--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes we want what we want even if we…" description: "\"Sometimes we want what we want even if we know it’s going to kill us.\" — Donna Tartt" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/donna-tartt-391_kill_sometimes-we-want-what-we-want-even-if-w_2277647.jpg" --- # Sometimes we want what we want even if we know it’s going… ![“Sometimes we want what we want even if we know it’s going to kill us.” quote by Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/donna-tartt-391_kill_sometimes-we-want-what-we-want-even-if-w_2277647.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/donna-tartt-391_kill_sometimes-we-want-what-we-want-even-if-w_2277647.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/donna-tartt-391_kill_sometimes-we-want-what-we-want-even-if-w_2277647.jpg) > “Sometimes we want what we want even if we know it’s going to kill us.” [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. People pursue harmful desires despite knowing the risks. **In simple terms:** Desire persists despite danger. Key Takeaway Recognize self‑destructive patterns. Themes desire self‑destruction psychology Mood introspective somber Type literary psychological When to use this quote - relationship counseling - addiction recovery - creative writing Key Concepts cognitive dissonance risk perception Questions to Reflect On - Why do we repeat harmful choices? - What breaks the cycle? A Different Perspective Acknowledging risk may not change behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [You never know who's going to kill you until you meet them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-azaria/you-never-know-who-s-going-to-kill-you-until-you-meet-them/) [Hank Azaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-azaria/) > [Han Solo: Wonderful girl. 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Huss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-huss/) ## 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 Kill quotes > [Let us kill all lawyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/let-us-kill-all-lawyers/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“If you’ve bullshitted me, angel, I’m going to kill you.” The other male rolled his eyes. “I’m already dead, idiot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/if-you-ve-bullshitted-me-angel-i-m-going-to-kill-you-the-other-male/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [What doesnt kill you makes you stronger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbly/what-doesnt-kill-you-makes-you-stronger/) Bubbly > [Curiosity Can Kill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anison/curiosity-can-kill/) [Anison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anison/) > [Don't smoke. Don't kill yourselves. Don't maim yourselves. Tell your friends. Please don't smoke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-eszterhas/don-t-smoke-don-t-kill-yourselves-don-t-maim-yourselves-tell-your/) [Joe Eszterhas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-eszterhas/) > [“The only ones who kill are those prepared to be killed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lelouch-vi-britannia/the-only-ones-who-kill-are-those-prepared-to-be-killed/) [Lelouch Vi Britannia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lelouch-vi-britannia/) > [Boredom is vastly underrated. Boredom means that nothing is trying to kill you every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/boredom-is-vastly-underrated-boredom-means-that-nothing-is-trying-to/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [“I’m going to kill Mr. Mysterious for this. Kill that crazy motherfucker. Why does he have to live on the edge all the time?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-huss/i-m-going-to-kill-mr-mysterious-for-this-kill-that-crazy-motherfucker/) [J.A. Huss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-huss/) > [“Be that as it may, we do need you in particular to complete this assignment. (Syd) What is it with you government assholes that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/be-that-as-it-may-we-do-need-you-in-particular-to-complete-this/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“I'm only one kill away from Command Assassin. Be a damn shame for that kill to be you" (Darion)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-m-only-one-kill-away-from-command-assassin-be-a-damn-shame-for-that/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“Well, let's say you heard a fight in the boys' bathroom, and you broke it up. What would you do naturally if you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-echols/well-let-s-say-you-heard-a-fight-in-the-boys-bathroom-and-you-broke/) [Jennifer Echols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-echols/) > [Nothing will kill what you've been called to do more than comparing yourself to someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/nothing-will-kill-what-you-ve-been-called-to-do-more-than-comparing/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I imagine that in a closed, hermetic society like the mob, where everybody knows each other, it must be really, really unpleasant to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dominik/i-imagine-that-in-a-closed-hermetic-society-like-the-mob-where/) [Andrew Dominik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dominik/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Fuck, Princess. You kill me. Every damn time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarina-bowen/fuck-princess-you-kill-me-every-damn-time/) [Sarina Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarina-bowen/) Browse all 3,038 Kill quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes we want what we want even if we know it’s going to kill us.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Donna Tartt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/sometimes-we-want-what-we-want-even-if-we-know-it-s-going-to-kill-us/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Kill" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/sometimes-we-want-what-we-want-even-if-we-know-it-s-going-to-kill-us/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/donna-tartt-391_kill_sometimes-we-want-what-we-want-even-if-w_2277647.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/donna-tartt-391_kill_sometimes-we-want-what-we-want-even-if-w_2277647.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/donna-tartt-391_kill_sometimes-we-want-what-we-want-even-if-w_2277647.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes we want what we want even if we know it’s going to kill us.” — 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": "Sometimes we want what we want...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/sometimes-we-want-what-we-want-even-if-we-know-it-s-going-to-kill-us/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/sometimes-we-want-what-we-want-even-if-we-know-it-s-going-to-kill-us/#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 } } ] } ```