---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a kid, I couldn't articulate it but I…"
description: "\"As a kid, I couldn't articulate it but I sought out things that could. At first it was horror films - extreme panic and terror, grotesque and maniacal...."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8c/tony-burgess-28560_connected_as-a-kid-i-couldn-t-articulate-it-but-i_1404608.jpg"
---

#  As a kid, I couldn't articulate it but I sought out things…

![“As a kid, I couldn't articulate it but I sought out things that could. At first it was horror films - extreme panic and terror, grotesque and maniacal. These films calmed me and made me feel more connected in my experiences.” quote by Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8c/tony-burgess-28560_connected_as-a-kid-i-couldn-t-articulate-it-but-i_1404608.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8c/tony-burgess-28560_connected_as-a-kid-i-couldn-t-articulate-it-but-i_1404608.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8c/tony-burgess-28560_connected_as-a-kid-i-couldn-t-articulate-it-but-i_1404608.jpg)

> “As a kid, I couldn't articulate it but I sought out things that could. At first it was horror films - extreme panic and terror, grotesque and maniacal. These films calmed me and made me feel more connected in my experiences.”

[Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Horror films provided a cathartic outlet for intense emotions, helping the speaker feel connected.

**In simple terms:** Horror gave a safe way to process fear and feel understood.

Key Takeaway

Seek media that safely channels strong feelings.

Themes

catharsis media emotional connection

Mood

introspective curious

Type

analytical personal

When to use this quote

- watching horror
- discussing films
- creative expression
- therapy

Key Concepts

psychology film studies

Questions to Reflect On

- What other outlets could help process intense emotions?
- Do you feel the same connection with other genres?

A Different Perspective

Not everyone finds horror therapeutic; it may trigger distress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Extremes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremes/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Films](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/films/) [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) [Horror film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror-film/) [Horror films](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror-films/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Panic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/panic/)

## Related quotes

> [I think there's an instinct to make grotesque horror films that are purely carnal, like the 'Saw' movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-heard/i-think-there-s-an-instinct-to-make-grotesque-horror-films-that-are/)

[Amber Heard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-heard/)

> [Irony ruined everything Even the best exploitation movies were never meant to be 'so bad they were good'. They were not made for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-waters/irony-ruined-everything-even-the-best-exploitation-movies-were-never/)

[John Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-waters/)

> [I do know that I've read somewhere that it's been statistically proven that in times of war, horror films are much more popular. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-stanford/i-do-know-that-i-ve-read-somewhere-that-it-s-been-statistically/)

[Aaron Stanford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-stanford/)

> [I love all kinds of movies. I love a really good comedy and not the cheesy ones. My parents hate this, but I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liana-liberato/i-love-all-kinds-of-movies-i-love-a-really-good-comedy-and-not-the/)

[Liana Liberato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liana-liberato/)

> [“When the black thing was at its worst, when the illicit cocktails and the ten-mile runs stopped working, I would feel numb as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-jamieson/when-the-black-thing-was-at-its-worst-when-the-illicit-cocktails-and/)

[Alice Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-jamieson/)

> [I feel like most horror films are made for teenagers about teenagers. I've done a couple of those horror films. There's nothing wrong with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-elizabeth-winstead/i-feel-like-most-horror-films-are-made-for-teenagers-about-teenagers/)

[Mary Elizabeth Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-elizabeth-winstead/)

> [It's a very good time for horror. This business certainly has changed, but there's still room for serious horror films. Look at 28 Days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carpenter/it-s-a-very-good-time-for-horror-this-business-certainly-has-changed/)

[John Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carpenter/)

> [I laugh a lot in horror films. If I'm scared in a horror film, I try to think about what's scaring me... particularly, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-reitman/i-laugh-a-lot-in-horror-films-if-i-m-scared-in-a-horror-film-i-try-to/)

[Jason Reitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-reitman/)

> [I spent years working in low-budget horror films. When you've done 'Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death,' you can handle anything!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-barbeau/i-spent-years-working-in-low-budget-horror-films-when-you-ve-done/)

[Adrienne Barbeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-barbeau/)

> ['Hereditary' is unabashedly a horror film. In a lot of ways, it's in dialogue with other horror films. But I do know that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-aster/hereditary-is-unabashedly-a-horror-film-in-a-lot-of-ways-it-s-in/)

