--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes I'm happy when he's gone, but…" description: "\"Sometimes I'm happy when he's gone, but I'm always happy when he returns. -Clare\" — Audrey Niffenegger" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/audrey-niffenegger-1298_always-happy_sometimes-i-m-happy-when-he-s-gone-but-i_2294500.jpg" --- # Sometimes I'm happy when he's gone, but I'm always happy… ![“Sometimes I'm happy when he's gone, but I'm always happy when he returns. -Clare” quote by Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/audrey-niffenegger-1298_always-happy_sometimes-i-m-happy-when-he-s-gone-but-i_2294500.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/audrey-niffenegger-1298_always-happy_sometimes-i-m-happy-when-he-s-gone-but-i_2294500.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/audrey-niffenegger-1298_always-happy_sometimes-i-m-happy-when-he-s-gone-but-i_2294500.jpg) > “Sometimes I'm happy when he's gone, but I'm always happy when he returns. -Clare” [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. The speaker feels mixed emotions, relief when the person returns, but also relief when they leave. **In simple terms:** Emotions shift with someone's presence or absence. Key Takeaway Accept complex feelings without judgment. Themes relationships emotional health attachment Mood reflective melancholic Type personal psychological When to use this quote - family dynamics - friendship - romantic partnership Key Concepts attachment theory emotional ambivalence Questions to Reflect On - What does this say about dependence? - How do you cope with ambivalence? A Different Perspective Feelings may be confusing and hard to articulate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Always happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always-happy/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ## Related quotes > [It was considered very bad form to wish authors on their birthdays 'many happy returns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-goldsmith/it-was-considered-very-bad-form-to-wish-authors-on-their-birthdays/) [Olivia Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-goldsmith/) > [On today's day, may you be happier than you ever were all your life. May this year be filled with pleasant and unexpected surprises.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/on-today-s-day-may-you-be-happier-than-you-ever-were-all-your-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Happy Birthday and many happy returns of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happy-birthday-and-many-happy-returns-of-the-day/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you were happy before you knew someone, you can be happy after they are gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james/if-you-were-happy-before-you-knew-someone-you-can-be-happy-after-they/) [James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james/) > [What used to make you happy is gone, but if you don't give up, you'll find someone or something else that will make you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/what-used-to-make-you-happy-is-gone-but-if-you-don-t-give-up-you-ll/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [If you were happy before you knew someone. You can be happy when they are gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-were-happy-before-you-knew-someone-you-can-be-happy-when-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you were happy before you met someone, you can be happy when they are gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-were-happy-before-you-met-someone-you-can-be-happy-when-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm happy you're gone from my life yet I'm sad coz you're not coming back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usman-ismaheel/i-m-happy-you-re-gone-from-my-life-yet-i-m-sad-coz-you-re-not-coming/) [Usman Ismaheel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usman-ismaheel/) > [If you were happy before you met someone you can be happy once they are gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bakare/if-you-were-happy-before-you-met-someone-you-can-be-happy-once-they/) [Bakare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bakare/) > [If you were happy before you met someone, you can be happy after they're gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-were-happy-before-you-met-someone-you-can-be-happy-after-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ \[People say\]'You're always happy' and I'm, like, sometimes I have a huge zit on my face. But if you smile, people won't notice that.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheyenne-kimball/people-say-you-re-always-happy-and-i-m-like-sometimes-i-have-a-huge/) [Cheyenne Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheyenne-kimball/) > ["I want to be always happy," Maxine Hong Kingston announces . But, as this interview makes clear, for me, it was the desire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/i-want-to-be-always-happy-maxine-hong-kingston-announces-but-as-this/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [I'm always happy when I hear about people selling records or selling books or selling movies. It makes me proud of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mackaye/i-m-always-happy-when-i-hear-about-people-selling-records-or-selling/) [Ian MacKaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mackaye/) > [Our own true nature is Infinite Joy! Always happy, Always peaceful, Always free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-satchidananda/our-own-true-nature-is-infinite-joy-always-happy-always-peaceful/) [Swami Satchidananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-satchidananda/) > [I had forgotten that talking to you is like trying to pet a cactus." Saiman said dryly. "Thank you for reminding me." "Always happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/i-had-forgotten-that-talking-to-you-is-like-trying-to-pet-a-cactus/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) ## 