--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life had this unmoored quality, full of…" description: "\"“Life had this unmoored quality, full of voids and barely acknowledged yearnings, and if I'd made a list of things I wanted desperately at the time, it..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91e/caroline-knapp-7652_ambivalence_life-had-this-unmoored-quality-full-of-v_437206.jpg" --- # Life had this unmoored quality, full of voids and barely… ![“Life had this unmoored quality, full of voids and barely acknowledged yearnings, and if I'd made a list of things I wanted desperately at the time, it would have included the most elusive items. Love with ambivalence. Family members who won't leave. Intimacy that's not scary, that doesn't require…” quote by Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91e/caroline-knapp-7652_ambivalence_life-had-this-unmoored-quality-full-of-v_437206.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91e/caroline-knapp-7652_ambivalence_life-had-this-unmoored-quality-full-of-v_437206.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91e/caroline-knapp-7652_ambivalence_life-had-this-unmoored-quality-full-of-v_437206.jpg) > ““Life had this unmoored quality, full of voids and barely acknowledged yearnings, and if I'd made a list of things I wanted desperately at the time, it would have included the most elusive items. Love with ambivalence. Family members who won't leave. Intimacy that's not scary, that doesn't require a lot of anesthesia.”” [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life feels aimless, yearning for love, family, safe intimacy. **In simple terms:** Yearning for connection amid emptiness. Key Takeaway Seek authentic relationships. Themes loneliness yearning family Mood melancholic hopeful Type reflective emotional When to use this quote - therapy - friendship - dating - family gatherings Key Concepts existential search emotional health Questions to Reflect On - What relationships feel safe? - How can vulnerability be nurtured? A Different Perspective Desire for safety can limit growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambivalence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambivalence/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Family members](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-members/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Yearnings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yearnings/) ## Related quotes > [Something is missing: that's as close as I can come to naming the sensation, an awareness of missed or thwarted connections, or of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/something-is-missing-that-s-as-close-as-i-can-come-to-naming-the/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [The reveries of youth, in which so much energy is wasted, are the yearnings of a Spirit made for what it has not found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/the-reveries-of-youth-in-which-so-much-energy-is-wasted-are-the/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [Were all yearning for a wedge of sky, aren't we? I suspect God plants these yearnings in us so we'll at least try and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/were-all-yearning-for-a-wedge-of-sky-aren-t-we-i-suspect-god-plants/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A person's needs are met, and his appetite subsides. A person's wants are met, and his thirst swells greedily without end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/a-person-s-needs-are-met-and-his-appetite-subsides-a-person-s-wants/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [Ere yet we yearn for what is out of our reach, we are still in the cradle. When wearied out with our yearnings, desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/ere-yet-we-yearn-for-what-is-out-of-our-reach-we-are-still-in-the/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [“Lust of life digs out hidden qualities and subdued yearnings from the silence of our inner self. If we give way to the desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/lust-of-life-digs-out-hidden-qualities-and-subdued-yearnings-from-the/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [Even though the search for meaning is debunked today, the cries of the human heart can be smothered for only so long. In these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/even-though-the-search-for-meaning-is-debunked-today-the-cries-of-the/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Oh fair, oh sweet and holy as dew at morning tide, I gaze on thee, and yearnings, sad in my bosom hide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/oh-fair-oh-sweet-and-holy-as-dew-at-morning-tide-i-gaze-on-thee-and/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [“Each in His Own Tongue A fire mist and a planet, A crystal and a cell, A jellyfish and a saurian, And caves where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-herbert-carruth/each-in-his-own-tongue-a-fire-mist-and-a-planet-a-crystal-and-a-cell/) William Herbert Carruth > [But never again use another person's body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilling yearnings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/but-never-again-use-another-person-s-body-or-emotions-as-a-scratching/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“He decides he wants both more and less. He’d like to hang out with Beyonce in a nice way, get to know her by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/he-decides-he-wants-both-more-and-less-he-d-like-to-hang-out-with/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [“Sense yearnings sap your inner peace; they are like openings in a reservoir that permit vital waters to be wasted in the desert soil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/sense-yearnings-sap-your-inner-peace-they-are-like-openings-in-a/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Your secret yearnings and tearful pleadings will touch the heart of both the Father and the Son.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boyd-k-packer/your-secret-yearnings-and-tearful-pleadings-will-touch-the-heart-of/) [Boyd K. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boyd-k-packer/) > [“It was a something found that had long been sought for by a thousand restless yearnings and vague desires, less of the heart than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton/it-was-a-something-found-that-had-long-been-sought-for-by-a-thousand/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton/) > [“God fills us with all sorts of yearnings that go against the grain of the world—but the fact those yearnings often come to nothing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/god-fills-us-with-all-sorts-of-yearnings-that-go-against-the-grain-of/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) ## More by Caroline Knapp > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [The kinds of roles dogs fill can be hard to come by in human relationships. We touch the dog or the pet at whim.