--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seemed like a long time and also it…" description: "\"“It seemed like a long time and also it seemed like my trip had just begun, like I was only now digging into whatever it was I was out here to do. Like..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a4/cheryl-strayed-605_jimmy-carter_it-seemed-like-a-long-time-and-also-it-s_1900534.png" --- # It seemed like a long time and also it seemed like my trip… ![“It seemed like a long time and also it seemed like my trip had just begun, like I was only now digging into whatever it was I was out here to do. Like I was still the woman with the hole in her heart, but the hole had gotten ever so infinitesimally smaller. I took a drag and blew the smoke from my…” quote by Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a4/cheryl-strayed-605_jimmy-carter_it-seemed-like-a-long-time-and-also-it-s_1900534.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a4/cheryl-strayed-605_jimmy-carter_it-seemed-like-a-long-time-and-also-it-s_1900534.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a4/cheryl-strayed-605_jimmy-carter_it-seemed-like-a-long-time-and-also-it-s_1900534.png) > ““It seemed like a long time and also it seemed like my trip had just begun, like I was only now digging into whatever it was I was out here to do. Like I was still the woman with the hole in her heart, but the hole had gotten ever so infinitesimally smaller. I took a drag and blew the smoke from my mouth, remembering how I’d felt more alone than anyone in the whole wide world that morning after Jimmy Carter drove away. Maybe I was more alone than anyone in the whole wide world. Maybe that was okay.O”” [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage reflects on a solitary journey, gradual healing, and acceptance of loneliness as part of personal growth. **In simple terms:** Loneliness can coexist with healing and self‑discovery. Key Takeaway Accept solitude as part of growth. Themes solitude healing self‑discovery Mood reflective melancholic Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - long trips - grief counseling - creative writing Key Concepts psychology personal narrative Questions to Reflect On - How do you find meaning in solitude? - When does loneliness become harmful? A Different Perspective Loneliness may hinder mental health if unaddressed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Carter Drove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carter-drove-2801942/) [Drove Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drove-away-262251/) [Jimmy carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jimmy-carter/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Remembering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembering/) [Remembering Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembering-felt-2801943/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“The people like me, finally, after years and years of agitation, made deeply moving and eloquent speeches against the wrongness of your domination over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamiaca-kincaid/the-people-like-me-finally-after-years-and-years-of-agitation-made/) [Jamiaca Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamiaca-kincaid/) > [“Simon still feels high, remembering how it felt to dance with those beautiful, sculpted men, how it felt to be adored. For a moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-benjamin/simon-still-feels-high-remembering-how-it-felt-to-dance-with-those/) [Chloe Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-benjamin/) > [Someday you'll see what you used to have living happy,and someday you'll figure out that you were the one who drove me away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonor/someday-you-ll-see-what-you-used-to-have-living-happy-and-someday-you/) [Leonor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonor/) > [“As his mother drove him away on the day he was let out, Stuart broke the cardinal prison rule: like Lot's wife, he looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-masters/as-his-mother-drove-him-away-on-the-day-he-was-let-out-stuart-broke/) [Alexander Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-masters/) > [There were days when you're tired or overtrained but that's when you have to be pushed if you want to go far. That's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casper-ruud/there-were-days-when-you-re-tired-or-overtrained-but-that-s-when-you/) [Casper Ruud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casper-ruud/) > [“I was out of control, manic, less myself than I’d ever been. Like Eve must have felt after the fall, I reflected as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/i-was-out-of-control-manic-less-myself-than-i-d-ever-been-like-eve/) [Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/) > [Can you tell the guys I'm sorry.. Yes ma'am sure can, would you like a escort? Yes. He stuck out his arm for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/can-you-tell-the-guys-i-m-sorry-yes-ma-am-sure-can-would-you-like-a/) [Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/) > [“And with that, my friend drove away and left me at the gates of hell, deceptively decorated to look like a Martha Stewart magazine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cardeno-c/and-with-that-my-friend-drove-away-and-left-me-at-the-gates-of-hell/) [Cardeno C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cardeno-c/) > [He also tried to block the doorway when she left him. My mother ducked under his arm, ran to her car, and drove away.