“Is it really possible to tell someone else what one feels?”
— Leo Tolstoy
Simplified Meaning:
Expressing our true feelings to someone can be very challenging. When people try to describe their emotions, words often fall short, and others may not fully understand how we feel inside. For instance, consider when you feel deeply sad about losing a pet. You might tell a friend you are sad, but they might not grasp the depth of your sadness because they haven't experienced the exact same loss. Emotions are deeply personal and unique to each individual. Even if two people go through similar situations, each person's feelings can be quite different. This quote highlights the difficulty in fully sharing and conveying our personal emotional experiences to others, since they can't experience our feelings from the inside. To apply this understanding, it's helpful to be patient and empathetic when others share their feelings with us. Recognizing that we might not completely understand their experience can make us better listeners and more supportive friends or family members. Similarly, knowing this can help us manage our expectations when we share our own feelings, understanding that others may not fully get what we are going through but can still offer support and care.