--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I tend to go against the grain because…" description: "\"I tend to go against the grain because when I start to see that everybody's trying to shock, I try not to. I just do stuff that's subtler, more emotion..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/sandra-bernhard-3766_emotional_i-tend-to-go-against-the-grain-because-w_2959821.jpg" --- # I tend to go against the grain because when I start to see… ![“I tend to go against the grain because when I start to see that everybody's trying to shock, I try not to. I just do stuff that's subtler, more emotional, and I think that shocks people.” quote by Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/sandra-bernhard-3766_emotional_i-tend-to-go-against-the-grain-because-w_2959821.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/sandra-bernhard-3766_emotional_i-tend-to-go-against-the-grain-because-w_2959821.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04d/sandra-bernhard-3766_emotional_i-tend-to-go-against-the-grain-because-w_2959821.jpg) > “I tend to go against the grain because when I start to see that everybody's trying to shock, I try not to. I just do stuff that's subtler, more emotional, and I think that shocks people.” [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing subtlety over shock can create deeper emotional impact, challenging expectations. **In simple terms:** Subtlety can be more shocking than overt shock. Key Takeaway Embrace nuanced expression. Themes creativity authenticity impact Mood reflective artistic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - creative projects - personal branding - media production Key Concepts artistic expression psychology culture Questions to Reflect On - When does subtlety resonate most? - How to balance subtlety with visibility? A Different Perspective Subtlety may be overlooked in a sensational culture. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Emotional Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional-think-617058/) [Grain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grain/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shock/) [Shock Try](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shock-try-4501871/) [Shocks People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shocks-people-1972203/) [Stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stuff/) [Subtler Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subtler-emotional-4501870/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Trying Shock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying-shock-888643/) ## Related quotes > [Ringo: 'I do get emotional when I think back about those times. My make-up is emotional. I'm an emotional human being. I'm very sensitive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ringo-starr/ringo-i-do-get-emotional-when-i-think-back-about-those-times-my-make/) [Ringo Starr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ringo-starr/) > [I'm very emotional; I think I may go mad in several years' time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-very-emotional-i-think-i-may-go-mad-in-several-years-time/) [Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/) > [I'm not afraid of scars, be them emotional or otherwise. I think it builds character, and if it doesn't destroy you, I truly believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-parsons/i-m-not-afraid-of-scars-be-them-emotional-or-otherwise-i-think-it/) [Nathan Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-parsons/) > [Perhaps it's a male thing, that men perhaps try and cope: 'I'm not going to go there, I'm not going to be emotional.' I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-watkins/perhaps-it-s-a-male-thing-that-men-perhaps-try-and-cope-i-m-not-going/) [Jason Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-watkins/) > [You are 100% emotional in everything you think, feel and decide. You decide emotionally and justify logically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/you-are-100-emotional-in-everything-you-think-feel-and-decide-you/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [ I curated this show \[Shanghai Biennale \], I was by no means trying to shock people or be controversial. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/i-curated-this-show-shanghai-biennale-i-was-by-no-means-trying-to/) [Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/) > [The thing that shocks people... is that I mean what I say. I don't use hyperbole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/the-thing-that-shocks-people-is-that-i-mean-what-i-say-i-don-t-use/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [You have to think of a new way to make something new. And the biggest sin - you can never try too hard. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/you-have-to-think-of-a-new-way-to-make-something-new-and-the-biggest/) [John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/) > [“On April 11, 2011, Oriel FeldmanHall of Cambridge University ran an experiment as to how people would react when they had to inflict pain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-tobolowsky/on-april-11-2011-oriel-feldmanhall-of-cambridge-university-ran-an/) [Stephen Tobolowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-tobolowsky/) > [Not naming names, but it shocks me, some of the people who get the breaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dean-morgan/not-naming-names-but-it-shocks-me-some-of-the-people-who-get-the/) [Jeffrey Dean Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dean-morgan/) > [It's not that I'm deliberately trying to shock people all the time. I'm just doing things that are obvious to me. It's because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takafumi-horie/it-s-not-that-i-m-deliberately-trying-to-shock-people-all-the-time-i/) [Takafumi Horie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takafumi-horie/) > [What shocks me is people who have no expertise championing a view that runs counter to the mainstream scientific consensus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-singh/what-shocks-me-is-people-who-have-no-expertise-championing-a-view/) [Simon Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-singh/) > [We're not trying to shock people with our image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-biersack/we-re-not-trying-to-shock-people-with-our-image/) [Andy Biersack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-biersack/) > [I'm not trying to prove myself, and I'm not trying to shock anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jameela-jamil/i-m-not-trying-to-prove-myself-and-i-m-not-trying-to-shock-anyone/) [Jameela Jamil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jameela-jamil/) > [I've never sat down with the intent of trying to shock or anything like that; it just so happens that the sense of humour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jefferies/i-ve-never-sat-down-with-the-intent-of-trying-to-shock-or-anything/) [Jim Jefferies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jefferies/) ## More by Sandra Bernhard > [I definitely want to be with somebody who doesn't feel lost or in my shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/i-definitely-want-to-be-with-somebody-who-doesn-t-feel-lost-or-in-my/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [A remembrance can mean nothing to the one remembered; it can only remind the ones left behind how little they did while you were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/a-remembrance-can-mean-nothing-to-the-one-remembered-it-can-only/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [It's usually a spiritual thing