---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I never thought before, that there was a…"
description: "\"I never thought before, that there was a woman in the world who could affect me so much by saying so little. But don't be hard in your construction of ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/charles-dickens-34_carelessness_i-never-thought-before-that-there-was-a_629154.jpg"
---

#  I never thought before, that there was a woman in the…

![“I never thought before, that there was a woman in the world who could affect me so much by saying so little. But don't be hard in your construction of me. You don't know what my state of mind towards you is. You don't know how you haunt and bewilder me. You don't know how the cursed carelessness…” quote by Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/charles-dickens-34_carelessness_i-never-thought-before-that-there-was-a_629154.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/charles-dickens-34_carelessness_i-never-thought-before-that-there-was-a_629154.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/charles-dickens-34_carelessness_i-never-thought-before-that-there-was-a_629154.jpg)

> “I never thought before, that there was a woman in the world who could affect me so much by saying so little. But don't be hard in your construction of me. You don't know what my state of mind towards you is. You don't know how you haunt and bewilder me. You don't know how the cursed carelessness that is over-officious in helping me at every other turning of my life WON'T help me here. You have struck it dead, I think, and I sometimes wish you had struck me dead along with it.”

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

## 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 deeply affected by a woman's subtle influence, yet resists being defined or controlled by her, recognizing the complexity of their emotional entanglement.

**In simple terms:** A woman's quiet impact can be profound and confusing.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge feelings without letting them dictate identity.

Themes

love conflict identity power dynamics

Mood

melancholic introspective conflicted

Type

literary emotional

When to use this quote

- romantic relationships
- family dynamics
- personal growth
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

emotional dependence psychological complexity unrequited affection

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance emotional vulnerability with self‑preservation?
- What boundaries protect you from being overwhelmed?

A Different Perspective

The intensity may be overstated, masking practical realities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Affect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affect/) [Affect Saying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affect-saying-5075083/) [Carelessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carelessness/) [Construction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/construction/) [Cursed Carelessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cursed-carelessness-4992592/) [Help me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-me/) [Helping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Saying Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-little-258508/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [State of mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state-of-mind/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thought Woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-woman-603061/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [“You don't know how you haunt and bewilder me. You don't know how the cursed carelessness that is over-officious in helping me at every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dickens-charles/you-don-t-know-how-you-haunt-and-bewilder-me-you-don-t-know-how-the/)

[Dickens, Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dickens-charles/)

> [“Fine’s a funny word, don’t you think? I don’t think there’s another like it in the English language that says so much while actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/fine-s-a-funny-word-don-t-you-think-i-don-t-think-there-s-another/)

[Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/)

> [Eloquence is the art of saying as little as possible but making it sound as much as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/eloquence-is-the-art-of-saying-as-little-as-possible-but-making-it/)

[Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/)

> [If people have something to say about your life, thats saying little about their own. Keep your head up, stay strong, and move on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babloo/if-people-have-something-to-say-about-your-life-thats-saying-little/)

[Babloo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babloo/)

> [You can make it all right if you will only be satisfied to remain small," I told myself. I had to keep saying it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-anderson/you-can-make-it-all-right-if-you-will-only-be-satisfied-to-remain-2/)

[Sherwood Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-anderson/)

> [Where else can you go with respect to the work, lyrics, and message of the music? If you are past high school age, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-d/where-else-can-you-go-with-respect-to-the-work-lyrics-and-message-of/)

[Chuck D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-d/)

> [“Nowadays silence is looked on as odd and most of my race has forgotten the beauty of meaning much by saying little. Now tongues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/nowadays-silence-is-looked-on-as-odd-and-most-of-my-race-has/)

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

> [Henry James was our master of periphrasis -- the fine art of saying as little as possible in the greatest number of words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/henry-james-was-our-master-of-periphrasis-the-fine-art-of-saying-as/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [The great rule: If the little bit you have is nothing special in itself, at least find a way of saying it that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/the-great-rule-if-the-little-bit-you-have-is-nothing-special-in/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [Our first love-letter ... There is so much to be said, and which no words seems exactly to say - the dread of saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-elizabeth-landon/our-first-love-letter-there-is-so-much-to-be-said-and-which-no-words/)

