---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Either way, you were connected. By your…"
description: "\"“Either way, you were connected. By your desires. By your defiance. By the simple, complicated fact of who you were.”\" — David Levithan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/david-levithan-67_being-human_either-way-you-were-connected-by-your-de_96953.jpg"
---

#  Either way, you were connected. By your desires. By your…

![“Either way, you were connected. By your desires. By your defiance. By the simple, complicated fact of who you were.” quote by David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/david-levithan-67_being-human_either-way-you-were-connected-by-your-de_96953.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/david-levithan-67_being-human_either-way-you-were-connected-by-your-de_96953.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/david-levithan-67_being-human_either-way-you-were-connected-by-your-de_96953.jpg)

> ““Either way, you were connected. By your desires. By your defiance. By the simple, complicated fact of who you were.””

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

## About This Quote

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

An affirmation that regardless of outcome, a person’s identity is shaped by desire, rebellion, and the inherent complexity of self.

**In simple terms:** Identity through choice

Key Takeaway

Self is defined by desire and defiance

Themes

Identity Desire Defiance Complexity Self‑knowledge

Mood

Introspective Empowering Poetic

Type

Monologue Philosophical

When to use this quote

- Therapeutic counseling
- Character development
- Motivational speaking

Key Concepts

Philosophy Psychology

Practical Applications

- Self‑reflection workshops
- Creative writing

Questions to Reflect On

- What does it mean to be defined by desire?
- How does defiance shape personal growth?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Being human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-human/) [Connected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connected/) [Connected Desires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connected-desires-1187357/) [Desires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desires/) [Desires Defiance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desires-defiance-1187358/) [Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gay/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Way Connected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-connected-616680/)

## Related quotes

> [When you've got love in your life,you are connected to all the desires that you have in your heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamsta-e-ngugz/when-you-ve-got-love-in-your-life-you-are-connected-to-all-the/)

[Jamsta E Ngugz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamsta-e-ngugz/)

> [I always knew, that in some way, I'd be connected to, and involved in, the music business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-healey/i-always-knew-that-in-some-way-i-d-be-connected-to-and-involved-in/)

[Jeff Healey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-healey/)

> [Small disconnected facts, if you take note of them, have a way of becoming connected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/small-disconnected-facts-if-you-take-note-of-them-have-a-way-of/)

[Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/)

> [“...something can be a good thing and yet not a necessary thing. It is good for people to be expert at brain surgery. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-lee-austin/something-can-be-a-good-thing-and-yet-not-a-necessary-thing-it-is/)

[Victor Lee Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-lee-austin/)

> [The Gnostics believed that exile was the essential condition of man. Do you agree? I do. The artist and the addict both wrestle with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-gnostics-believed-that-exile-was-the-essential-condition-of-man/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [Heartbreak is our indication of sincerity: in a love relationship, in a work, in trying to learn a musical instrument, in the attempt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/heartbreak-is-our-indication-of-sincerity-in-a-love-relationship-in-a/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [Virtue is something you have to get good at, like playing the trombone or tolerating bores at parties. Being a virtuous human being takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/virtue-is-something-you-have-to-get-good-at-like-playing-the-trombone/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [It's the strangest thing about being human: to know so much, to communicate so much, and yet always to fall so drastically short of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/it-s-the-strangest-thing-about-being-human-to-know-so-much-to/)

[Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/)

> [“I honour the clarity of the present moment, and the stillness at the centre of being (mine & others), even in the midst of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/i-honour-the-clarity-of-the-present-moment-and-the-stillness-at-the/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [“There are countless reasons to be jealous. But that doesn’t mean you have to succumb to them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/there-are-countless-reasons-to-be-jealous-but-that-doesn-t-mean-you/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

> [We’re built to deal with death, disease, failure, struggle, heartbreak, problems. It’s what separates us from the animals and why we envy and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/we-re-built-to-deal-with-death-disease-failure-struggle-heartbreak/)

[Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/)

> [Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/being-human-we-would-expel-from-our-lives-physical-pain-and-mental/)

[Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/)

> [“There are no greater or truer lords, gods, fathers, sons or holy spirits, than the humans. Humans are the highest beings on earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/there-are-no-greater-or-truer-lords-gods-fathers-sons-or-holy-spirits/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [We began as mineral. We emerged into plant life, and into the animal state, and then into being human, and always we have forgotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/we-began-as-mineral-we-emerged-into-plant-life-and-into-the-animal/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

## More by David Levithan

> [“When you jump, all you're going to do is fall. But leaping? Leaping is when you think there's something on the other side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-jump-all-you-re-going-to-do-is-fall-but-leaping-leaping-is/)

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

> [“The past and the future are what's complicated. It's the present that's simple. And the simplicity is the sensation of it being just her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-past-and-the-future-are-what-s-complicated-it-s-the-present-that/)

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

> [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/)

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

> [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/)

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

> [“Patrick: Is she worth the trouble? Cameron: I thought she was- Patrick: Either she is, or she isn't. So give it a shot, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/patrick-is-she-worth-the-trouble-cameron-i-thought-she-was-patrick/)

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

> [“We saw our friends die. But we also see our friends live. So many of them live, and we often toast their long and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/we-saw-our-friends-die-but-we-also-see-our-friends-live-so-many-of/)

