---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the end, I'd loved him enough to let…"
description: "\"In the end, I'd loved him enough to let go. From afar, I would love him forever.\" — Cynthia Leitich Smith"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/cynthia-leitich-smith-24593_afar_in-the-end-i-d-loved-him-enough-to-let-g_1511021.png"
---

#  In the end, I'd loved him enough to let go. From afar, I…

![“In the end, I'd loved him enough to let go. From afar, I would love him forever.” quote by Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/cynthia-leitich-smith-24593_afar_in-the-end-i-d-loved-him-enough-to-let-g_1511021.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/cynthia-leitich-smith-24593_afar_in-the-end-i-d-loved-him-enough-to-let-g_1511021.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/cynthia-leitich-smith-24593_afar_in-the-end-i-d-loved-him-enough-to-let-g_1511021.png)

> “In the end, I'd loved him enough to let go. From afar, I would love him forever.”

[Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Love can persist even when distance forces separation, turning affection into a quiet, enduring presence.

**In simple terms:** Love endures from afar.

Key Takeaway

Cherish love, release attachment.

Themes

love separation endurance

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

poetic emotional

When to use this quote

- long-distance relationships
- unrequited love
- grief counseling

Key Concepts

attachment longing acceptance

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you honor love without possession?
- Can distance deepen affection?

A Different Perspective

Love may become painful if unreciprocated.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Letting go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-go/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-forever/)

## Related quotes

> [I should talk to him. I know I should talk to him. But I do not talk to him. I watch him from afar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levithan-david/i-should-talk-to-him-i-know-i-should-talk-to-him-but-i-do-not-talk-to-2/)

Levithan David

> [I should talk to him I know I should talk to him. But I do not talk to him. I watch after him from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-should-talk-to-him-i-know-i-should-talk-to-him-but-i-do-not-talk-to/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“What mattered was that at the end, someone who loved her sat by her, saying, I see you. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/what-mattered-was-that-at-the-end-someone-who-loved-her-sat-by-her/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-that-truly-matters-in-the-end-is-that-you-loved/)

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

> [Sometimes the best way to figure out who you are; is to get to a place where you don't have to be anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k/sometimes-the-best-way-to-figure-out-who-you-are-is-to-get-to-a-place/)

K

> [“Serene last evening, short as life, end of all that was loved, I want to be eternal!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-ramon-jimenez/serene-last-evening-short-as-life-end-of-all-that-was-loved-i-want-to/)

[Juan Ramón Jiménez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-ramon-jimenez/)

> [“But really there was no hurry. It is time to love, he had said downstairs. And time was not always just one second long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/but-really-there-was-no-hurry-it-is-time-to-love-he-had-said/)

[Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/)

> [“Everything and everyone we treasured in this world comes to an end. I loved the world not for itself but for the marvelous gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/everything-and-everyone-we-treasured-in-this-world-comes-to-an-end-i/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [He hadn't loved me well in the end, but he'd loved me well when it mattered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/he-hadn-t-loved-me-well-in-the-end-but-he-d-loved-me-well-when-it/)

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

> [“What does any of it matter in the end but who we loved and how we loved them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-kring/what-does-any-of-it-matter-in-the-end-but-who-we-loved-and-how-we/)

[Sandra Kring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-kring/)

> [I fought to have you. I fought to hold but to find out in the end you never loved me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-castillo/i-fought-to-have-you-i-fought-to-hold-but-to-find-out-in-the-end-you/)

Christopher Castillo

> [“Years later she finally realized what he’d been doing by making her wait so long. He’d given her a reason to leave him. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-reisz/years-later-she-finally-realized-what-he-d-been-doing-by-making-her/)

[Tiffany Reisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-reisz/)

> [She'd loved him as much as he'd let her. More than he'd let her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/she-d-loved-him-as-much-as-he-d-let-her-more-than-he-d-let-her/)

[Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/)

> [“Let those love now who've never loved; let those who've loved, love yet again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/let-those-love-now-who-ve-never-loved-let-those-who-ve-loved-love-yet/)