[Letitia Elizabeth Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-elizabeth-landon/)

> [“I’m just saying that when there is little left to lose, the consequences of one’s actions don’t carry the same weight…painful or otherwise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-a-bartol/i-m-just-saying-that-when-there-is-little-left-to-lose-the/)

[Amy A. Bartol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-a-bartol/)

> [Keep the golden mean between saying too much and too little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/keep-the-golden-mean-between-saying-too-much-and-too-little/)

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

> [If the little bit you have is nothing special in itself, at least find a way of saying it that is a little bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/if-the-little-bit-you-have-is-nothing-special-in-itself-at-least-find/)

[Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/)

> [“Great book speak volumes while saying little.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-simmons/great-book-speak-volumes-while-saying-little/)

[Travis Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-simmons/)

> [People who become used to saying little become used to feeling little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/people-who-become-used-to-saying-little-become-used-to-feeling-little/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

## More by Charles Dickens

> [“All other swindlers upon earth are nothing to the self-swindlers, and with such pretences did I cheat myself. Surely a curious thing. That I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/all-other-swindlers-upon-earth-are-nothing-to-the-self-swindlers-and/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [... Arthur Gride, whose bleared eyes gloated only over the outward beauties, and were blind to the spirit which reigned within, evinced - a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/arthur-gride-whose-bleared-eyes-gloated-only-over-the-outward/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [There can be no disparity in marriage like unsuitability of mind and purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/there-can-be-no-disparity-in-marriage-like-unsuitability-of-mind-and/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [I have tried to resign myself, and to console myself; and that, I hope, I may have done imperfectly; but what I cannot firmly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-have-tried-to-resign-myself-and-to-console-myself-and-that-i-hope-i/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [A new heart for a New Year, always!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/a-new-heart-for-a-new-year-always/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“The suspense: the fearful, acute suspense: of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-suspense-the-fearful-acute-suspense-of-standing-idly-by-while-the/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“Mrs. Joe was a very clean housekeeper, but had an exquisite art of making her cleanliness more uncomfortable and unacceptable than dirt itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/mrs-joe-was-a-very-clean-housekeeper-but-had-an-exquisite-art-of/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [There seems a magic in the very name of Christmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/there-seems-a-magic-in-the-very-name-of-christmas/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“evening, they began to think that although he could never hope to be an Englishman, still it would be hard to visit that affliction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/evening-they-began-to-think-that-although-he-could-never-hope-to-be/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“Besides which, all that I could have said of the Story to any purpose, I had endeavoured to say in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/besides-which-all-that-i-could-have-said-of-the-story-to-any-purpose/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“The wheels rolled on, and rolled down by the Monument, and by the Tower; and by the Docks; down by Ratcliffe, and by Rotherhithe;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-wheels-rolled-on-and-rolled-down-by-the-monument-and-by-the-tower/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“The three customers pulled off their hats to Madame Defarge, with three flourishes. She acknowledged their homage by bending her head, and giving them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-three-customers-pulled-off-their-hats-to-madame-defarge-with/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“What a situation!' cried Miss Squeers; '...What is the reason that men fall in love with me, whether I like it or not, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/what-a-situation-cried-miss-squeers-what-is-the-reason-that-men-fall/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [I admire machinery as much is any man, and am as thankful to it as any man can be for what it does for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-admire-machinery-as-much-is-any-man-and-am-as-thankful-to-it-as-any/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“Mr. Pickwick was a philosopher, but philosophers are only men in armour, after all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/mr-pickwick-was-a-philosopher-but-philosophers-are-only-men-in-armour/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

[Explore all 2,309 Charles Dickens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

## More Affect quotes

> [That is the real problem of depression - a condition which will affect an estimated one in five of the population at some point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-andreae/that-is-the-real-problem-of-depression-a-condition-which-will-affect/)

[Giles Andreae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-andreae/)

> [Everything affects hip-hop. The question is, how does it affect the money that corporations are going to invest to put out different kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-i-am/everything-affects-hip-hop-the-question-is-how-does-it-affect-the/)

[will.i.am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-i-am/)