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

> [maybe tonight you're scared of falling, and maybe there's somebody here or somewhere else you're thinking about, worrying over, fretting over, trying to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/maybe-tonight-you-re-scared-of-falling-and-maybe-there-s-somebody/)

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

> [“You never told me what you saw in him, not convincingly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-never-told-me-what-you-saw-in-him-not-convincingly/)

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

> [“i nod to the other will grayson, up onstage. he nods to me. we have something between us, him and me. but the truth?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-nod-to-the-other-will-grayson-up-onstage-he-nods-to-me-we-have/)

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

> [The terrorists-those nineteen people, with hundreds or maybe thousands behind them-did the worst thing you can possibly imagine. But tens of millions people did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-terrorists-those-nineteen-people-with-hundreds-or-maybe-thousands/)

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

> [But I still has enough longing for that concept that I didn't want to dispel it completely. Meaning: I didn't want to tell Lily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/but-i-still-has-enough-longing-for-that-concept-that-i-didn-t-want-to/)

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

> [“When you break someone's heart, you also break yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-break-someone-s-heart-you-also-break-yours/)

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

> [“Because toward the end all the words started leaving. Except for the ones that had to lock up at the end of the night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/because-toward-the-end-all-the-words-started-leaving-except-for-the/)

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

> [“ misgivings , n . Last night, I got up the courage to ask you if you regretted us. "There are things I miss,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/misgivings-n-last-night-i-got-up-the-courage-to-ask-you-if-you/)

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

> [“Saving others is always more important than saving yourself. It has to be, or none of us would do any good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/saving-others-is-always-more-important-than-saving-yourself-it-has-to/)

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

[Explore all 1,648 David Levithan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

## More Being human quotes

> [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [We began as mineral. We emerged into plant life, and into the animal state, and then into being human, and always we have forgotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/we-began-as-mineral-we-emerged-into-plant-life-and-into-the-animal/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [“There are no greater or truer lords, gods, fathers, sons or holy spirits, than the humans. Humans are the highest beings on earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/there-are-no-greater-or-truer-lords-gods-fathers-sons-or-holy-spirits/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/being-human-we-would-expel-from-our-lives-physical-pain-and-mental/)

[Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/)

> [We’re built to deal with death, disease, failure, struggle, heartbreak, problems. It’s what separates us from the animals and why we envy and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/we-re-built-to-deal-with-death-disease-failure-struggle-heartbreak/)

[Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/)

> [“There are countless reasons to be jealous. But that doesn’t mean you have to succumb to them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/there-are-countless-reasons-to-be-jealous-but-that-doesn-t-mean-you/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

> [“I honour the clarity of the present moment, and the stillness at the centre of being (mine & others), even in the midst of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/i-honour-the-clarity-of-the-present-moment-and-the-stillness-at-the/)

[Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/)

> [It's the strangest thing about being human: to know so much, to communicate so much, and yet always to fall so drastically short of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/it-s-the-strangest-thing-about-being-human-to-know-so-much-to/)

[Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/)

> [Virtue is something you have to get good at, like playing the trombone or tolerating bores at parties. Being a virtuous human being takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/virtue-is-something-you-have-to-get-good-at-like-playing-the-trombone/)

[Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/)

> [Heartbreak is our indication of sincerity: in a love relationship, in a work, in trying to learn a musical instrument, in the attempt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/heartbreak-is-our-indication-of-sincerity-in-a-love-relationship-in-a/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [The Gnostics believed that exile was the essential condition of man. Do you agree? I do. The artist and the addict both wrestle with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-gnostics-believed-that-exile-was-the-essential-condition-of-man/)

[Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/)

> [“...something can be a good thing and yet not a necessary thing. It is good for people to be expert at brain surgery. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-lee-austin/something-can-be-a-good-thing-and-yet-not-a-necessary-thing-it-is/)

[Victor Lee Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-lee-austin/)

> [I have no interest in problematizing things. So what I am writing to is that simple sense of being human in myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayad-akhtar/i-have-no-interest-in-problematizing-things-so-what-i-am-writing-to/)

[Ayad Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayad-akhtar/)

> [Those who have ever valued liberty for its own sake believed that to be free to choose, and not to be chosen for, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-berlin/those-who-have-ever-valued-liberty-for-its-own-sake-believed-that-to/)

[Isaiah Berlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-berlin/)

> [If a mother won't like those of her children, who keep singing in her name and trouble her other children, how would god?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/if-a-mother-won-t-like-those-of-her-children-who-keep-singing-in-her/)

[Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/)

[Browse all 502 Being human quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-human/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Either way, you were connected. By your desires. By your defiance. By the simple, complicated fact of who you were.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Levithan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/either-way-you-were-connected-by-your-desires-by-your-defiance-by-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Being human"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/either-way-you-were-connected-by-your-desires-by-your-defiance-by-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/david-levithan-67_being-human_either-way-you-were-connected-by-your-de_96953.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/david-levithan-67_being-human_either-way-you-were-connected-by-your-de_96953.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/421/david-levithan-67_being-human_either-way-you-were-connected-by-your-de_96953.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Either way, you were connected. By your desires. By your defiance. By the simple, complicated fact of who…” — David Levithan",
                "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": "David Levithan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Either way, you were connected. By...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/either-way-you-were-connected-by-your-desires-by-your-defiance-by-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/either-way-you-were-connected-by-your-desires-by-your-defiance-by-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```