--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why, Robert Singh often wondered, did we…" description: "\"Why, Robert Singh often wondered, did we give our hearts to friends whose life spans are so much shorter than our own?\" — Arthur C. Clarke" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/arthur-c-clarke-640_friendship_why-robert-singh-often-wondered-did-we-g_2041880.jpg" --- # Why, Robert Singh often wondered, did we give our hearts… ![“Why, Robert Singh often wondered, did we give our hearts to friends whose life spans are so much shorter than our own?” quote by Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/arthur-c-clarke-640_friendship_why-robert-singh-often-wondered-did-we-g_2041880.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/arthur-c-clarke-640_friendship_why-robert-singh-often-wondered-did-we-g_2041880.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/arthur-c-clarke-640_friendship_why-robert-singh-often-wondered-did-we-g_2041880.jpg) > “Why, Robert Singh often wondered, did we give our hearts to friends whose life spans are so much shorter than our own?” [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We form deep bonds with friends whose lives end sooner than ours, highlighting human fragility. **In simple terms:** Friendships are fleeting yet profound. Key Takeaway Cherish relationships now. Themes mortality friendship existence Mood thoughtful melancholic Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - grief counseling - life planning - philosophical reflection - writing Key Concepts human connection ephemeral life Questions to Reflect On - What does this realization change about how you treat friends? - How do you cope with inevitable loss? A Different Perspective Loss can dominate over appreciation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life span](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-span/) [Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singh/) ## Related quotes > [We belong to that order of mammals, the primates, distinguished by its propensity for repeated single litters, intense parental care, long life-spans, late sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-j-kaplan/we-belong-to-that-order-of-mammals-the-primates-distinguished-by-its/) [Louise J. Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-j-kaplan/) > [“Margo managed to speak in her usual manic soliloquy without answering my question. “Did you know that for pretty much the entire history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/margo-managed-to-speak-in-her-usual-manic-soliloquy-without-answering/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Did you know that for pretty much the entire history of the human species, the average life span was less than thirty years? You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/did-you-know-that-for-pretty-much-the-entire-history-of-the-human/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“But that is love, isn't it? It's terribly inconvenient. It sweeps you up and stales your attention and slows down your work. our labors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buckley/but-that-is-love-isn-t-it-it-s-terribly-inconvenient-it-sweeps-you-up/) [Michael Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buckley/) > [Chance made us sisters. Hearts made us friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/chance-made-us-sisters-hearts-made-us-friends/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [FRIENDSHIP is not COLLECTION of hearts but it is SELECTIONS of hearts… ALL friends are not true ,,, but true friends are very few...!!!!!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/friendship-is-not-collection-of-hearts-but-it-is-selections-of-hearts/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is chance that made us lovers always, but its our hearts that made us friends forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-chance-that-made-us-lovers-always-but-its-our-hearts-that-made/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The first three—religion, environment, and health insurance—do not correlate with longer life spans for the poor. The variable that does matter, according”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-stephens-davidowitz/the-first-three-religion-environment-and-health-insurance-do-not/) [Seth Stephens-Davidowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-stephens-davidowitz/) > [The average life spans of many bands are not that long, up to five years if they are lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mccready/the-average-life-spans-of-many-bands-are-not-that-long-up-to-five/) [Mike McCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mccready/) > [With people having longer life spans, 50 is the age at which many people only just get into their stride. Consider Ray Kroc starting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-butler-bowdon/with-people-having-longer-life-spans-50-is-the-age-at-which-many/) [Tom Butler-Bowdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-butler-bowdon/) > [“You will be free from pain for a very long time. But not forever, that’s a myth. We don’t live forever, we just have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-johnesee/you-will-be-free-from-pain-for-a-very-long-time-but-not-forever-that/) Jaime Johnesee > [“We can with an order of probability bordering on certainty extend maximum human life span by means of a calorically restricted optimal nutrition diet.…There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-robbins/we-can-with-an-order-of-probability-bordering-on-certainty-extend/) [John Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-robbins/) > [“Trust me, at the time nine hundred years seemed frighteningly short - it still does. I really don't know how you cope with your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tosca-lee/trust-me-at-the-time-nine-hundred-years-seemed-frighteningly-short-it/) [Tosca Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tosca-lee/) > [“With our limited life spans, we mere mortals have to figure out what best to do with our time so that when it ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-w-hill/with-our-limited-life-spans-we-mere-mortals-have-to-figure-out-what/) [Joey W. Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-w-hill/) > [Dogs have such short life spans, it's like a concentrated version of a human life. When they get older, they become much more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/dogs-have-such-short-life-spans-it-s-like-a-concentrated-version-of-a/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) ## More by Arthur C. Clarke > [Science can destroy religion by ignoring it as well as by disproving its tenets. No one ever demonstrated, so far as I am aware,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/science-can-destroy-religion-by-ignoring-it-as-well-as-by-disproving/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [We cannot predict the new forces, powers, and discoveries that will be disclosed to us when we reach the other planets and set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/we-cannot-predict-the-new-forces-powers-and-discoveries-that-will-be/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [I am unable to distinguish clearly between your religious ceremonies and apparently identical behavior at the sporting and cultural functions you have transmitted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-am-unable-to-distinguish-clearly-between-your-religious-ceremonies/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [I don't believe in astrology; I'm a Sagittarius and we're