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/he-also-tried-to-block-the-doorway-when-she-left-him-my-mother-ducked/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [I once stopped to pick up a girl, and then there was this creepy-looking guy standing behind the bushes waiting to jump out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-david/i-once-stopped-to-pick-up-a-girl-and-then-there-was-this-creepy/) [Larry David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-david/) > [“Claire, I’m sorry. I know now that I did everything wrong with you. By loving you so much, I turned into everything you’d ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-landon/claire-i-m-sorry-i-know-now-that-i-did-everything-wrong-with-you-by/) [Sydney Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-landon/) > [“You were this perfect, enchantingly beautiful girl that made the world brighter just by being in it, and you were ours. I can’t tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-k-lilley/you-were-this-perfect-enchantingly-beautiful-girl-that-made-the-world/) [R.K. Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-k-lilley/) > [One time, a fan jumped on the back of our vehicle, and without noticing, we drove away. I was pretty frightened, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronan-keating/one-time-a-fan-jumped-on-the-back-of-our-vehicle-and-without-noticing/) [Ronan Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronan-keating/) > [“The moment I drove away in September I felt like someone was following our car with an eraser, rubbing out my old life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-schutz/the-moment-i-drove-away-in-september-i-felt-like-someone-was/) [Samantha Schutz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-schutz/) > [“As he drove away, he recalled Jack’s last words to him. The dark, dusty well was just a hazy memory now, but he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-warren/as-he-drove-away-he-recalled-jack-s-last-words-to-him-the-dark-dusty/) [Andrew Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-warren/) ## More by Cheryl Strayed > [“She understands that attention is the first and final act of love, and that the ultimate dwindling resource in the human arrangement isn’t cheap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/she-understands-that-attention-is-the-first-and-final-act-of-love-and/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“The most terrible and beautiful and interesting things happen in life. For some of you, those things have already happened. Whatever happens to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-most-terrible-and-beautiful-and-interesting-things-happen-in-life/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Of course you want someone special to love you. A majority of the people who write to me inquire about how they can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/of-course-you-want-someone-special-to-love-you-a-majority-of-the/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [It's still true that literary works by women, gays, and writers of color are often framed as specific, rather than universal, small rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/it-s-still-true-that-literary-works-by-women-gays-and-writers-of/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [My whole life sort of ended when my mom died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/my-whole-life-sort-of-ended-when-my-mom-died/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“And you have to do it no matter what is true. No matter what is hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/and-you-have-to-do-it-no-matter-what-is-true-no-matter-what-is-hard/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“Don’t listen to those people who suggest you should be “over” your daughter’s death by now. The people who squawk the loudest about such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/don-t-listen-to-those-people-who-suggest-you-should-be-over-your/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“. . . there was the actual doing it, quickly followed by the grim realization of what it meant to do it, followed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/there-was-the-actual-doing-it-quickly-followed-by-the-grim/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“The sky didn't wonder where it was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-sky-didn-t-wonder-where-it-was/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [He was the most ordinary man in all the world, and yet in her memory he'd become luminous, like the prince in a fairy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/he-was-the-most-ordinary-man-in-all-the-world-and-yet-in-her-memory/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Love is our essential nutrient. Without it, life has little meaning. It's the best thing we have to give and the most valuable thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/love-is-our-essential-nutrient-without-it-life-has-little-meaning-it/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“I never believed the boys were angry. I believed they were hurt and anger was the safest manifestation of their sorrow. It was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/i-never-believed-the-boys-were-angry-i-believed-they-were-hurt-and/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“It’s wrong that this is required of you. It’s wrong that your son died. It will always be wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/it-s-wrong-that-this-is-required-of-you-it-s-wrong-that-your-son-died/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“Your ultimatum is simple. It’s