--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If some longing goes unmet, don't be…" description: "\"If some longing goes unmet, don't be astonished. We call that Life.\" — Anna Freud" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c3/anna-freud-19196_life_if-some-longing-goes-unmet-don-t-be-asto_151054.png" --- # If some longing goes unmet, don't be astonished. We call… ![“If some longing goes unmet, don't be astonished. We call that Life.” quote by Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c3/anna-freud-19196_life_if-some-longing-goes-unmet-don-t-be-asto_151054.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c3/anna-freud-19196_life_if-some-longing-goes-unmet-don-t-be-asto_151054.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c3/anna-freud-19196_life_if-some-longing-goes-unmet-don-t-be-asto_151054.png) > “If some longing goes unmet, don't be astonished. We call that Life.” [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unmet desires are a natural part of life, not a surprise. **In simple terms:** Unfulfilled longing is just life. Key Takeaway Accept longing as a normal life component. Themes desire acceptance life psychology Mood reflective calm Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - personal relationships - career goals - creative pursuits Key Concepts Human motivation emotional regulation existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How do you cope with unmet wishes? - What can you learn from longing? A Different Perspective Desire can cause distress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) [Nostalgia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgia/) ## Related quotes > [It's alarming how quickly people adjust to adventures when they are in one. You really have to work at being astonished by life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-potter/it-s-alarming-how-quickly-people-adjust-to-adventures-when-they-are/) [Ellen Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-potter/) > [“Life is a collection of memories and feelings. Mawkish sentimentally urges us to engage in artistic overtures, we yearn to share with other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/life-is-a-collection-of-memories-and-feelings-mawkish-sentimentally/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [You don't know why, but you know you have to go home. It's an eternal longing. It's Marvell's drop of dew wanting to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-don-t-know-why-but-you-know-you-have-to-go-home-it-s-an-eternal/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“I walk with a dual longing for life and for death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-lee-houghton/i-walk-with-a-dual-longing-for-life-and-for-death/) Melissa Lee-Houghton > [“…The truth: dreaming is lonely the further away the closer to this one time No one has held me for so long Days stitch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angkarn-chanthathip/the-truth-dreaming-is-lonely-the-further-away-the-closer-to-this-one/) Angkarn Chanthathip > [The orgasm has replaced the Cross as the focus of longing and the image of fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/the-orgasm-has-replaced-the-cross-as-the-focus-of-longing-and-the/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [“How sad, he thought, that desire found new objects but did not abate, that when it came to longing there was no end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/how-sad-he-thought-that-desire-found-new-objects-but-did-not-abate/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [If we really face our sadness, we find it speaks with the voice of our deepest longing. And if we face it a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kingsley/if-we-really-face-our-sadness-we-find-it-speaks-with-the-voice-of-our/) Peter Kingsley > [To show a longing for anything that one cannot have, for instance, is not a clever position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/to-show-a-longing-for-anything-that-one-cannot-have-for-instance-is/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I can negate everything of that part of me that lives on vague nostalgias, except this desire for unity, this longing to solve, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-can-negate-everything-of-that-part-of-me-that-lives-on-vague/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Longing is like a seed that wrestles in the ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/longing-is-like-a-seed-that-wrestles-in-the-ground/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [It (taking photographs) is all about longingwithout longing-no pictures at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-petersen/it-taking-photographs-is-all-about-longingwithout-longing-no-pictures/) [Anders Petersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-petersen/) > [Could it be in longing we are most ourselves?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/could-it-be-in-longing-we-are-most-ourselves/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [Sometimes it has to do with other longings that are much more existential. Sometimes you go elsewhere not because you are not liking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/sometimes-it-has-to-do-with-other-longings-that-are-much-more/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“Haunted by the longing to feel something real, deep and magical; I searched for a shared ecstasy... that's when you came along.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebo-grand/haunted-by-the-longing-to-feel-something-real-deep-and-magical-i/) [Lebo Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebo-grand/) ## More by Anna Freud > [Everything becomes so problematic because of basic faults: from a discontent with myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/everything-becomes-so-problematic-because-of-basic-faults-from-a/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) > [The selection of leadership must follow practical considerations. Maybe I look at things too pessimistically?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/the-selection-of-leadership-must-follow-practical-considerations/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) > [“I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence, but it comes from within. It is there all of the time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/i-was-always-looking-outside-myself-for-strength-and-confidence-but/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) > [Everyone here says in a surprised manner that I have grown... they are so stupid and do not notice that I am standing up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/everyone-here-says-in-a-surprised-manner-that-i-have-grown-they-are/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) > [Why do we go around acting as though everything was friendship and reliability when basically everything everywhere is full of sudden hate and ugliness?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/why-do-we-go-around-acting-as-though-everything-was-friendship-and/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) > [Sometimes the most beautiful thing is precisely the one that comes unexpectedly and unearned, hence something given truly as a present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/sometimes-the-most-beautiful-thing-is-precisely-the-one-that-comes/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) > [What I have always wanted for myself is much more primitive. It is probably nothing more than the affection of the people with whom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/what-i-have-always-wanted-for-myself-is-much-more-primitive-it-is/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) > [Creative minds have always been known to survive any kind of bad training.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/creative-minds-have-always-been-known-to-survive-any-kind-of-bad/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) > [Things are not as we would like them to be. There is only one way to deal with it, namely to try and be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/things-are-not-as-we-would-like-them-to-be-there-is-only-one-way-to/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) > [“There are few situations in life which are more difficult to cope with than an adolescent son or daughter during the attempt to liberate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/there-are-few-situations-in-life-which-are-more-difficult-to-cope/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) > [It is there all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/it-is-there-all-the-time/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) > [Sometimes the most beautiful thing is precisely the one that comes unexpectedly and unearned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/sometimes-the-most-beautiful-thing-is-precisely-the-one-that-comes-2/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) > [I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence but it comes from within. It was there all the time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/i-was-always-looking-outside-myself-for-strength-and-confidence-but-2/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) > [Who promised you that only for joy were you brought to this earth?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/who-promised-you-that-only-for-joy-were-you-brought-to-this-earth/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) > [How one can live without being able to judge oneself, criticize what one has accomplished, and still enjoy what one does, is unimaginable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-freud/how-one-can-live-without-being-able-to-judge-oneself-criticize-what/) [Anna Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) [Explore all 33 Anna Freud quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-freud/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If some longing goes unmet, don't be astonished. 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