--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Written kisses never arrive at their…" description: "\"Written kisses never arrive at their destination; the ghosts drink them up along the way.\" — Franz Kafka" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/324/franz-kafka-214_destination_written-kisses-never-arrive-at-their-des_2827440.jpg" --- # Written kisses never arrive at their destination; the… ![“Written kisses never arrive at their destination; the ghosts drink them up along the way.” quote by Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/324/franz-kafka-214_destination_written-kisses-never-arrive-at-their-des_2827440.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/324/franz-kafka-214_destination_written-kisses-never-arrive-at-their-des_2827440.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/324/franz-kafka-214_destination_written-kisses-never-arrive-at-their-des_2827440.jpg) > “Written kisses never arrive at their destination; the ghosts drink them up along the way.” [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unexpressed affection never reaches its intended recipient, being consumed by unseen forces. **In simple terms:** Unsent love is lost. Key Takeaway Express feelings before they fade. Themes love communication loss Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - writing - personal growth Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you ensure your emotions are understood? - What prevents you from sharing affection? A Different Perspective Unsent messages may be misinterpreted or ignored. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Destination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destination/) [Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) [Ghosts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghosts/) [Kissing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kissing/) ## Related quotes > [Written kisses don't reach their destination, rather they are drunk on the way by the ghosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/written-kisses-don-t-reach-their-destination-rather-they-are-drunk-on/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“Do ghosts drink tea? They don't, said Tansey. But this ghost would love to see a cup of tea in front of her. It'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roddy-doyle/do-ghosts-drink-tea-they-don-t-said-tansey-but-this-ghost-would-love/) [Roddy Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roddy-doyle/) > [“Writing letters...means to denude oneself before the ghosts, something for which they greedily wait. Written kisses don't reach their destination, rather they are drunk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kafka-franz/writing-letters-means-to-denude-oneself-before-the-ghosts-something/) Kafka, Franz > [“If you’ve been there, done that, gotten the t-shirt, isn’t it time to move on to a new destination? Don’t waste a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-hale/if-you-ve-been-there-done-that-gotten-the-t-shirt-isn-t-it-time-to/) [Mandy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-hale/) > [Without a destination in mind, every road will be a dead end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhiess-krieg/without-a-destination-in-mind-every-road-will-be-a-dead-end/) [Jhiess Krieg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhiess-krieg/) > [“As you travel along the roads in life, there is a certain kind of peace that comes with knowing you're on the right path.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amaka-nkosazana/as-you-travel-along-the-roads-in-life-there-is-a-certain-kind-of/) [Amaka Nkosazana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amaka-nkosazana/) > [We make a lot of detours, but we're always heading for the same destination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-make-a-lot-of-detours-but-we-re-always-heading-for-the-same/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Do you want to make progress? If so, then take each problem not as a challenging rival, but as an encouraging friend of yours,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/do-you-want-to-make-progress-if-so-then-take-each-problem-not-as-a/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [India should emerge as a destination that attracts people to invest here, which, in turn, will give a boost to investment, industrial growth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-thakur/india-should-emerge-as-a-destination-that-attracts-people-to-invest/) [Anurag Thakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-thakur/) > [It was often this way, life consisted of a series of false beginnings, bluff declarations of arrival to destinations not even glimpsed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/it-was-often-this-way-life-consisted-of-a-series-of-false-beginnings/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [“The final destination is death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-final-destination-is-death/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [Love is a voyage,not a destination ! <3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-a-voyage-not-a-destination-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Loving yourself is a journey, not a destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/loving-yourself-is-a-journey-not-a-destination/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [It is a sweet thing that we serve a dissatisfied God who has destinations in mind for us that we would never choose for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/it-is-a-sweet-thing-that-we-serve-a-dissatisfied-god-who-has/) [Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/) ## More by Franz Kafka > [ “The tremendous world I have inside my head. But how \[to\] free myself and free it without being torn to pieces. And a thousand… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/the-tremendous-world-i-have-inside-my-head-but-how-to-free-myself-and/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [What I write is different from what I say, what I say is different from what I think, what I think is different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/what-i-write-is-different-from-what-i-say-what-i-say-is-different/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“A fine setting for a fit of despair,” it occurred to him, “if I were only standing here by accident instead of design.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/a-fine-setting-for-a-fit-of-despair-it-occurred-to-him-if-i-were-only/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“Ali svi se slažu u tome da se ne podižu lakomislene optužbe i da se sud, kad jedanput nekog optuži i kad je uvjeren…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/ali-svi-se-sla-u-u-tome-da-se-ne-podi-u-lakomislene-optu-be-i-da-se/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [My job is unbearable to me because it conflicts with my only desire and my only calling, which is literature. Since I am nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/my-job-is-unbearable-to-me-because-it-conflicts-with-my-only-desire/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Faith, like a guillotine. As heavy, as light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/faith-like-a-guillotine-as-heavy-as-light/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [You need not even listen, just wait...the world will offer itself freely to you, unmasking itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/you-need-not-even-listen-just-wait-the-world-will-offer-itself-freely/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“I will cross hundreds of seas and oceans without sinking to reach you, see