--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What are ghosts if not the hope that love…" description: "\"“What are ghosts if not the hope that love continues beyond our ordinary senses? If ghosts are a delusion, then let me be deluded.”\" — Amy Tan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d0/amy-tan-730_ghosts_what-are-ghosts-if-not-the-hope-that-lov_1403217.jpg" --- # What are ghosts if not the hope that love continues beyond… ![“What are ghosts if not the hope that love continues beyond our ordinary senses? If ghosts are a delusion, then let me be deluded.” quote by Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d0/amy-tan-730_ghosts_what-are-ghosts-if-not-the-hope-that-lov_1403217.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d0/amy-tan-730_ghosts_what-are-ghosts-if-not-the-hope-that-lov_1403217.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d0/amy-tan-730_ghosts_what-are-ghosts-if-not-the-hope-that-lov_1403217.jpg) > ““What are ghosts if not the hope that love continues beyond our ordinary senses? If ghosts are a delusion, then let me be deluded.”” [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ghosts symbolize the lingering hope that love endures beyond perception; even if imagined, they comfort us. **In simple terms:** Hope that love persists after death. Key Takeaway Embrace love’s lasting impact. Themes love hope afterlife imagination Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - grief counseling - memorial services - creative writing - personal reflection Key Concepts spirituality psychology literature Questions to Reflect On - Do you find comfort in believing love continues? - How does imagination shape grief? A Different Perspective Some may view ghosts as fear rather than hope. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Delusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delusion/) [Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) [Ghosts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghosts/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [I must spin good ghosts out of my hope to oppose the hordes at my window. If those who look in see me condescend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-smart/i-must-spin-good-ghosts-out-of-my-hope-to-oppose-the-hordes-at-my/) [Elizabeth Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-smart/) > [Ghosts, we hope, may be always with us - that is, never too far out of the reach of fancy. On the whole, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bowen/ghosts-we-hope-may-be-always-with-us-that-is-never-too-far-out-of-the/) [Elizabeth Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bowen/) > [One of the symptoms of having a broken-heart is the fact that even ghosts will give up on the hope of scaring you as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faraaz-kazi/one-of-the-symptoms-of-having-a-broken-heart-is-the-fact-that-even/) [Faraaz Kazi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faraaz-kazi/) > [“I was deluded, and I knew it. Worse: my love for Pippa was muddied-up below the waterline with my mother, with my mother's death,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/i-was-deluded-and-i-knew-it-worse-my-love-for-pippa-was-muddied-up/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [Many people have delusions of grandeur but you're deluded by triviality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/many-people-have-delusions-of-grandeur-but-you-re-deluded-by/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [“It's true I live on hope. Why shouldn't I? Every day I see her beauty while you rot in hell. You will tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-scheinmann/it-s-true-i-live-on-hope-why-shouldn-t-i-every-day-i-see-her-beauty/) [Danny Scheinmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-scheinmann/) > [“All of us had problems, it seemed, whose sources were untraceable, crossing over one another like the trajectories of countless raindrops in a storm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/all-of-us-had-problems-it-seemed-whose-sources-were-untraceable/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [Some ghosts tried to be showy. These were the kinds to avoid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-howarth/some-ghosts-tried-to-be-showy-these-were-the-kinds-to-avoid/) [Lesley Howarth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-howarth/) > [“When good Americans die, they go to Paris,' the ghost said, after taking a drag on a small cigarette.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-chance/when-good-americans-die-they-go-to-paris-the-ghost-said-after-taking/) [Karen Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-chance/) > [I think I do believe in the afterlife; I have heard stories from people who I can completely trust that have seen ghosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saoirse-ronan/i-think-i-do-believe-in-the-afterlife-i-have-heard-stories-from/) [Saoirse Ronan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saoirse-ronan/) > [They call them the haunted shores, these stretches of Devonshire and Cornwall and Ireland which rear up against the westward ocean. Mists gather here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/they-call-them-the-haunted-shores-these-stretches-of-devonshire-and/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“I assure you; while I look like a ghost, I'm no spirit or demon. I'm nothing but a girl struggling to make her way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leanna-renee-hieber/i-assure-you-while-i-look-like-a-ghost-i-m-no-spirit-or-demon-i-m/) [Leanna Renee Hieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leanna-renee-hieber/) > [Do I believe in ghosts?...I am prepared to consider evidence and accept it if it satisfies me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-r-james/do-i-believe-in-ghosts-i-am-prepared-to-consider-evidence-and-accept/) [M. R. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-r-james/) > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) ## More by Amy Tan > [So sad! This is the saddest part when you lose someone you love- that person keeps changing. And later you wonder, Is this the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/so-sad-this-is-the-saddest-part-when-you-lose-someone-you-love-that/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Too many good things all seem the same after a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/too-many-good-things-all-seem-the-same-after-a-while/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“bad, how likely is it to come”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/bad-how-likely-is-it-to-come/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“A mother is always the beginning. She is how things begin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/a-mother-is-always-the-beginning-she-is-how-things-begin/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Shanghainese people are good negotiators, they're very persistent, and you grow up in an atmosphere like that - very competitive. That becomes part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/shanghainese-people-are-good-negotiators-they-re-very-persistent-and/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [But now that I am old, moving every year closer to the end of my life, I also feel closer to the beginning. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/but-now-that-i-am-old-moving-every-year-closer-to-the-end-of-my-life/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [You should think about your character. Know where you are changing, how you will be changed, what cannot be changed back again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/you-should-think-about-your-character-know-where-you-are-changing-how/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [Now you see,' said the turtle, drifting back into the pond, 'why it is useless to cry. Your tears do not wash away your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/now-you-see-said-the-turtle-drifting-back-into-the-pond-why-it-is/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [I hid my deepest feelings so well I forgot where I placed them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-hid-my-deepest-feelings-so-well-i-forgot-where-i-placed-them/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“Lebih baik jadi orang yang TIDAK TERLUPAKAN daripada orang yang MEMBOSANKAN -”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/lebih-baik-jadi-orang-yang-tidak-terlupakan-daripada-orang-yang/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [After all, Bao Bomu says, what is the past but what we choose to remember?