I went down a rabbit hole in looking for quotes from people named Henry. These stood out.
The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. ~Henry David Thoreau
The tragedy of it is that nobody sees the look of desperation on my face. Thousands and thousands of us, and we’re passing one another without a look of recognition. ~Henry Miller
Life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating. ~O. Henry
According to lifeafterthedailygrind, Thoreau’s quote “was an observation that most people live an empty life caused by unfulfilling work, lack of leisure time and misplaced values; money, possessions and accolades.” When you read how Thoreau spent his life, I’m not sure how quietly desperate he was but he wasn’t really appreciated until years after he died.
Henry Miller’s quote made me of the younger generations I see on social media crying out desperately because adulting isn’t as much fun as a barrel of monkeys on an everyday basis. I remember feeling stressed with work and family and anxious about where my life was going. Our generation didn’t have a such an open means to express the feelings so we drank or used drugs or any of the other bad habits burying our real feelings. I almost think saying them out loud to the interwebs might be cathartic.
O. Henry seems to say that life is more sad than happy or… he had allergies. Teehee.
Letters to a Caterpillar 