--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I just want to matter,' he said…" description: "\"“I just want to matter,' he said, unsmiling. It was like pulling a curtain back, peering behind a mask made of smiles and quips. This was the real Jame..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eec/emily-lloyd-jones-28970_demons_i-just-want-to-matter-he-said-unsmiling_618746.jpg" --- # I just want to matter,' he said, unsmiling. It was like… ![“I just want to matter,' he said, unsmiling. It was like pulling a curtain back, peering behind a mask made of smiles and quips. This was the real James, this young, bright, desperate thing. There was a burning intensity to his eyes, and she saw for the first time a boy who would sell his…” quote by Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eec/emily-lloyd-jones-28970_demons_i-just-want-to-matter-he-said-unsmiling_618746.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eec/emily-lloyd-jones-28970_demons_i-just-want-to-matter-he-said-unsmiling_618746.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eec/emily-lloyd-jones-28970_demons_i-just-want-to-matter-he-said-unsmiling_618746.jpg) > ““I just want to matter,' he said, unsmiling. It was like pulling a curtain back, peering behind a mask made of smiles and quips. This was the real James, this young, bright, desperate thing. There was a burning intensity to his eyes, and she saw for the first time a boy who would sell his heart--not for some hobby, but because he thought it was the only way to life the life he wanted. They had that in common.”” [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A desire to be significant drives a person to reveal true self behind a façade of humor, exposing deep yearning for purpose **In simple terms:** Wanting to matter leads to exposing genuine self behind jokes Key Takeaway Seek authenticity, let purpose guide actions Themes identity authenticity purpose Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - career decisions - artistic pursuits - mental health counseling Key Concepts self‑discovery psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What does “matter” mean to you? - How can you express purpose without losing joy? A Different Perspective The pursuit of significance can cause burnout if not balanced with self‑care ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Demons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demons/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Supernatural](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supernatural/) [Young adult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-adult/) ## Related quotes > [“Life is a weirdly themed party”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-lloyd-jones/life-is-a-weirdly-themed-party/) [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) > [“I look back at James one last time, and he gives me his signature smile, wide and cocky. but it's not real. Sometimes I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-young/i-look-back-at-james-one-last-time-and-he-gives-me-his-signature/) [Suzanne Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-young/) > [“But were they truly victims? If they made a deal, knowing fully what they were trading for a wish--but then again, could a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-lloyd-jones/but-were-they-truly-victims-if-they-made-a-deal-knowing-fully-what/) [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) > [“I like to keep my dreams attainable. Eat cheese, sleep on a nice bed, have my work in the same museum as Rothko--the usual.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-lloyd-jones/i-like-to-keep-my-dreams-attainable-eat-cheese-sleep-on-a-nice-bed/) [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) > [“That is why I take the younger ones, you see. You already give parts of your hearts away so easily--little fragments attached to celebrities,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-lloyd-jones/that-is-why-i-take-the-younger-ones-you-see-you-already-give-parts-of/) [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) > [“We're all just moments and most of us don't matter. We study less than one percent of all humanity in our history books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-lloyd-jones/we-re-all-just-moments-and-most-of-us-don-t-matter-we-study-less-than/) [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) > [“before i die i want to matter”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/before-i-die-i-want-to-matter/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [What people really want, no matter who they are, is someone to listen to them. ... people have a lot on their minds, however…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-kidd/what-people-really-want-no-matter-who-they-are-is-someone-to-listen/) [Chip Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-kidd/) > [You've become a part of my life now and I want you to be part of it always no matter what happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine/you-ve-become-a-part-of-my-life-now-and-i-want-you-to-be-part-of-it/) [Josephine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine/) > [We all have goals: We want to matter. We want to be important. We want to have freedom and power to pursue our creative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/we-all-have-goals-we-want-to-matter-we-want-to-be-important-we-want/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“Am I sitting here now, months later, in Los Angeles, writing all this down, because I want my life to matter? Maybe so. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-nelson/am-i-sitting-here-now-months-later-in-los-angeles-writing-all-this/) [Maggie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-nelson/) > [To matter ... Is there any human will deeper than that? ... We don't want to live when we become convinced that we don't,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/to-matter-is-there-any-human-will-deeper-than-that-we-don-t-want-to/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [I just want to go home. See my wife, play with my girls. I just want to matter again. When will this f\*\*king nightmare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-nickel/i-just-want-to-go-home-see-my-wife-play-with-my-girls-i-just-want-to/) [Eric Nickel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-nickel/) > [“I want to be with you, no matter what. I love you-" "But not enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabitha-suzuma/i-want-to-be-with-you-no-matter-what-i-love-you-but-not-enough/) [Tabitha Suzuma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabitha-suzuma/) > [You can't force an audience to see something they don't want to see, no matter what it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-orci/you-can-t-force-an-audience-to-see-something-they-don-t-want-to-see/) [Roberto Orci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-orci/) ## More by Emily Lloyd-Jones > [“Actions fueled by desperation. They were the worst kinds of decisions, because desperate people could see the error of their ways and simply not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-lloyd-jones/actions-fueled-by-desperation-they-were-the-worst-kinds-of-decisions/) [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) > [“Life is a weirdly themed party”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-lloyd-jones/life-is-a-weirdly-themed-party/) [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) > [“Glad to see word reached you. I forgot my phone and somehow throwing pebbles at random windows seemed like a losing strategy." "My roommate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-lloyd-jones/glad-to-see-word-reached-you-i-forgot-my-phone-and-somehow-throwing/) [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) > [“This was how normal people survived their own fairy tales. 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You already give parts of your hearts away so easily--little fragments attached to celebrities,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-lloyd-jones/that-is-why-i-take-the-younger-ones-you-see-you-already-give-parts-of/) [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) > [“She became her own knight; she collected those broken promises and whispered apologies and fashioned them into armor”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-lloyd-jones/she-became-her-own-knight-she-collected-those-broken-promises-and/) [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) > [“She’s a lunatic,” says Conrad. “Absolutely insane,” says Guntram. “Either completely fearless or utterly stupid,” says Conrad. “She’s going to fit right in,” says…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-lloyd-jones/she-s-a-lunatic-says-conrad-absolutely-insane-says-guntram-either/) [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) > [“She was a girl held together by knitted yarn and magic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-lloyd-jones/she-was-a-girl-held-together-by-knitted-yarn-and-magic/) [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) > [“Standing on the edge of that darkness, she felt the stirrings of reckless want. A wild sort of bravery beat within her, taking up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-lloyd-jones/standing-on-the-edge-of-that-darkness-she-felt-the-stirrings-of/) [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) > [“Nothing comes for free. We just don't know what it'll cost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-lloyd-jones/nothing-comes-for-free-we-just-don-t-know-what-it-ll-cost/) [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) > [“I feel like that sometimes...I feel like I'm this collection of broken pieces I don't know what to do with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-lloyd-jones/i-feel-like-that-sometimes-i-feel-like-i-m-this-collection-of-broken/) [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) > [“Some of her earliest memories were of her grandmother's house, of a place that smelled like cinnamon and old books. The house felt like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-lloyd-jones/some-of-her-earliest-memories-were-of-her-grandmother-s-house-of-a/) [Emily Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) [Explore all 19 Emily Lloyd-Jones quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-lloyd-jones/) ## More Demons quotes > [It is no secret that I have read 'The Da Vinci Code' several times. I genuinely believe that 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'Angels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/it-is-no-secret-that-i-have-read-the-da-vinci-code-several-times-i/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) > [I think I need the demons in order to write, but the demons have gone. It bothers me a lot. 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If he would not hurt you, then it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-creagh/they-are-part-of-his-imagination-part-of-his-story-and-so-part-of-him/) [Kelly Creagh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-creagh/) > [“All right. You want to know about Nigel. I’ll tell you about Nigel. He’s come a long way since that so-called accident, Jon. 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