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/after-all-bao-bomu-says-what-is-the-past-but-what-we-choose-to/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [We all become different readers in how we respond to books, why we need them, what we take from them. We become different in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/we-all-become-different-readers-in-how-we-respond-to-books-why-we/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I was no longer scared. I could see what was inside me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-was-no-longer-scared-i-could-see-what-was-inside-me/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [When I go back and read my journals or fiction, I am always surprised. I may not remember having those thoughts, but they still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/when-i-go-back-and-read-my-journals-or-fiction-i-am-always-surprised/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“I am ashamed she is ashamed. Because she is my daughter and I am proud of her, and I am her mother but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/i-am-ashamed-she-is-ashamed-because-she-is-my-daughter-and-i-am-proud/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) [Explore all 383 Amy Tan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) ## More Deluded quotes > [That which is truly human no generation learns from the one before it. No generation learns from another how to love. No generation has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/that-which-is-truly-human-no-generation-learns-from-the-one-before-it/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [I suppose I really seemed mad, then; but it was only through the awfulness of having said nothing but the truth, and being thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/i-suppose-i-really-seemed-mad-then-but-it-was-only-through-the/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [Do not be deluded by the abstract word Freedom. Whose freedom? Not the freedom of one individual in relation to another, but freedom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/do-not-be-deluded-by-the-abstract-word-freedom-whose-freedom-not-the/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [The world being illusive, one must be deluded in some way if one is to triumph in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/the-world-being-illusive-one-must-be-deluded-in-some-way-if-one-is-to/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [“It is Nature that causes all movement. Deluded by the ego, the fool harbors the perception that says "I did it".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veda-vyasa/it-is-nature-that-causes-all-movement-deluded-by-the-ego-the-fool/) Veda Vyasa > [If you submit to the ocean, you drown. If you try to control the ocean, then you're deluded. You learn how to live with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-restall-orr/if-you-submit-to-the-ocean-you-drown-if-you-try-to-control-the-ocean/) [Emma Restall Orr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-restall-orr/) > [Men are constantly attracted and deluded by two opposite charms: the charm of competence which is engendered by mathematics and everything akin to mathematics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-strauss/men-are-constantly-attracted-and-deluded-by-two-opposite-charms-the/) [Leo Strauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-strauss/) > [Since I move about with you, eat like you, and talk with you, you are deluded in the belief that this is but an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/since-i-move-about-with-you-eat-like-you-and-talk-with-you-you-are/) [Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/) > [I think we have deluded ourselves into believing that people don't know that abortion is killing. So any pretense that abortion is not killing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faye-wattleton/i-think-we-have-deluded-ourselves-into-believing-that-people-don-t/) [Faye Wattleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faye-wattleton/) > [If you're deluded, you live in a place where there isn't everyone else's reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-guest/if-you-re-deluded-you-live-in-a-place-where-there-isn-t-everyone-else/) [Christopher Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-guest/) > [How deluded we sometimes are by the clear notions we get out of books. They make us think that we really understand things of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/how-deluded-we-sometimes-are-by-the-clear-notions-we-get-out-of-books/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [An artist in 2014 who is thinking about album sales is either sadly deluded or has to make so many commercial compromises that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/an-artist-in-2014-who-is-thinking-about-album-sales-is-either-sadly/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [Every generation of humans believed it had all the answers it needed, except for a few mysteries they assumed would be solved at any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/every-generation-of-humans-believed-it-had-all-the-answers-it-needed/) [Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/) > [I will not avoid doing what I think is right, though it should draw on me the whole artillery that falsehood and malice can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-murray-1st-earl-of-mansfield/i-will-not-avoid-doing-what-i-think-is-right-though-it-should-draw-on/) [William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-murray-1st-earl-of-mansfield/) > [No matter how confused or deluded we may be at the moment, the underlying and essential nature of our being is clear and pure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-how-confused-or-deluded-we-may-be-at-the-moment-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 162 Deluded quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What are ghosts if not the hope that love continues beyond our ordinary senses? If ghosts are a delusion, then let me be deluded.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Amy Tan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/what-are-ghosts-if-not-the-hope-that-love-continues-beyond-our/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deluded" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/what-are-ghosts-if-not-the-hope-that-love-continues-beyond-our/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d0/amy-tan-730_ghosts_what-are-ghosts-if-not-the-hope-that-lov_1403217.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d0/amy-tan-730_ghosts_what-are-ghosts-if-not-the-hope-that-lov_1403217.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5d0/amy-tan-730_ghosts_what-are-ghosts-if-not-the-hope-that-lov_1403217.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What are ghosts if not the hope that love continues beyond our ordinary senses? If ghosts are a delusion…” — Amy Tan", "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": "Amy Tan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“What are ghosts if not the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/what-are-ghosts-if-not-the-hope-that-love-continues-beyond-our/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/what-are-ghosts-if-not-the-hope-that-love-continues-beyond-our/#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 } } ] } ```