--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He had never been good at expressing…" description: "\"“He had never been good at expressing himself. What he felt was so big it was difficult to find the words, and even if he could, it was hardly appropri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8eb/rachel-joyce-2226_expressing_he-had-never-been-good-at-expressing-him_3068577.png" --- # He had never been good at expressing himself. What he felt… ![“He had never been good at expressing himself. What he felt was so big it was difficult to find the words, and even if he could, it was hardly appropriate to write them to someone he had not contacted in twenty years.” quote by Rachel Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8eb/rachel-joyce-2226_expressing_he-had-never-been-good-at-expressing-him_3068577.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8eb/rachel-joyce-2226_expressing_he-had-never-been-good-at-expressing-him_3068577.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8eb/rachel-joyce-2226_expressing_he-had-never-been-good-at-expressing-him_3068577.png) > ““He had never been good at expressing himself. What he felt was so big it was difficult to find the words, and even if he could, it was hardly appropriate to write them to someone he had not contacted in twenty years.”” [Rachel Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-joyce/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Expressing deep emotions after long silence is hard; words may feel inadequate or inappropriate for the distance created. **In simple terms:** Hard to find words after years apart. Key Takeaway Seek honest, simple communication. Themes communication loneliness expression relationships Mood melancholic hopeful introspective Type literary emotional When to use this quote - reconnecting with old friends - writing letters - therapy sessions - personal reflection Key Concepts emotional honesty interpersonal distance time passage Questions to Reflect On - What prevents us from reaching out? - How can we bridge gaps after long silence? A Different Perspective Words may never fully capture the felt depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Difficult Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-words-516096/) [Expressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expressing/) [Expressing Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expressing-felt-5180164/) [Good Expressing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-expressing-4844025/) [Words Hardly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words-hardly-5180163/) ## Related quotes > [I am not very good at expressing myself in a simple way so it can create mis-understandings and I hate that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-cotillard/i-am-not-very-good-at-expressing-myself-in-a-simple-way-so-it-can/) [Marion Cotillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-cotillard/) > [Expressing emotion is not so easy. He has to remind himself that English is not her first language. 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Already, the gardens were crammed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-joyce/it-had-never-been-such-a-beautiful-may-every-day-the-sky-shone-a/) [Rachel Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-joyce/) > [After the two drinks, she felt warm inside, and slightly indistinct at the edges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-joyce/after-the-two-drinks-she-felt-warm-inside-and-slightly-indistinct-at/) [Rachel Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-joyce/) > [“He walked so surely it was as if all his life he had been waiting to get up from his chair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-joyce/he-walked-so-surely-it-was-as-if-all-his-life-he-had-been-waiting-to/) [Rachel Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-joyce/) > [He must have driven this way countless times, and yet he had no memory of the scenery. 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Maybe you saw even more than the land when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-joyce/it-surprised-him-that-he-was-remembering-all-this-maybe-it-was-the/) [Rachel Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-joyce/) > [“There was something about her, something pure and fluid that could not be contained.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-joyce/there-was-something-about-her-something-pure-and-fluid-that-could-not/) [Rachel Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-joyce/) [Explore all 162 Rachel Joyce quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-joyce/) ## More Expressing quotes > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) [Ryan Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-newman/) > [If you are in love with someone, a kiss is merely a way of expressing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-cassandra/if-you-are-in-love-with-someone-a-kiss-is-merely-a-way-of-expressing/) [Regina Cassandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-cassandra/) > [Taking Selfie is a new way of expressing your Emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/taking-selfie-is-a-new-way-of-expressing-your-emotions/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Tattoos are my way of expressing myself without the need for words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-park/tattoos-are-my-way-of-expressing-myself-without-the-need-for-words/) [Jay Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-park/) > [When I write, I do it urged by an intimate necessity. I don't have in mind an exclusive public, or a public of multitudes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/when-i-write-i-do-it-urged-by-an-intimate-necessity-i-don-t-have-in/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Though I've spent years working with and creating images, I feel most comfortable expressing myself through writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-salu/though-i-ve-spent-years-working-with-and-creating-images-i-feel-most/) [Michael Salu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-salu/) > [I just love expressing my joy and my mind through what I wear, or how I cook, or how I dance, or how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erykah-badu/i-just-love-expressing-my-joy-and-my-mind-through-what-i-wear-or-how/) [Erykah Badu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erykah-badu/) > [I'm not the best at expressing my feelings other than in songs or on paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassadee-pope/i-m-not-the-best-at-expressing-my-feelings-other-than-in-songs-or-on/) [Cassadee Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassadee-pope/) > [I'm just being who I am and expressing myself as everyone else does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erykah-badu/i-m-just-being-who-i-am-and-expressing-myself-as-everyone-else-does/) [Erykah Badu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erykah-badu/) > [For me, music is about expressing the inexpressible, and as I get older, man, what I feel the need to express becomes less and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/for-me-music-is-about-expressing-the-inexpressible-and-as-i-get-older/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [Expressing myself through language was always something that I had had to learn to do more so than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maajid-nawaz/expressing-myself-through-language-was-always-something-that-i-had/) [Maajid Nawaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maajid-nawaz/) > [“I’m not expressing myself very well—’ ‘Dexter, I understand you perfectly, that’s the problem—”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/i-m-not-expressing-myself-very-well-dexter-i-understand-you-perfectly/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Quiet! 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