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 Always happy quotes > [I had forgotten that talking to you is like trying to pet a cactus." Saiman said dryly. "Thank you for reminding me." "Always happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/i-had-forgotten-that-talking-to-you-is-like-trying-to-pet-a-cactus/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Our own true nature is Infinite Joy! Always happy, Always peaceful, Always free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-satchidananda/our-own-true-nature-is-infinite-joy-always-happy-always-peaceful/) [Swami Satchidananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-satchidananda/) > [I'm always happy when I hear about people selling records or selling books or selling movies. It makes me proud of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mackaye/i-m-always-happy-when-i-hear-about-people-selling-records-or-selling/) [Ian MacKaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mackaye/) > ["I want to be always happy," Maxine Hong Kingston announces . But, as this interview makes clear, for me, it was the desire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-geok-lin-lim/i-want-to-be-always-happy-maxine-hong-kingston-announces-but-as-this/) [Shirley Geok-lin Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-geok-lin-lim/) > [ \[People say\]'You're always happy' and I'm, like, sometimes I have a huge zit on my face. But if you smile, people won't notice that.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheyenne-kimball/people-say-you-re-always-happy-and-i-m-like-sometimes-i-have-a-huge/) [Cheyenne Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheyenne-kimball/) > [Man is never always happy, and very often only a brief period of happiness is granted him in this world; so why escape from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/man-is-never-always-happy-and-very-often-only-a-brief-period-of/) [Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [At the end of our time on earth, if we have lived fully, we will not be able to say, 'I was always happy.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-de-angelis/at-the-end-of-our-time-on-earth-if-we-have-lived-fully-we-will-not-be/) [Barbara De Angelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-de-angelis/) > [Even now if I see someone working out, in great shape, like a 40-year-old guy with his shirt off jogging I always think, "Look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-apatow/even-now-if-i-see-someone-working-out-in-great-shape-like-a-40-year/) [Judd Apatow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-apatow/) > [I'm a very positive person, but this whole concept of having to always be nice, always smiling, always happy, that's not real. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-keys/i-m-a-very-positive-person-but-this-whole-concept-of-having-to-always/) [Alicia Keys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-keys/) > [I'm always happy. I've just got a mean face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-cube/i-m-always-happy-i-ve-just-got-a-mean-face/) [Ice Cube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-cube/) > [My philosophy involves imaging terrible things happening all the time, and getting used to it, so reality isn't so bad. And then you're always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-sweeney/my-philosophy-involves-imaging-terrible-things-happening-all-the-time/) [Julia Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-sweeney/) > [Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-milne/don-t-underestimate-the-value-of-doing-nothing/) [A. A. Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-milne/) > [A mind always employed is always happy. This is the true secret, the grand recipe, for felicity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-mind-always-employed-is-always-happy-this-is-the-true-secret-the/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I'm always happy when I learn more about communication in the wide free scope of that word. So next is a move, getting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-andrews/i-m-always-happy-when-i-learn-more-about-communication-in-the-wide/) [Giuseppe Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-andrews/) > [I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/i-have-just-one-day-today-and-i-m-going-to-be-happy-in-it/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) [Browse all 88 Always happy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/always-happy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes I'm happy when he's gone, but I'm always happy when he returns. -Clare", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Audrey Niffenegger" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/sometimes-i-m-happy-when-he-s-gone-but-i-m-always-happy-when-he/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Always happy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/sometimes-i-m-happy-when-he-s-gone-but-i-m-always-happy-when-he/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/audrey-niffenegger-1298_always-happy_sometimes-i-m-happy-when-he-s-gone-but-i_2294500.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/audrey-niffenegger-1298_always-happy_sometimes-i-m-happy-when-he-s-gone-but-i_2294500.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ab/audrey-niffenegger-1298_always-happy_sometimes-i-m-happy-when-he-s-gone-but-i_2294500.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes I'm happy when he's gone, but I'm always happy when he returns. -Clare” — 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": "Sometimes I'm happy when he's gone,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/sometimes-i-m-happy-when-he-s-gone-but-i-m-always-happy-when-he/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/sometimes-i-m-happy-when-he-s-gone-but-i-m-always-happy-when-he/#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 } } ] } ```