--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And the Sphinx broke its long silence…" description: "\"“And the Sphinx broke its long silence: \"Don't expect too much.”\" — Carl Sandberg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fea/carl-sandberg-80462_long-silence_and-the-sphinx-broke-its-long-silence-do_1663409.jpg" --- # And the Sphinx broke its long silence: "Don't expect too… ![“And the Sphinx broke its long silence: "Don't expect too much.” quote by Carl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fea/carl-sandberg-80462_long-silence_and-the-sphinx-broke-its-long-silence-do_1663409.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fea/carl-sandberg-80462_long-silence_and-the-sphinx-broke-its-long-silence-do_1663409.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fea/carl-sandberg-80462_long-silence_and-the-sphinx-broke-its-long-silence-do_1663409.jpg) > ““And the Sphinx broke its long silence: "Don't expect too much.”” Carl Sandberg ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns against unrealistic expectations, suggesting that one should temper hopes to avoid disappointment. **In simple terms:** Don’t expect too much to avoid disappointment. Key Takeaway Manage expectations. Themes expectations disappointment realism Mood cautious reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal goals - relationships - career planning Key Concepts psychology selfhelp Questions to Reflect On - What expectations are you setting? - How do you balance hope and realism? A Different Perspective Overly low expectations may limit ambition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointment/) [Long silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-silence/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Sphinx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sphinx/) ## Related quotes > [In life, don't expect anything from anyone. Because expectation, when not fulfilled, gives you pain. When you get something without expecting it, It's gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-life-don-t-expect-anything-from-anyone-because-expectation-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't expect too much and you wont be disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/don-t-expect-too-much-and-you-wont-be-disappointed/) Senoraroy > [After a long silence, Dodge cleared his throat. "I think I speak for all of us when I say, 'Huh?'" -Dodge(obviously)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-beddor/after-a-long-silence-dodge-cleared-his-throat-i-think-i-speak-for-all/) [Frank Beddor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-beddor/) > [It was one of those problematic occasions with long silences, sporadic coughs, and people saying isolated things like, "Well, isn't this nice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-was-one-of-those-problematic-occasions-with-long-silences-sporadic/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“In our gradually shrinking world, everyone is in need of all the others. We must look for man wherever we can find him. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgos-seferis/in-our-gradually-shrinking-world-everyone-is-in-need-of-all-the/) [Giorgos Seferis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgos-seferis/) > [Las Vegas has become a child's picture-book dream of a city -- here a storybook castle, there a sphinx-flanked black pyramid beaming white light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/las-vegas-has-become-a-child-s-picture-book-dream-of-a-city-here-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Creamy and leggy, with long azure hair and the eyes of a silent-movie star, she moved like a poem and smiled like a sphinx.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/creamy-and-leggy-with-long-azure-hair-and-the-eyes-of-a-silent-movie/) [Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/) > [But Shakespeare knows what the sphinx thinks, if anybody does. His genius is penetrative as cold midwinter entering every room, and making warmth shiver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-alfred-quayle/but-shakespeare-knows-what-the-sphinx-thinks-if-anybody-does-his/) [William Alfred Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alfred-quayle/) > [You are afraid of me, because I talk like a sphinx.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/you-are-afraid-of-me-because-i-talk-like-a-sphinx/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“What sphinx of cement and aluminium bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination? - Howl ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-ginsberg/what-sphinx-of-cement-and-aluminium-bashed-open-their-skulls-and-ate/) [Allen Ginsberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-ginsberg/) > [It's like the riddle of the Sphinx... why are there so many great unmarried women, and no great unmarried men?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jessica-parker/it-s-like-the-riddle-of-the-sphinx-why-are-there-so-many-great/) [Sarah Jessica Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jessica-parker/) > [Sometimes I think I am going mad. I live for days in the mystery and tears of things so that the commonest object, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-n-p-barbellion/sometimes-i-think-i-am-going-mad-i-live-for-days-in-the-mystery-and/) [W.N.P. Barbellion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-n-p-barbellion/) > [For I am I: ergo, the truth of myself; my own sphinx, conflict, chaos, vortex—asymmetric to all rhythms, oblique to all paths. I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-osman-spare/for-i-am-i-ergo-the-truth-of-myself-my-own-sphinx-conflict-chaos/) [Austin Osman Spare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-osman-spare/) > [I never saw a pyramid, but I've seen photographs; I know what a pyramid or a sphinx looks like. There are pictures that do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/i-never-saw-a-pyramid-but-i-ve-seen-photographs-i-know-what-a-pyramid/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [The population question is the real riddle of the sphinx, to which no political Oedipus has as