--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were times when I would forget her…" description: "\"“There were times when I would forget her, though they were rare, and it would be for a time as though she had never existed; and then some passing gir..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31f/alfred-hayes-33168_existed_there-were-times-when-i-would-forget-her_2482342.jpg" --- # There were times when I would forget her, though they were… ![“There were times when I would forget her, though they were rare, and it would be for a time as though she had never existed; and then some passing girl's inadvertent gesture, or an accidental profile, or a hat like hers, would restore her, and restore the suffering too, and I would long again…” quote by Alfred Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31f/alfred-hayes-33168_existed_there-were-times-when-i-would-forget-her_2482342.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31f/alfred-hayes-33168_existed_there-were-times-when-i-would-forget-her_2482342.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31f/alfred-hayes-33168_existed_there-were-times-when-i-would-forget-her_2482342.jpg) > ““There were times when I would forget her, though they were rare, and it would be for a time as though she had never existed; and then some passing girl's inadvertent gesture, or an accidental profile, or a hat like hers, would restore her, and restore the suffering too, and I would long again, somehow, to encounter or to see her.”” [Alfred Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-hayes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A fleeting memory of a lost love resurfaces unexpectedly through small reminders, reigniting longing and pain. **In simple terms:** Memories return via tiny triggers, reviving desire and sorrow. Key Takeaway Notice how small cues revive deep feelings. Themes love memory longing pain remembrance Mood melancholic reflective Type literary emotional When to use this quote - lost love - everyday encounters - unexpected triggers Key Concepts nostalgia attachment psychology Questions to Reflect On - What small things bring back forgotten feelings? - How do you cope when past love resurfaces? A Different Perspective Reminders may also cause emotional distress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heartbreak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartbreak/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [We may with advantage at times forget what we know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-may-with-advantage-at-times-forget-what-we-know/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A lot of times, we forget it is our partners who we need to make the biggest effort for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-france/a-lot-of-times-we-forget-it-is-our-partners-who-we-need-to-make-the/) [Tan France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-france/) > [\*Forget the times he walked by, forget the times he made you cry, forget the times he spoke your name, remember now hes not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forget-the-times-he-walked-by-forget-the-times-he-made-you-cry-forget-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Thanks be to God that, even though at times we may “forget” Him, He never forgets us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-george/thanks-be-to-god-that-even-though-at-times-we-may-forget-him-he-never/) [Jim George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-george/) > [Life is very short and for many is very hard but in the end of it all you will think back to all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/collin-mitchell/life-is-very-short-and-for-many-is-very-hard-but-in-the-end-of-it-all/) [Collin Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/collin-mitchell/) > [Forget the times he walked by,,,,,Forget the times he made u cry,,,,,Forget the times he spoke your name,,,,,Forget the times he hold your hand,,,,,Remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanna-gulzar/forget-the-times-he-walked-by-forget-the-times-he-made-u-cry-forget-2/) Hanna Gulzar > [Forget the times he walked by,forget the times he made u cry,forget the time he spoke your name,remember now your not the sameforget the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikkie-mae/forget-the-times-he-walked-by-forget-the-times-he-made-u-cry-forget/) Nikkie Mae > [Thus we work not in the light of public opinion but in the secrecy of the chamber; and perhaps the best of us are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifford-allbutt/thus-we-work-not-in-the-light-of-public-opinion-but-in-the-secrecy-of/) [Clifford Allbutt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifford-allbutt/) > [“That is a problem with memory: Sometimes you forget what you wish you hadn’t; other times you can’t forget something you’d prefer to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-metzger/that-is-a-problem-with-memory-sometimes-you-forget-what-you-wish-you/) Lois Metzger > [There are a few times when you forget that things you can write on Twitter or Instagram can be picked up by the media…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-kerr/there-are-a-few-times-when-you-forget-that-things-you-can-write-on/) [Sam Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-kerr/) > [I believe that during these times, we should not forget that many sacrificed to regain our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corazon-aquino/i-believe-that-during-these-times-we-should-not-forget-that-many-2/) [Corazon Aquino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corazon-aquino/) > [Forget the times she walked by, Forget the times she made you cry, Forget the times she spoke your name, Remember now your not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-josland/forget-the-times-she-walked-by-forget-the-times-she-made-you-cry/) Azgraybebly Josland > [Forget the times he walked by, Forget the times he made you cry, Forget the times he spoke your name, Remember now your not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/forget-the-times-he-walked-by-forget-the-times-he-made-you-cry-forget/) [Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/) > [“Say something enough times and you never forget it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/say-something-enough-times-and-you-never-forget-it/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [My memory is so bad that many times I forget my own name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/my-memory-is-so-bad-that-many-times-i-forget-my-own-name/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) ## More by Alfred Hayes > [“She inhabited a world from which I was excluded, and she had left me in an immense empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-hayes/she-inhabited-a-world-from-which-i-was-excluded-and-she-had-left-me/) [Alfred Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-hayes/) > [“Yes, the man said, I've often wondered why I impress people as being altogether sad, and yet I insist I am not sad, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-hayes/yes-the-man-said-i-ve-often-wondered-why-i-impress-people-as-being/) [Alfred Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-hayes/) > [“I had no idea what a delicious feeling it was, to be free, to be absolutely unconcerned about whether one loved or didn't love.