--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As soon as I was old enough to have a…" description: "\"“As soon as I was old enough to have a feeling about it, I felt like I was alone. No matter how much I loved my family -- and I actually got along bett..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b7/amy-pascale-56063_aloneness_as-soon-as-i-was-old-enough-to-have-a-fe_3139396.jpg" --- # As soon as I was old enough to have a feeling about it, I… ![“As soon as I was old enough to have a feeling about it, I felt like I was alone. No matter how much I loved my family -- and I actually got along better with my family than I think most people do -- I just always felt separate from everybody, and was terribly lonely all the time,' Joss said. 'I…” quote by Amy Pascale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b7/amy-pascale-56063_aloneness_as-soon-as-i-was-old-enough-to-have-a-fe_3139396.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b7/amy-pascale-56063_aloneness_as-soon-as-i-was-old-enough-to-have-a-fe_3139396.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b7/amy-pascale-56063_aloneness_as-soon-as-i-was-old-enough-to-have-a-fe_3139396.jpg) > ““As soon as I was old enough to have a feeling about it, I felt like I was alone. No matter how much I loved my family -- and I actually got along better with my family than I think most people do -- I just always felt separate from everybody, and was terribly lonely all the time,' Joss said. 'I wasn't living a life that was particularly different from anybody else's ... It wasn't like I didn't have friends, but .. we, all of us, are alone in our own minds, and I was very much aware of that from the very beginning of my life. Loneliness and aloneness -- which are different things -- are very much, I would say, \[among the\] main things I focus on in my work.”” [Amy Pascale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-pascale/) ## 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 reflects on an enduring sense of inner isolation despite external relationships, seeing loneliness as a central focus of her work. **In simple terms:** Feeling alone even when surrounded by loved ones. Key Takeaway Acknowledge inner loneliness and explore it creatively. Themes loneliness self-awareness psychology Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - creative writing - personal reflection - mental health work Key Concepts existential isolation subjective experience Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing loneliness change your relationships? - What practices help bridge inner isolation? A Different Perspective Loneliness can be mitigated through connection, not just introspection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aloneness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aloneness/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness/) ## Related quotes > [“I have continued to come here for that kind of aloneness, so very different from being lonely with someone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-rousseau-murphy/i-have-continued-to-come-here-for-that-kind-of-aloneness-so-very/) [Shirley Rousseau Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-rousseau-murphy/) > [“It sounds ironic to say that the cure for loneliness is aloneness. I don’t mean that you should just make yourself more miserable; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/it-sounds-ironic-to-say-that-the-cure-for-loneliness-is-aloneness-i/) [Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/) > [“I have always known there is a difference between loneliness and aloneness. I am alone, but my father is lonely. And if I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-michael/i-have-always-known-there-is-a-difference-between-loneliness-and/) [Ted Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-michael/) > [“I think there is a difference between aloneness and loneliness. Aloneness is necessary for the soul to thrive - even to come alive. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/i-think-there-is-a-difference-between-aloneness-and-loneliness/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [When you are alone you are not alone, you are simply lonely and there is a tremendous difference between loneliness and aloneness. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-are-alone-you-are-not-alone-you-are-simply-lonely-and-there/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [...We leave our homeland, our property and our friends. We give up the familiar ground that supports our ego, admit the helplessness of ego…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-leave-our-homeland-our-property-and-our-friends-we-give-up-the/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [Mastering the art of aloneness doesn't mean living in isolation or never needing the love, support, and involvement of others. It means creating and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-mackler/mastering-the-art-of-aloneness-doesn-t-mean-living-in-isolation-or/) [Lauren Mackler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-mackler/) > [For years I've wanted to live according to everyone else's morals. I've forced myself to live like everyone else, to look like everyone else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/for-years-i-ve-wanted-to-live-according-to-everyone-else-s-morals-i/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“None of this is important in itself, but I feel somewhere that it has a lot to do with why I have always felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/none-of-this-is-important-in-itself-but-i-feel-somewhere-that-it-has/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [“None of this is important in itself, but I feel somewhere that it has a lot to do with why I have always felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-fry/none-of-this-is-important-in-itself-but-i-feel-somewhere-that-it-has-2/) [Stephen Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-fry/) > [In our hearts... there must abide some pity for those people who have always felt themselves to be separate from even their most familiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/in-our-hearts-there-must-abide-some-pity-for-those-people-who-have/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Never have I felt so separate from her. And I regret to say that there were moments when my deep and loving pity for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/never-have-i-felt-so-separate-from-her-and-i-regret-to-say-that-there/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“He knows that when she passes, a grief will rip through him unlike anything he has ever known. Preparing for it doesn't help. