---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My ribs ache from all the texts I'll…"
description: "\"My ribs ache from all the texts I'll never make time for.\" — Anthony Doerr"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/anthony-doerr-886_ache_my-ribs-ache-from-all-the-texts-i-ll-nev_1303348.png"
---

#  My ribs ache from all the texts I'll never make time for.

![“My ribs ache from all the texts I'll never make time for.” quote by Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/anthony-doerr-886_ache_my-ribs-ache-from-all-the-texts-i-ll-nev_1303348.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/anthony-doerr-886_ache_my-ribs-ache-from-all-the-texts-i-ll-nev_1303348.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/anthony-doerr-886_ache_my-ribs-ache-from-all-the-texts-i-ll-nev_1303348.png)

> “My ribs ache from all the texts I'll never make time for.”

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker feels physical pain from the burden of unread messages and missed communication.

**In simple terms:** Missing messages cause emotional strain.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize real connections over endless texting.

Themes

communication loneliness digital overload

Mood

reflective somber

Type

advice personal

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- workplace
- social media
- family gatherings

Key Concepts

time management emotional health

Questions to Reflect On

- How many messages are truly essential?
- Can you set boundaries without feeling guilty?

A Different Perspective

Digital tools can’t replace genuine interaction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Lina loved her little sister so much that it was like an ache under her ribs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-duprau/lina-loved-her-little-sister-so-much-that-it-was-like-an-ache-under/)

[Jeanne DuPrau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-duprau/)

> [Crying adds something: crying is you, plus tears. But the feeling Colin had was some horrible opposite of crying. It was you, minus something.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/crying-adds-something-crying-is-you-plus-tears-but-the-feeling-colin/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [This was nonsense, he thought. The need of her was a physical thing, like the thirsty of a sailor becalmed for weeks on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/this-was-nonsense-he-thought-the-need-of-her-was-a-physical-thing/)

[Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/)

> [“When I got out of the movie, I had four text messages from Augustus. Tell me my copy is missing the last twenty pages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/when-i-got-out-of-the-movie-i-had-four-text-messages-from-augustus/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Theatre probably originated without texts, but by the time we get to the classical Greek period, theatre has become text-based.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/theatre-probably-originated-without-texts-but-by-the-time-we-get-to/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [I've always been a composer dependent on texts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-del-tredici/i-ve-always-been-a-composer-dependent-on-texts/)

[David Del Tredici](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-del-tredici/)

> [Beckett's 'Stories and Texts for Nothing' is probably my favorite book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-wright/beckett-s-stories-and-texts-for-nothing-is-probably-my-favorite-book/)

[Franz Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-wright/)

> [Those texts where you can't choose between :) and :(... So you end up with this :/](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/those-texts-where-you-can-t-choose-between-and-so-you-end-up-with-this/)

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

> [I hate writing texts to girlfriends because you can't really see emotions in texts. You can get confused on what she says.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophilus-london/i-hate-writing-texts-to-girlfriends-because-you-can-t-really-see/)

[Theophilus London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophilus-london/)

> [Wherever we've gone around the world, we've found quite significant gaps: the holy texts, no matter which one you turn to, has ambiguity in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-forrest/wherever-we-ve-gone-around-the-world-we-ve-found-quite-significant/)

[Andrew Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-forrest/)

> [I like missing someone and being missed; I like looking forward to seeing him again. I like getting emails and texts with lots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/i-like-missing-someone-and-being-missed-i-like-looking-forward-to/)

[Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/)

> [I definitely check my phone for texts a lot - like, 'Did anyone text me? Is anyone thinking about me? Does anyone love me?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-jonze/i-definitely-check-my-phone-for-texts-a-lot-like-did-anyone-text-me/)

[Spike Jonze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-jonze/)

> [Twitter? No, I'd rather use phone and texts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/domenico-dolce/twitter-no-i-d-rather-use-phone-and-texts/)

[Domenico Dolce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/domenico-dolce/)

> [In this day and age of texts, Twitter, and Facebook, we are very rarely surprised by anything anymore - something always leaks out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-goreski/in-this-day-and-age-of-texts-twitter-and-facebook-we-are-very-rarely/)

[Brad Goreski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-goreski/)

> [I still put punctuation in my texts. If it's an 'I', I make sure it's a capital.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cowell/i-still-put-punctuation-in-my-texts-if-it-s-an-i-i-make-sure-it-s-a/)

[Simon Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cowell/)

