--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I dropped a word from the string of…" description: "\"“I dropped a word from the string of negative adjectives that had trailed behind me like tin cans behind the village idiot. Unappreciated, unloved, unm..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb8/francine-prose-9354_quote_i-dropped-a-word-from-the-string-of-nega_1125522.jpg" --- # I dropped a word from the string of negative adjectives… ![“I dropped a word from the string of negative adjectives that had trailed behind me like tin cans behind the village idiot. Unappreciated, unloved, unmarried. But no longer unpublished.” quote by Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb8/francine-prose-9354_quote_i-dropped-a-word-from-the-string-of-nega_1125522.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb8/francine-prose-9354_quote_i-dropped-a-word-from-the-string-of-nega_1125522.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb8/francine-prose-9354_quote_i-dropped-a-word-from-the-string-of-nega_1125522.jpg) > ““I dropped a word from the string of negative adjectives that had trailed behind me like tin cans behind the village idiot. Unappreciated, unloved, unmarried. But no longer unpublished.”” [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator sheds negative labels, feeling unappreciated and unloved, but now embraces publication and self‑acceptance. **In simple terms:** She drops harsh self‑labels and embraces being published. Key Takeaway Release yourself from self‑imposed negativity. Themes self‑image acceptance creativity publication growth Mood reflective empowering Type literary personal growth When to use this quote - writing workshops - support groups - personal journaling - career counseling Key Concepts self‑esteem narrative identity creative empowerment Questions to Reflect On - What labels are you ready to drop? - How does publishing change self‑view? A Different Perspective Self‑criticism can persist despite external validation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adjectives Trailed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adjectives-trailed-3066198/) [Dropped Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dropped-word-2048028/) [Negative Adjectives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negative-adjectives-3066199/) [Unappreciated Unloved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unappreciated-unloved-2300294/) [Unloved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unloved/) ## Related quotes > [Every day someone wakes up feeling unappreciated, unloved &/or unworthy. They won't tell you. They still smile through the pain...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-day-someone-wakes-up-feeling-unappreciated-unloved-or-unworthy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And God help them both, if it hadn’t been for Saxton, Qhuinn would have dropped the l-word right then and there, even though the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/and-god-help-them-both-if-it-hadn-t-been-for-saxton-qhuinn-would-have/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [Well, I've never dropped the word 'eh.' That's still at the end of my sentence, replacing the question mark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/autumn-phillips/well-i-ve-never-dropped-the-word-eh-that-s-still-at-the-end-of-my/) [Autumn Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/autumn-phillips/) > [I said I'm fine I really meant I'm not fine, please help me. I said I'm just tired. I meant I can't take this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-said-i-m-fine-i-really-meant-i-m-not-fine-please-help-me-i-said-i-m/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I lower my head into my hands and sob. Oh, but how wretched are we, the unloved. We wither like forgotten plants in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lioness-dewinter/i-lower-my-head-into-my-hands-and-sob-oh-but-how-wretched-are-we-the/) [Lioness DeWinter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lioness-dewinter/) > [Sometimes you will feel lost, alone and unloved. But just remember, you only know this hurts because in the past you have known where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-king/sometimes-you-will-feel-lost-alone-and-unloved-but-just-remember-you/) [Polly King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-king/) > [When a man comes to die, no matter what his talents and influences and genius, if he dies unloved his life must be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/when-a-man-comes-to-die-no-matter-what-his-talents-and-influences-and/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [When people walk away from you, let them go. You shouldnt have to talk them into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-walk-away-from-you-let-them-go-you-shouldnt-have-to-talk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It’s the little hints that they opt to disregard, the small decisions that lack any form of empathy. It’s never in the main things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elelwani-anita-ravhuhali/it-s-the-little-hints-that-they-opt-to-disregard-the-small-decisions/) [Elelwani Anita Ravhuhali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elelwani-anita-ravhuhali/) > [I dont see myself as unloved because I was given up; I see it as an ultimate act of sacrifice and love on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacee-ballback/i-dont-see-myself-as-unloved-because-i-was-given-up-i-see-it-as-an/) [Stacee Ballback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacee-ballback/) > [My childhood was rough, we were poor and my parents were alcoholics, but nobody was mean. I knew I was loved. We were on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-burnett/my-childhood-was-rough-we-were-poor-and-my-parents-were-alcoholics/) [Carol Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-burnett/) > [If you would be unloved and forgotten, be reasonable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/if-you-would-be-unloved-and-forgotten-be-reasonable/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [We can't have children growing up feeling unloved - the price is too high for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-rayner/we-can-t-have-children-growing-up-feeling-unloved-the-price-is-too/) [Angela Rayner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-rayner/) > [But miserable most, to love unloved? This you should pity rather than despise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-miserable-most-to-love-unloved-this-you-should-pity-rather-than/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [My songs have a lot going on in them -they're packed with sounds. When I have only three or four minutes to capture something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imogen-heap/my-songs-have-a-lot-going-on-in-them-they-re-packed-with-sounds-when/) [Imogen Heap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imogen-heap/) ## More by Francine Prose > [“I'm out of the equation, an innocent bystander at the major love affair Joan is having with Joan”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/i-m-out-of-the-equation-an-innocent-bystander-at-the-major-love/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [I went through college in the 1960s without having any idea that I was going to have to make a living. When I graduated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/i-went-through-college-in-the-1960s-without-having-any-idea-that-i/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [All the elements of good writing depend on the writer's skill in choosing one word instead of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/all-the-elements-of-good-writing-depend-on-the-writer-s-skill-in/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“She emerges from the station directly across from the restaurant. And she's right on time. Like magic, Sonya thinks, briefly saddened to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/she-emerges-from-the-station-directly-across-from-the-restaurant-and/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“Like, for