--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There I was, waiting, afraid I’d never…" description: "\"“There I was, waiting, afraid I’d never experience the kind of joy yet to come, but hoping for it just the same.”\" — Elizabeth Berg" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/elizabeth-berg-853_hope_there-i-was-waiting-afraid-i-d-never-exp_1726788.jpg" --- # There I was, waiting, afraid I’d never experience the kind… ![“There I was, waiting, afraid I’d never experience the kind of joy yet to come, but hoping for it just the same.” quote by Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/elizabeth-berg-853_hope_there-i-was-waiting-afraid-i-d-never-exp_1726788.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/elizabeth-berg-853_hope_there-i-was-waiting-afraid-i-d-never-exp_1726788.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/elizabeth-berg-853_hope_there-i-was-waiting-afraid-i-d-never-exp_1726788.jpg) > ““There I was, waiting, afraid I’d never experience the kind of joy yet to come, but hoping for it just the same.”” [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A moment of waiting tinged with anxiety about future joy, yet maintaining hope. **In simple terms:** Waiting anxiously but hopeful for future joy. Key Takeaway Embrace hopeful patience. Themes hope anxiety anticipation resilience Mood hopeful anxious reflective Type inspirational literary When to use this quote - career milestones - personal recovery - creative projects - relationship development Key Concepts psychology expectation emotional growth Questions to Reflect On - What are you waiting for? - How can you turn hope into steps? A Different Perspective Hope may be fragile without action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) ## Related quotes > [To be truthful, being that the game has changed so much, you come hoping for the best and expecting the worst. To my surprise,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakim/to-be-truthful-being-that-the-game-has-changed-so-much-you-come/) [Rakim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakim/) > [Now I'm hoping just a little bit stronger, pull me up just a little bit longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/now-i-m-hoping-just-a-little-bit-stronger-pull-me-up-just-a-little/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“... hoping that if she just walked down the same street fate would whirl her backward in time until she was once more (fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/hoping-that-if-she-just-walked-down-the-same-street-fate-would-whirl/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Being afraid's not always bad." he said gently. "It can keep you moving forward. It can help you get things done." The silence between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/being-afraid-s-not-always-bad-he-said-gently-it-can-keep-you-moving/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [“I am worried we've run out of words, and am hoping she is just saving them for later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-am-worried-we-ve-run-out-of-words-and-am-hoping-she-is-just-saving/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [I'm really hoping just to keep building on what we're doing. You have to build your core business first which is really important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamara-mellon/i-m-really-hoping-just-to-keep-building-on-what-we-re-doing-you-have/) [Tamara Mellon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamara-mellon/) > [I decided to host my show 'Kiss and Cry' hoping that people actually want to participate and feel more familiar with figure skating. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuna-kim/i-decided-to-host-my-show-kiss-and-cry-hoping-that-people-actually/) [Yuna Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuna-kim/) > [I don't know what tomorrow might bring, but I'm still hoping no matter what it is, it's gonna be better than today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaze-olamiday/i-don-t-know-what-tomorrow-might-bring-but-i-m-still-hoping-no-matter/) [Blaze Olamiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaze-olamiday/) > [I feel like I have been portrayed as if I was standing outside Cipriani hoping someone picks me as their plus-one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-blasberg/i-feel-like-i-have-been-portrayed-as-if-i-was-standing-outside/) [Derek Blasberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-blasberg/) > [I'm obsessed with crocodiles and getting eaten by one. When I hear that someone's been eaten by a crocodile or shark, I just get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/i-m-obsessed-with-crocodiles-and-getting-eaten-by-one-when-i-hear/) [Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/) > [“An atheist is someone who is disappointed in his search of god. He is a man who strongly needed god but couldn't find him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/an-atheist-is-someone-who-is-disappointed-in-his-search-of-god-he-is/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [Give me a 15-ft. crocodile any day over a bee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bindi-irwin/give-me-a-15-ft-crocodile-any-day-over-a-bee/) [Bindi Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bindi-irwin/) > [Keep hoping to see the light in her eyes. Even knowing it'll mean she's saying good-bye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/keep-hoping-to-see-the-light-in-her-eyes-even-knowing-it-ll-mean-she/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/) [Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/) > [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/) [Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/) ## More by Elizabeth Berg > [Never be afraid of doing the thing you know in your heart is right, even if others don't agree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/never-be-afraid-of-doing-the-thing-you-know-in-your-heart-is-right/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“I think the reason we're cruel sometimes is that we're afraid we're going to like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-the-reason-we-re-cruel-sometimes-is-that-we-re-afraid-we-re/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [If there were a category in the Olympics for laundry, my mother would have been a gold-medal winner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/if-there-were-a-category-in-the-olympics-for-laundry-my-mother-would/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“If you say something over and over again, it begins to lose it's meaning... Say anything enough times and it becomes gibberish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/if-you-say-something-over-and-over-again-it-begins-to-lose-it-s/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“You know, sometimes marriage is iron. Sometimes it’s tissue paper. And I think the times it’s tissue paper are when you need to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/you-know-sometimes-marriage-is-iron-sometimes-it-s-tissue-paper-and-i/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“It's not that he doesn't smile; it's that if his smile were something you drew, you'd erase it, thinking, Wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/it-s-not-that-he-doesn-t-smile-it-s-that-if-his-smile-were-something/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [People say you should give until it hurts. I say you should give until it stops hurting. Know what I mean?