---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I am most deeply rooted, I feel the…"
description: "\"When I am most deeply rooted, I feel the wildest desire to uproot myself.\" — Anais Nin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/anais-nin-288_desire_when-i-am-most-deeply-rooted-i-feel-the_2105207.png"
---

#  When I am most deeply rooted, I feel the wildest desire to…

![“When I am most deeply rooted, I feel the wildest desire to uproot myself.” quote by Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/anais-nin-288_desire_when-i-am-most-deeply-rooted-i-feel-the_2105207.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/anais-nin-288_desire_when-i-am-most-deeply-rooted-i-feel-the_2105207.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/anais-nin-288_desire_when-i-am-most-deeply-rooted-i-feel-the_2105207.png)

> “When I am most deeply rooted, I feel the wildest desire to uproot myself.”

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Deep attachment can spark a strong urge to change or escape.

**In simple terms:** Strong ties can create a desire to leave.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the tension between stability and growth.

Themes

attachment desire change identity growth

Mood

reflective conflicted

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career transition
- relationship shifts
- personal reinvention
- creative projects

Key Concepts

psychology existentialism self‑actualization

Questions to Reflect On

- What does staying rooted mean to you?
- How can you honor both stability and change?

A Different Perspective

The desire to uproot may mask fear of commitment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/)

## Related quotes

> [I don't know if I can articulate how I feel. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would make it here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/i-don-t-know-if-i-can-articulate-how-i-feel-never-in-my-wildest/)

[Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/)

> [Why do people move? What makes them uproot and leave everything they've known for a great unknown beyond the horizon? ... The answer is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/why-do-people-move-what-makes-them-uproot-and-leave-everything-they/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [It's actually very hard when you're settled in one place to completely uproot yourself and go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/it-s-actually-very-hard-when-you-re-settled-in-one-place-to/)

[Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/)

> [“Do not neglect to uproot from the hearts of children the tares of sins,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-john-of-kronstadt/do-not-neglect-to-uproot-from-the-hearts-of-children-the-tares-of-sins/)

[St. John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-john-of-kronstadt/)

> [No, It's hard to uproot yourself and really become yourself in another soil, but it's also an opportunity, another kind of growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-jin/no-it-s-hard-to-uproot-yourself-and-really-become-yourself-in-another/)

[Ha Jin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-jin/)

> [If we plant a flower or a shrub and water it daily it will grow so tall that in time we shall need a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/if-we-plant-a-flower-or-a-shrub-and-water-it-daily-it-will-grow-so/)

[Teresa of Avila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/)

> [The more you move, the stronger you'll grow, not like a tree that can be killed if you uproot it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-jin/the-more-you-move-the-stronger-you-ll-grow-not-like-a-tree-that-can/)

[Ha Jin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-jin/)

> [The future may be rooted in the past, but you can always uproot and replant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-future-may-be-rooted-in-the-past-but-you-can-always-uproot-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Once you get used to being treated like you matter, it's hard to uproot and move somewhere where you don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sandlin/once-you-get-used-to-being-treated-like-you-matter-it-s-hard-to/)

[Tim Sandlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sandlin/)

> [I don't think it's fair to a family to uproot them simply because it's profitable for you to do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-heflin/i-don-t-think-it-s-fair-to-a-family-to-uproot-them-simply-because-it/)

[Van Heflin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-heflin/)

> [“Why do people move? What makes them uproot and leave everything they've known for a great unknown beyond the horizon? Why climb this Mount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/why-do-people-move-what-makes-them-uproot-and-leave-everything-they-2/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [“...I have often wondered why we do it. Uproot ourselves, I mean. Why we feel the need to travel and wander into strange soil.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-j-campilan/i-have-often-wondered-why-we-do-it-uproot-ourselves-i-mean-why-we/)

V.J. Campilan

> [We can uproot the Al Houthis and Saleh in a matter of days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammad-bin-salman/we-can-uproot-the-al-houthis-and-saleh-in-a-matter-of-days/)

