---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To have loved and lost, either by that…"
description: "\"To have loved and lost, either by that total disenchantment which leaves compassion as the sole substitute for love which can exist no more, or by the ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08d/dinah-maria-murlock-craik-5329_apologetic_to-have-loved-and-lost-either-by-that-to_3079009.jpg"
---

#  To have loved and lost, either by that total…

![“To have loved and lost, either by that total disenchantment which leaves compassion as the sole substitute for love which can exist no more, or by the slow torment which is obliged to let go day by day all that constitutes the diviner part of love - namely, reverence, belief, and trust, yet clings…” quote by Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08d/dinah-maria-murlock-craik-5329_apologetic_to-have-loved-and-lost-either-by-that-to_3079009.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08d/dinah-maria-murlock-craik-5329_apologetic_to-have-loved-and-lost-either-by-that-to_3079009.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08d/dinah-maria-murlock-craik-5329_apologetic_to-have-loved-and-lost-either-by-that-to_3079009.jpg)

> “To have loved and lost, either by that total disenchantment which leaves compassion as the sole substitute for love which can exist no more, or by the slow torment which is obliged to let go day by day all that constitutes the diviner part of love - namely, reverence, belief, and trust, yet clings desperately to the only thing left it, a long-suffering apologetic tenderness - this lot is probably the hardest any woman can have to bear.”

[Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/)

## About This Quote

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

Loss of love can lead to deep disenchantment, leaving only compassion and a lingering, painful tenderness.

**In simple terms:** Love loss leaves compassion and lingering tenderness.

Key Takeaway

Embrace compassion, acknowledge lingering pain.

Themes

love loss compassion grief womanhood emotional resilience

Mood

melancholic reflective empathetic

Type

literary emotional philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal heartbreak
- long‑term mourning
- emotional healing
- support groups
- creative writing

Key Concepts

attachment theory existential sorrow psychology of grief

Questions to Reflect On

- What does compassion replace when love is lost?
- How can one honor lingering tenderness without clinging?

A Different Perspective

Compassion may not fully replace love’s depth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Apologetic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apologetic/) [Bears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bears/) [Belief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Day by day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-by-day/) [Disenchantment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disenchantment/) [Letting go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-go/) [Long suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-suffering/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Loved and lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved-and-lost/) [Reverence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverence/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Tenderness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tenderness/) [Torment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torment/)

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> [Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity &amp; disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-ehrmann/neither-be-cynical-about-love-for-in-the-face-of-all-aridity/)

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## More by Dinah Maria Murlock Craik

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[Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/)

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