--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Heartbreak is our indication of…" description: "\"Heartbreak is our indication of sincerity: in a love relationship, in a work, in trying to learn a musical instrument, in the attempt to shape a better..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02a/david-whyte-3502_ability_heartbreak-is-our-indication-of-sincerit_87427.jpg" --- # Heartbreak is our indication of sincerity: in a love… ![“Heartbreak is our indication of sincerity: in a love relationship, in a work, in trying to learn a musical instrument, in the attempt to shape a better more generous self. Heartbreak is the beautifully helpless side of love and affection and is just as much an essence and emblem of care as the…” quote by David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02a/david-whyte-3502_ability_heartbreak-is-our-indication-of-sincerit_87427.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02a/david-whyte-3502_ability_heartbreak-is-our-indication-of-sincerit_87427.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02a/david-whyte-3502_ability_heartbreak-is-our-indication-of-sincerit_87427.jpg) > “Heartbreak is our indication of sincerity: in a love relationship, in a work, in trying to learn a musical instrument, in the attempt to shape a better more generous self. Heartbreak is the beautifully helpless side of love and affection and is just as much an essence and emblem of care as the spiritual athlete's quick but abstract ability to let go... But heartbreak may be the very essence of being human, of being on the journey from here to there, and of coming to care deeply for what we find along the way.” [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Heartbreak signals deep commitment; it is both pain and proof of caring fully. **In simple terms:** Pain as proof of care Key Takeaway Heartbreak reveals authentic love Themes love vulnerability growth human experience Mood melancholic introspective Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - relationship loss - creative pursuits - personal development Key Concepts emotional depth resilience Practical Applications - counseling - artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - What does heartbreak teach about our priorities? - Can we harness its energy for growth? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) [Athlete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athlete/) [Being human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-human/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Emblems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emblems/) [Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence/) [Generous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generous/) [Heartbreak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartbreak/) [Heartbreak Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartbreak-essence-1095937/) [Heartbreak Indication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartbreak-indication-1095936/) [Helpless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helpless/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Indication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indication/) [Instruments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruments/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Let Heartbreak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-heartbreak-1095938/) [Letting go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-go/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love & relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-relationship/) [Love and affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-and-affection/) [Love Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-relationship-2/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Musical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musical/) [Musical instruments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musical-instruments/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self Heartbreak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-heartbreak-1095939/) [Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shapes/) [Sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sides/) [Sincerity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sincerity/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [Let heartbreak be alternative to coffe break, five midmorning minutes devoted to emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thylias-moss/let-heartbreak-be-alternative-to-coffe-break-five-midmorning-minutes/) [Thylias Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thylias-moss/) > [Then soon with the emblem of truth overflowing, And dripping with coolness, it rose from the well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-woodworth/then-soon-with-the-emblem-of-truth-overflowing-and-dripping-with/) [Samuel Woodworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-woodworth/) > [ \[Osip\] Mandelstam, who wasn't a political thinker, loved the idea of the city-state. 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She answers:--No! you are NOT, you have no existence of your own. You were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/the-philosopher-says-i-am-and-the-church-scouts-his-philosophy-she/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [We adorn graves with flowers and redolent plants, just emblems of the life of man, which has been compared in the Holy Scriptures to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-evelyn/we-adorn-graves-with-flowers-and-redolent-plants-just-emblems-of-the/) [John Evelyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-evelyn/) > [Death is the inseparable antecedent of life; the seed dies in order to produce the plant, and earth itself is rent asunder and dies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pike/death-is-the-inseparable-antecedent-of-life-the-seed-dies-in-order-to/) [Albert Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pike/) > [I think that if the beast who sleeps in man could be held down by threats of any kind, whether of jail or retribution,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/i-think-that-if-the-beast-who-sleeps-in-man-could-be-held-down-by/) [Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/) > [If all boys could be made to know that with every breath of cigarette smoke they inhale imbecility and exhale manhood ... and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hudson-maxim/if-all-boys-could-be-made-to-know-that-with-every-breath-of-cigarette/) [Hudson Maxim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hudson-maxim/) ## More by David Whyte > [“The poet lives and writes at the frontier between deep internal experience and the revelations of the outer world. There is no going back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/the-poet-lives-and-writes-at-the-frontier-between-deep-internal/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [I returned to poetry as a more precise way to describe the world, more precise than science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/i-returned-to-poetry-as-a-more-precise-way-to-describe-the-world-more/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [What if the world is holding its breath - waiting for you to take the place that only you can fill?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/what-if-the-world-is-holding-its-breath-waiting-for-you-to-take-the/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [What you plan is too small for you to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/what-you-plan-is-too-small-for-you-to-live/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [“It is not the thing you fear that you must deal with, it is the mother of the thing you fear. The very thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/it-is-not-the-thing-you-fear-that-you-must-deal-with-it-is-the-mother/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [The frail, vulnerable sounds of which we are capable seem to be essential to a later ability to roar like a lion without scaring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/the-frail-vulnerable-sounds-of-which-we-are-capable-seem-to-be/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [A good poem has its own life. It's like bringing a child into the world. You, the poet, birthed the child, but the child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/a-good-poem-has-its-own-life-it-s-like-bringing-a-child-into-the/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [“Work, like marriage, is a place you can lose yourself more easily perhaps than finding yourself. It is a place full of powerful undercurrents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/work-like-marriage-is-a-place-you-can-lose-yourself-more-easily/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [The moment you’ve uttered the exact dimensionality of your exile, you’re already turning towards home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/the-moment-you-ve-uttered-the-exact-dimensionality-of-your-exile-you/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [“...wanting soul life without the dark, warming intelligence of personal doubt is like expecting an egg without the brooding heat of the mother hen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/wanting-soul-life-without-the-dark-warming-intelligence-of-personal/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [It's my contention that there is no sincere path a human being can take without breaking his or her heart...so it can be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/it-s-my-contention-that-there-is-no-sincere-path-a-human-being-can/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [“FINISTERRE The road in the end taking the path the sun had taken, into the western sea, and the moon rising behind you as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/finisterre-the-road-in-the-end-taking-the-path-the-sun-had-taken-into/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [“We can never know in the beginning, in giving ourselves to a person, to a work, to a marriage or to a cause, exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/we-can-never-know-in-the-beginning-in-giving-ourselves-to-a-person-to/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [“When your eyes are tired the world is tired also. When your vision has gone no part of the world can find you. Time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/when-your-eyes-are-tired-the-world-is-tired-also-when-your-vision-has/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [“You must learn one thing: the world was made to be free in. Give up all the other worlds except the one to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/you-must-learn-one-thing-the-world-was-made-to-be-free-in-give-up-all/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) [Explore all 129 David Whyte quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. 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I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Heartbreak is our indication of sincerity: in a love relationship, in a work, in trying to learn a musical instrument, in the attempt to shape a better more generous self. 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