yet found the answer. In view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/the-population-question-is-the-real-riddle-of-the-sphinx-to-which-no/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) ## More by Carl Sandberg > [“One of the great Confederate combat leaders, General John B. Gordon, had sat at his horse and spoken farewell to his men. Some he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandberg/one-of-the-great-confederate-combat-leaders-general-john-b-gordon-had/) Carl Sandberg > [“We can never possibly know what is about to happen: it is happening, each time, for the first time, for the only time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandberg/we-can-never-possibly-know-what-is-about-to-happen-it-is-happening/) Carl Sandberg Explore all 3 Carl Sandberg quotes ## More Disappointment quotes > [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [We're raising children who have little tolerance for disappointment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/we-re-raising-children-who-have-little-tolerance-for-disappointment/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [Disappointment contains an appointment for doing much better. High expectations mean your higher capacity and belief in abilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/disappointment-contains-an-appointment-for-doing-much-better-high/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [“My earthly body has been a terrible disappointment to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/my-earthly-body-has-been-a-terrible-disappointment-to-me/) [Frédéric Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [The compensations of calamity are made apparent to the understanding also, after long intervals of time. A fever, a mutilation, a cruel disappointment, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-compensations-of-calamity-are-made-apparent-to-the-understanding/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The fear of not being good enough, the fear of disappointing other people and the fear of failure can really hurt one's personality and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/the-fear-of-not-being-good-enough-the-fear-of-disappointing-other/) [Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/) > [In trying not to disappoint others; we disappoint ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-vermaak/in-trying-not-to-disappoint-others-we-disappoint-ourselves/) [Geraldine Vermaak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-vermaak/) > [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/) > [There are still many more days of failure ahead, whole seasons of failure, things will go terribly wrong, you will have huge disappointments ,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/there-are-still-many-more-days-of-failure-ahead-whole-seasons-of/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [In all disappointments sympathy is a great balm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/in-all-disappointments-sympathy-is-a-great-balm/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [It is sometimes said that because of our past we, as a people, expect too much and set our sights too high. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-thatcher/it-is-sometimes-said-that-because-of-our-past-we-as-a-people-expect/) [Margaret Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-thatcher/) > [I'm talking to anyone who has been dumped - have not gotten the job you really wanted or have received those horrible rejection letters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/i-m-talking-to-anyone-who-has-been-dumped-have-not-gotten-the-job-you/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [Think of your mind, your emotions, and your spirit as the ultimate garden. The way to ensure a bountiful, nourishing harvest is to plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/think-of-your-mind-your-emotions-and-your-spirit-as-the-ultimate/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [Stop blaming others, whatever happens to you is nobody's fault if you get hurt because of disappointment is not the end of your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/stop-blaming-others-whatever-happens-to-you-is-nobody-s-fault-if-you/) [Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/) > [When disappointments knock you down, get back up and go again because out of our greatest rejection comes our greatest direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-disappointments-knock-you-down-get-back-up-and-go-again-because/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 2,467 Disappointment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappointment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And the Sphinx broke its long silence: \"Don't expect too much.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carl Sandberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandberg/and-the-sphinx-broke-its-long-silence-don-t-expect-too-much/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Disappointment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandberg/and-the-sphinx-broke-its-long-silence-don-t-expect-too-much/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fea/carl-sandberg-80462_long-silence_and-the-sphinx-broke-its-long-silence-do_1663409.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fea/carl-sandberg-80462_long-silence_and-the-sphinx-broke-its-long-silence-do_1663409.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fea/carl-sandberg-80462_long-silence_and-the-sphinx-broke-its-long-silence-do_1663409.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And the Sphinx broke its long silence: \"Don't expect too much.” — Carl Sandberg", "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": "Carl Sandberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“And the Sphinx broke its long...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandberg/and-the-sphinx-broke-its-long-silence-don-t-expect-too-much/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandberg/and-the-sphinx-broke-its-long-silence-don-t-expect-too-much/#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 } } ] } ```