[Mohammad bin Salman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammad-bin-salman/)

> [Whoever is uprooted himself uproots others. Whoever is rooted himself doesn't uproot others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/whoever-is-uprooted-himself-uproots-others-whoever-is-rooted-himself/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [If you uproot the idol and fail to plant the love of Christ in its place, the idol will grow back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tullian-tchividjian/if-you-uproot-the-idol-and-fail-to-plant-the-love-of-christ-in-its/)

[Tullian Tchividjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tullian-tchividjian/)

## More by Anais Nin

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [“…For love it is never the same. What goes on inside is never the same just like this music which changes every instant. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/for-love-it-is-never-the-same-what-goes-on-inside-is-never-the-same/)

[Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Jazz is the music of the body. The breath comes through brass. It is the body's breath, and the strings' wails and moans are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/jazz-is-the-music-of-the-body-the-breath-comes-through-brass-it-is/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [I have so strong a sense of creation, of tomorrow, that I cannot get drunk, knowing I will be less alive, less well, less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-have-so-strong-a-sense-of-creation-of-tomorrow-that-i-cannot-get/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [We don't have a language for the senses. Feelings are images, sensations are like musical sounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/we-don-t-have-a-language-for-the-senses-feelings-are-images/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Strange, isn't it, that no chemical will give a human being the iridescence that illusions have given them? Give me your hat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/strange-isn-t-it-that-no-chemical-will-give-a-human-being-the/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [The personal, if it is deep enough, becomes universal, mythical, symbolic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-personal-if-it-is-deep-enough-becomes-universal-mythical-symbolic/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Introspection is a devouring monster. You have to feed it with much material, much experience, many people, many places, many loves, many creations, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/introspection-is-a-devouring-monster-you-have-to-feed-it-with-much/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [In each studio there is a human being dressed in the full regalia of his myth fearing to expore a vulnerable opening, spreading not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/in-each-studio-there-is-a-human-being-dressed-in-the-full-regalia-of/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [I don't mind working, holding my ground intellectually, artistically; but as a woman, oh, God, as a woman I want to be dominated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-don-t-mind-working-holding-my-ground-intellectually-artistically/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [“Laughter and tears are not separate experiences, with intervals of rest: they rush out together and it is like walking with a sword between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/laughter-and-tears-are-not-separate-experiences-with-intervals-of/)

[Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [The basis of insincerity is the idealized image we hold of ourselves and wish to impose on others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-basis-of-insincerity-is-the-idealized-image-we-hold-of-ourselves/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [I write emotional algebra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-write-emotional-algebra/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [The role of the writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say. Most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-role-of-the-writer-is-not-to-say-what-we-can-all-say-but-what-we/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [I say quotations are literary. They are good only when dealing with ideas, not with experience. Experience should be pure, unique.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-say-quotations-are-literary-they-are-good-only-when-dealing-with/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

[Explore all 715 Anais Nin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

## More Desire quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

Ted Martinez

> [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/)

[David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/)

> [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/)

[John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/)

> [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/)

[John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/)

[Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/)

> [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/)

[Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/)

[Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/)

[Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I am most deeply rooted, I feel the wildest desire to uproot myself.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anais Nin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/when-i-am-most-deeply-rooted-i-feel-the-wildest-desire-to-uproot/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Desire"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/when-i-am-most-deeply-rooted-i-feel-the-wildest-desire-to-uproot/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/anais-nin-288_desire_when-i-am-most-deeply-rooted-i-feel-the_2105207.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/anais-nin-288_desire_when-i-am-most-deeply-rooted-i-feel-the_2105207.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8c0/anais-nin-288_desire_when-i-am-most-deeply-rooted-i-feel-the_2105207.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I am most deeply rooted, I feel the wildest desire to uproot myself.” — Anais Nin",
                "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": "Anais Nin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I am most deeply rooted,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/when-i-am-most-deeply-rooted-i-feel-the-wildest-desire-to-uproot/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/when-i-am-most-deeply-rooted-i-feel-the-wildest-desire-to-uproot/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
