John Gray – Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus Scanned by nova scanner: Canoscan D1250 U2f software: Omnipage Pro 9 Date: 28 August 2002 Proofed by

acceptance that we rarely experience today. 
 
EXPRESSING FEELINGS VERSUS EXPRESSING INFORMATION 
 
Even today we still need translators. Men and women seldom mean the same things even when 
they use the same words. For example, when a woman says "I feel like you never listen," she 
does not expect the word never to be taken literally. Using the word never is just a way of 
expressing the frustration she is feeling at the moment. It is not to be taken as if it were factual 
information. 
 
To fully express their feelings, women assume poetic license and use various superlatives, 
metaphors, and generalizations. Men mistakenly take these expressions literally. Because they 
misunderstand the intended meaning, they commonly react in an unsupportive manner. In the 
following chart ten complaints easily misinterpreted are fisted, as well as how a man might 
respond unsupportively. 
 
TEN COMMON COMPLAINTS THAT ARE EASILY
MISINTERPRETED 
Women say things like this 
Men respond like this 
"We never go out." 
"That's not true. We went out last week." 
"Everyone ignores me." 
"I'm sure some people notice you." 
"I am so tired, I can't do anything." 
"If you don't like your job, then quit." 
"I want to forget everything." 
"That's ridiculous." 
"The house is always a mess." 
"It's not always a mess." 
"No one listens to me anymore." 
"But I am listening to you right now." 
"Nothing is working." 
"Are you saying it is my fault?" 
"You don't love me anymore." 
"Of course I do. That's why I'm here." 
"We are always in a hurry." 
"We are not. Friday we were relaxed. " 
"I want more romance." 
"Are you saying I am not romantic?" 
 

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