---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's a great feeling of relief when…"
description: "\"There's a great feeling of relief when finishing a good book, but also a sadness. You get to know the characters so well, you hate to say goodbye. -D.\"..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/d-michael-hardy-36071_books_there-s-a-great-feeling-of-relief-when-f_2892110.jpg"
---

#  There's a great feeling of relief when finishing a good…

![“There's a great feeling of relief when finishing a good book, but also a sadness. You get to know the characters so well, you hate to say goodbye. -D.” quote by D Michael Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/d-michael-hardy-36071_books_there-s-a-great-feeling-of-relief-when-f_2892110.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/d-michael-hardy-36071_books_there-s-a-great-feeling-of-relief-when-f_2892110.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/d-michael-hardy-36071_books_there-s-a-great-feeling-of-relief-when-f_2892110.jpg)

> “There's a great feeling of relief when finishing a good book, but also a sadness. You get to know the characters so well, you hate to say goodbye. -D.”

[D Michael Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-michael-hardy/)

## About This Quote

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

Finishing a book brings relief and sadness because you lose the connection with beloved characters.

**In simple terms:** Good books end with mixed emotions.

Key Takeaway

Cherish the journey, not just the end.

Themes

empathy literature loss

Mood

nostalgic reflective

Type

literary emotional

When to use this quote

- reading clubs
- book recommendations
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

psychology storytelling emotional attachment

Questions to Reflect On

- What makes a character memorable?
- How do you cope with literary loss?

A Different Perspective

Not all endings feel sad.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Good book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-book/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/)

## Related quotes

> [A wonderful book . . . Full of sadness, hope, and ultimately love. I found it very moving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-freud/a-wonderful-book-full-of-sadness-hope-and-ultimately-love-i-found-it/)

[Esther Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-freud/)

> [“-and finally, to all of you who've come here tonight to celebrate children's books: every time you find the right, the necessary book for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/and-finally-to-all-of-you-who-ve-come-here-tonight-to-celebrate/)

[Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/)

> [I always seem happy in front of my parent not because I don't experience sadness but because I know the pains a parent had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usman-ismaheel/i-always-seem-happy-in-front-of-my-parent-not-because-i-don-t/)

[Usman Ismaheel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usman-ismaheel/)

> [“She suddenly realized how much she loved the rain; loved the way it seemed like the sky was purging something it held onto; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-slovin/she-suddenly-realized-how-much-she-loved-the-rain-loved-the-way-it/)

[Abby Slovin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-slovin/)

> [...she felt, with her hand on the nursery door, that community of feeling with other people which emotion gives as if the walls of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/she-felt-with-her-hand-on-the-nursery-door-that-community-of-feeling/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [When the news first came that Japan had attacked us my first feeling was of relief that ... a crisis had come in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-l-stimson/when-the-news-first-came-that-japan-had-attacked-us-my-first-feeling/)

[Henry L. Stimson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-l-stimson/)

> [I think the highest state of being for me is a feeling of relief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-demetriou/i-think-the-highest-state-of-being-for-me-is-a-feeling-of-relief/)

[Jamie Demetriou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-demetriou/)

> [I remember the day after the general election when Harold Wilson had lost, I remember quite clearly cycling from my house in Hutton along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-hammond/i-remember-the-day-after-the-general-election-when-harold-wilson-had/)

[Philip Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-hammond/)

> [Completing a book, it's a little like having a baby… There's a feeling of relief and satisfaction when you get to the end. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/completing-a-book-it-s-a-little-like-having-a-baby-there-s-a-feeling/)

[John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/)

> [“Feeling the relief of him taking her worries, knowing that he would stew on them, mix them all around and give them back in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-marinaro/feeling-the-relief-of-him-taking-her-worries-knowing-that-he-would/)

[Paula Marinaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-marinaro/)

> [“What would I like to get away from? Complexity. Anxiety. A feeling I've had my whole life that at any given time there's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/what-would-i-like-to-get-away-from-complexity-anxiety-a-feeling-i-ve/)

[Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/)

> [“The best thing...perhaps the only good thing--about being in prison was a feeling of relief. The feeling that he'd plunged as low as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-best-thing-perhaps-the-only-good-thing-about-being-in-prison-was/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“And there is another feeling that is a great consolation in poverty. I believe everyone who has been hard up has experienced it. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-there-is-another-feeling-that-is-a-great-consolation-in-poverty-i/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [It is a feeling of relief, almost of pleasure, at knowing yourself at last genuinely down and out. You have talked so often of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/it-is-a-feeling-of-relief-almost-of-pleasure-at-knowing-yourself-at/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Freud's theory was that when a joke opens a window and all those bats and bogeymen fly out, you get a marvellous feeling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-dodd/freud-s-theory-was-that-when-a-joke-opens-a-window-and-all-those-bats/)