[Ari Aster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-aster/)

> [I think there's been a gigantic shift in the way we talk to each other, and the way that we communicate with each other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-swanberg/i-think-there-s-been-a-gigantic-shift-in-the-way-we-talk-to-each/)

[Joe Swanberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-swanberg/)

> [Audiences are very sophisticated and they know the nuts and bolts of the genre - certainly with horror more than others I think. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reece-shearsmith/audiences-are-very-sophisticated-and-they-know-the-nuts-and-bolts-of/)

[Reece Shearsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reece-shearsmith/)

> [I've always loved... actually I didn't always love horror films. I started out and I only liked comedies and dramas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-raimi/i-ve-always-loved-actually-i-didn-t-always-love-horror-films-i/)

[Sam Raimi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-raimi/)

> [Some of my fondest and most impressionable movie memories are from those early sci-fi and horror films. I've always been a Dracula/vampire aficionado, being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-wise/some-of-my-fondest-and-most-impressionable-movie-memories-are-from/)

[Ray Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-wise/)

> [What I love about watching classic horror films is that they take you on a ride and they obviously make you scared because you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-holmes/what-i-love-about-watching-classic-horror-films-is-that-they-take-you/)

[Katie Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-holmes/)

## More by Tony Burgess

> [“It's strange to sleep. Sleep is a mysterious thing even in the simplest of people. When you're sleepy, you seem to be getting sick,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/it-s-strange-to-sleep-sleep-is-a-mysterious-thing-even-in-the/)

[Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/)

> [“Maybe I went a bit too far, but that’s what people want now. There’s an expectation that children be treated poorly in their literature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/maybe-i-went-a-bit-too-far-but-that-s-what-people-want-now-there-s-an/)

[Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/)

> [“And now, no matter what I thought I had done or why I did it, it has become completely untrue because of what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/and-now-no-matter-what-i-thought-i-had-done-or-why-i-did-it-it-has/)

[Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/)

> [I think horror should have occult elements, not as its subject but as its ambition. It is a machine that destroys illusion. I, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/i-think-horror-should-have-occult-elements-not-as-its-subject-but-as/)

[Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/)

> [A horror novel should reveal to you that you are falling apart. That there are ways your imagination can be made different. Can threaten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/a-horror-novel-should-reveal-to-you-that-you-are-falling-apart-that/)

[Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/)

> [The books are recordings; that's what they have to be, recordings of the writing. They have to be happening to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/the-books-are-recordings-that-s-what-they-have-to-be-recordings-of/)

[Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/)

> [My fear, as a writer, is that I am a curiosity. That I can only bring you this peculiar condition from far away, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/my-fear-as-a-writer-is-that-i-am-a-curiosity-that-i-can-only-bring/)

[Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/)

> [“They stay like this, in silence, both aware that they have created something together. Defiance. A pushing back of a darkness that no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/they-stay-like-this-in-silence-both-aware-that-they-have-created/)

[Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/)

> [I believe the book should be something you protect yourself from by returning to your life. But it has threatened your life. Not by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/i-believe-the-book-should-be-something-you-protect-yourself-from-by/)

[Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/)

> [“It’s my job really, to help you, my reader, in accepting things as real that aren’t. Most books try to get you to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/it-s-my-job-really-to-help-you-my-reader-in-accepting-things-as-real/)

[Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/)

> [I am interested in giving the reader true vertigo. I look to deteriorating consciousness as our inevitable condition and I am trying to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/i-am-interested-in-giving-the-reader-true-vertigo-i-look-to/)

[Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/)

> [I am a feral person. I have no bank account. I am unemployable. I own nothing. I lose my shoes sometimes when I go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/i-am-a-feral-person-i-have-no-bank-account-i-am-unemployable-i-own/)

[Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/)

> [“There is a heavy price to pay for writing a bad book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/there-is-a-heavy-price-to-pay-for-writing-a-bad-book/)

[Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/)

> [“If I told you that everything about you had been just made up by someone, that all of your thoughts, all of your memories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/if-i-told-you-that-everything-about-you-had-been-just-made-up-by/)

[Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/)

> [“An Underground that knew all about this, knew all about Les, was preparing to wake up the world and invite it to a Canada’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/an-underground-that-knew-all-about-this-knew-all-about-les-was/)

[Tony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/)

[Explore all 19 Tony Burgess quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/)

