--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I didn't know how to say goodbye. Words…" description: "\"I didn't know how to say goodbye. Words were stupid. They said so little. Yet they opened up holes you could fall into and never climb out of again.\" —..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/ann-rinaldi-17530_climbs_i-didn-t-know-how-to-say-goodbye-words-w_2813828.png" --- # I didn't know how to say goodbye. Words were stupid. They… ![“I didn't know how to say goodbye. Words were stupid. They said so little. Yet they opened up holes you could fall into and never climb out of again.” quote by Ann Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/ann-rinaldi-17530_climbs_i-didn-t-know-how-to-say-goodbye-words-w_2813828.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/ann-rinaldi-17530_climbs_i-didn-t-know-how-to-say-goodbye-words-w_2813828.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2f/ann-rinaldi-17530_climbs_i-didn-t-know-how-to-say-goodbye-words-w_2813828.png) > “I didn't know how to say goodbye. Words were stupid. They said so little. Yet they opened up holes you could fall into and never climb out of again.” [Ann Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rinaldi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Words often fail to convey deep emotions, leaving gaps that linger. **In simple terms:** Words can’t fully express goodbye. Key Takeaway Find other ways to honor loss. Themes grief communication language Mood somber introspective Type literary emotional When to use this quote - funeral rites - personal letters - memorials Key Concepts expressive limitation emotional void Questions to Reflect On - How do you express unspoken feelings? - What rituals help you heal? A Different Perspective Silence can also be painful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Goodbye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodbye/) [Say goodbye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-goodbye/) [Saying goodbye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-goodbye/) ## Related quotes > [When friends speak overmuch of times gone by, often it's because they sense their present time is turning them from friends to strangers. Long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/when-friends-speak-overmuch-of-times-gone-by-often-it-s-because-they/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [We only said goodbye with words, I died a hundred times. You go back to her and I go back to... I go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-winehouse/we-only-said-goodbye-with-words-i-died-a-hundred-times-you-go-back-to/) [Amy Winehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-winehouse/) > [We only said goodbye with words I died a hundred time, you go back to her and I go back to black...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-winehouse/we-only-said-goodbye-with-words-i-died-a-hundred-time-you-go-back-to/) [Amy Winehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-winehouse/) > [“Genius tries to conquer the world with art, with songs, with words; stupid tries to conquer it with sword, with guns, with arrows!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/genius-tries-to-conquer-the-world-with-art-with-songs-with-words/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“All the other children at my school are stupid. Except I'm not meant to call them stupid, even though this is what they are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/all-the-other-children-at-my-school-are-stupid-except-i-m-not-meant-2/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [In other words, the more stupid one is, the more he thinks he knows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/in-other-words-the-more-stupid-one-is-the-more-he-thinks-he-knows/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [“We who hold the pen... and like bricks we use our words... how stupid of us... how naive... to even think for a second...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unauthor/we-who-hold-the-pen-and-like-bricks-we-use-our-words-how-stupid-of-us/) [unauthor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unauthor/) > [It's lonely to say goodbye. Very lonely. Partings are the beginnings of new meetings. Beginnings happen because there are endings…Meetings. Beginnings. It's not too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuki-takaya/it-s-lonely-to-say-goodbye-very-lonely-partings-are-the-beginnings-of/) [Natsuki Takaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuki-takaya/) > [Naturally there will come a time, when I will have to say goodbye, but I've soul-searched and this is not the time,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vin-scully/naturally-there-will-come-a-time-when-i-will-have-to-say-goodbye-but/) [Vin Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vin-scully/) > [It'll be sad not to be Doctor Who anymore because that's an incredible thing to wake up in the morning and go, 'Oh, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/it-ll-be-sad-not-to-be-doctor-who-anymore-because-that-s-an/) [Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/) > [I don't like saying goodbye to people. I find it much easier to forgive people than to say goodbye to them, I always have,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/torquil-campbell/i-don-t-like-saying-goodbye-to-people-i-find-it-much-easier-to/) [Torquil Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/torquil-campbell/) > [I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go, but what always hurts the most is not taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-suppose-in-the-end-the-whole-of-life-becomes-an-act-of-letting-go/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [A sea of red lights, and I slow down. My job now is to gather everyone together and tell them we have to let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaui-hart-hemmings/a-sea-of-red-lights-and-i-slow-down-my-job-now-is-to-gather-everyone/) [Kaui Hart Hemmings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaui-hart-hemmings/) > [It’s hard to say goodbye to the place you’ve lived. It can be as hard as saying goodbye to a person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/it-s-hard-to-say-goodbye-to-the-place-you-ve-lived-it-can-be-as-hard/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [I do not say goodbye. I believe that's one of the bullshitiest words ever invented. It's not like you're given the choice to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-do-not-say-goodbye-i-believe-that-s-one-of-the-bullshitiest-words/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More by Ann Rinaldi > [Most of our miseries we bring on ourselves. And they're the sum of our own stupidity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rinaldi/most-of-our-miseries-we-bring-on-ourselves-and-they-re-the-sum-of-our/) [Ann Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rinaldi/) > [You don't trade in the devil you know for the one you don't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rinaldi/you-don-t-trade-in-the-devil-you-know-for-the-one-you-don-t-know/) [Ann Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rinaldi/) > [I want a place. It has to do with the kind of person I want to be. And how I fit in to everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rinaldi/i-want-a-place-it-has-to-do-with-the-kind-of-person-i-want-to-be-and/) [Ann Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rinaldi/) > [“So we gave the afternoon some sanity after all and I wonder, Uncle Andrew, is life sane, as we tried to make it? Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rinaldi/so-we-gave-the-afternoon-some-sanity-after-all-and-i-wonder-uncle/) [Ann Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rinaldi/) > [A person has to be strong in life. A person must practice strength, even if they don't feel it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rinaldi/a-person-has-to-be-strong-in-life-a-person-must-practice-strength/) [Ann Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rinaldi/) > [“What it love, you ask. Dear child, love is like the light and there are two kinds, the bursting fireworks of the moment and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rinaldi/what-it-love-you-ask-dear-child-love-is-like-the-light-and-there-are/) [Ann Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rinaldi/) > [There are depths to the human soul that should not be fathomed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rinaldi/there-are-depths-to-the-human-soul-that-should-not-be-fathomed/) [Ann Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rinaldi/) > [Sometimes it take courage to leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rinaldi/sometimes-it-take-courage-to-leave/) [Ann Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rinaldi/) > [When I wrote, I felt better, as if I had remade the world all of a piece, the way I wanted it to be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rinaldi/when-i-wrote-i-felt-better-as-if-i-had-remade-the-world-all-of-a/) [Ann Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rinaldi/) > [When a woman's face is wrinkled And her hairs are sprinkled, With gray, Lackaday! Aside she's cast, No one respect will pay; Remember, Lasses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rinaldi/when-a-woman-s-face-is-wrinkled-and-her-hairs-are-sprinkled-with-gray/) [Ann Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rinaldi/) > [Let me say the good are often punished unfairly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rinaldi/let-me-say-the-good-are-often-punished-unfairly/) [Ann Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rinaldi/) > [“I do not know what will be the end of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rinaldi/i-do-not-know-what-will-be-the-end-of-it/) [Ann Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rinaldi/) > [“Two women, one nigra and one white, whose voices were part of me, whose hands had comforted, soothed, and taught. One a pine-knot torch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rinaldi/two-women-one-nigra-and-one-white-whose-voices-were-part-of-me-whose/) [Ann Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rinaldi/) > [No one is a virgin, because life has screwed us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rinaldi/no-one-is-a-virgin-because-life-has-screwed-us-all/) [Ann Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rinaldi/) > [Sometimes it takes courage to leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-rinaldi/sometimes-it-takes-courage-to-leave/) [Ann Rinaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rinaldi/) [Explore all 37 Ann Rinaldi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-rinaldi/) ## More Climbs quotes > [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/) [Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/) > [The bumps are what you climb on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-w-wiersbe/the-bumps-are-what-you-climb-on/) [Warren W. Wiersbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-w-wiersbe/) > [Life is a climb and it's a struggle getting to the top but the drop to the bottom can be quick and so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/life-is-a-climb-and-it-s-a-struggle-getting-to-the-top-but-the-drop/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [ I've often thought about that and the only suitable member to join me on that climb \[to Everest\] was George Lowe: he was strong,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-hillary/i-ve-often-thought-about-that-and-the-only-suitable-member-to-join-me/) [Edmund Hillary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-hillary/) > [Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [You should climb around inside my brain, Dan. It's like this dark room surrounded by quicksand." "I know what you mean," her brother said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-lerangis/you-should-climb-around-inside-my-brain-dan-it-s-like-this-dark-room/) [Peter Lerangis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-lerangis/) > [Some day I'm going to climb Everest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-hillary/some-day-i-m-going-to-climb-everest/) [Edmund Hillary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-hillary/) > [Every mountain needs someone to climb it, Every ocean needs someone to dive in, Every dream needs someone to wish it, Every adventure needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie-2/every-mountain-needs-someone-to-climb-it-every-ocean-needs-someone-to/) [India.Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie-2/) > [The ascent of any route begins, in dreams at least, the autumn before. Our minds ring, involuntarily, with the alluring names of mountains, aiguilles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-rebuffat/the-ascent-of-any-route-begins-in-dreams-at-least-the-autumn-before/) [Gaston Rebuffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-rebuffat/) > [I put a lot of emphasis on how to treat people. The reason for this is simple. The real success of our personal lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-ash/i-put-a-lot-of-emphasis-on-how-to-treat-people-the-reason-for-this-is/) [Mary Kay Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-ash/) > [While cares will drop off like autumn leaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/while-cares-will-drop-off-like-autumn-leaves/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Handicaps can be converted into stepping stones on which one may climb toward some worthy goal, unless they are accepted as obstacles, and used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/handicaps-can-be-converted-into-stepping-stones-on-which-one-may/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Ambition devours gold and drinks blood and climbs so high by other men's heads, that at the length in the fall, it breaks its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wentworth-1st-earl-of-strafford/ambition-devours-gold-and-drinks-blood-and-climbs-so-high-by-other/) Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford > [A part of me will always be unflyable, stuck in the climb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/a-part-of-me-will-always-be-unflyable-stuck-in-the-climb/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [Yeah my money's so tall that my Barbie's gotta climb it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/yeah-my-money-s-so-tall-that-my-barbie-s-gotta-climb-it/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) Browse all 1,083 Climbs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I didn't know how to say goodbye. 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