[John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/)

> [If you've loved something LET IT GO... If it comes back to you ITS YOURS… If it doesnt come back it was NEVER meant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juskeepit-real/if-you-ve-loved-something-let-it-go-if-it-comes-back-to-you-its-yours/)

JusKeepIT\_REAL

## More by Cynthia Leitich Smith

> [Beginning authors often get in their own way … They forget that they’ve been telling stories since they could talk. … The important thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/beginning-authors-often-get-in-their-own-way-they-forget-that-they-ve/)

[Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/)

> [“Turned out there was some big, bad Wolf in my good boy after all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/turned-out-there-was-some-big-bad-wolf-in-my-good-boy-after-all/)

[Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/)

> [“Straightening, I asked, "What do you believe in?" "Old love songs, best friends, the collected works of J.R.R.Tolkien, crispy pork egg rolls with just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/straightening-i-asked-what-do-you-believe-in-old-love-songs-best/)

[Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/)

> [Bridget adds, "Did Anyone bring a weapon?" "Confiscated," Zach admits for both of us. Vesper holds up her metal fingernail file. "They didn't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/bridget-adds-did-anyone-bring-a-weapon-confiscated-zach-admits-for/)

[Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/)

> [“You ate the police?! I exclaimed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/you-ate-the-police-i-exclaimed/)

[Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/)

> [That's when it happens. Maybe it was my argument. Maybe it was my scary zeal. Whatever the reason, as soon as Megan whistles, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/that-s-when-it-happens-maybe-it-was-my-argument-maybe-it-was-my-scary/)

[Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/)

> [Vampires don't live at all," she points out, "neither do we." She has me there. "Fine, I'll go. But when Kurt leads his minions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/vampires-don-t-live-at-all-she-points-out-neither-do-we-she-has-me/)

[Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/)

> [Besides, humans aren't prey. They are our natural enemies. They are to be avoided.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/besides-humans-aren-t-prey-they-are-our-natural-enemies-they-are-to/)

[Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/)

> [I may be heaven-sent, but I'm not perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/i-may-be-heaven-sent-but-i-m-not-perfect/)

[Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/)

> [“I like it,” I said. “The material’s so heavy, though. I may turn into a sweat monster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/i-like-it-i-said-the-material-s-so-heavy-though-i-may-turn-into-a/)

[Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/)

> [It was funny, though, the things you didn't learn about people until after they died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/it-was-funny-though-the-things-you-didn-t-learn-about-people-until/)

[Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/)

> [“She seems to think being cryptic is some kind of substitute for having a decent personality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/she-seems-to-think-being-cryptic-is-some-kind-of-substitute-for/)

[Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/)

> [“It's not about you, it's about the story. It's not about the folks who raise an eyebrow because you're not yet published or not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/it-s-not-about-you-it-s-about-the-story-it-s-not-about-the-folks-who/)

[Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/)

> [Love isn’t only passion and joy. It’s also sacrifice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/love-isn-t-only-passion-and-joy-it-s-also-sacrifice/)

[Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/)

> [“Ginny looks so small, huddled on the red carpet. We’ve known each other only a couple of days, but she’s brought sunshine into my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/ginny-looks-so-small-huddled-on-the-red-carpet-we-ve-known-each-other/)

[Cynthia Leitich Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/)

[Explore all 24 Cynthia Leitich Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/)

## More Afar quotes

> [The Son of God goes forth to war,A kingly crown to gain;His blood red banner streams afar:Who follows in His train?Who best can drink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reginald-heber/the-son-of-god-goes-forth-to-war-a-kingly-crown-to-gain-his-blood-red/)

[Reginald Heber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reginald-heber/)

> [“Can I like you from afar?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-bernardino/can-i-like-you-from-afar/)

[Bianca Bernardino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-bernardino/)

> [Religion exalts mystery as an unknowable secret that must be sealed in glass like the corpse of an enchanted princess and fearfully worshipped from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lon-milo-duquette/religion-exalts-mystery-as-an-unknowable-secret-that-must-be-sealed/)

