--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's wrong to be ashamed of yourself…" description: "\"“It's wrong to be ashamed of yourself. Presumptuous and stupid. I've made myself sick with shame, because I could feel so strongly about another woman...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/ebba-haslund-49583_another-woman_it-s-wrong-to-be-ashamed-of-yourself-pre_2999308.jpg" --- # It's wrong to be ashamed of yourself. Presumptuous and… ![“It's wrong to be ashamed of yourself. Presumptuous and stupid. I've made myself sick with shame, because I could feel so strongly about another woman. I should instead feel ashamed of the years since then, when I felt nothing. What does it matter who you love? Isn't it the feeling that means…” quote by Ebba Haslund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/ebba-haslund-49583_another-woman_it-s-wrong-to-be-ashamed-of-yourself-pre_2999308.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/ebba-haslund-49583_another-woman_it-s-wrong-to-be-ashamed-of-yourself-pre_2999308.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93c/ebba-haslund-49583_another-woman_it-s-wrong-to-be-ashamed-of-yourself-pre_2999308.jpg) > ““It's wrong to be ashamed of yourself. Presumptuous and stupid. I've made myself sick with shame, because I could feel so strongly about another woman. I should instead feel ashamed of the years since then, when I felt nothing. What does it matter who you love? Isn't it the feeling that means something? A child can cry itself sick over a dead bird. And as an adult squeeze out two tears for a dead person. Which sorrow is more genuine? Or more valuable? A shabby office drudge can love his middle-aged wife as passionately as Tristan his Isolde. Is love ridiculous because its object is imperfect and perhaps unaesthetic?”” [Ebba Haslund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ebba-haslund/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Shame over love is misplaced; genuine feeling matters more than societal standards of perfection. **In simple terms:** Love's value isn’t about perfection. Key Takeaway Embrace authentic emotions. Themes love self‑acceptance authenticity societal norms Mood reflective empathetic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - grief - artistic expression - personal reflection Key Concepts shame emotional honesty subjective value Questions to Reflect On - What does love mean to you beyond appearances? - How can we honor feelings that defy conventional beauty? A Different Perspective Societal expectations can distort personal emotions, causing unnecessary shame. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Another woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-woman/) [Feel Ashamed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-ashamed/) [Feeling Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-means-2234937/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Nature-of-love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-love/) [Person Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-sorrow-2556096/) [Sexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexuality/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) [Shame Feel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame-feel-924657/) [Sorrow Genuine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow-genuine-4753891/) ## Related quotes > [There is no more ridiculous custom than the one that makes you express sympathy once and for all on a given day to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/there-is-no-more-ridiculous-custom-than-the-one-that-makes-you/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [A person is full of sorrow the way a burlap sack is full of stones or sand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hirshfield/a-person-is-full-of-sorrow-the-way-a-burlap-sack-is-full-of-stones-or/) [Jane Hirshfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hirshfield/) > [When A Person Can Find Sorrow Behind Ur Smile Words Behind Ur Silence Love Behind Ur Anger U Can Believe That Person Is Ur…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vino/when-a-person-can-find-sorrow-behind-ur-smile-words-behind-ur-silence-2/) [Vino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vino/) > [When a person can find sorrow behind ur smile, words behind ur silence, love behind ur anger; u can believe that person is your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norden/when-a-person-can-find-sorrow-behind-ur-smile-words-behind-ur-silence/) [Norden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norden/) > [Jealousy is a miserable feeling. 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