--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People can't help what they feel. It's…" description: "\"“People can't help what they feel. It's what they do that counts”\" — Siri Hustvedt" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/siri-hustvedt-860_feel_people-can-t-help-what-they-feel-it-s-wh_2601685.jpg" --- # People can't help what they feel. It's what they do that… ![“People can't help what they feel. It's what they do that counts” quote by Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/siri-hustvedt-860_feel_people-can-t-help-what-they-feel-it-s-wh_2601685.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/siri-hustvedt-860_feel_people-can-t-help-what-they-feel-it-s-wh_2601685.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/siri-hustvedt-860_feel_people-can-t-help-what-they-feel-it-s-wh_2601685.jpg) > ““People can't help what they feel. It's what they do that counts”” [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Feelings are involuntary; actions define character and destiny. **In simple terms:** Actions matter more than feelings. Key Takeaway Act with intention. Themes responsibility emotion agency Mood thoughtful empowering Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - personal growth - leadership - conflict resolution - parenting Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you separate feeling from action? - When should you act despite discomfort? A Different Perspective Emotions can be powerful motivators. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“..it's not how much you work, but how working so much makes you feel that counts. And how I felt was iserable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathon-lazear/it-s-not-how-much-you-work-but-how-working-so-much-makes-you-feel/) Jonathon Lazear > [Do something to help your community or people around you. That will help you feel more worthwhile and less alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goulston/do-something-to-help-your-community-or-people-around-you-that-will/) [Mark Goulston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goulston/) > [You have to find that love within yourself. If you love yourself, you feel good about yourself, and sports help you feel good about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-devers/you-have-to-find-that-love-within-yourself-if-you-love-yourself-you/) [Gail Devers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-devers/) > [Sometimes I feel like no one cares. Sometimes I feel like no one is there. Sometimes I want to kill myself. Sometimes I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-feel-like-no-one-cares-sometimes-i-feel-like-no-one-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Now, I can't help but feel inferior. When I'm out in public in Afghanistan, I feel inferior because I'm doing everything I can to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-murphy/now-i-can-t-help-but-feel-inferior-when-i-m-out-in-public-in/) Beth Murphy > [People always tell me, Don’t work so much, but I can’t help it. I feel like all the things I’ve done are important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-dunst/people-always-tell-me-don-t-work-so-much-but-i-can-t-help-it-i-feel/) [Kirsten Dunst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-dunst/) > [What I've realized is that, especially in Los Angeles, a lot of people are on some kind of path, even if they're not completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-tom/what-i-ve-realized-is-that-especially-in-los-angeles-a-lot-of-people/) [Lauren Tom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-tom/) > [Getting help is something you should never feel ashamed of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-jefferson/getting-help-is-something-you-should-never-feel-ashamed-of/) [Justin Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-jefferson/) > [“Every time we try and get it together, something happens to pull us apart, and I can't help but feel that this is just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-green/every-time-we-try-and-get-it-together-something-happens-to-pull-us/) [Jane Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-green/) > [Helping a person in need is good in itself. But the degree of goodness is hugely affected by the attitude with which it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/helping-a-person-in-need-is-good-in-itself-but-the-degree-of-goodness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Make Others Feel Important. We all have an innate desire to feel important, be special, and feel appreciated. In your words and behavior help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/make-others-feel-important-we-all-have-an-innate-desire-to-feel/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [The more you see, the more you know, the more you feel like you can help others and the more you feel like you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-gobert/the-more-you-see-the-more-you-know-the-more-you-feel-like-you-can/) [Rudy Gobert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-gobert/) > [“It's your call," he said softly, "but whatever you decide, I'll help you." He placed a soft, warm hand at the back of her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aprilynne-pike/it-s-your-call-he-said-softly-but-whatever-you-decide-i-ll-help-you/) [Aprilynne Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aprilynne-pike/) > [I find placebos uplifting and exhilarating. It means that taking action--no matter what the action is--might help you feel better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-find-placebos-uplifting-and-exhilarating-it-means-that-taking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want to try and help you, to make you better. To help you feel things again, to make you come alive again. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-want-to-try-and-help-you-to-make-you-better-to-help-you-feel-things/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Siri Hustvedt > [I am married to a writer, and this - writing - is an odd enterprise. It's something we both support very strongly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-am-married-to-a-writer-and-this-writing-is-an-odd-enterprise-it-s/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [With almost no exceptions, art by men is much more expensive than art by women. Even great women artists, like Louise Bourgeois and Lee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/with-almost-no-exceptions-art-by-men-is-much-more-expensive-than-art/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I love the little garden in the back of my family's brownstone in Brooklyn. Digging out there in the dirt is a joy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-love-the-little-garden-in-the-back-of-my-family-s-brownstone-in/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I watched 'Holiday' in college, and that was when I had my first fantasy of being Katharine Hepburn, standing at the top of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-watched-holiday-in-college-and-that-was-when-i-had-my-first-fantasy/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“the impersonal and the personal are always connected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-impersonal-and-the-personal-are-always-connected/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [When I don't get enough sleep, I am cranky, vulnerable to headaches, and my concentration is poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/when-i-don-t-get-enough-sleep-i-am-cranky-vulnerable-to-headaches-and/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“Transformation of the self are related to where you are, and identity Is dependent on others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/transformation-of-the-self-are-related-to-where-you-are-and-identity/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [There's a phenomenology of being sick, one that depends on temperament, personal history, and the culture which we live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/there-s-a-phenomenology-of-being-sick-one-that-depends-on-temperament/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [The faculty of memory cannot be separated from the imagination. They go hand in hand. To one degree or another, we all invent our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-faculty-of-memory-cannot-be-separated-from-the-imagination-they/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“Looking is part of love, but what you see when you look is anybody's guess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/looking-is-part-of-love-but-what-you-see-when-you-look-is-anybody-s/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [Every sickness has an alien quality, a feeling of invasion and loss of control that is evident in the language we use about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/every-sickness-has-an-alien-quality-a-feeling-of-invasion-and-loss-of/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I have a tendency to face my bad fantasies in my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-have-a-tendency-to-face-my-bad-fantasies-in-my-books/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“The outside also becomes us. A human being is born an unfinished organism and as the person develops experience with others becomes a physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-outside-also-becomes-us-a-human-being-is-born-an-unfinished/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I am an American, but a sense of otherness was part of my growing up. I spoke Norwegian before I spoke English. My mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-am-an-american-but-a-sense-of-otherness-was-part-of-my-growing-up-i/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [When I was an impoverished graduate student, I would sometimes spend $20 or $30 on a T-shirt or accessory I didn't need or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/when-i-was-an-impoverished-graduate-student-i-would-sometimes-spend/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) [Explore all 330 Siri Hustvedt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) ## More Feel quotes > [I feel like I definitely have a real sporty style, more so than a lot of people in G.O.O.D. Music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-feel-like-i-definitely-have-a-real-sporty-style-more-so-than-a-lot/) [Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/) > [This may sound strange, but although I feel like I know everything about my characters, the brand of shampoo they use, how many cavities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/this-may-sound-strange-but-although-i-feel-like-i-know-everything/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [I feel I handle the pressure situations well, and that's why I want to be there at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-feel-i-handle-the-pressure-situations-well-and-that-s-why-i-want-to/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/) [Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/) > [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/) Adam Ant > [I feel as though I've fooled the world into thinking I'm an adult and now they're letting me procreate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-feel-as-though-i-ve-fooled-the-world-into-thinking-i-m-an-adult-and/) [George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/) > [I feel like I could eat the world raw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-feel-like-i-could-eat-the-world-raw/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [I like to wear bodysuits and things that make me feel really active and athletic and also really sensual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-hawley-weld/i-like-to-wear-bodysuits-and-things-that-make-me-feel-really-active/) [Sophie Hawley-Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-hawley-weld/) > [You can't force people to feel in a certain way, and the sooner you understand that,the better. I feel everything has its way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidharth-malhotra/you-can-t-force-people-to-feel-in-a-certain-way-and-the-sooner-you/) [Sidharth Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidharth-malhotra/) > [You make me feel brand new today. Even my day is full of trials and pain…Thanks for everything...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lantapi/you-make-me-feel-brand-new-today-even-my-day-is-full-of-trials-and/) [Richard Lantapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lantapi/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I don't know how people feel,that's the beauty of TV, is they can see us, but we can't see them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/i-don-t-know-how-people-feel-that-s-the-beauty-of-tv-is-they-can-see/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-rice/i-feel-like-i-m-the-best-but-you-re-not-going-to-get-me-to-say-that/) [Jerry Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-rice/) Browse all 26,675 Feel quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“People can't help what they feel. 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