“If you want nothing to do with god then why do you say his name all the time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-reimer/if-you-want-nothing-to-do-with-god-then-why-do-you-say-his-name-all/) Emily Reimer [Browse all 1,822 Confusion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confusion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He had the same empty confusion in his eyes that I saw in my mirror every morning, that odd sort of denial that only seems to come when the world decides to jump the rails without warning you first.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mira Grant" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/he-had-the-same-empty-confusion-in-his-eyes-that-i-saw-in-my-mirror/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Confusion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/he-had-the-same-empty-confusion-in-his-eyes-that-i-saw-in-my-mirror/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/mira-grant-1141_confusion_he-had-the-same-empty-confusion-in-his-e_2957392.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/mira-grant-1141_confusion_he-had-the-same-empty-confusion-in-his-e_2957392.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/745/mira-grant-1141_confusion_he-had-the-same-empty-confusion-in-his-e_2957392.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He had the same empty confusion in his eyes that I saw in my mirror every morning, that odd sort of denial…” — Mira Grant", "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": "Mira Grant", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He had the same empty confusion...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/he-had-the-same-empty-confusion-in-his-eyes-that-i-saw-in-my-mirror/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/he-had-the-same-empty-confusion-in-his-eyes-that-i-saw-in-my-mirror/#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 } } ] } ```