---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wanting to leave is enough."
description: "\"Wanting to leave is enough.\" — Cheryl Strayed"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/cheryl-strayed-605_enough_wanting-to-leave-is-enough-1872785_1872785.png"
---

#  Wanting to leave is enough.

![“Wanting to leave is enough.” quote by Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/cheryl-strayed-605_enough_wanting-to-leave-is-enough-1872785_1872785.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/cheryl-strayed-605_enough_wanting-to-leave-is-enough-1872785_1872785.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/cheryl-strayed-605_enough_wanting-to-leave-is-enough-1872785_1872785.png)

> “Wanting to leave is enough.”

[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.

Desire to leave a situation can be a powerful motivator, even before a plan forms.

**In simple terms:** Wanting to leave fuels change.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge the urge to move on.

Themes

personal growth motivation transition

Mood

hopeful determined

Type

self‑help inspirational

When to use this quote

- career change
- relationship ending
- relocation

Key Concepts

psychology of desire self‑determination

Questions to Reflect On

- What steps can turn desire into progress?
- How to handle fear of the unknown?

A Different Perspective

Desire alone may not yield action without resources.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [“You don’t need a reason to leave. Wanting to leave is enough. Leaving doesn’t mean you’re incapable of real love or that you’ll never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/you-don-t-need-a-reason-to-leave-wanting-to-leave-is-enough-leaving/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [If someones wanting to leave my life please go!!!! I'm not holding anyone back TRUST ME!!! ill be ok ill survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-someones-wanting-to-leave-my-life-please-go-i-m-not-holding-anyone/)

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

> [Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ed-pearce/home-is-a-place-you-grow-up-wanting-to-leave-and-grow-old-wanting-to/)

John Ed Pearce

> [You're not a terrible person for wanting to break up with someone you love. You dont need a reason to leave. Wanting to leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dear-sugar/you-re-not-a-terrible-person-for-wanting-to-break-up-with-someone-you/)

Dear Sugar

> [I just remembered when I was an adolescent girl wanting to leave my island and find my calling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-manuel-miranda/i-just-remembered-when-i-was-an-adolescent-girl-wanting-to-leave-my/)

[Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-manuel-miranda/)

> [Seriously, if people tune in and watch 'Falling Skies,' they will see a show that will excite them, move them, and will leave them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxim-knight/seriously-if-people-tune-in-and-watch-falling-skies-they-will-see-a/)

[Maxim Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxim-knight/)

> [I always tell Asian actors, especially Filipinos wanting to break into Hollywood, to study, study and study and show their best. I haven't stopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-lee/i-always-tell-asian-actors-especially-filipinos-wanting-to-break-into/)

[Reggie Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-lee/)

> [It wasn't like, 'I'ma lose weight and start doing dramas.' I wanted to be healthier, and that was the impetus for wanting to lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-hill/it-wasn-t-like-i-ma-lose-weight-and-start-doing-dramas-i-wanted-to-be/)

[Jonah Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-hill/)

> [Desire makes life happen. Makes it matter. Makes everything worth it. Desire is life. Hunger to see the next sunrise or sunset, to touch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/desire-makes-life-happen-makes-it-matter-makes-everything-worth-it/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [“All our misery comes from wanting at all costs to go on being Tom, Dick, or Harry, year in, year out. This body of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/all-our-misery-comes-from-wanting-at-all-costs-to-go-on-being-tom/)

[Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/)

> [“Isn’t everyone on the planet or at least everyone on the planet called me stuck between the two impulses of wanting to walk away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/isn-t-everyone-on-the-planet-or-at-least-everyone-on-the-planet/)

[Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/)

> [Everybody out there watches the show and has expectations of wanting to be an 'Idol', but we're going to teach them how much hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-bice/everybody-out-there-watches-the-show-and-has-expectations-of-wanting/)

[Bo Bice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-bice/)

> [My earliest memory was watching gymnastics on live TV and wanting to do what the 'big girls' did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-hernandez/my-earliest-memory-was-watching-gymnastics-on-live-tv-and-wanting-to/)

[Laurie Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-hernandez/)

> [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. As I got older, my family is really hardcore into academics. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-doubleday/growing-up-i-did-commercials-and-things-like-that-but-nothing-serious/)

[Portia Doubleday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-doubleday/)

> [Wanting someone you cant have, isnt that the way it always works?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wanting-someone-you-cant-have-isnt-that-the-way-it-always-works/)

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

## 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 Enough quotes

> [I guess at it's very core love is connection that just makes so much sense you wonder how you used to live before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-stone/i-guess-at-it-s-very-core-love-is-connection-that-just-makes-so-much/)

[Benjamin Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-stone/)

> [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/)

[Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/)

> [I feel very grateful to be alive and well enough to make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ant/i-feel-very-grateful-to-be-alive-and-well-enough-to-make-music/)

Adam Ant

> [I've been lucky enough to, for the most part, surround myself with a lot of people who are more talented than me and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-franco/i-ve-been-lucky-enough-to-for-the-most-part-surround-myself-with-a/)

[Dave Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-franco/)

> [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/)

Rena Kornreich Gelissen

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [Sometimes it's just enough for me to have the idea. I don't need to see it through to the end. When it actually happens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sedaris/sometimes-it-s-just-enough-for-me-to-have-the-idea-i-don-t-need-to/)

[Amy Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sedaris/)

> [The vast majority of organizations today have more than enough intelligence, experience and knowledge to be successful. What they lack is organizational health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/the-vast-majority-of-organizations-today-have-more-than-enough/)

[Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/)

> [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/)

[Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/)

> [I've been to Manchester enough to know it's a real place. It's not Factory Records and the Smiths bicycling around. I get it. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-murphy/i-ve-been-to-manchester-enough-to-know-it-s-a-real-place-it-s-not/)

[James Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-murphy/)

> [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/)

[Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/)

> [Sam dropped me off. When she was too far away to see me, I started to cry again. Because she was my friend again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/sam-dropped-me-off-when-she-was-too-far-away-to-see-me-i-started-to/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/)

[Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/)

> [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/)

[Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/)

> [New York is large, glamorous, easy-going, kindly and incurious, but above all it is a crucible - because it is large enough to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ford-madox-ford/new-york-is-large-glamorous-easy-going-kindly-and-incurious-but-above/)

[Ford Madox Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ford-madox-ford/)

Browse all 23,898 Enough quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Wanting to leave is enough.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Cheryl Strayed"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/wanting-to-leave-is-enough/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Enough"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/wanting-to-leave-is-enough/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/cheryl-strayed-605_enough_wanting-to-leave-is-enough-1872785_1872785.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/cheryl-strayed-605_enough_wanting-to-leave-is-enough-1872785_1872785.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/cheryl-strayed-605_enough_wanting-to-leave-is-enough-1872785_1872785.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Wanting to leave is enough.” — Cheryl Strayed",
                "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": "Cheryl Strayed",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Wanting to leave is enough.",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/wanting-to-leave-is-enough/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/wanting-to-leave-is-enough/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
