--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Humans are strange things, they see what…" description: "\"Humans are strange things, they see what they have when they've lost what they have; but not while they have it,\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/anonymous-1_human-nature_humans-are-strange-things-they-see-what_2724955.jpg" --- # Humans are strange things, they see what they have when… ![“Humans are strange things, they see what they have when they've lost what they have; but not while they have it,” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/anonymous-1_human-nature_humans-are-strange-things-they-see-what_2724955.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/anonymous-1_human-nature_humans-are-strange-things-they-see-what_2724955.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/anonymous-1_human-nature_humans-are-strange-things-they-see-what_2724955.jpg) > “Humans are strange things, they see what they have when they've lost what they have; but not while they have it,” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often fail to appreciate what they have until it’s gone, yet overlook it while possessed. **In simple terms:** We notice loss more than presence. Key Takeaway Practice gratitude for current blessings. Themes gratitude loss awareness Mood thoughtful motivational Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - daily life - relationships - career - health - material possessions Key Concepts psychology of appreciation mindfulness value perception Questions to Reflect On - How can you become aware of present gifts? - What habits foster appreciation before loss? A Different Perspective Some may argue we can still notice abundance while having it. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Humans Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans-strange-701411/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person/) [Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange/) [Strange things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-things/) ## Related quotes > [Humans are strange things. They are the most proud on the outside during the times they are the most insecure on the inside, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/humans-are-strange-things-they-are-the-most-proud-on-the-outside/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Humans are strange. … They value punishment because they think it means their actions are important—that they are important. … it's vanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jackson-bennett/humans-are-strange-they-value-punishment-because-they-think-it-means/) [Robert Jackson Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jackson-bennett/) > [“Humans were strange that way, believing they could hoard what they loved like gold and keep it safely hidden away in their vaults.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-denning/humans-were-strange-that-way-believing-they-could-hoard-what-they/) [Troy Denning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-denning/) > [“Humans are strange. Sometimes love is more than gender or race. Sometimes it’s big enough to bypass any obstacle, even the less obvious ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-farrell/humans-are-strange-sometimes-love-is-more-than-gender-or-race/) [Claire Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-farrell/) > [“Humans are very strange. When you need a hug, they throw you away, when you need condolence , they insult you, and when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/humans-are-very-strange-when-you-need-a-hug-they-throw-you-away-when/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [“Humans are strange things. They have sex with each other; but are too ashamed to say sorry to one another, they see what they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/humans-are-strange-things-they-have-sex-with-each-other-but-are-too/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [“humans are a strange lot. We have the power to analyze and explore the world around us, yet panic as soon as the evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/humans-are-a-strange-lot-we-have-the-power-to-analyze-and-explore-the/) [Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/) > [Humans are strange creatures… when they are young they want to be old, when they are old they want to be young...well I guess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/humans-are-strange-creatures-when-they-are-young-they-want-to-be-old/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [WE ARE HUMANS. WE ARE NOT PERFECT. WE ARE ALIVE. WE TRY THINGS. WE MAKE MISTAKES. WE STUMBLE. WE FALL. WE GET HURT. WE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-humans-we-are-not-perfect-we-are-alive-we-try-things-we-make/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The function of the imagination is not to make strange things settled, so much as to make settled things strange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-function-of-the-imagination-is-not-to-make-strange-things-settled/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What she did have were Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-she-did-have-were-bertie-bott-s-every-flavor-beans-drooble-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When the wine goes in, strange things come out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-the-wine-goes-in-strange-things-come-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When the beer goes in strange things come out!..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-the-beer-goes-in-strange-things-come-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've been accused of humanizing the Nazis, to which I can only say, you can't blame me for that. God did that. Go talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-d-snodgrass/i-ve-been-accused-of-humanizing-the-nazis-to-which-i-can-only-say-you/) [W. D. Snodgrass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-d-snodgrass/) > [The strange thing with Wikipedia is that the first article that ever gets written about you will define your Wikipedia page forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/the-strange-thing-with-wikipedia-is-that-the-first-article-that-ever/) [Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“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/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Human nature quotes > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“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/) > [“The aristocratic interiority is centered on the higher mind, the mens, the ajna chakra, the seat of intellect and intuition that commands the lower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-evola/the-aristocratic-interiority-is-centered-on-the-higher-mind-the-mens/) [Julius Evola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-evola/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [It is proposed that a form of free dialogue may well be one of the most effective ways of investigating the crisis which faces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bohm/it-is-proposed-that-a-form-of-free-dialogue-may-well-be-one-of-the/) [David Bohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bohm/) > [Nothing brings out the lower traits of human nature like office-seeking. Men of good character and impulses are betrayed by it into all sorts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutherford-b-hayes/nothing-brings-out-the-lower-traits-of-human-nature-like-office/) [Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutherford-b-hayes/) > [Selfishness is one of the principal fruits of the corruption of human nature; and it is obvious that selfishness disposes us to over-rate our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wilberforce/selfishness-is-one-of-the-principal-fruits-of-the-corruption-of-human/) [William Wilberforce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wilberforce/) > [Though there may be people in your life that support you and encourage you we have to realize that people are only human, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/though-there-may-be-people-in-your-life-that-support-you-and/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [“I wasn't sure which I appreciated less—the insincere concern or the genuine indifference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-graham/i-wasn-t-sure-which-i-appreciated-less-the-insincere-concern-or-the/) [Arthur Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-graham/) > [Time is the nervous system of narration, whether factual or fictive. If it gets confused some of the minutiae of human nature are certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/time-is-the-nervous-system-of-narration-whether-factual-or-fictive-if/) [Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/) > [“As if we didn't have enough weapons already. But that's human nature, we've always got to go one better, to increase the terror another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-f-hamilton/as-if-we-didn-t-have-enough-weapons-already-but-that-s-human-nature/) [Peter F. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-f-hamilton/) > [ \[Putin\] is a bully. And bullies only understand when we punch them in the nose, but we need to do that economically. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/putin-is-a-bully-and-bullies-only-understand-when-we-punch-them-in/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [“The mass of men have been forced to be gay about the little things, but sad about the big ones. Nevertheless (I offer my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-mass-of-men-have-been-forced-to-be-gay-about-the-little-things/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) [Browse all 3,743 Human nature quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Humans are strange things, they see what they have when they've lost what they have; but not while they have it,", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/humans-are-strange-things-they-see-what-they-have-when-they-ve-lost/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Human nature" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/humans-are-strange-things-they-see-what-they-have-when-they-ve-lost/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/anonymous-1_human-nature_humans-are-strange-things-they-see-what_2724955.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/anonymous-1_human-nature_humans-are-strange-things-they-see-what_2724955.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbf/anonymous-1_human-nature_humans-are-strange-things-they-see-what_2724955.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Humans are strange things, they see what they have when they've lost what they have; but not while they have…” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Humans are strange things, they see...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/humans-are-strange-things-they-see-what-they-have-when-they-ve-lost/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/humans-are-strange-things-they-see-what-they-have-when-they-ve-lost/#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 } } ] } ```