--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: it may be a superhuman effort to lose…" description: "\"“it may be a superhuman effort to lose oneself so completely, but that’s nothing compared to the effort of getting oneself back again”\" — Donna Tartt" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/donna-tartt-391_hard-work_it-may-be-a-superhuman-effort-to-lose-on_1330450.jpg" --- # it may be a superhuman effort to lose oneself so… ![“it may be a superhuman effort to lose oneself so completely, but that’s nothing compared to the effort of getting oneself back again” quote by Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/donna-tartt-391_hard-work_it-may-be-a-superhuman-effort-to-lose-on_1330450.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/donna-tartt-391_hard-work_it-may-be-a-superhuman-effort-to-lose-on_1330450.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/donna-tartt-391_hard-work_it-may-be-a-superhuman-effort-to-lose-on_1330450.jpg) > ““it may be a superhuman effort to lose oneself so completely, but that’s nothing compared to the effort of getting oneself back again”” [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Regaining one's authentic self after deep loss is far harder than losing oneself in the first place. **In simple terms:** Finding yourself again is harder than losing yourself. Key Takeaway Prioritize self‑recovery over escapism. Themes identity resilience self‑discovery Mood reflective determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - grief counseling - addiction recovery - career burnout - spiritual awakening Key Concepts psychology existentialism growth Questions to Reflect On - What habits have you abandoned that you now need to reclaim? - How can you measure progress in self‑recovery? A Different Perspective The process can be painful and may require external support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Superhuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superhuman/) ## Related quotes > [People were buying milk, or filling their cars with petrol, or even posting letters. And what no one else knew was the appalling weight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-joyce/people-were-buying-milk-or-filling-their-cars-with-petrol-or-even/) [Rachel Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-joyce/) > [...the first casualty (of this crisis) had been the United Nations. It would need an immense effort, an almost superhuman effort, to restore the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-douglas-home/the-first-casualty-of-this-crisis-had-been-the-united-nations-it/) [Alec Douglas-Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-douglas-home/) > [Superhuman effort isn't worth a damn unless it achieves results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-shackleton/superhuman-effort-isn-t-worth-a-damn-unless-it-achieves-results/) [Ernest Shackleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-shackleton/) > [“The superhuman effort it took sometimes to be normal, and a part of things that appeared both easy and everyday.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-joyce/the-superhuman-effort-it-took-sometimes-to-be-normal-and-a-part-of/) [Rachel Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-joyce/) > [It constitutes a superhuman effort to lead any people in times of crisis. Without them, the changes would be impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fidel-castro/it-constitutes-a-superhuman-effort-to-lead-any-people-in-times-of/) [Fidel Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fidel-castro/) > [The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-terrifying-thing-is-to-accept-oneself-completely/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“How can one set these opposite states in harmony? There is only one way: through giving oneself completely. How does one give oneself? By…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/how-can-one-set-these-opposite-states-in-harmony-there-is-only-one/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Being oneself is completely beyond all motivation. You cannot be yourself for some reason. You are yourself, and no reason is needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/being-oneself-is-completely-beyond-all-motivation-you-cannot-be/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [I think if you're a small studio, you're living or dying by the success of the next project, it takes a lot of superhuman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morhaime/i-think-if-you-re-a-small-studio-you-re-living-or-dying-by-the/) [Michael Morhaime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morhaime/) > [The desire to belong is partly a desire to lose oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-desire-to-belong-is-partly-a-desire-to-lose-oneself/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Better to lose oneself in action than to wither in despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/better-to-lose-oneself-in-action-than-to-wither-in-despair/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/to-dare-is-to-lose-one-s-footing-momentarily-not-to-dare-is-to-lose-2/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [“But maybe that’s the first mistake: the rush to mix together, to make two into one. The eagerness to lose oneself in the other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-serrano/but-maybe-that-s-the-first-mistake-the-rush-to-mix-together-to-make/) [Claudia Serrano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-serrano/) > [“I let go of my remorse...of wanting to fix his problems and cure his pain. This seems like such a common female thing, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shreve-stockton/i-let-go-of-my-remorse-of-wanting-to-fix-his-problems-and-cure-his/) Shreve Stockton > [“As Kierkegaard said, “To venture causes anxiety; not to venture is to lose oneself.” I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-krech/as-kierkegaard-said-to-venture-causes-anxiety-not-to-venture-is-to/) [Gregg Krech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-krech/) ## More by Donna Tartt > [I hope we're all ready to leave the phenomenal world, and enter into the sublime?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/i-hope-we-re-all-ready-to-leave-the-phenomenal-world-and-enter-into/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [And I add my own love to the history of people who have loved beautiful things, and looked out for them, and pulled them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-i-add-my-own-love-to-the-history-of-people-who-have-loved/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [And the flavor of Pippa's kiss--bittersweet and strange--stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as I sailed home on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-the-flavor-of-pippa-s-kiss-bittersweet-and-strange-stayed-with-me/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“The world won't come to me...so I must go to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/the-world-won-t-come-to-me-so-i-must-go-to-it/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [There's an expectation these days that novels - like any other consumer product - should be made on a production line, with one dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/there-s-an-expectation-these-days-that-novels-like-any-other-consumer/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“A month or two before, I would have been appalled at the idea of any murder at all. But that Sunday afternoon, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/a-month-or-two-before-i-would-have-been-appalled-at-the-idea-of-any/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [Well, I think storytellers have always found murder a fascinating device.