--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Emotion is messy, contradictory... and…" description: "\"Emotion is messy, contradictory... and true.\" — Nigella Lawson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/nigella-lawson-9733_contradictory_emotion-is-messy-contradictory-and-true_2588475.jpg" --- # Emotion is messy, contradictory... and true. ![“Emotion is messy, contradictory... and true.” quote by Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/nigella-lawson-9733_contradictory_emotion-is-messy-contradictory-and-true_2588475.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/nigella-lawson-9733_contradictory_emotion-is-messy-contradictory-and-true_2588475.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/nigella-lawson-9733_contradictory_emotion-is-messy-contradictory-and-true_2588475.jpg) > “Emotion is messy, contradictory... and true.” [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Acknowledges that true emotions are complex and often contradictory. **In simple terms:** Emotions are messy but genuine. Key Takeaway Accept emotional complexity. Themes emotion truth contradiction Mood introspective honest Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - journaling - therapy - creative expression Key Concepts psychology self‑acceptance Questions to Reflect On - How do you reconcile conflicting feelings? - When is it okay to embrace messiness? A Different Perspective May lead to emotional overwhelm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contradictory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictory/) [Emotion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion/) [Emotion Messy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotion-messy-1840060/) [Messy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messy/) [Messy Contradictory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messy-contradictory-1840061/) ## Related quotes > [History is tangled, messy, contradictory. But is where we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eamon-duffy/history-is-tangled-messy-contradictory-but-is-where-we-are/) [Eamon Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eamon-duffy/) > [Tears may be considered as the natural and involuntary resource of the mind overcome by some sudden and violent emotion, before ithas had time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/tears-may-be-considered-as-the-natural-and-involuntary-resource-of/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The form most contradictory to human life that can appear among the human species is the "self-sat-isfied man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-form-most-contradictory-to-human-life-that-can-appear-among-the/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [It is only through literature that one can put oneself in someone else’s shoes and understand the other’s different and contradictory sides and refrain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/it-is-only-through-literature-that-one-can-put-oneself-in-someone/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [ The typical white intellectual considers himself superior to ordinary white people for two contradictory reasons: a\] he constantly proclaims belief in human equality, but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-sailer/the-typical-white-intellectual-considers-himself-superior-to-ordinary/) [Steve Sailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-sailer/) > [When faced with a loss, it is no use trying to recover what has gone. On the other hand, a great space has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-faced-with-a-loss-it-is-no-use-trying-to-recover-what-has-gone/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Throughout my life, I have always felt torn between my dual contradictory natures. I'm the obedient daughter and devoted friend, but also a self-destructive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elyse-schein/throughout-my-life-i-have-always-felt-torn-between-my-dual/) [Elyse Schein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elyse-schein/) > [“Away from Lev, she craves his need for her. When with him, it enervates. Why is that? She cannot help it. Nothing to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-richler/away-from-lev-she-craves-his-need-for-her-when-with-him-it-enervates/) [Emma Richler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-richler/) > [Ruth and I don't have a perfect marriage, but we have a great one. How can I say two things that seem so contradictory?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/ruth-and-i-don-t-have-a-perfect-marriage-but-we-have-a-great-one-how/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [Strong men don't compromise, it is said, and principles should never be compromised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/strong-men-don-t-compromise-it-is-said-and-principles-should-never-be/) [Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/) > [In years to come, he would be a giver of bread, not a stealer - proof again of the contradictory human being. So much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/in-years-to-come-he-would-be-a-giver-of-bread-not-a-stealer-proof/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [We've got a great team sport, but we harp on about individuals. It's a bit contradictory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alun-wyn-jones/we-ve-got-a-great-team-sport-but-we-harp-on-about-individuals-it-s-a/) [Alun Wyn Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alun-wyn-jones/) > [Wise people are able to give themselves gracefully to seemingly contradictory experiences, because they know that they belong to different seasons of life, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/wise-people-are-able-to-give-themselves-gracefully-to-seemingly/) [Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/) > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) ## More by Nigella Lawson > [But if you know that something has been really vicious, you don't read it, you don't let it into your head. What's damaging is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/but-if-you-know-that-something-has-been-really-vicious-you-don-t-read/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) > [Some people did take the domestic goddess title literally rather than ironically. It was about the pleasures of feeling like one rather than actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/some-people-did-take-the-domestic-goddess-title-literally-rather-than/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) > [You cannot truly say you live well unless you eat well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/you-cannot-truly-say-you-live-well-unless-you-eat-well/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) > [Glamour really has to do with good lighting, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/glamour-really-has-to-do-with-good-lighting-doesn-t-it/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) > [Sometimes it's good just to be seduced by the particular cheeses spread out in front of you on a cheese counter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/sometimes-it-s-good-just-to-be-seduced-by-the-particular-cheeses/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) > [But I do think that women who spend all their lives on a diet probably have a miserable sex life: if your body is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/but-i-do-think-that-women-who-spend-all-their-lives-on-a-diet/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) > [The thing I liked about writing about food when I started it was that I felt I was writing about food in a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/the-thing-i-liked-about-writing-about-food-when-i-started-it-was-that/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) > [I'm