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/the-kinds-of-roles-dogs-fill-can-be-hard-to-come-by-in-human/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [It happened this way: I fell in love and then, because the love was ruining everything I cared about, I had to fall out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/it-happened-this-way-i-fell-in-love-and-then-because-the-love-was/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Was he smart enough? Introspective enough? Was it just enough to love him, or should I attach myself to someone who seemed farther ahead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/was-he-smart-enough-introspective-enough-was-it-just-enough-to-love/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Who has the best features? This was a little game, conducted several times and always with the same results, in seventh grade, the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/who-has-the-best-features-this-was-a-little-game-conducted-several/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [The hard things in life, the things you really learn from, happen with a clear mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/the-hard-things-in-life-the-things-you-really-learn-from-happen-with/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [When you're starving or wrapped up in a cycle of binge-ing-and-purging, or sexually obsessed with (someone), it is very hard to think about anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/when-you-re-starving-or-wrapped-up-in-a-cycle-of-binge-ing-and/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Dogs are fantasies that don't disappoint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/dogs-are-fantasies-that-don-t-disappoint/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [The clothes are different: pre-dog, I used to be very finicky and self-conscious about how I looked; now I schlep around in the worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/the-clothes-are-different-pre-dog-i-used-to-be-very-finicky-and-self/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [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/) > [Anorexia is a response to cultural images of the female body - waiflike, angular - that both capitulates to the ideal and also mocks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/anorexia-is-a-response-to-cultural-images-of-the-female-body-waiflike/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [By definition, memoir demands a certain degree of introspection and self-disclosure: In order to fully engage a reader, the narrator has to make herself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/by-definition-memoir-demands-a-certain-degree-of-introspection-and/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Academic achievement was something I'd always sought as a form of reward. Good grades pleased my parents, good grades pleased my teachers; you got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/academic-achievement-was-something-i-d-always-sought-as-a-form-of/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [These are big trade-offs for a simple piece of cake - add five hundred calories, subtract well-being, allure, and self-esteem - and the feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/these-are-big-trade-offs-for-a-simple-piece-of-cake-add-five-hundred/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Surely, it's one of terrorism's intended effects, to literally stun our morale, to blow up strength and will along with buildings, and the reaction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/surely-it-s-one-of-terrorism-s-intended-effects-to-literally-stun-our/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) [Explore all 89 Caroline Knapp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) ## More Ambivalence quotes > [The less obvious hurdle is that of preparing parents emotionally and putting forward realistic images of parenthood and motherhood. There also needs to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/the-less-obvious-hurdle-is-that-of-preparing-parents-emotionally-and/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [“In starlit nights I saw you, So cruelly you kissed me. Your lips a magic world, Your sky all hung with jewels. The killing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/echo-and-the-bunnymen/in-starlit-nights-i-saw-you-so-cruelly-you-kissed-me-your-lips-a/) Echo and the Bunnymen > [The base of artistic pursuit is ambivalence and complexity. And that's what I try to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-perez/the-base-of-artistic-pursuit-is-ambivalence-and-complexity-and-that-s/) [Fernando Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-perez/) > [We British play an important role in Europe, even if we have a traditional and historical ambivalence towards the continent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-barber/we-british-play-an-important-role-in-europe-even-if-we-have-a/) [Lionel Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-barber/) > [“Raising a child is the very definition of ambivalence. I am overwhelmed at times by how something can simultaneously be so awful and so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/raising-a-child-is-the-very-definition-of-ambivalence-i-am/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [We don't do ambivalence well in America. We do courage of our convictions. We do might makes right. Ambivalence is French. Certainty is American.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/we-don-t-do-ambivalence-well-in-america-we-do-courage-of-our/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [“The problem is that when you’re not fighting for survival, it’s easy to stop making decisions and fall into the trap of thinking you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-ryder-howe/the-problem-is-that-when-you-re-not-fighting-for-survival-it-s-easy/) Ben Ryder Howe > ['The Simpsons' is about alienation and the ambivalence of living with a family who you love but who drive you completely crazy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/the-simpsons-is-about-alienation-and-the-ambivalence-of-living-with-a/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [I think we have deluded ourselves into believing that people don't know that abortion is killing. So any pretense that abortion is not killing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faye-wattleton/i-think-we-have-deluded-ourselves-into-believing-that-people-don-t/) [Faye Wattleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faye-wattleton/) > [Prudence is not hesitation, procrastination, or moderation. It is not driving in the middle of the road. It is not the way of ambivalence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/prudence-is-not-hesitation-procrastination-or-moderation-it-is-not/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [From the beginning, there have been some religious leaders who greeted the funding of faith-based social services by government with ambivalence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-campolo/from-the-beginning-there-have-been-some-religious-leaders-who-greeted/) [Tony Campolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-campolo/) > [Real love, the kind you have with a person, must go through ambivalence.There is simply no way around it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumar-anupam/real-love-the-kind-you-have-with-a-person-must-go-through-ambivalence/) [Kumar Anupam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumar-anupam/) > [My children cause me the most exquisite suffering of which I have any experience. It is the suffering of ambivalence: the murderous alternation between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/my-children-cause-me-the-most-exquisite-suffering-of-which-i-have-any/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [Horizontality is a desire to give up, to sleep. Verticality is an attempt to escape. Hanging and floating are states of ambivalence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-bourgeois/horizontality-is-a-desire-to-give-up-to-sleep-verticality-is-an/) [Louise Bourgeois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-bourgeois/) > [I have no ambivalence about myself wearing make-up or designer clothes but I have an enormous ambivalence about what the fashion world has done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-goldin/i-have-no-ambivalence-about-myself-wearing-make-up-or-designer/) [Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-goldin/) [Browse all 121 Ambivalence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambivalence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Life had this unmoored quality, full of voids and barely acknowledged yearnings, and if I'd made a list of things I wanted desperately at the time, it would have included the most elusive items. Love with ambivalence. Family members who won't leave. 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