## More by Anthony Doerr

> [I was a nerdy kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/i-was-a-nerdy-kid/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“he moved neither forward nor backward in time, but merely endured variations of the same day over and over. Maybe he was the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/he-moved-neither-forward-nor-backward-in-time-but-merely-endured/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“Open your eyes, the Frenchman on the radio used to say, and see what you can with them before they close forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/open-your-eyes-the-frenchman-on-the-radio-used-to-say-and-see-what/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“Just when we think we have a system, ...the system collapses. Just when we know our way around, we get lost. Just when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/just-when-we-think-we-have-a-system-the-system-collapses-just-when-we/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“An hour passed and another and then, like a glass of water overfilled - the meniscus inverting, going convex, gravity pulling at the edges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/an-hour-passed-and-another-and-then-like-a-glass-of-water-overfilled/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“For dinner, he orders wild boar cooked with fresh mushrooms. And a full bottle of Bordeaux. Especially during wartime, such things remain important. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/for-dinner-he-orders-wild-boar-cooked-with-fresh-mushrooms-and-a-full/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“Do you know what happens, Etienne,” says Madame Manec from the other side of the kitchen, “when you drop a frog in a pot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/do-you-know-what-happens-etienne-says-madame-manec-from-the-other/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“You ever hope for something so much? So much you can't sleep, so much your skull hurts? But the thing is, you don't even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/you-ever-hope-for-something-so-much-so-much-you-can-t-sleep-so-much/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“Hope was a sunrise, a friend in the alley, a whisper in an empty corridor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/hope-was-a-sunrise-a-friend-in-the-alley-a-whisper-in-an-empty/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [Time is a slippery thing: lose hold of it once, and its string might sail out of your hands forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/time-is-a-slippery-thing-lose-hold-of-it-once-and-its-string-might/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“...the air a library and the record of every life lived, every sentence spoken, every word transmitted still reverberating within it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/the-air-a-library-and-the-record-of-every-life-lived-every-sentence/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“silent desperation of everything they never said - gaps and absences in every conversation, the past circumscribing the present, the future hemming in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/silent-desperation-of-everything-they-never-said-gaps-and-absences-in/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [“She is in charge of everything, but no one knows. It is a tremendous burden, she says, to be responsible for every little thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/she-is-in-charge-of-everything-but-no-one-knows-it-is-a-tremendous/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [I guess you could say I've been writing all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/i-guess-you-could-say-i-ve-been-writing-all-my-life/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

> [Only Numbers. Pure math. You have to accustom yourself to thinking that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/only-numbers-pure-math-you-have-to-accustom-yourself-to-thinking-that/)

[Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

[Explore all 336 Anthony Doerr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/)

## More Ache quotes

> [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [When we went into the ocean, I watched his body as he dove into the waves, and it gave me a feeling in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/when-we-went-into-the-ocean-i-watched-his-body-as-he-dove-into-the/)

[Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/)

> [A woman who lives with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule will often ache with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysa-terkeurst/a-woman-who-lives-with-the-stress-of-an-overwhelmed-schedule-will/)

[Lysa TerKeurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysa-terkeurst/)

> [I ache for the touch of your lips dear, but much more for the touch of your whips dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-ache-for-the-touch-of-your-lips-dear-but-much-more-for-the-touch-of/)

[Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/)

> [I was not wounded in any part of my body, but I had never experienced such intense pain, such a ripping of the nerves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-was-not-wounded-in-any-part-of-my-body-but-i-had-never-experienced/)

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

> [And the flavor of Pippa's kiss--bittersweet and strange--stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as I sailed home on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-the-flavor-of-pippa-s-kiss-bittersweet-and-strange-stayed-with-me/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent. They seek each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-are-enthusiasts-devotees-addicts-something-about-the-circus/)

[Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/)

> [as we acquire new aches and new pains, our health care is, of necessity, being supplied by internists, cardiologists, dermatologists, podiatrists, urologists, periodontists, gynecologists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-viorst/as-we-acquire-new-aches-and-new-pains-our-health-care-is-of-necessity/)

[Judith Viorst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-viorst/)

> [Jamie enjoyed solitude, but loneliness was a constant ache.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-sheldon/jamie-enjoyed-solitude-but-loneliness-was-a-constant-ache/)

[Sidney Sheldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-sheldon/)

> [Some men make money not for the sake of living, but ache In the blindness of greed and live just for their fortune's sake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/some-men-make-money-not-for-the-sake-of-living-but-ache-in-the/)

[Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/)

> [Staring at her face, she began to fancy her outer layer had begun to melt away while she wasn't paying attention, and something --…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/staring-at-her-face-she-began-to-fancy-her-outer-layer-had-begun-to/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [O thou beautiful And unimaginable ether! and Ye multiplying masses of increased And still increasing lights! what are ye? what Is this blue wilderness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/o-thou-beautiful-and-unimaginable-ether-and-ye-multiplying-masses-of/)

[Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/)

> [An emotion is a thought, yes, an idea, but it is also a sensation, an ache in your body. Desire, love, hate, fear, repulsion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-landay/an-emotion-is-a-thought-yes-an-idea-but-it-is-also-a-sensation-an/)

[William Landay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-landay/)

> [He that sleeps feels not the tooth-ache](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/he-that-sleeps-feels-not-the-tooth-ache/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I will live this day as if it is my last. …I will waste not a moment mourning yesterday’s misfortunes, Yesterday’s defeats, yesterday’s aches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/i-will-live-this-day-as-if-it-is-my-last-i-will-waste-not-a-moment/)

[Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/)

Browse all 489 Ache quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "My ribs ache from all the texts I'll never make time for.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anthony Doerr"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/my-ribs-ache-from-all-the-texts-i-ll-never-make-time-for/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ache"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/my-ribs-ache-from-all-the-texts-i-ll-never-make-time-for/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/anthony-doerr-886_ache_my-ribs-ache-from-all-the-texts-i-ll-nev_1303348.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/anthony-doerr-886_ache_my-ribs-ache-from-all-the-texts-i-ll-nev_1303348.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/67e/anthony-doerr-886_ache_my-ribs-ache-from-all-the-texts-i-ll-nev_1303348.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“My ribs ache from all the texts I'll never make time for.” — Anthony Doerr",
                "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": "Anthony Doerr",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "My ribs ache from all the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/my-ribs-ache-from-all-the-texts-i-ll-never-make-time-for/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/my-ribs-ache-from-all-the-texts-i-ll-never-make-time-for/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