your eyes and sink completely into their depths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/i-will-cross-hundreds-of-seas-and-oceans-without-sinking-to-reach-you/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [I have no memory for things I have learned, nor things I have read, nor things experienced or heard, neither for people nor events;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/i-have-no-memory-for-things-i-have-learned-nor-things-i-have-read-nor/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“This sounds crazy, but it is so. Nor is it perhaps really love when I say that for me you are the most beloved;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/this-sounds-crazy-but-it-is-so-nor-is-it-perhaps-really-love-when-i/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [The more horses you yoke the quicker everything will go - not the rending of the block from its foundation, which is impossible, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/the-more-horses-you-yoke-the-quicker-everything-will-go-not-the/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Martyrs do not underrate the body, they allow it to be elevated on the cross. In this they are at one with their antagonists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/martyrs-do-not-underrate-the-body-they-allow-it-to-be-elevated-on-the/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [The true way goes over a line that, rather than spanning heights, is hardly above the ground. It appears more decidedly to make one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/the-true-way-goes-over-a-line-that-rather-than-spanning-heights-is/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Every new discovery is assumed at once into the sum total of knowledge, and with that ceases in a sense to be a discovery;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/every-new-discovery-is-assumed-at-once-into-the-sum-total-of/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“Sou de pedra. Sou a minha própria pedra tumular, sem nenhum interstício para a dúvida ou para a fé, para o amor ou para…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/sou-de-pedra-sou-a-minha-pr-pria-pedra-tumular-sem-nenhum-interst-cio/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) [Explore all 741 Franz Kafka quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) ## More Destination quotes > [It is a sweet thing that we serve a dissatisfied God who has destinations in mind for us that we would never choose for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/it-is-a-sweet-thing-that-we-serve-a-dissatisfied-god-who-has/) [Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/) > [Loving yourself is a journey, not a destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/loving-yourself-is-a-journey-not-a-destination/) [Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/) > [Love is a voyage,not a destination ! <3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-a-voyage-not-a-destination-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [“The final destination is death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-final-destination-is-death/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [It was often this way, life consisted of a series of false beginnings, bluff declarations of arrival to destinations not even glimpsed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/it-was-often-this-way-life-consisted-of-a-series-of-false-beginnings/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [India should emerge as a destination that attracts people to invest here, which, in turn, will give a boost to investment, industrial growth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-thakur/india-should-emerge-as-a-destination-that-attracts-people-to-invest/) [Anurag Thakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-thakur/) > [Do you want to make progress? If so, then take each problem not as a challenging rival, but as an encouraging friend of yours,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/do-you-want-to-make-progress-if-so-then-take-each-problem-not-as-a/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [We make a lot of detours, but we're always heading for the same destination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-make-a-lot-of-detours-but-we-re-always-heading-for-the-same/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“As you travel along the roads in life, there is a certain kind of peace that comes with knowing you're on the right path.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amaka-nkosazana/as-you-travel-along-the-roads-in-life-there-is-a-certain-kind-of/) [Amaka Nkosazana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amaka-nkosazana/) > [Without a destination in mind, every road will be a dead end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhiess-krieg/without-a-destination-in-mind-every-road-will-be-a-dead-end/) [Jhiess Krieg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhiess-krieg/) > [“If you’ve been there, done that, gotten the t-shirt, isn’t it time to move on to a new destination? Don’t waste a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-hale/if-you-ve-been-there-done-that-gotten-the-t-shirt-isn-t-it-time-to/) [Mandy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-hale/) > [The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/the-soil-is-the-great-connector-of-our-lives-the-source-and/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Maine out of season is unmistakably a great destination: hospitable, good-humored, plenty of elbow room, short days, dark nights of crackling ice crystals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/maine-out-of-season-is-unmistakably-a-great-destination-hospitable/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [Science sees the process of evolution from the outside, as one might a train of cars going by, and resolves it into the physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/science-sees-the-process-of-evolution-from-the-outside-as-one-might-a/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) [Browse all 1,154 Destination quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destination/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Written kisses never arrive at their destination; the ghosts drink them up along the way.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Franz Kafka" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/written-kisses-never-arrive-at-their-destination-the-ghosts-drink/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Destination" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/written-kisses-never-arrive-at-their-destination-the-ghosts-drink/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/324/franz-kafka-214_destination_written-kisses-never-arrive-at-their-des_2827440.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/324/franz-kafka-214_destination_written-kisses-never-arrive-at-their-des_2827440.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/324/franz-kafka-214_destination_written-kisses-never-arrive-at-their-des_2827440.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Written kisses never arrive at their destination; the ghosts drink them up along the way.” — Franz Kafka", "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": "Franz Kafka", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Written kisses never arrive at their...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/written-kisses-never-arrive-at-their-destination-the-ghosts-drink/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/written-kisses-never-arrive-at-their-destination-the-ghosts-drink/#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 } } ] } ```