Quote of the Day: ‘Pain is like carbon monoxide; expressing it to the person who hurt you is like…’ Ted La
“Pain is like carbon monoxide. Expressing it to the person who hurt you is like opening a vent, but holding it in will poison you.” Ted Lasso’s Coach Beard’s line might just not be clever imagery; it might be a warning. Carbon monoxide is dangerous precisely because you can’t see or smell it. It builds up quietly. Pain works the same way in relationships. When hurt feelings aren’t acknowledged or spoken out loud, they don’t disappear. They linger, accumulate, and eventually damage the person carrying them.
By comparing expression to “opening a vent,” Beard suggests that talking about pain, especially with the person who caused it, is not about confrontation or revenge. It’s about survival. Releasing hurt allows emotional air to circulate. It prevents resentment from turning into bitterness, withdrawal, or self-destruction.
Holding pain inside, on the other hand, may seem like strength or maturity, as also in the case of Ted Lasso; you can relate to it if you watched the series. Beard implies it’s the opposite. Silence doesn’t protect relationships; it slowly suffocates them.
Also Read: Quote of the day from the series Ted Lasso: ‘What’s the happiest animal on Earth? The goldfish. It’s got a… Be a goldfish’
Why the lesson fits Coach Beard
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This line lands harder because of who Beard is, unlike the situations Ted was going through. Unlike Lasso’s relentless optimism, Beard is observant, reserved, and emotionally restrained. He reads, reflects, and absorbs more than he says. When he talks about unexpressed pain being toxic, it signals hard-earned wisdom likely born from mistakes, regrets, and internal battles we only see glimpses of across the series.
Beard understands that emotional discipline isn’t about suppressing feelings. It’s about choosing the right moment and person to release them to.
A counterpoint to “be like a goldfish”
Earlier in the show, Ted’s famous advice “Be like a goldfish” encourages letting go of small mistakes quickly. Beard’s quote doesn’t contradict that; it completes it. You can forget minor slights. But real pain? Betrayal? Emotional wounds that keep resurfacing? Those can’t be ignored without consequences. Beard’s lesson is that some things must be processed, not forgotten. Pain needs air. Silence turns it lethal.
The takeaway from Coach Beard’s quote
Coach Beard’s message is quietly radical in a culture that often celebrates emotional restraint and in one interpretation it might sound like something like this:
- Don’t bottle pain to seem strong
- Don’t confuse silence with maturity
- Speak before hurt turns into poison
In true Ted Lasso fashion, the lesson isn’t about winning arguments or assigning blame. It’s about staying human and emotionally alive in relationships that matter.
About Coach Beard
Coach Willis Beard is a main regular character in the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso, portrayed by Brendan Hunt. He serves as an assistant coach at AFC Richmond and is Ted Lasso’s longtime friend, confidant, and right-hand man. While Ted is openly optimistic and emotionally expressive, Beard is quieter, more reserved, and deeply observant, often offering insight only when it truly matters.
Before moving to England, Beard coached alongside Ted at the Wichita State Shockers, an American football program. When Ted was hired to manage AFC Richmond, Beard followed him, quickly adapting to British football and proving himself as the more tactically knowledgeable member of the coaching staff.
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