[Ken Dodd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-dodd/)

## More by D Michael Hardy

> [Can't is the tool of the defeatist. You have to believe, and you have to fight if you want your dreams to come true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-michael-hardy/can-t-is-the-tool-of-the-defeatist-you-have-to-believe-and-you-have/)

[D Michael Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-michael-hardy/)

> [If you have issues with porn or sex scenes in movies, you probably have issues with your own sexuality. -D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-michael-hardy/if-you-have-issues-with-porn-or-sex-scenes-in-movies-you-probably/)

[D Michael Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-michael-hardy/)

> [Some will think your writing is genius. Some will think it juvenile. What's important is that you, the writer, are satisfied with your work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-michael-hardy/some-will-think-your-writing-is-genius-some-will-think-it-juvenile/)

[D Michael Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-michael-hardy/)

> [You get to that point in life where change is inevitable. A change in scenery, a change of wardrobe, a change in the structure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-michael-hardy/you-get-to-that-point-in-life-where-change-is-inevitable-a-change-in/)

[D Michael Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-michael-hardy/)

> [Those members of the male species who honk at women walking along the road or don't know how to take no for an answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-michael-hardy/those-members-of-the-male-species-who-honk-at-women-walking-along-the/)

[D Michael Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-michael-hardy/)

> [Life is too short to waste time reading shitty literature. There are plenty of other books in the sea...~D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-michael-hardy/life-is-too-short-to-waste-time-reading-shitty-literature-there-are/)

[D Michael Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-michael-hardy/)

> [Sometimes I think about selling 90% of everything I own. I think it would be liberating. -D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-michael-hardy/sometimes-i-think-about-selling-90-of-everything-i-own-i-think-it/)

[D Michael Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-michael-hardy/)

> [Love is just a temporary cure for alcoholism. -D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-michael-hardy/love-is-just-a-temporary-cure-for-alcoholism-d/)

[D Michael Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-michael-hardy/)

> [I don't believe romance and chivalry are dead...I think they've just been beaten up, tied up, and buried alive. But that doesn't mean they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-michael-hardy/i-don-t-believe-romance-and-chivalry-are-dead-i-think-they-ve-just/)

[D Michael Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-michael-hardy/)

> [No matter what you do, you're going to make some enemies in life. It's inevitable. -D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-michael-hardy/no-matter-what-you-do-you-re-going-to-make-some-enemies-in-life-it-s/)

[D Michael Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-michael-hardy/)

> [People should be cautious how they treat writers, lest their faults become immortalized for the world to see. - D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-michael-hardy/people-should-be-cautious-how-they-treat-writers-lest-their-faults/)

[D Michael Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-michael-hardy/)

> [I prefer a pen in my hand to a cigarette when I drink. It generally works out better for everybody. -D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-michael-hardy/i-prefer-a-pen-in-my-hand-to-a-cigarette-when-i-drink-it-generally/)

[D Michael Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-michael-hardy/)

[Explore all 13 D Michael Hardy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-michael-hardy/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

Christopher K. Krebs

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

Markus Herz

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There's a great feeling of relief when finishing a good book, but also a sadness. You get to know the characters so well, you hate to say goodbye. -D.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "D Michael Hardy"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-michael-hardy/there-s-a-great-feeling-of-relief-when-finishing-a-good-book-but-also/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-michael-hardy/there-s-a-great-feeling-of-relief-when-finishing-a-good-book-but-also/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/d-michael-hardy-36071_books_there-s-a-great-feeling-of-relief-when-f_2892110.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/d-michael-hardy-36071_books_there-s-a-great-feeling-of-relief-when-f_2892110.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a83/d-michael-hardy-36071_books_there-s-a-great-feeling-of-relief-when-f_2892110.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There's a great feeling of relief when finishing a good book, but also a sadness. You get to know the…” — D Michael Hardy",
                "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": "D Michael Hardy",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-michael-hardy/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There's a great feeling of relief...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-michael-hardy/there-s-a-great-feeling-of-relief-when-finishing-a-good-book-but-also/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-michael-hardy/there-s-a-great-feeling-of-relief-when-finishing-a-good-book-but-also/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