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-denfeld/he-knows-that-when-she-passes-a-grief-will-rip-through-him-unlike/) [Rene Denfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-denfeld/) > [We too are called to withdraw at certain intervals into deeper silence and aloneness with God, together as a community as well as personally;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/we-too-are-called-to-withdraw-at-certain-intervals-into-deeper/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [“If you had forgotten, it would quickly come back to you. Aloneness was like riding a bike. At gunpoint. With the gun in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/if-you-had-forgotten-it-would-quickly-come-back-to-you-aloneness-was/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) ## More by Amy Pascale > [“Joss was lonely kid who thought that if he could just crack the code, people would understand what an awesome person he was and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-pascale/joss-was-lonely-kid-who-thought-that-if-he-could-just-crack-the-code/) [Amy Pascale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-pascale/) > [“My generation, we were kind of raised on the super-cool, “I can handle anything” with a gun in his hand hero. Any situation you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-pascale/my-generation-we-were-kind-of-raised-on-the-super-cool-i-can-handle/) [Amy Pascale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-pascale/) > [“The notion that every choice you make means that other possibilities are eliminated forever -- as a kid, I found that terrifying,' Joss recalled.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-pascale/the-notion-that-every-choice-you-make-means-that-other-possibilities/) [Amy Pascale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-pascale/) > [“That exploration of faith would become an important aspect of the series, embodied in the relationship between the pious Shepherd Book and the lapsed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-pascale/that-exploration-of-faith-would-become-an-important-aspect-of-the/) [Amy Pascale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-pascale/) > [“If you think that happiness means total peace, you will never be happy. 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Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleman-dowell/it-is-extraordinary-how-the-house-and-the-simplest-possessions-of/) [Coleman Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleman-dowell/) > [“When she came home, she smelled the way I like. But . . . her face seemed sadder than when she left.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/makoto-shinkai/when-she-came-home-she-smelled-the-way-i-like-but-her-face-seemed/) [Makoto Shinkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/makoto-shinkai/) > [Become aware of your aloneness - which is a reality. And it is so beautiful to experience it, to feel it, because it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/become-aware-of-your-aloneness-which-is-a-reality-and-it-is-so/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“You must learn one thing: the world was made to be free in. Give up all the other worlds except the one to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/you-must-learn-one-thing-the-world-was-made-to-be-free-in-give-up-all/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [We are all born and someday we'll all die. Most likely to some degree alone. Our aloneness in this world is, maybe not anymore,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-corrie/we-are-all-born-and-someday-we-ll-all-die-most-likely-to-some-degree/) [Rachel Corrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-corrie/) > [“With the need for the self in the time of another / I left my seaport grim and dear / knowing good work could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/with-the-need-for-the-self-in-the-time-of-another-i-left-my-seaport/) [Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/) > [All good writing comes out of aloneness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/all-good-writing-comes-out-of-aloneness/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [“Aloneness was like riding a bike. At gunpoint. With the gun in your own hand. Aloneness was the air in your tires, the wind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/aloneness-was-like-riding-a-bike-at-gunpoint-with-the-gun-in-your-own/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [“Aloneness is not always the same thing as loneliness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/aloneness-is-not-always-the-same-thing-as-loneliness/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) [Browse all 165 Aloneness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aloneness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As soon as I was old enough to have a feeling about it, I felt like I was alone. No matter how much I loved my family -- and I actually got along better with my family than I think most people do -- I just always felt separate from everybody, and was terribly lonely all the time,' Joss said. 'I wasn't living a life that was particularly different from anybody else's ... 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