example, sleeve length. Should he hide the tattoos? Or just wear a T-shirt and let "them" do the talking? If one picture's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/like-for-example-sleeve-length-should-he-hide-the-tattoos-or-just/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“Consequently, we sympathize. We identify. We care. In fact, most writers would like you to identify”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/consequently-we-sympathize-we-identify-we-care-in-fact-most-writers/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“A woman would have to be crazy to marry, or even have sex with, a man who would prosecute every lover’s quarrel like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/a-woman-would-have-to-be-crazy-to-marry-or-even-have-sex-with-a-man/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [I know a lot of Eastern Europeans, and because of what they have been through and what they have seen, they have an attitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/i-know-a-lot-of-eastern-europeans-and-because-of-what-they-have-been/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“I’ve always thought that a close-reading course should at least be a companion, if not an alternative, to the writing workshop. Though it also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/i-ve-always-thought-that-a-close-reading-course-should-at-least-be-a/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“Not all great writers may seem great to us, regardless of how often and how hard we try to see their virtues. I know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/not-all-great-writers-may-seem-great-to-us-regardless-of-how-often/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [Like seeing a photograph of yourself as a child, encountering handwriting that you know was once yours but that now seems only dimly familiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/like-seeing-a-photograph-of-yourself-as-a-child-encountering/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > ['One Hundred Years of Solitude' convinced me to drop out of Harvard graduate school. The novel reminded me of everything my Ph.D. program was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/one-hundred-years-of-solitude-convinced-me-to-drop-out-of-harvard/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“Maybe real love is being able to ask, Do I have greens in my teeth?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/maybe-real-love-is-being-able-to-ask-do-i-have-greens-in-my-teeth/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [With this recitation of paraphernalia and detritus, O'Brien manages to encapsulate the experience of an army and of a particular war, of a mined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/with-this-recitation-of-paraphernalia-and-detritus-o-brien-manages-to/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) > [“The repetitions, meaningless expressions, stammers, and nonsensical monosyllables with which we express hesitation, along with the clichés and banalities that constitute so much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-prose/the-repetitions-meaningless-expressions-stammers-and-nonsensical/) [Francine Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) [Explore all 73 Francine Prose quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-prose/) ## More Unloved quotes > [My songs have a lot going on in them -they're packed with sounds. When I have only three or four minutes to capture something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imogen-heap/my-songs-have-a-lot-going-on-in-them-they-re-packed-with-sounds-when/) [Imogen Heap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imogen-heap/) > [But miserable most, to love unloved? This you should pity rather than despise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-miserable-most-to-love-unloved-this-you-should-pity-rather-than/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [We can't have children growing up feeling unloved - the price is too high for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-rayner/we-can-t-have-children-growing-up-feeling-unloved-the-price-is-too/) [Angela Rayner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-rayner/) > [If you would be unloved and forgotten, be reasonable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/if-you-would-be-unloved-and-forgotten-be-reasonable/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [My childhood was rough, we were poor and my parents were alcoholics, but nobody was mean. I knew I was loved. We were on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-burnett/my-childhood-was-rough-we-were-poor-and-my-parents-were-alcoholics/) [Carol Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-burnett/) > [I dont see myself as unloved because I was given up; I see it as an ultimate act of sacrifice and love on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacee-ballback/i-dont-see-myself-as-unloved-because-i-was-given-up-i-see-it-as-an/) [Stacee Ballback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacee-ballback/) > [“It’s the little hints that they opt to disregard, the small decisions that lack any form of empathy. It’s never in the main things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elelwani-anita-ravhuhali/it-s-the-little-hints-that-they-opt-to-disregard-the-small-decisions/) [Elelwani Anita Ravhuhali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elelwani-anita-ravhuhali/) > [When people walk away from you, let them go. You shouldnt have to talk them into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-walk-away-from-you-let-them-go-you-shouldnt-have-to-talk/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When a man comes to die, no matter what his talents and influences and genius, if he dies unloved his life must be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/when-a-man-comes-to-die-no-matter-what-his-talents-and-influences-and/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Sometimes you will feel lost, alone and unloved. But just remember, you only know this hurts because in the past you have known where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polly-king/sometimes-you-will-feel-lost-alone-and-unloved-but-just-remember-you/) [Polly King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polly-king/) > [“I lower my head into my hands and sob. Oh, but how wretched are we, the unloved. We wither like forgotten plants in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lioness-dewinter/i-lower-my-head-into-my-hands-and-sob-oh-but-how-wretched-are-we-the/) [Lioness DeWinter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lioness-dewinter/) > [I said I'm fine I really meant I'm not fine, please help me. I said I'm just tired. I meant I can't take this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-said-i-m-fine-i-really-meant-i-m-not-fine-please-help-me-i-said-i-m/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was eight when I found out I was adopted. My step-brother told me. He'd overheard my mum and my stepdad at the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rj-mitte/i-was-eight-when-i-found-out-i-was-adopted-my-step-brother-told-me-he/) [RJ Mitte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rj-mitte/) > [The worst feeling is feeling unwanted by the one you want the most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/the-worst-feeling-is-feeling-unwanted-by-the-one-you-want-the-most/) [Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/) > [She puts on her makeup and curls her hair all for that boy who would never care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ester-escalante/she-puts-on-her-makeup-and-curls-her-hair-all-for-that-boy-who-would/) [Ester Escalante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ester-escalante/) [Browse all 212 Unloved quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unloved/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I dropped a word from the string of negative adjectives that had trailed behind me like tin cans behind the village idiot. 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