---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: doing? Was it agony?’ ‘Horrendous. I had…"
description: "\"“doing? Was it agony?’ ‘Horrendous. I had no idea these things go on for so long either. They were talking about an epidural when I left, so she might ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/rebecca-boxall-89893_quote_doing-was-it-agony-horrendous-i-had-no-i_1009827.jpg"
---

#  doing? Was it agony?’ ‘Horrendous. I had no idea these…

![“doing? Was it agony?’ ‘Horrendous. I had no idea these things go on for so long either. They were talking about an epidural when I left, so she might get a bit of rest before the pushing bit starts. Goodness, it made me very glad to be a man.’ ‘You’ll think I’m mad but, even though it sounds…” quote by Rebecca Boxall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/rebecca-boxall-89893_quote_doing-was-it-agony-horrendous-i-had-no-i_1009827.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/rebecca-boxall-89893_quote_doing-was-it-agony-horrendous-i-had-no-i_1009827.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/rebecca-boxall-89893_quote_doing-was-it-agony-horrendous-i-had-no-i_1009827.jpg)

> ““doing? Was it agony?’ ‘Horrendous. I had no idea these things go on for so long either. They were talking about an epidural when I left, so she might get a bit of rest before the pushing bit starts. Goodness, it made me very glad to be a man.’ ‘You’ll think I’m mad but, even though it sounds awful, I’d still have loved to experience it.’ Will put his arms out and embraced her. ‘I know,’ he said into her hair. Serena took a deep breath and looked up at him. ‘You look exhausted,’ she said. ‘Why don’t you go and have a bath and a nap and we’ll do Winnie’s presents just before lunch?’ ‘That sounds like heaven. I’ll go and””

[Rebecca Boxall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-boxall/)

## 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 reflects on childbirth pain, fatigue, and love, finding joy in shared experience despite exhaustion.

**In simple terms:** Even in exhaustion, love brings joy.

Key Takeaway

Find gratitude in shared hardships.

Themes

parenthood exhaustion love

Mood

tender hopeful

Type

Agony:1 Exhausted:1 Exhausted Said:0 Talking Epidural:0 Doing Agony:0

When to use this quote

- postpartum support
- partner communication
- self-care

Key Concepts

psychology family dynamics empathy

Questions to Reflect On

- How does shared struggle strengthen bonds?
- What helps you cope with exhaustion?

A Different Perspective

May romanticize pain.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Agony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agony/) [Doing Agony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-agony-2185741/) [Exhausted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhausted/) [Exhausted Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhausted-said-943495/) [Talking Epidural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking-epidural-2185740/)

## Related quotes

> [“I go to sleep exhausted,” she said. “I wake up tired.” Yes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-claiborne-johnson/i-go-to-sleep-exhausted-she-said-i-wake-up-tired-yes/)

[Julia Claiborne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-claiborne-johnson/)

> [“What made him most anxious, he told me, was not the big questions—the mercilessness of fate, the possibility of heaven. He was too exhausted,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/what-made-him-most-anxious-he-told-me-was-not-the-big-questions-the/)

[Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/)

> [It's only when the markets are perceived to have exhausted themselves on the downside that they turn. Trying to prevent them from going down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/it-s-only-when-the-markets-are-perceived-to-have-exhausted-themselves/)

[Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/)

> [It is difficult to conceive any situation more painful than to watch the lingering agony of an exhausted country, to tend it during the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-macaulay/it-is-difficult-to-conceive-any-situation-more-painful-than-to-watch/)

[Zachary Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-macaulay/)

> [I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/i-have-seen-war-i-have-seen-war-on-land-and-sea-i-have-seen-blood/)

[Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/)

> [Being ill like this combines shock - this time I will die - with a pain and agony that are unfamiliar, that wrench me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-brodkey/being-ill-like-this-combines-shock-this-time-i-will-die-with-a-pain/)

[Harold Brodkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-brodkey/)

> [The young man shivered. He rolled the stock themes of fantasy over in his mind: cars and stockbrokers and commuters, housewives and police, agony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-young-man-shivered-he-rolled-the-stock-themes-of-fantasy-over-in/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [Sometimes, a lie is told in kindness. I don't believe it ever works kindly. The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/sometimes-a-lie-is-told-in-kindness-i-don-t-believe-it-ever-works/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [The cure is in the house, not brought by other hands from distant places, but by its own, in agony and blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/the-cure-is-in-the-house-not-brought-by-other-hands-from-distant/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [Love masters agony; the soul that seemed Forsaken feels her present God again And in her Father's arms Contented dies away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keble/love-masters-agony-the-soul-that-seemed-forsaken-feels-her-present/)

[John Keble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keble/)

> [As we look upon that agony and those tearful prayers, let us not only look with thankfulness; but let that kneeling Saviour teach us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/as-we-look-upon-that-agony-and-those-tearful-prayers-let-us-not-only/)

[Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/)

> [ “\[W\]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves-to-the-discovery-that-some-of/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [“aaron would not come out aaron entered into agony.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/aaron-would-not-come-out-aaron-entered-into-agony/)

[William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/)

> [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/)

[Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/)

## More by Rebecca Boxall

> [“fact she’d just put on a bit of weight. Stella had been absolutely incensed and ended up making the woman stand up in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-boxall/fact-she-d-just-put-on-a-bit-of-weight-stella-had-been-absolutely/)

[Rebecca Boxall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-boxall/)

[Explore all 2 Rebecca Boxall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-boxall/)

## More Agony quotes

> [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/)

[Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/)

> [“aaron would not come out aaron entered into agony.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/aaron-would-not-come-out-aaron-entered-into-agony/)

[William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/)

> [ “\[W\]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves-to-the-discovery-that-some-of/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [As we look upon that agony and those tearful prayers, let us not only look with thankfulness; but let that kneeling Saviour teach us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/as-we-look-upon-that-agony-and-those-tearful-prayers-let-us-not-only/)

[Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/)

> [Love masters agony; the soul that seemed Forsaken feels her present God again And in her Father's arms Contented dies away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keble/love-masters-agony-the-soul-that-seemed-forsaken-feels-her-present/)

[John Keble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keble/)

> [I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/i-have-seen-war-i-have-seen-war-on-land-and-sea-i-have-seen-blood/)

[Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/)

> [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [The cure is in the house, not brought by other hands from distant places, but by its own, in agony and blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/the-cure-is-in-the-house-not-brought-by-other-hands-from-distant/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [Sometimes, a lie is told in kindness. I don't believe it ever works kindly. The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/sometimes-a-lie-is-told-in-kindness-i-don-t-believe-it-ever-works/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [The young man shivered. He rolled the stock themes of fantasy over in his mind: cars and stockbrokers and commuters, housewives and police, agony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-young-man-shivered-he-rolled-the-stock-themes-of-fantasy-over-in/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [Being ill like this combines shock - this time I will die - with a pain and agony that are unfamiliar, that wrench me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-brodkey/being-ill-like-this-combines-shock-this-time-i-will-die-with-a-pain/)

[Harold Brodkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-brodkey/)

> [One often learns more from ten days of agony than ten years of contentment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/one-often-learns-more-from-ten-days-of-agony-than-ten-years-of/)

[Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/)

> [There’s been a problem, a problem eating away at me from the inside out. I’ve become weak, I’ve shown human compassion, and it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane/there-s-been-a-problem-a-problem-eating-away-at-me-from-the-inside/)

[Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane/)

> [Pay special attention to their agony so I might take some pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/pay-special-attention-to-their-agony-so-i-might-take-some-pleasure/)

[Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/)

> [Die, enemies of Ra!" Sekhemet yelled. "Perish in agony!" "She's almost as annoying as you," I told Horus. "Impossible," Horus said. "No one bests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/die-enemies-of-ra-sekhemet-yelled-perish-in-agony-she-s-almost-as/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

[Browse all 813 Agony quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agony/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“doing? Was it agony?’ ‘Horrendous. I had no idea these things go on for so long either. They were talking about an epidural when I left, so she might get a bit of rest before the pushing bit starts. Goodness, it made me very glad to be a man.’ ‘You’ll think I’m mad but, even though it sounds awful, I’d still have loved to experience it.’ Will put his arms out and embraced her. ‘I know,’ he said into her hair. Serena took a deep breath and looked up at him. ‘You look exhausted,’ she said. ‘Why don’t you go and have a bath and a nap and we’ll do Winnie’s presents just before lunch?’ ‘That sounds like heaven. I’ll go and”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rebecca Boxall"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-boxall/doing-was-it-agony-horrendous-i-had-no-idea-these-things-go-on-for-so/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Agony"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-boxall/doing-was-it-agony-horrendous-i-had-no-idea-these-things-go-on-for-so/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/rebecca-boxall-89893_quote_doing-was-it-agony-horrendous-i-had-no-i_1009827.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/rebecca-boxall-89893_quote_doing-was-it-agony-horrendous-i-had-no-i_1009827.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6df/rebecca-boxall-89893_quote_doing-was-it-agony-horrendous-i-had-no-i_1009827.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“doing? Was it agony?’ ‘Horrendous. I had no idea these things go on for so long either. They were talking…” — Rebecca Boxall",
                "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": "Rebecca Boxall",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-boxall/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“doing? Was it agony?’ ‘Horrendous. I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-boxall/doing-was-it-agony-horrendous-i-had-no-idea-these-things-go-on-for-so/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-boxall/doing-was-it-agony-horrendous-i-had-no-idea-these-things-go-on-for-so/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```