skeptical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-don-t-believe-in-astrology-i-m-a-sagittarius-and-we-re-skeptical/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [You can't have it both ways. You can't have both free will and a benevolent higher power who protects you from yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/you-can-t-have-it-both-ways-you-can-t-have-both-free-will-and-a/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Astronomy, as nothing else can do, teaches men humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/astronomy-as-nothing-else-can-do-teaches-men-humility/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Nowhere in space will we rest our eyes upon the familiar shapes of trees and plants, or any of the animals that share our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/nowhere-in-space-will-we-rest-our-eyes-upon-the-familiar-shapes-of/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“The universe is full of energy, but much of it is at equilibrium. At equilibrium no energy can flow, and therefore it cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/the-universe-is-full-of-energy-but-much-of-it-is-at-equilibrium-at/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“Here the trees surrounded them with an invisible, anechoic blanket, so that every word seemed sucked into silence the moment it was uttered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/here-the-trees-surrounded-them-with-an-invisible-anechoic-blanket-so/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“I’m a scientific expert; that means I know nothing about absolutely everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/i-m-a-scientific-expert-that-means-i-know-nothing-about-absolutely/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [There were some things that only time could cure. Evil men could be destroyed, but nothing could be done with good men who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/there-were-some-things-that-only-time-could-cure-evil-men-could-be/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“Pure coincidence, of course, but a sensible man makes coincidences work for him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/pure-coincidence-of-course-but-a-sensible-man-makes-coincidences-work/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [They will have time enough, in those endless aeons, to attempt all things, and to gather all knowledge no Gods imagined by our minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/they-will-have-time-enough-in-those-endless-aeons-to-attempt-all/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [“One thing seems certain. Our galaxy is now in the brief springtime of its life—a springtime made glorious by such brilliant blue-white stars as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/one-thing-seems-certain-our-galaxy-is-now-in-the-brief-springtime-of/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) > [Now I understand,” said the last man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/now-i-understand-said-the-last-man/) [Arthur C. Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) [Explore all 415 Arthur C. Clarke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/) ## More Friendship quotes > [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/) > [I never believed in trying to do anything. Whatever I set out to do I found I had already accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-never-believed-in-trying-to-do-anything-whatever-i-set-out-to-do-i/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/) Maureen Andeson > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Friends are like stars you can't always see them, but you know they're there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknwon/friends-are-like-stars-you-can-t-always-see-them-but-you-know-they-re/) Unknwon > [I've been writing songs since I was 10 years old and always had a penchant for rhyming. I started listening to hip hop through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoodie-allen/i-ve-been-writing-songs-since-i-was-10-years-old-and-always-had-a/) [Hoodie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoodie-allen/) > [If you love some one for who they are not for there body or how many friend so when you say I love you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/if-you-love-some-one-for-who-they-are-not-for-there-body-or-how-many/) Unknow > [“But my best friend from college was silent for a long time. She, of all of my friends, had seen the parade of sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/but-my-best-friend-from-college-was-silent-for-a-long-time-she-of-all/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [You smile upon your friend to-day, To-day his ills are over; You hearken to the lover's say, And happy is the lover. 'Tis late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-smile-upon-your-friend-to-day-to-day-his-ills-are-over-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“way. A true friend isn't the one that agrees with everything you say or do. A true friend is someone that has your back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shameek-speight/way-a-true-friend-isn-t-the-one-that-agrees-with-everything-you-say/) [Shameek Speight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shameek-speight/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Kings don’t move mountains as a favor to a friend,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/kings-don-t-move-mountains-as-a-favor-to-a-friend/) [Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/) > [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/) [Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/) > [“The real purpose of friendship was to discover and exploit weakness in others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-thompson/the-real-purpose-of-friendship-was-to-discover-and-exploit-weakness/) [Brian Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-thompson/) [Browse all 45,469 Friendship quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Why, Robert Singh often wondered, did we give our hearts to friends whose life spans are so much shorter than our own?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur C. Clarke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/why-robert-singh-often-wondered-did-we-give-our-hearts-to-friends/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Friendship" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/why-robert-singh-often-wondered-did-we-give-our-hearts-to-friends/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/arthur-c-clarke-640_friendship_why-robert-singh-often-wondered-did-we-g_2041880.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/arthur-c-clarke-640_friendship_why-robert-singh-often-wondered-did-we-g_2041880.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54b/arthur-c-clarke-640_friendship_why-robert-singh-often-wondered-did-we-g_2041880.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Why, Robert Singh often wondered, did we give our hearts to friends whose life spans are so much shorter…” — Arthur C. Clarke", "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": "Arthur C. Clarke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-c-clarke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Why, Robert Singh often wondered, did...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/why-robert-singh-often-wondered-did-we-give-our-hearts-to-friends/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-c-clarke/why-robert-singh-often-wondered-did-we-give-our-hearts-to-friends/#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 } } ] } ```