fair. And it’s stating your own intentions, not what you hope theirs will be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/your-ultimatum-is-simple-it-s-fair-and-it-s-stating-your-own/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [“We aren't poor," my mother said, again and again. "Because we're rich in love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/we-aren-t-poor-my-mother-said-again-and-again-because-we-re-rich-in/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) [Explore all 450 Cheryl Strayed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) ## More Jimmy carter quotes > [No doubt the ridiculous politicians are right to like politics. They have found careers in which success can be achieved by being ridiculous. Imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/no-doubt-the-ridiculous-politicians-are-right-to-like-politics-they/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Look at what Jimmy Carter did. Look at the risks he took for a country that wasn't his. Israel has benefited unbelievably from that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/look-at-what-jimmy-carter-did-look-at-the-risks-he-took-for-a-country/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [I only remember a few things about Jimmy Carter. He had big lips and liked peanuts. I now know that Jimmy Carter was and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/i-only-remember-a-few-things-about-jimmy-carter-he-had-big-lips-and/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [I'm looking for a president that'll be like a Ronald Reagan to a Jimmy Carter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-giuliani/i-m-looking-for-a-president-that-ll-be-like-a-ronald-reagan-to-a/) [Rudy Giuliani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-giuliani/) > [It was not malaise we suffered from; it was Jimmy Carter - and Walter Mondale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/it-was-not-malaise-we-suffered-from-it-was-jimmy-carter-and-walter/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [Pundits are saying that President Obama is starting to lose support among his own party. To give you an idea of how bad it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/pundits-are-saying-that-president-obama-is-starting-to-lose-support/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [White House cultures inevitably reflect the president's character. Jimmy Carter is a thoroughly honest, good person. So was his White House.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-drayton/white-house-cultures-inevitably-reflect-the-president-s-character/) [Bill Drayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-drayton/) > [Jimmy Carter was unquestionably the most moral president of my lifetime, but he wasn't much of a president.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/jimmy-carter-was-unquestionably-the-most-moral-president-of-my/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [“Jimmy Carter said, “If you have a task to perform and are vitally interested in it, excited and challenged by it, then you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/jimmy-carter-said-if-you-have-a-task-to-perform-and-are-vitally/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [If you could have imagined that someone is happy that Obama is president, it has to be Jimmy Carter because he is no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-north/if-you-could-have-imagined-that-someone-is-happy-that-obama-is/) [Oliver North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-north/) > [“Carter had diagnosed a political regime in deep trouble, one that would have to alter radically the way it worked in order to meet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-skowronek/carter-had-diagnosed-a-political-regime-in-deep-trouble-one-that/) [Stephen Skowronek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-skowronek/) > [The Democrats loved Jimmy Carter, even though - and, by the way, take a look at some economic circumstances. In 1980, the economy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-democrats-loved-jimmy-carter-even-though-and-by-the-way-take-a/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [The day that the Soviets officially crossed the border of Afghanistan, I wrote to President Jimmy Carter: We now have the opportunity of giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zbigniew-brzezinski/the-day-that-the-soviets-officially-crossed-the-border-of-afghanistan/) [Zbigniew Brzezinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zbigniew-brzezinski/) > [I met Gerald Ford. I met Richard Nixon. I met Jimmy Carter. I met Dwight Eisenhower when he was a general. George Bush senior.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-rose/i-met-gerald-ford-i-met-richard-nixon-i-met-jimmy-carter-i-met-dwight/) [Pete Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-rose/) > [Without Jimmy Carter we might not have gotten Ronald Reagan, without Ronald Reagan there would probably still be a Soviet Union.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/without-jimmy-carter-we-might-not-have-gotten-ronald-reagan-without/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) [Browse all 97 Jimmy carter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jimmy-carter/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It seemed like a long time and also it seemed like my trip had just begun, like I was only now digging into whatever it was I was out here to do. Like I was still the woman with the hole in her heart, but the hole had gotten ever so infinitesimally smaller. 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