---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's hard being left behind...It's hard…"
description: "\"“It's hard being left behind...It's hard to be the one who stays...Why is love intensified by absence?”\" — Audrey Niffenegger"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/audrey-niffenegger-1298_absence_it-s-hard-being-left-behind-it-s-hard-to_209606.jpg"
---

#  It's hard being left behind...It's hard to be the one who…

![“It's hard being left behind...It's hard to be the one who stays...Why is love intensified by absence?” quote by Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/audrey-niffenegger-1298_absence_it-s-hard-being-left-behind-it-s-hard-to_209606.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/audrey-niffenegger-1298_absence_it-s-hard-being-left-behind-it-s-hard-to_209606.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/audrey-niffenegger-1298_absence_it-s-hard-being-left-behind-it-s-hard-to_209606.jpg)

> ““It's hard being left behind...It's hard to be the one who stays...Why is love intensified by absence?””

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

## About This Quote

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

Absence can heighten longing, making love feel more intense when separated.

**In simple terms:** Being apart makes love feel stronger.

Key Takeaway

Embrace distance as a chance to deepen love.

Themes

love absence longing relationships

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

literary emotional

When to use this quote

- long-distance relationships
- separation anxiety
- reunions
- personal growth

Key Concepts

attachment theory psychology romantic idealism

Questions to Reflect On

- How does distance change your perception of love?
- Can longing become unhealthy?

A Different Perspective

Physical distance may also cause miscommunication and doubt.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Intensified Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intensified-absence-2166840/) [Left behind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-behind/) [Left Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left-hard-453897/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Intensified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-intensified-2166841/) [Stays Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stays-love-476035/)

## Related quotes

> [“Everything seems simple until you think about it. Why is love intensified by absence?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/everything-seems-simple-until-you-think-about-it-why-is-love/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [Why is love intensified by absence?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/why-is-love-intensified-by-absence/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [“Why is love intensified by absence? Long ago, men went to sea and women wait for them, standing on the edge of the water,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/why-is-love-intensified-by-absence-long-ago-men-went-to-sea-and-women/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [I go to sleep alone, and wake up alone. I take walks. I work until I'm tired. I watch the wind play with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/i-go-to-sleep-alone-and-wake-up-alone-i-take-walks-i-work-until-i-m/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [“This way of behaving, this way of feeling, so hysterical, so sad, when someone has died, I don't like at all and would like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/this-way-of-behaving-this-way-of-feeling-so-hysterical-so-sad-when/)

[Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/)

> [It's hard being left behind. (...) It's hard to be the one who stays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/it-s-hard-being-left-behind-it-s-hard-to-be-the-one-who-stays/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [Riches take wings, comforts vanish, hope withers away,but love stays with us. Love is God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/riches-take-wings-comforts-vanish-hope-withers-away-but-love-stays/)

[Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/)

> [Who just stays in love with someone after the person clearly says I dont love you anymore...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/who-just-stays-in-love-with-someone-after-the-person-clearly-says-i-2/)

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

> [The world is always changing nothing stays the same but love was stand the test of time. The next life that we live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kool-and-the-gang/the-world-is-always-changing-nothing-stays-the-same-but-love-was/)

[Kool And The Gang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kool-and-the-gang/)

> [Who just stays in love with someone after the person clearly says I dont love you anymore...Im tired of pretending, I dont love you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/im-nothing/who-just-stays-in-love-with-someone-after-the-person-clearly-says-i/)

[Im Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/im-nothing/)

> [Love doesn't need a break. Love stays. Love works it out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-doesn-t-need-a-break-love-stays-love-works-it-out/)

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

> [I strongly believe that no one falls in love by choice, 8's by chance. No one stays in love by chance, it's by work. :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/i-strongly-believe-that-no-one-falls-in-love-by-choice-8-s-by-chance/)

[Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/)

> [No one falls in love by choice. No one stays in love by chance.its by work. And no one falls out of love by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shadawcatt/no-one-falls-in-love-by-choice-no-one-stays-in-love-by-chance-its-by/)

[Shadawcatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shadawcatt/)

> [A movie like 'The Last House On The Left' would be very hard to do in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-aja/a-movie-like-the-last-house-on-the-left-would-be-very-hard-to-do-in/)

[Alexandre Aja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-aja/)

> [Friends are easy to find, but once they left you,it's so hard to forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracesel-collado/friends-are-easy-to-find-but-once-they-left-you-it-s-so-hard-to-forget/)

[Gracesel Collado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracesel-collado/)