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-hayes/i-had-no-idea-what-a-delicious-feeling-it-was-to-be-free-to-be/) [Alfred Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-hayes/) > [“I made spasmodic efforts to work, assuring myself that once I began working I would forget her. The difficulty was in beginning. There was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-hayes/i-made-spasmodic-efforts-to-work-assuring-myself-that-once-i-began/) [Alfred Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-hayes/) > [“We go from disappointment to disappointment, from hope to denial, from expectation to surrender, as we grow older, thinking or coming to think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-hayes/we-go-from-disappointment-to-disappointment-from-hope-to-denial-from/) [Alfred Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-hayes/) > [“The sick constriction of the heart was undeniable; there was a melancholy truth in the fact that it was suffering which made me, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-hayes/the-sick-constriction-of-the-heart-was-undeniable-there-was-a/) [Alfred Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-hayes/) > [“Your only vice is yourself. The worst of all. The really incurable one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-hayes/your-only-vice-is-yourself-the-worst-of-all-the-really-incurable-one/) [Alfred Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-hayes/) > [“Why didn't I go back to New York? New York, New York; she'd never had any luck with anybody from New York. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-hayes/why-didn-t-i-go-back-to-new-york-new-york-new-york-she-d-never-had/) [Alfred Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-hayes/) [Explore all 9 Alfred Hayes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-hayes/) ## More Existed quotes > [“For a long while I have lived with the notion that I was the most normal being that ever existed. This notion gave me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-cioran/for-a-long-while-i-have-lived-with-the-notion-that-i-was-the-most/) [Emil Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-cioran/) > [“The air felt different in my lungs. The world no longer looked the same. You change and then you change again. You become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/the-air-felt-different-in-my-lungs-the-world-no-longer-looked-the/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“Perfect happiness existed, but perhaps only in small increments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elin-hilderbrand/perfect-happiness-existed-but-perhaps-only-in-small-increments/) [Elin Hilderbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elin-hilderbrand/) > [Geometry existed before creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/geometry-existed-before-creation/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Above all else, it is about leaving a mark that I existed: I was here. I was hungry. I was defeated. I was happy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-gonzalez-torres/above-all-else-it-is-about-leaving-a-mark-that-i-existed-i-was-here-i/) Felix Gonzalez-Torres > [“If Erik existed and lived life in despair, We wish him to know we are here and we care.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-a-bucchianeri/if-erik-existed-and-lived-life-in-despair-we-wish-him-to-know-we-are/) [E.A. Bucchianeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-a-bucchianeri/) > [Karma has always existed, as have you, I, and all things in this wonderful universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/karma-has-always-existed-as-have-you-i-and-all-things-in-this/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [For me, Mexploitation seemed like something that should have existed, but didn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rodriguez/for-me-mexploitation-seemed-like-something-that-should-have-existed/) [Robert Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rodriguez/) > [“Sometimes, when I was looking out for my own happiness, I almost forgot you existed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gibbons/sometimes-when-i-was-looking-out-for-my-own-happiness-i-almost-forgot/) [Alan Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-gibbons/) > [I was progressive before the term progressive actually existed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-adams/i-was-progressive-before-the-term-progressive-actually-existed/) [Eric Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-adams/) > [“(We) consist of everything the world consists of, each of us, and just as our body contains the genealogical table of evolution as far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/we-consist-of-everything-the-world-consists-of-each-of-us-and-just-as/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [“The only thing she could be certain of was that she existed. All else was suspect, even her own thoughts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-paolini/the-only-thing-she-could-be-certain-of-was-that-she-existed-all-else/) [Christopher Paolini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-paolini/) > [We've decided what we are. That's the dream. When the dream fades, it's not that we don't exist. How could we not exist since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/we-ve-decided-what-we-are-that-s-the-dream-when-the-dream-fades-it-s/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [If I find out that you stopped caring for no reason.. I am going to stop believing you ever existed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-find-out-that-you-stopped-caring-for-no-reason-i-am-going-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [At a lot of companies founded on principles, the notion of making money is almost antithetical to the ethos of the place. From the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mackey/at-a-lot-of-companies-founded-on-principles-the-notion-of-making/) [John Mackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mackey/) Browse all 439 Existed quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There were times when I would forget her, though they were rare, and it would be for a time as though she had never existed; and then some passing girl's inadvertent gesture, or an accidental profile, or a hat like hers, would restore her, and restore the suffering too, and I would long again, somehow, to encounter or to see her.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alfred Hayes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-hayes/there-were-times-when-i-would-forget-her-though-they-were-rare-and-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Existed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-hayes/there-were-times-when-i-would-forget-her-though-they-were-rare-and-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31f/alfred-hayes-33168_existed_there-were-times-when-i-would-forget-her_2482342.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31f/alfred-hayes-33168_existed_there-were-times-when-i-would-forget-her_2482342.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31f/alfred-hayes-33168_existed_there-were-times-when-i-would-forget-her_2482342.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There were times when I would forget her, though they were rare, and it would be for a time as though she…” — Alfred Hayes", "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": "Alfred Hayes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-hayes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There were times when I would...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-hayes/there-were-times-when-i-would-forget-her-though-they-were-rare-and-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-hayes/there-were-times-when-i-would-forget-her-though-they-were-rare-and-it/#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 } } ] } ```