not much of a drinker. I'm an eater more than a drinker. So I feel that I don't have to wait to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/i-m-not-much-of-a-drinker-i-m-an-eater-more-than-a-drinker-so-i-feel/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) > [If I could go into the woods and kill a bear myself, I'd wear it proudly as a trophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/if-i-could-go-into-the-woods-and-kill-a-bear-myself-i-d-wear-it/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) > [I'm not someone who's endlessly patient and wonderful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/i-m-not-someone-who-s-endlessly-patient-and-wonderful/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) > [Statistically, people who have been happily married and then widowed tend to remarry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/statistically-people-who-have-been-happily-married-and-then-widowed/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) > [I was a quiet teenager, introverted, full of angst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/i-was-a-quiet-teenager-introverted-full-of-angst/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) > [I lurch from chaos to chaos. I can't find my driving licence and my clothes are everywhere - cooking is the neatest thing I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/i-lurch-from-chaos-to-chaos-i-can-t-find-my-driving-licence-and-my/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) > [It's true that I wouldn't have written the first book had my sister and mother been alive. It was my way of continuing our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/it-s-true-that-i-wouldn-t-have-written-the-first-book-had-my-sister/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) > [Gordon Ramsay makes me laugh because he knows that I'm not a chef.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/gordon-ramsay-makes-me-laugh-because-he-knows-that-i-m-not-a-chef/) [Nigella Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) [Explore all 70 Nigella Lawson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/) ## More Contradictory quotes > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [Wise people are able to give themselves gracefully to seemingly contradictory experiences, because they know that they belong to different seasons of life, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/wise-people-are-able-to-give-themselves-gracefully-to-seemingly/) [Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/) > [We've got a great team sport, but we harp on about individuals. It's a bit contradictory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alun-wyn-jones/we-ve-got-a-great-team-sport-but-we-harp-on-about-individuals-it-s-a/) [Alun Wyn Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alun-wyn-jones/) > [In years to come, he would be a giver of bread, not a stealer - proof again of the contradictory human being. So much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/in-years-to-come-he-would-be-a-giver-of-bread-not-a-stealer-proof/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [Strong men don't compromise, it is said, and principles should never be compromised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/strong-men-don-t-compromise-it-is-said-and-principles-should-never-be/) [Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/) > [Ruth and I don't have a perfect marriage, but we have a great one. How can I say two things that seem so contradictory?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/ruth-and-i-don-t-have-a-perfect-marriage-but-we-have-a-great-one-how/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [“Away from Lev, she craves his need for her. When with him, it enervates. Why is that? She cannot help it. Nothing to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-richler/away-from-lev-she-craves-his-need-for-her-when-with-him-it-enervates/) [Emma Richler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-richler/) > [“Throughout my life, I have always felt torn between my dual contradictory natures. I'm the obedient daughter and devoted friend, but also a self-destructive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elyse-schein/throughout-my-life-i-have-always-felt-torn-between-my-dual/) [Elyse Schein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elyse-schein/) > [When faced with a loss, it is no use trying to recover what has gone. On the other hand, a great space has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-faced-with-a-loss-it-is-no-use-trying-to-recover-what-has-gone/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [ The typical white intellectual considers himself superior to ordinary white people for two contradictory reasons: a\] he constantly proclaims belief in human equality, but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-sailer/the-typical-white-intellectual-considers-himself-superior-to-ordinary/) [Steve Sailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-sailer/) > [It is only through literature that one can put oneself in someone else’s shoes and understand the other’s different and contradictory sides and refrain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/it-is-only-through-literature-that-one-can-put-oneself-in-someone/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [The form most contradictory to human life that can appear among the human species is the "self-sat-isfied man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-form-most-contradictory-to-human-life-that-can-appear-among-the/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [A girl asks her doctor, "Doctor, I've forgotten to take my contradictory pill!" The doctor says: "Are you ignorant?" The girl says: "Yes, three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-carson/a-girl-asks-her-doctor-doctor-i-ve-forgotten-to-take-my-contradictory/) [Frank Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-carson/) > [“Is this a Kurdish thing?’ ‘What?’ ‘Being deliberately contradictory?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcdonald/is-this-a-kurdish-thing-what-being-deliberately-contradictory/) [Ian McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcdonald/) [Browse all 443 Contradictory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictory/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Emotion is messy, contradictory... and true.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nigella Lawson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/emotion-is-messy-contradictory-and-true/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Contradictory" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/emotion-is-messy-contradictory-and-true/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/nigella-lawson-9733_contradictory_emotion-is-messy-contradictory-and-true_2588475.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/nigella-lawson-9733_contradictory_emotion-is-messy-contradictory-and-true_2588475.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/nigella-lawson-9733_contradictory_emotion-is-messy-contradictory-and-true_2588475.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Emotion is messy, contradictory... and true.” — Nigella Lawson", "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": "Nigella Lawson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigella-lawson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Emotion is messy, contradictory... and true.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/emotion-is-messy-contradictory-and-true/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigella-lawson/emotion-is-messy-contradictory-and-true/#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 } } ] } ```