Emotion Quote by Richard Flanagan
““Later, crying became simply affirmation of feeling, and feeling the only compass in life. Feeling became fashionable and emotion became a theatre in which people were players who no longer knew who they were off the stage. Dorrigo Evans would live long enough to see all these changes. And he would remember a time when people were ashamed of crying. When they feared the weakness it bespoke. The trouble to which it led. He would live to see people praised for things that were not worthy of praise, simply because truth was seen to be bad for their feelings.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Richard Flanagan, 2013
Society increasingly values emotional display over authentic feeling, turning emotion into performance and discouraging genuine vulnerability.
In simple terms: People treat feelings as a show, hiding true selves.
Key Takeaway
Seek authentic emotional expression.
Themes
authenticity
emotion
societal pressure
vulnerability
Mood
reflective
melancholic
Type
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- personal relationships
- public speaking
- mental health counseling
Key Concepts
performative culture
emotional honesty
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we balance honest feeling with social expectations?
- What costs arise when emotion becomes performance?
A Different Perspective
True vulnerability can be socially risky and may be misunderstood.
![“Music [is] the third rail of life. You grabbed it to shock yourself out of the dull drag of hours. To feel something. To burn with all the emotions you didn't get to experience in the ordinary run of school, TV, and loading the dishwasher after dinner.” quote by Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/44b/joe-hill-1162_dinner_music-is-the-third-rail-of-life-you-grab_5424.jpg)
