--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Clary, Despite everything, I can't bear…" description: "\"“Clary, Despite everything, I can't bear the thought of this ring being lost forever, any more then I can bear the thought of leaving you forever. And ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f95/cassandra-clare-9_black-and-white_clary-despite-everything-i-can-t-bear-th_52238.jpg" --- # Clary, Despite everything, I can't bear the thought of… ![“Clary, Despite everything, I can't bear the thought of this ring being lost forever, any more then I can bear the thought of leaving you forever. And though I have no choice about the one, at least I can choose about the other. I'm leaving you our family ring because you have as much right to it…” quote by Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f95/cassandra-clare-9_black-and-white_clary-despite-everything-i-can-t-bear-th_52238.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f95/cassandra-clare-9_black-and-white_clary-despite-everything-i-can-t-bear-th_52238.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f95/cassandra-clare-9_black-and-white_clary-despite-everything-i-can-t-bear-th_52238.jpg) > ““Clary, Despite everything, I can't bear the thought of this ring being lost forever, any more then I can bear the thought of leaving you forever. And though I have no choice about the one, at least I can choose about the other. I'm leaving you our family ring because you have as much right to it as I do. I'm writing this watching the sun come up. You're asleep, dreams moving behind your restless eyelids. I wish I knew what you were thinking. I wish I could slip into your head and see the world the way you do. I wish I could see myself the way you do. But maybe I dont want to see that. Maybe it would make me feel even more than I already do that I'm perpetuating some kind of Great Lie on you, and I couldn't stand that. I belong to you. You could do anything you wanted with me and I would let you. You could ask anything of me and I'd break myself trying to make you happy. My heart tells me this is the best and greatest feeling I have ever had. But my mind knows the difference between wanting what you can't have and wanting what you shouldn't want. And I shouldn't want you. All night I've watched you sleeping, watched the moonlight come and go, casting its shadows across your face in black and white. I've never seen anything more beautiful. I think of the life we could have had if things were different, a life where this night is not a singular event, separate from everything else that's real, but every night. But things aren't different, and I can't look at you without feeling like I've tricked you into loving me. The truth no one is willing to say out loud is that no one has a shot against Valentine but me. I can get close to him like no one else can. I can pretend I want to join him and he'll believe me, up until that last moment where I end it all, one way or another. I have something of Sebastian's; I can track him to where my father's hiding, and that's what I'm going to do. So I lied to you last night. I said I just wanted one night with you. But I want every night with you. And that's why I have to slip out of your window now, like a coward. Because if I had to tell you this to your face, I couldn't make myself go. I don't blame you if you hate me, I wish you would. As long as I can still dream, I will dream of you. \_Jace”” [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A confession of obsessive love and betrayal, where the speaker wrestles with the desire to possess a loved one while planning to manipulate and ultimately destroy a rival. **In simple terms:** Obsessive devotion and deceit Key Takeaway Love can become a weapon Themes obsession betrayal identity power sacrifice Mood melancholy intense conflicted Type monologue confessional dramatic When to use this quote - confessing to a lover - plotting against a rival - reflecting on a cherished heirloom Key Concepts unrequited love self‑destruction dual identity Practical Applications - psychological thriller plot twist - character study in a novel Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to love someone at the cost of another? - How does obsession distort self‑perception? 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And though I have no choice about the one, at least I can choose about the other. I'm leaving you our family ring because you have as much right to it as I do. I'm writing this watching the sun come up. You're asleep, dreams moving behind your restless eyelids. I wish I knew what you were thinking. I wish I could slip into your head and see the world the way you do. I wish I could see myself the way you do. But maybe I dont want to see that. Maybe it would make me feel even more than I already do that I'm perpetuating some kind of Great Lie on you, and I couldn't stand that. I belong to you. You could do anything you wanted with me and I would let you. You could ask anything of me and I'd break myself trying to make you happy. My heart tells me this is the best and greatest feeling I have ever had. But my mind knows the difference between wanting what you can't have and wanting what you shouldn't want. And I shouldn't want you. All night I've watched you sleeping, watched the moonlight come and go, casting its shadows across your face in black and white. I've never seen anything more beautiful. I think of the life we could have had if things were different, a life where this night is not a singular event, separate from everything else that's real, but every night. But things aren't different, and I can't look at you without feeling like I've tricked you into loving me. The truth no one is willing to say out loud is that no one has a shot against Valentine but me. I can get close to him like no one else can. I can pretend I want to join him and he'll believe me, up until that last moment where I end it all, one way or another. I have something of Sebastian's; I can track him to where my father's hiding, and that's what I'm going to do. So I lied to you last night. I said I just wanted one night with you. But I want every night with you. And that's why I have to slip out of your window now, like a coward. Because if I had to tell you this to your face, I couldn't make myself go. I don't blame you if you hate me, I wish you would. As long as I can still dream, I will dream of you. _Jace”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cassandra Clare" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clary-despite-everything-i-can-t-bear-the-thought-of-this-ring-being/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black and white" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clary-despite-everything-i-can-t-bear-the-thought-of-this-ring-being/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f95/cassandra-clare-9_black-and-white_clary-despite-everything-i-can-t-bear-th_52238.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f95/cassandra-clare-9_black-and-white_clary-despite-everything-i-can-t-bear-th_52238.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f95/cassandra-clare-9_black-and-white_clary-despite-everything-i-can-t-bear-th_52238.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Clary, Despite everything, I can't bear the thought of this ring being lost forever, any more then I can…” — Cassandra Clare", "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": "Cassandra Clare", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Clary, Despite everything, I can't bear...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clary-despite-everything-i-can-t-bear-the-thought-of-this-ring-being/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clary-despite-everything-i-can-t-bear-the-thought-of-this-ring-being/#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 } } ] } ```