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/people-say-you-should-give-until-it-hurts-i-say-you-should-give-until/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“I should have said “powder room.” That would evoke the image of me sitting before a beautiful gold mirror, a vase of fresh flowers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-should-have-said-powder-room-that-would-evoke-the-image-of-me/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [Sometimes the best reading comes just by accident. Someone talks about a book, or you're just wandering the stacks in the library, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/sometimes-the-best-reading-comes-just-by-accident-someone-talks-about/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“I don’t think Martha’s so bad. I think I want her for a friend instead of you. When I look at her magazine, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-don-t-think-martha-s-so-bad-i-think-i-want-her-for-a-friend-instead/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [\*We give so little when it's in us always to give so much more. It's bothering to listen with an open heart to someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/we-give-so-little-when-it-s-in-us-always-to-give-so-much-more-it-s/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [We're not just writers; we're readers probably more than anything else. That's how you learn how to write and how you learn to appreciate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/we-re-not-just-writers-we-re-readers-probably-more-than-anything-else/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [I thought of the priest who'd told me that many religions hold that it is easier to be closely connected to people we love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-thought-of-the-priest-who-d-told-me-that-many-religions-hold-that/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“How is it that we dare to honk at others in traffic, when we know nothing about where they have just come from or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/how-is-it-that-we-dare-to-honk-at-others-in-traffic-when-we-know/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [The truth is, we usually only show our unhappiness to another woman. I suppose this is one of our problems. And yet it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/the-truth-is-we-usually-only-show-our-unhappiness-to-another-woman-i/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) [Explore all 350 Elizabeth Berg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) ## More Hope quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/) [Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/) > [“What can we do in any hardship? We can hope with prayerful praise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/what-can-we-do-in-any-hardship-we-can-hope-with-prayerful-praise/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [“too—I realized that my only hope was to give up the life that had been, in order to make room for the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/too-i-realized-that-my-only-hope-was-to-give-up-the-life-that-had/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Stop trying to give me hope ... I have no room left for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-f/stop-trying-to-give-me-hope-i-have-no-room-left-for-it/) [Jenn F](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenn-f/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth, give me hope, help me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-me-love-give-me-peace-on-earth-give-me-light-give-me-life-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Pray, hope, don't worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/pray-hope-don-t-worry/) [Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/) > [Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/do-not-pray-for-tasks-equal-to-your-powers-pray-for-powers-equal-to/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [I am at a point in my life where everything I have worked for starts to look like a burden, a weight on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-abou-samra/i-am-at-a-point-in-my-life-where-everything-i-have-worked-for-starts/) Simone Abou Samra > [Im really happy that I met you I hope you know that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/im-nothing/im-really-happy-that-i-met-you-i-hope-you-know-that/) Im Nothing > [All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-that-i-am-or-ever-hope-to-be-i-owe-to-my-angel-mother/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) [Browse all 24,868 Hope quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There I was, waiting, afraid I’d never experience the kind of joy yet to come, but hoping for it just the same.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elizabeth Berg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/there-i-was-waiting-afraid-i-d-never-experience-the-kind-of-joy-yet/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hope" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/there-i-was-waiting-afraid-i-d-never-experience-the-kind-of-joy-yet/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/elizabeth-berg-853_hope_there-i-was-waiting-afraid-i-d-never-exp_1726788.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/elizabeth-berg-853_hope_there-i-was-waiting-afraid-i-d-never-exp_1726788.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/944/elizabeth-berg-853_hope_there-i-was-waiting-afraid-i-d-never-exp_1726788.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There I was, waiting, afraid I’d never experience the kind of joy yet to come, but hoping for it just the…” — Elizabeth Berg", "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": "Elizabeth Berg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There I was, waiting, afraid I’d...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/there-i-was-waiting-afraid-i-d-never-experience-the-kind-of-joy-yet/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/there-i-was-waiting-afraid-i-d-never-experience-the-kind-of-joy-yet/#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 } } ] } ```