--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: These rejections hurt me terribly because…" description: "\"These rejections hurt me terribly because I felt it was my life that was being rejected.\" — Edmund White" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/edmund-white-2376_felt_these-rejections-hurt-me-terribly-becaus_1628622.png" --- # These rejections hurt me terribly because I felt it was my… ![“These rejections hurt me terribly because I felt it was my life that was being rejected.” quote by Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/edmund-white-2376_felt_these-rejections-hurt-me-terribly-becaus_1628622.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/edmund-white-2376_felt_these-rejections-hurt-me-terribly-becaus_1628622.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/edmund-white-2376_felt_these-rejections-hurt-me-terribly-becaus_1628622.png) > “These rejections hurt me terribly because I felt it was my life that was being rejected.” [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rejection feels personal because it seems to deny one's entire existence, not just a single request. **In simple terms:** Rejection feels like life being denied. Key Takeaway Separate self-worth from external judgments. Themes rejection identity vulnerability Mood somber introspective Type philosophical emotional When to use this quote - job applications - relationship offers - creative submissions Key Concepts self-concept emotional pain existential crisis Questions to Reflect On - How can you view rejection as feedback? - What parts of identity remain intact after rejection? A Different Perspective Rejection can be constructive if reframed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heartbreak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartbreak/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [But as an actor, you spend the majority of your life being rejected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-henshall/but-as-an-actor-you-spend-the-majority-of-your-life-being-rejected/) [Douglas Henshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-henshall/) > [... you are not Christ's disciple, in the sense of following him, if this is not your way of life: rejected and slain daily!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-schaeffer/you-are-not-christ-s-disciple-in-the-sense-of-following-him-if-this/) [Francis Schaeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-schaeffer/) > [People are terrified of other people or difficult projects because they tell themselves that they could fail or be rejected. Failure can lead to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-ellis/people-are-terrified-of-other-people-or-difficult-projects-because/) [Albert Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-ellis/) > [People use words to do battle and to hurt one another terribly, tragically and even mortally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-use-words-to-do-battle-and-to-hurt-one-another-terribly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I see so much more than I used to see. The effect has been to depress and sadden and hurt me terribly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/i-see-so-much-more-than-i-used-to-see-the-effect-has-been-to-depress/) [Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/) > [In life, you get rejected more than you get accepted, and you have to understand that. So you have to invest in yourself and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-jackson/in-life-you-get-rejected-more-than-you-get-accepted-and-you-have-to/) [Colin Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-jackson/) > [Keep reading and writing, learn how to revise, and push through rejections. My second book, Monsoon Summer, was rejected over 20 times and finally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitali-perkins/keep-reading-and-writing-learn-how-to-revise-and-push-through/) [Mitali Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitali-perkins/) > [All great innovations are built on rejections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/all-great-innovations-are-built-on-rejections/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [Most writers, including myself, had to endure a lot of rejections before finally getting published. You could wallpaper a sizeable bathroom with the rejection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-weeks/most-writers-including-myself-had-to-endure-a-lot-of-rejections/) [Jonathan Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-weeks/) > [I couldn't tell you the ratio, but probably for every job you see me do, there would be 20 rejections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-clarke/i-couldn-t-tell-you-the-ratio-but-probably-for-every-job-you-see-me/) [Noel Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-clarke/) > [I've had way more rejections than I've had jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-morrison/i-ve-had-way-more-rejections-than-i-ve-had-jobs/) [Matthew Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-morrison/) > [“To write a lot, you should rethink your mental models of rejection and publication. Rejections are like a sales tax on publications: The more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-silvia/to-write-a-lot-you-should-rethink-your-mental-models-of-rejection-and/) [Paul J. Silvia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-silvia/) > [I get rejections from the New Yorker. When I had to give a little talk to the people graduating from the MBA program at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-sessums/i-get-rejections-from-the-new-yorker-when-i-had-to-give-a-little-talk/) [Kevin Sessums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-sessums/) > [“The word 'NO' is the best motivation there is for the storyteller in you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-k-kuykendall/the-word-no-is-the-best-motivation-there-is-for-the-storyteller-in-you/) [A.K. Kuykendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-k-kuykendall/) > [The usual way - through a long series of rejections, revising my manuscripts, and kept trying again and again. Finally I was fortunate enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-steel/the-usual-way-through-a-long-series-of-rejections-revising-my/) [Danielle Steel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-steel/) ## More by Edmund White > [The talk shows in the States want celebrities, not authors. In France, it is different; writers are called upon to comment on everything. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-talk-shows-in-the-states-want-celebrities-not-authors-in-france/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Just like Barack Obama, my views on gay marriage have evolved, and now I am a reluctant groom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/just-like-barack-obama-my-views-on-gay-marriage-have-evolved-and-now/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [In 'A Boy's Own Story' and 'Jack Holmes and His Friend,' my idea was to take someone totally different from my real self and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-a-boy-s-own-story-and-jack-holmes-and-his-friend-my-idea-was-to/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Everyone seems agreed that writing about sex is perilous, partly because it threatens to swamp highly individualised characters in a generic, featureless activity (much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/everyone-seems-agreed-that-writing-about-sex-is-perilous-partly/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > ['The Sound of Things Falling' may be a page turner, but it's also a deep meditation on fate and death. Even in translation, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-sound-of-things-falling-may-be-a-page-turner-but-it-s-also-a-deep/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [If you're a beach person or a golfer, Key West is not for you. Most of the sand has been imported, and the water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/if-you-re-a-beach-person-or-a-golfer-key-west-is-not-for-you-most-of/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [First, I was opposed to gay marriage because it seemed like one more way that gays were wanting to assimilate. When I realized the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/first-i-was-opposed-to-gay-marriage-because-it-seemed-like-one-more/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [From my mother I learned just how violent and unquenchable a woman's loneliness can be. She had been sheltered excessively by her husband and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/from-my-mother-i-learned-just-how-violent-and-unquenchable-a-woman-s/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [From an early age, I had the idea that writing was truth-telling. It's on the record. Everybody can see it. Maybe it goes back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/from-an-early-age-i-had-the-idea-that-writing-was-truth-telling-it-s/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Since, in the best Southern tradition, I was named Edmund Valentine White III, sometimes when people look up my books on Amazon they find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/since-in-the-best-southern-tradition-i-was-named-edmund-valentine/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [When I was young, I despised old people. I was provincial and narrow-minded. It's the reason I stayed stupid so long. If you only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/when-i-was-young-i-despised-old-people-i-was-provincial-and-narrow/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [Key West is the place where your sickly house plant back in New York grows to 10 ft. It's also the place where an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/key-west-is-the-place-where-your-sickly-house-plant-back-in-new-york/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [“In the past, when gays were very flamboyant as drag queens or as leather queens or whatever, that just amused people. And most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/in-the-past-when-gays-were-very-flamboyant-as-drag-queens-or-as/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [When a woman falls in love with me, I feel guilty. I am convinced that it's pure obstinacy that keeps me from reciprocating her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/when-a-woman-falls-in-love-with-me-i-feel-guilty-i-am-convinced-that/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [While writing 'City Boy,' I relied mainly on my own memories. In particular, I was able to describe the effect of gay liberation on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/while-writing-city-boy-i-relied-mainly-on-my-own-memories-in/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) [Explore all 166 Edmund White quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) ## More Felt quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [Hackney gets a bit of a bad rap, but it's the only place I've ever lived that felt like a community. I know my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-horgan/hackney-gets-a-bit-of-a-bad-rap-but-it-s-the-only-place-i-ve-ever/) [Sharon Horgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-horgan/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [The more I read about feeding times, sleep times and waking-up times, the more inadequate and miserable I felt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-porter/the-more-i-read-about-feeding-times-sleep-times-and-waking-up-times/) [Gail Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-porter/) > [I have touched with a sense of art some people-they felt the love and the life. Can you offer me anything to compare to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-cassatt/i-have-touched-with-a-sense-of-art-some-people-they-felt-the-love-and/) [Mary Cassatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-cassatt/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [When I made it, I still didn't wave the flag and say, Yeah go Asian people. I do want people to know that about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hugo/when-i-made-it-i-still-didn-t-wave-the-flag-and-say-yeah-go-asian/) [Chad Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hugo/) > [Most people are sensitized to animals through their cats and dogs, but for me it was a flounder. I used to go fishing with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mathews/most-people-are-sensitized-to-animals-through-their-cats-and-dogs-but/) [Dan Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mathews/) > [My life was incoherent to me. I felt it quivering, spitting out broken teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-fox/my-life-was-incoherent-to-me-i-felt-it-quivering-spitting-out-broken/) [Paula Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-fox/) > [I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. But I do remember, if there was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/i-felt-pretty-good-growing-up-i-didnt-feel-a-lot-of-prejudice-or/) [David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/) > [I never felt like running away from my dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paresh-rawal/i-never-felt-like-running-away-from-my-dreams/) [Paresh Rawal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paresh-rawal/) > [When I discovered drama, I felt a connection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-fearon/when-i-discovered-drama-i-felt-a-connection/) [Ray Fearon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-fearon/) Browse all 9,592 Felt quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "These rejections hurt me terribly because I felt it was my life that was being rejected.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edmund White" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/these-rejections-hurt-me-terribly-because-i-felt-it-was-my-life-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Felt" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/these-rejections-hurt-me-terribly-because-i-felt-it-was-my-life-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/edmund-white-2376_felt_these-rejections-hurt-me-terribly-becaus_1628622.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/edmund-white-2376_felt_these-rejections-hurt-me-terribly-becaus_1628622.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a8/edmund-white-2376_felt_these-rejections-hurt-me-terribly-becaus_1628622.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“These rejections hurt me terribly because I felt it was my life that was being rejected.” — Edmund White", "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": "Edmund White", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "These rejections hurt me terribly because...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/these-rejections-hurt-me-terribly-because-i-felt-it-was-my-life-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/these-rejections-hurt-me-terribly-because-i-felt-it-was-my-life-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 } } ] } ```