that's preventing somebody from having happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/it-s-usually-a-spiritual-thing-that-s-preventing-somebody-from-having/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [ I think everybody is covering their \[posteriors\] with the Enron scandal and it was very convenient that Sept. 11 came along to deflect the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/i-think-everybody-is-covering-their-posteriors-with-the-enron-scandal/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [Of course, everybody's family is dysfunctional - we've accepted that. What are we supposed to do? Hate our parents for the rest of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/of-course-everybody-s-family-is-dysfunctional-we-ve-accepted-that/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [I think Bush is amateurish and self-serving, and frankly, it's disgusting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/i-think-bush-is-amateurish-and-self-serving-and-frankly-it-s/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [From the time I was a kid, I'd never joined groups. I hated high school groups. I hung out with hippies, musical people. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/from-the-time-i-was-a-kid-i-d-never-joined-groups-i-hated-high-school/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [I'm a sexual person. A lot of different people turn me on and have over the years, and I've always wanted to make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/i-m-a-sexual-person-a-lot-of-different-people-turn-me-on-and-have/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [For most of my relationships, I would have liaisons, and I would feel guilty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/for-most-of-my-relationships-i-would-have-liaisons-and-i-would-feel/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [I don't like going back and listening to myself. It makes me uncomfortable, and I know I can never emulate what I did that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/i-don-t-like-going-back-and-listening-to-myself-it-makes-me/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [I've always allowed myself to go on journeys creatively and emotionally, and never put, like, limits on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/i-ve-always-allowed-myself-to-go-on-journeys-creatively-and/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [Personally, I'm waiting for caller IQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/personally-i-m-waiting-for-caller-iq/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [There's this whole sense of judgment and who's right and who's wrong and who's moral and who's going to be punished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/there-s-this-whole-sense-of-judgment-and-who-s-right-and-who-s-wrong/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [People feel like if they don't have a voice or a name or the spotlight, then they're invisible. But if you can't wake up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/people-feel-like-if-they-don-t-have-a-voice-or-a-name-or-the/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) > [Once you're heterosexual and comfortable with that, you don't need to take out an announcement every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-bernhard/once-you-re-heterosexual-and-comfortable-with-that-you-don-t-need-to/) [Sandra Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) [Explore all 122 Sandra Bernhard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-bernhard/) ## More Emotional quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [“The fact is, we in this society are often quite removed from our own emotional reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabor-mat/the-fact-is-we-in-this-society-are-often-quite-removed-from-our-own/) [Gabor Maté](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabor-mat/) > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [This tendency to avoid problems and the emotional suffering inherent in them is the primary basis of all human mental illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-swindoll/this-tendency-to-avoid-problems-and-the-emotional-suffering-inherent/) [Charles R. Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-swindoll/) > [I am emotional, but that's not a negative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franck-ribery/i-am-emotional-but-that-s-not-a-negative/) [Franck Ribery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franck-ribery/) > [I don't get emotional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-robertson/i-don-t-get-emotional/) [Andrew Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-robertson/) > [Nothing is more private than a woman's body; it is her physical, emotional, and moral citadel. She cannot be free at all if she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/nothing-is-more-private-than-a-woman-s-body-it-is-her-physical/) [Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/) > [I'm an emotional eater. If something's worth celebrating, we're going to grab pizza. If it's going bad, girl, pass me the chocolate. Gotta keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurieann-gibson/i-m-an-emotional-eater-if-something-s-worth-celebrating-we-re-going/) [Laurieann Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurieann-gibson/) > [To invest successfully over a lifetime does not require a stratospheric IQ, unusual business insights, or inside information. What's needed is a sound intellectual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/to-invest-successfully-over-a-lifetime-does-not-require-a/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Male relationships are deeply emotional and hard to talk about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-lord/male-relationships-are-deeply-emotional-and-hard-to-talk-about/) [Phil Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-lord/) > [I'm simply saying that our deepest thoughts, desires and preoccupations manifest themselves in art, whether we intend them to or not. That's what art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-pegg/i-m-simply-saying-that-our-deepest-thoughts-desires-and/) [Simon Pegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-pegg/) > [First of all the criteria that I have that goes into any career decision is whether or not I have the life experience, emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/first-of-all-the-criteria-that-i-have-that-goes-into-any-career/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [“I like to see an angry Englishman," said Poirot. "They are very amusing. The more emotional they feel the less command they have of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/i-like-to-see-an-angry-englishman-said-poirot-they-are-very-amusing/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > ['Heirs' became an emotional experience for me. I had a hard time bringing out my emotions in the series. I used all my physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-min-ho/heirs-became-an-emotional-experience-for-me-i-had-a-hard-time/) [Lee Min-ho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-min-ho/) > [“Forgiveness is the process of dropping off your emotional baggage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/forgiveness-is-the-process-of-dropping-off-your-emotional-baggage/) [Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/) [Browse all 5,224 Emotional quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I tend to go against the grain because when I start to see that everybody's trying to shock, I try not to. 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