--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I suspected, however, that I wasn't…" description: "\"I suspected, however, that I wasn't homesick for anything I would find at home when I returned. The longing was for what I wouldn't find: the past and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8af/alice-steinbach-14794_home_i-suspected-however-that-i-wasn-t-homesi_2958943.png" --- # I suspected, however, that I wasn't homesick for anything… ![“I suspected, however, that I wasn't homesick for anything I would find at home when I returned. The longing was for what I wouldn't find: the past and all the people and places there were lost to me.” quote by Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8af/alice-steinbach-14794_home_i-suspected-however-that-i-wasn-t-homesi_2958943.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8af/alice-steinbach-14794_home_i-suspected-however-that-i-wasn-t-homesi_2958943.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8af/alice-steinbach-14794_home_i-suspected-however-that-i-wasn-t-homesi_2958943.png) > “I suspected, however, that I wasn't homesick for anything I would find at home when I returned. The longing was for what I wouldn't find: the past and all the people and places there were lost to me.” [Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker misses home not for familiar comforts but for the irreplaceable past and its lost people and places. **In simple terms:** Missing home is about longing for a lost past, not present comforts. Key Takeaway Recognize what truly drives your longing. Themes nostalgia identity loss Mood reflective melancholic Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - travel - reunion - personal reflection Key Concepts psychology memory Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your past shape your present? - How can you honor lost memories while moving forward? A Different Perspective The past cannot be reclaimed; focus on present growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) [Nostalgia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgia/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [South Bend is a nice town, but you know that phrase - 'I was homesick even when I was home.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/south-bend-is-a-nice-town-but-you-know-that-phrase-i-was-homesick/) [Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/) > [You're always homesick. There's always something about home that's special. But I'm not a things person. I'm not attached to my things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-michelle-gellar/you-re-always-homesick-there-s-always-something-about-home-that-s/) [Sarah Michelle Gellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-michelle-gellar/) > [I come to my solitary woodland walk as the homesick go home. I thus dispose of the superfluous and see things as they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-come-to-my-solitary-woodland-walk-as-the-homesick-go-home-i-thus/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Christmas is a time when you get homesick...even when you're home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-nelson/christmas-is-a-time-when-you-get-homesick-even-when-you-re-home/) Carol Nelson > [I come to my solitary woodland walk as the homesick go home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-come-to-my-solitary-woodland-walk-as-the-homesick-go-home/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [That still feels like the most accurate description - I felt homesick, but I was home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-silverman/that-still-feels-like-the-most-accurate-description-i-felt-homesick/) [Sarah Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-silverman/) > [I'd rather be homesick than home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-d-rather-be-homesick-than-home/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [So when I was 13, I basically left home and never returned and lived at home again. I would come home for a week…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-jurasik/so-when-i-was-13-i-basically-left-home-and-never-returned-and-lived/) [Peter Jurasik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-jurasik/) > [...we were back at home, and I had returned to that reassuring but profoundly unsatisfactory state known as 'being in one's right mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/we-were-back-at-home-and-i-had-returned-to-that-reassuring-but/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [The Palestinians must understand that this is our home, to which we have returned, and we also have to understand that this is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reuven-rivlin/the-palestinians-must-understand-that-this-is-our-home-to-which-we/) [Reuven Rivlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reuven-rivlin/) > [“But to be a parent is to live in the past-present-future all at once. It is to hug your children and be intensely aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/youngme-moon/but-to-be-a-parent-is-to-live-in-the-past-present-future-all-at-once/) [Youngme Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/youngme-moon/) > [It is a curious emotion, this certain homesickness I have in mind. With Americans, it is a national trait, as native to us as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-mccullers/it-is-a-curious-emotion-this-certain-homesickness-i-have-in-mind-with/) [Carson McCullers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-mccullers/) > [“The Germans are sentimental. Their word Heimweh . The English say homesick; the same in plain Swedish. Hemsjuk . Leave it to the Germans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/the-germans-are-sentimental-their-word-heimweh-the-english-say/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [I'm homesick everywhere I go, but England has a negative effect on my spirit to a profound degree. That trip from Heathrow into London…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kozelek/i-m-homesick-everywhere-i-go-but-england-has-a-negative-effect-on-my/) [Mark Kozelek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kozelek/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) ## More by Alice Steinbach > [“I had forgotten how wonderful it is to stand on a bridge and catch the scent of rain in the air. I had forgotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-steinbach/i-had-forgotten-how-wonderful-it-is-to-stand-on-a-bridge-and-catch/) [Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) > [“Life is like that I thought, as I turned the corner to my building. Freedom has its danger as well as its joys. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-steinbach/life-is-like-that-i-thought-as-i-turned-the-corner-to-my-building/) [Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) > [“Except for the primitive markers of day and night, time lay ahead of me in continuous, undefined mass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-steinbach/except-for-the-primitive-markers-of-day-and-night-time-lay-ahead-of/) [Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) > [What is the purpose of memory? Is it a trick to make sure we don't forget who we are by reminding us of who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-steinbach/what-is-the-purpose-of-memory-is-it-a-trick-to-make-sure-we-don-t/) [Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) > [“It used to surprise me, the intensity with which I still remembered these distant memories. But when I entered my fifties...I understood their enduring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-steinbach/it-used-to-surprise-me-the-intensity-with-which-i-still-remembered/) [Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) > [“A scene," Mary told us, "is a moment when there is some form of tension. A scene leads to the next scene. And a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-steinbach/a-scene-mary-told-us-is-a-moment-when-there-is-some-form-of-tension-a/) [Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) > [Women, I learned, adapted. At first..they seemed so fragile, so dependent on fathers and husbands and brothers and lovers. Gradually, though, I noticed how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-steinbach/women-i-learned-adapted-at-first-they-seemed-so-fragile-so-dependent/) [Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) > [“Never mind that I hadn't a clue which path to follow or whether, to echo Robert Frost, the one I took would make all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-steinbach/never-mind-that-i-hadn-t-a-clue-which-path-to-follow-or-whether-to/) [Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) > [“Being a student meant always looking up to someone wiser and always measuring yourself against that wisdom and knowledge.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-steinbach/being-a-student-meant-always-looking-up-to-someone-wiser-and-always/) [Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) > [“By then I'd knocked around enough to know that, in the end, what adds up to a life is nothing more than the accumulation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-steinbach/by-then-i-d-knocked-around-enough-to-know-that-in-the-end-what-adds/) [Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) > [“As I set out each day, I felt like a young child again. One who hadn't yet learned the rules of manmade time; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-steinbach/as-i-set-out-each-day-i-felt-like-a-young-child-again-one-who-hadn-t/) [Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) > [I'm a woman in search on an adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-steinbach/i-m-a-woman-in-search-on-an-adventure/) [Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) > [“His presence made me feel self-concious: of my appearance, of the way I was sitting, of my movements and gestures...It was the behavior of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-steinbach/his-presence-made-me-feel-self-concious-of-my-appearance-of-the-way-i/) [Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) > [“I guess I'm too selfish to travel well with other people," I told Anne later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-steinbach/i-guess-i-m-too-selfish-to-travel-well-with-other-people-i-told-anne/) [Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) > [“And like any group thrown together in a strange situation, we developed the sort of we're-in-this-together, for-better-or-for-worse camaraderie that I found appealingly familiar. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-steinbach/and-like-any-group-thrown-together-in-a-strange-situation-we/) [Alice Steinbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) [Explore all 44 Alice Steinbach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-steinbach/) ## More Home quotes > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/) [Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/) > [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [If your life's at a juncture and you need to think about things, there's nowhere better than home. However old you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/if-your-life-s-at-a-juncture-and-you-need-to-think-about-things-there/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [Most days, I go home and I feel rejuvenated. I feel ebullient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siddhartha-mukherjee/most-days-i-go-home-and-i-feel-rejuvenated-i-feel-ebullient/) [Siddhartha Mukherjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siddhartha-mukherjee/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Houses are like the human beings that inhabit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/houses-are-like-the-human-beings-that-inhabit-them/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [I don't crave applause. I'm not one of those guys who comes alive on stage. I'm much more alive at home, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-don-t-crave-applause-i-m-not-one-of-those-guys-who-comes-alive-on/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [When you're in the middle of a pennant race, you can't go up there thinking about home runs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammy-sosa/when-you-re-in-the-middle-of-a-pennant-race-you-can-t-go-up-there/) [Sammy Sosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammy-sosa/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [You play a part, and as soon as a movie is over and the camera stops, you go home and you're not really responsible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nastassja-kinski/you-play-a-part-and-as-soon-as-a-movie-is-over-and-the-camera-stops/) [Nastassja Kinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nastassja-kinski/) [Browse all 25,855 Home quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I suspected, however, that I wasn't homesick for anything I would find at home when I returned. 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