## More Connected quotes

> [I don't understand why we're all connected wirelessly via a little machine that goes in our pocket, to everybody in the world, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-don-t-understand-why-we-re-all-connected-wirelessly-via-a-little/)

[Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/)

> [Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-pink/human-beings-have-an-innate-inner-drive-to-be-autonomous-self/)

[Daniel H. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-pink/)

> [As in any machine, all the wires must be connected to the mains through one main wire. In the same way, you all must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/as-in-any-machine-all-the-wires-must-be-connected-to-the-mains/)

[Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/)

> [The most difficult part for me is feeling connected to the people that I love but always being on the go to different places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-franti/the-most-difficult-part-for-me-is-feeling-connected-to-the-people/)

[Michael Franti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-franti/)

> [I don't have faith in the Internet, I have faith in people connected through the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gilliam/i-don-t-have-faith-in-the-internet-i-have-faith-in-people-connected/)

Jim Gilliam

> [“I realized that all things in life are connected and I could no longer go about life without looking within.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-martin/i-realized-that-all-things-in-life-are-connected-and-i-could-no/)

[Ricky Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-martin/)

> [In a personal way, to do with family and the father-son relationship, in a kind of artistic way with regard to him being an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/in-a-personal-way-to-do-with-family-and-the-father-son-relationship/)

[Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/)

> [Me and my mum didn't see eye-to-eye for a lot of years, and I've never really felt connected with my dad, because he wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/me-and-my-mum-didn-t-see-eye-to-eye-for-a-lot-of-years-and-i-ve-never/)

[James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/)

> [There are two sorts of content; one is connected with exertion, the other with habits of indolence. The first is a virtue; the other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-edgeworth/there-are-two-sorts-of-content-one-is-connected-with-exertion-the/)

[Maria Edgeworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-edgeworth/)

> [I admit that these terms and the diagrams connected with them repel some readers, and fill others with the vain imagination that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-marshall/i-admit-that-these-terms-and-the-diagrams-connected-with-them-repel/)

[Alfred Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-marshall/)

> [A tribe, let us say, is warlike. The successes for which it strives, the achievements upon which it sets store, are connected with fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-tribe-let-us-say-is-warlike-the-successes-for-which-it-strives-the/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [every subjective phenomenon is essentially connected with a single point of view, and it seems inevitable that an objective, physical theory will abandon that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/every-subjective-phenomenon-is-essentially-connected-with-a-single/)

[Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/)

> [Be conscious of one another and everything that we are connected to in this world of ours (not just your relatives and friends).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noelle-scaggs/be-conscious-of-one-another-and-everything-that-we-are-connected-to/)

[Noelle Scaggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noelle-scaggs/)

> [The ensouled is distinguished from the unsouled by its being alive. Now since being alive is spoken of in many ways, even if only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-ensouled-is-distinguished-from-the-unsouled-by-its-being-alive/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [I want viewers to see that everything is connected, even the little guys like pollinators and flowers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-schwartzberg/i-want-viewers-to-see-that-everything-is-connected-even-the-little/)

[Louie Schwartzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-schwartzberg/)

Browse all 2,295 Connected quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "As a kid, I couldn't articulate it but I sought out things that could. At first it was horror films - extreme panic and terror, grotesque and maniacal. These films calmed me and made me feel more connected in my experiences.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tony Burgess"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/as-a-kid-i-couldn-t-articulate-it-but-i-sought-out-things-that-could/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Connected"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/as-a-kid-i-couldn-t-articulate-it-but-i-sought-out-things-that-could/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8c/tony-burgess-28560_connected_as-a-kid-i-couldn-t-articulate-it-but-i_1404608.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8c/tony-burgess-28560_connected_as-a-kid-i-couldn-t-articulate-it-but-i_1404608.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8c/tony-burgess-28560_connected_as-a-kid-i-couldn-t-articulate-it-but-i_1404608.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As a kid, I couldn't articulate it but I sought out things that could. At first it was horror films…” — Tony Burgess",
                "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": "Tony Burgess",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-burgess/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "As a kid, I couldn't articulate...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/as-a-kid-i-couldn-t-articulate-it-but-i-sought-out-things-that-could/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-burgess/as-a-kid-i-couldn-t-articulate-it-but-i-sought-out-things-that-could/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
