--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He wished she knew his impressions; but…" description: "\"He wished she knew his impressions; but he would as soon have thought of carrying an odour in a net as of attempting to convey the intangibilities of h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cc/thomas-hardy-410_attempting_he-wished-she-knew-his-impressions-but-h_2709197.jpg" --- # He wished she knew his impressions; but he would as soon… ![“He wished she knew his impressions; but he would as soon have thought of carrying an odour in a net as of attempting to convey the intangibilities of his feeling in the coarse meshes of language. So he remained silent.” quote by Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cc/thomas-hardy-410_attempting_he-wished-she-knew-his-impressions-but-h_2709197.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cc/thomas-hardy-410_attempting_he-wished-she-knew-his-impressions-but-h_2709197.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cc/thomas-hardy-410_attempting_he-wished-she-knew-his-impressions-but-h_2709197.jpg) > “He wished she knew his impressions; but he would as soon have thought of carrying an odour in a net as of attempting to convey the intangibilities of his feeling in the coarse meshes of language. So he remained silent.” [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He finds language too crude to capture his feelings, so he stays silent. **In simple terms:** Language can’t fully express deep emotions, so he keeps quiet. Key Takeaway Accept the limits of words. Themes communication emotion silence Mood melancholic reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal relationships - artistic expression - conflict avoidance Key Concepts existentialism ineffability Questions to Reflect On - How do you express feelings when words fall short? - Can silence be more powerful than speech? A Different Perspective Words may fail but actions can convey truth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attempting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attempting/) [Attempting Convey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attempting-convey-2794454/) [Coarse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coarse/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Impression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impression/) [Impressions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impressions/) [Impressions Soon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impressions-soon-2794455/) [Knew Impressions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knew-impressions-2794453/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Mesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mesh/) [Remained Silent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remained-silent-737906/) [Silent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silent/) ## Related quotes > [He wished she knew his impressions, but he would as soon as thought of carrying an odour in a net as of attempting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/he-wished-she-knew-his-impressions-but-he-would-as-soon-as-thought-of/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [My parents know I was outgoing as a child, and whenever people came over I'd automatically do impressions of them as soon as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-parents-know-i-was-outgoing-as-a-child-and-whenever-people-came-2/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [Why it was that upon this beautiful feminine tissue, sensitive as gossamer, and practically blank as snow as yet, there should have been traced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/why-it-was-that-upon-this-beautiful-feminine-tissue-sensitive-as/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [When the Nazis came for the communists, I remained silent; I was not a communist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-niemoller/when-the-nazis-came-for-the-communists-i-remained-silent-i-was-not-a/) [Martin Niemoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-niemoller/) > [When they locked up the social democrats, I remained silent; I was not a social democrat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-niemoller/when-they-locked-up-the-social-democrats-i-remained-silent-i-was-not/) [Martin Niemoller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-niemoller/) > [“Breathing they say is good for you. 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