> [I almost always mess up. I fall too easily in love. I cry over boys. I'm not the prettiest girl you can find. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-almost-always-mess-up-i-fall-too-easily-in-love-i-cry-over-boys-i-m/)

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

> [Never let the opinion of another affect your opinion of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-mummert/never-let-the-opinion-of-another-affect-your-opinion-of-yourself/)

[Teresa Mummert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-mummert/)

> [Everyone has those times when you feel like you don't fit in. Everyone struggles to a certain extent with being cool and popular, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-boldman/everyone-has-those-times-when-you-feel-like-you-don-t-fit-in-everyone/)

[Spencer Boldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-boldman/)

> [When you're not working, it does affect you. It destroys you if your film doesn't release.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shoojit-sircar/when-you-re-not-working-it-does-affect-you-it-destroys-you-if-your/)

[Shoojit Sircar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shoojit-sircar/)

> [I want to say that our shows are safer-spaces shows. Don't push anyone or affect anyone's space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hopkins/i-want-to-say-that-our-shows-are-safer-spaces-shows-don-t-push-anyone/)

[Ben Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hopkins/)

> [Geometric shapes hold an energy pattern, and scientists did some experiments which say certain geometric shapes can affect matter around them. It's simply because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delonge/geometric-shapes-hold-an-energy-pattern-and-scientists-did-some/)

[Tom DeLonge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delonge/)

> [“I look up at the painting. It's not even that interesting. Definitely doesn't grab me and shake my brain around like the meadow scene…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-bachmann/i-look-up-at-the-painting-it-s-not-even-that-interesting-definitely/)

[Stefan Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-bachmann/)

> [We live our whole lives, and in our dying moment, we have to ask ourselves, 'What did we really care about? What impact did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/we-live-our-whole-lives-and-in-our-dying-moment-we-have-to-ask/)

[Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/)

> [It's sad to see that something you have done or the decisions that you have made affect your children in a negative way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-anderson/it-s-sad-to-see-that-something-you-have-done-or-the-decisions-that/)

[Pamela Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-anderson/)

> [Sometimes, you feel like, 'Am I going to be upset about this as a black person or as a woman first? Or am I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-williams/sometimes-you-feel-like-am-i-going-to-be-upset-about-this-as-a-black/)

[Jessica Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-williams/)

> [Even the good things don't go to my head and I don't let the bad things affect me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcelo/even-the-good-things-don-t-go-to-my-head-and-i-don-t-let-the-bad/)

[Marcelo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcelo/)

> [My job as a physician is to make sure I have provided my patients with the best options to make the decisions that affect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ami-bera/my-job-as-a-physician-is-to-make-sure-i-have-provided-my-patients/)

[Ami Bera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ami-bera/)

> [Every day, all of us at Gannett are given the rare and sacred opportunity to affect change for the good in the communities we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracia-martore/every-day-all-of-us-at-gannett-are-given-the-rare-and-sacred/)

[Gracia Martore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracia-martore/)

[Browse all 447 Affect quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affect/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I never thought before, that there was a woman in the world who could affect me so much by saying so little. But don't be hard in your construction of me. You don't know what my state of mind towards you is. You don't know how you haunt and bewilder me. You don't know how the cursed carelessness that is over-officious in helping me at every other turning of my life WON'T help me here. You have struck it dead, I think, and I sometimes wish you had struck me dead along with it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Dickens"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-never-thought-before-that-there-was-a-woman-in-the-world-who-could/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Affect"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-never-thought-before-that-there-was-a-woman-in-the-world-who-could/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/charles-dickens-34_carelessness_i-never-thought-before-that-there-was-a_629154.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/charles-dickens-34_carelessness_i-never-thought-before-that-there-was-a_629154.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/360/charles-dickens-34_carelessness_i-never-thought-before-that-there-was-a_629154.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I never thought before, that there was a woman in the world who could affect me so much by saying so little…” — Charles Dickens",
                "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": "Charles Dickens",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I never thought before, that there...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-never-thought-before-that-there-was-a-woman-in-the-world-who-could/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/i-never-thought-before-that-there-was-a-woman-in-the-world-who-could/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