[Lon Milo DuQuette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lon-milo-duquette/)

> [Ah, my brother, it is a far harder thing, and it is afar higher proof of a thorough-going, persistent, Christian principle woven into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/ah-my-brother-it-is-a-far-harder-thing-and-it-is-afar-higher-proof-of/)

[Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/)

> [Blessed is the servant who loves his brother as much when he is sick and useless as when he is well and an be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/blessed-is-the-servant-who-loves-his-brother-as-much-when-he-is-sick/)

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

> [Last but not least my family. My brother Tony, I love you. Thank you for beating me up when I was a kid. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-durant/last-but-not-least-my-family-my-brother-tony-i-love-you-thank-you-for/)

[Kevin Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-durant/)

> [I wasn't a 'Battlestar' fan, but I had a lot of respect for the show. I had a lot of friends who worked on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-roiz/i-wasn-t-a-battlestar-fan-but-i-had-a-lot-of-respect-for-the-show-i/)

[Sasha Roiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-roiz/)

> [Kindle the taper like the steadfast star Ablaze on evening's forehead o'er the earth, And add each night a lustre till afar An eightfold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-lazarus/kindle-the-taper-like-the-steadfast-star-ablaze-on-evening-s-forehead/)

[Emma Lazarus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-lazarus/)

> [Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting; The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star, Hath had elsewhere its setting, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/our-birth-is-but-a-sleep-and-a-forgetting-the-soul-that-rises-with-us-2/)

[William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/)

> [There is so much more to the things that we think we know from afar. The close you get the more complex it is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-meiselas/there-is-so-much-more-to-the-things-that-we-think-we-know-from-afar/)

[Susan Meiselas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-meiselas/)

> [There is good government when those who are near are made happy, and when those who are afar are attracted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/there-is-good-government-when-those-who-are-near-are-made-happy-and/)

[Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/)

> [I like Stella McCartney, Chloe, Alexander McQueen, Aaron Featherstone, normal Chanel if I can ever afford it, I'd be wearing that all the time!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany-snow/i-like-stella-mccartney-chloe-alexander-mcqueen-aaron-featherstone/)

[Brittany Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany-snow/)

> [The New England Patriots have always been a special organization and I've always watched from afar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-moss/the-new-england-patriots-have-always-been-a-special-organization-and/)

[Randy Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-moss/)

> [Time past, present, and to come, as also depth and height, near and afar off, are all one in God, one comprehensibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jakob-bohme/time-past-present-and-to-come-as-also-depth-and-height-near-and-afar/)

[Jakob Bohme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jakob-bohme/)

> [In the glory which overhangs Palestine afar off, we imagine emotions which never come, when we tread the soil and walk over the hallowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-taylor/in-the-glory-which-overhangs-palestine-afar-off-we-imagine-emotions/)

[Bayard Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-taylor/)

Browse all 212 Afar quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "In the end, I'd loved him enough to let go. From afar, I would love him forever.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Cynthia Leitich Smith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/in-the-end-i-d-loved-him-enough-to-let-go-from-afar-i-would-love-him/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Afar"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/in-the-end-i-d-loved-him-enough-to-let-go-from-afar-i-would-love-him/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/cynthia-leitich-smith-24593_afar_in-the-end-i-d-loved-him-enough-to-let-g_1511021.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/cynthia-leitich-smith-24593_afar_in-the-end-i-d-loved-him-enough-to-let-g_1511021.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b88/cynthia-leitich-smith-24593_afar_in-the-end-i-d-loved-him-enough-to-let-g_1511021.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“In the end, I'd loved him enough to let go. From afar, I would love him forever.” — Cynthia Leitich Smith",
                "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": "Cynthia Leitich Smith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-leitich-smith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "In the end, I'd loved him...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/in-the-end-i-d-loved-him-enough-to-let-go-from-afar-i-would-love-him/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-leitich-smith/in-the-end-i-d-loved-him-enough-to-let-go-from-afar-i-would-love-him/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