## More by Audrey Niffenegger

> [But you know: you know that if I could have stayed, if I could have gone on, that I would have clutched every second:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/but-you-know-you-know-that-if-i-could-have-stayed-if-i-could-have/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [I look at him, look at the book, remember, this book, this moment, the first book I ever loved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/i-look-at-him-look-at-the-book-remember-this-book-this-moment-the/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [“When I was young I didn't understand, but now, I know, how absence can be present, like a damaged nerve, like a dark bird.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/when-i-was-young-i-didn-t-understand-but-now-i-know-how-absence-can/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [Everything seems simple until you think about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/everything-seems-simple-until-you-think-about-it/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [I place my hands over her ears and tip her head back, and kiss her, and try to put my heart into hers, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/i-place-my-hands-over-her-ears-and-tip-her-head-back-and-kiss-her-and/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [“Sister Carmelita says animals don't have souls" "Of course animals have souls, where did she get that idea?" "She said the Pope says." "The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/sister-carmelita-says-animals-don-t-have-souls-of-course-animals-have/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [We didn't think the library was funny looking in it's faux- Greek splendor, nor did we find the cuisine limited or bland, or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/we-didn-t-think-the-library-was-funny-looking-in-it-s-faux-greek/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [He said something interesting: he said that he thinks there is only free will when you are in time, in the present. He says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/he-said-something-interesting-he-said-that-he-thinks-there-is-only/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [“Dead is the most alone you can be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/dead-is-the-most-alone-you-can-be/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [What are you doing?" Nothing. Breaking and entering. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/what-are-you-doing-nothing-breaking-and-entering-pay-no-attention-to/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [I won't ever leave you, even though you're always leaving me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/i-won-t-ever-leave-you-even-though-you-re-always-leaving-me/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [“It seems like we're going to collide, and we laugh, and laugh, and nothing can ever be sad, no one can be lost, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/it-seems-like-we-re-going-to-collide-and-we-laugh-and-laugh-and/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [“We were royally miserable together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/we-were-royally-miserable-together/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [“No.” Valentina closed her eyes. Of course not. “It’ll be great, Mouse. We’ll have our own apartment, we won’t have to work,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/no-valentina-closed-her-eyes-of-course-not-it-ll-be-great-mouse-we-ll/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

> [“I make books because I love them as objects; because I want to put the pictures and the words together, because I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/i-make-books-because-i-love-them-as-objects-because-i-want-to-put-the/)

[Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

[Explore all 250 Audrey Niffenegger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/)

## More Absence quotes

> [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/)

[James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/)

> [The work, the work, the work. This is what the business is all about. This is the fun, the glory, the pleasure. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/the-work-the-work-the-work-this-is-what-the-business-is-all-about/)

[Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/)

> [Total depravity means the entire absence of holiness, not the highest intensity of sin. A totally depraved man is not as bad as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/total-depravity-means-the-entire-absence-of-holiness-not-the-highest/)

[William Greenough Thayer Shedd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/)

> [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/)

[Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/)

> [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/)

[Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/)

> [The absence of God in most spheres of life is perceived to be normal, and even Christians feel it as normal - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-absence-of-god-in-most-spheres-of-life-is-perceived-to-be-normal/)

[John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/)

> [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [“I was thinking how most people don't make you feel much of anything at all. Don't make you feel like time spent with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lotter/i-was-thinking-how-most-people-don-t-make-you-feel-much-of-anything/)

[Jane Lotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lotter/)

> [Cooperation isn't the absence of conflict but a means of managing conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/cooperation-isn-t-the-absence-of-conflict-but-a-means-of-managing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. The absence of noise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/many-are-observing-ferguson-and-witnessing-the-anger-demonstrations/)

[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

> [Will capitalist economies operate at full employment in the absence of routine intervention? Certainly not. Are deviations from full employment a social problem? Obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/will-capitalist-economies-operate-at-full-employment-in-the-absence/)

[Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/)

> [We must begin by acknowledging that there is a complete absence of two things in Indian Society. One of these is equality. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-r-ambedkar/we-must-begin-by-acknowledging-that-there-is-a-complete-absence-of/)

[B. R. Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/)

[Browse all 2,057 Absence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It's hard being left behind...It's hard to be the one who stays...Why is love intensified by absence?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Audrey Niffenegger"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/it-s-hard-being-left-behind-it-s-hard-to-be-the-one-who-stays-why-is/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Absence"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/it-s-hard-being-left-behind-it-s-hard-to-be-the-one-who-stays-why-is/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/audrey-niffenegger-1298_absence_it-s-hard-being-left-behind-it-s-hard-to_209606.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/audrey-niffenegger-1298_absence_it-s-hard-being-left-behind-it-s-hard-to_209606.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb1/audrey-niffenegger-1298_absence_it-s-hard-being-left-behind-it-s-hard-to_209606.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's hard being left behind...It's hard to be the one who stays...Why is love intensified by absence?” — Audrey Niffenegger",
                "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": "Audrey Niffenegger",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It's hard being left behind...It's hard...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/it-s-hard-being-left-behind-it-s-hard-to-be-the-one-who-stays-why-is/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/it-s-hard-being-left-behind-it-s-hard-to-be-the-one-who-stays-why-is/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