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/well-i-think-storytellers-have-always-found-murder-a-fascinating/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [Always remember, the person we’re really working for is the person who’s restoring the piece a hundred years from now. He’s the one we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/always-remember-the-person-we-re-really-working-for-is-the-person-who/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“The silence between us was happy and strange, connected by the cord and the icy voices thinly echoing. “You don’t have to talk,” she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/the-silence-between-us-was-happy-and-strange-connected-by-the-cord/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“It is a terrible thing to learn as a child that one is a being separate from all the world, that no one and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/it-is-a-terrible-thing-to-learn-as-a-child-that-one-is-a-being/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“You didn’t meet many people who moved freely through the world with such a vigorous contempt for it and at the same time such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/you-didn-t-meet-many-people-who-moved-freely-through-the-world-with/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“maybe that’s what’s waiting for us at the end of the journey, a majesty unimaginable until the very moment we find ourselves walking through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/maybe-that-s-what-s-waiting-for-us-at-the-end-of-the-journey-a/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“lights and moods and seasons was to see it a thousand different ways and to keep it shut in the dark—a thing made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/lights-and-moods-and-seasons-was-to-see-it-a-thousand-different-ways/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [A great sorrow, and one that I am only beginning to understand: we don’t get to choose our own hearts. We can’t make ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/a-great-sorrow-and-one-that-i-am-only-beginning-to-understand-we-don/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“Upon meeting Julian Morrow, one has the impression that he is a man of extraordinary sympathy and warmth. But what you call his 'Asiatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/upon-meeting-julian-morrow-one-has-the-impression-that-he-is-a-man-of/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) [Explore all 590 Donna Tartt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) ## More Hard work quotes > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [Don't be afraid of hard work. Nothing worthwhile comes easily. Don't let others discourage you or tell you that you can't do it. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-b-elion/don-t-be-afraid-of-hard-work-nothing-worthwhile-comes-easily-don-t/) [Gertrude B. Elion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-b-elion/) > [High school, going into my junior year, I kind of had the idea I was going to be the starting running back. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saquon-barkley/high-school-going-into-my-junior-year-i-kind-of-had-the-idea-i-was/) [Saquon Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saquon-barkley/) > [Now I try to make efforts, you know, I'm just, the best effort I can do is just stay sober myself. I can at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dick/now-i-try-to-make-efforts-you-know-i-m-just-the-best-effort-i-can-do/) [Andy Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dick/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) > [Hard work and a good education will take you further than any government program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-schock/hard-work-and-a-good-education-will-take-you-further-than-any/) [Aaron Schock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-schock/) > [I got the reputation of being hard to work with. It has been hard for me to get rid of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-morgan/i-got-the-reputation-of-being-hard-to-work-with-it-has-been-hard-for/) [Lorrie Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-morgan/) > [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/) [Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/) > [It is worthwhile for anyone to have behind him a few generations of honest, hard-working ancestry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-worthwhile-for-anyone-to-have-behind-him-a-few-generations-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know that I'm going to have to work hard, keep working hard, and not because of this victory think, "I'm back." I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-clijsters/i-know-that-i-m-going-to-have-to-work-hard-keep-working-hard-and-not/) [Kim Clijsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-clijsters/) > [If you don't meet luck halfway with really hard work, luck won't get you all the way there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asia-kate-dillon/if-you-don-t-meet-luck-halfway-with-really-hard-work-luck-won-t-get/) [Asia Kate Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asia-kate-dillon/) > [Forgive me for noting that conservatives seem to believe that the rich will work harder if we give them more, and the poor will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-dionne/forgive-me-for-noting-that-conservatives-seem-to-believe-that-the/) [E. J. 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You can inspire the student to voluntarily and enthusiastically choose to do the hard work necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-demille/there-are-really-only-two-ways-to-teach-you-can-inspire-the-student/) [Oliver DeMille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-demille/) [Browse all 7,687 Hard work quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“it may be a superhuman effort to lose oneself so completely, but that’s nothing compared to the effort of getting oneself back again”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Donna Tartt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/it-may-be-a-superhuman-effort-to-lose-oneself-so-completely-but-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hard work" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/it-may-be-a-superhuman-effort-to-lose-oneself-so-completely-but-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/donna-tartt-391_hard-work_it-may-be-a-superhuman-effort-to-lose-on_1330450.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/donna-tartt-391_hard-work_it-may-be-a-superhuman-effort-to-lose-on_1330450.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/donna-tartt-391_hard-work_it-may-be-a-superhuman-effort-to-lose-on_1330450.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“it may be a superhuman effort to lose oneself so completely, but that’s nothing compared to the effort of…” — Donna Tartt", "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": "Donna Tartt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“it may be a superhuman effort...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/it-may-be-a-superhuman-effort-to-lose-oneself-so-completely-but-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/it-may-be-a-superhuman-effort-to-lose-oneself-so-completely-but-that/#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 } } ] } ```