--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Can you understand what it's like to miss…" description: "\"“Can you understand what it's like to miss something so terribly that you'll accept even the shadow of its memory to keep your heart from withering awa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/gary-a-braunbeck-57527_memory_can-you-understand-what-it-s-like-to-mis_2488583.jpg" --- # Can you understand what it's like to miss something so… ![“Can you understand what it's like to miss something so terribly that you'll accept even the shadow of its memory to keep your heart from withering away?" -From "Danaïd Night” quote by Gary A. Braunbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/gary-a-braunbeck-57527_memory_can-you-understand-what-it-s-like-to-mis_2488583.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/gary-a-braunbeck-57527_memory_can-you-understand-what-it-s-like-to-mis_2488583.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/gary-a-braunbeck-57527_memory_can-you-understand-what-it-s-like-to-mis_2488583.jpg) > ““Can you understand what it's like to miss something so terribly that you'll accept even the shadow of its memory to keep your heart from withering away?" -From "Danaïd Night”” [Gary A. Braunbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-a-braunbeck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote expresses deep longing, suggesting that clinging to even a faint recollection can protect the heart from emotional death. **In simple terms:** Holding onto a memory can keep you emotionally alive. Key Takeaway Cherish memories to sustain emotional health. Themes loss memory emotional resilience Mood melancholy reflective Type literary emotional When to use this quote - bereavement - heartbreak - creative writing - personal reflection Key Concepts nostalgia psychology grief Questions to Reflect On - What memory do you hold onto for comfort? - How can you honor loss without stagnating? A Different Perspective Memories may also trap you in past pain, preventing healing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) ## Related quotes > [People don't remember me for how high my legs went, even though they went up very high, and how many pirouettes I did. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-jamison/people-don-t-remember-me-for-how-high-my-legs-went-even-though-they/) [Judith Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-jamison/) > [When I look at someone's face, I look beyond that face and into the cellular memory in my heart that says, 'Finally you and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/when-i-look-at-someone-s-face-i-look-beyond-that-face-and-into-the/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [“Just because you blocked the memory of me out of your mind doesn't mean you blocked the memory of me out of your heart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/just-because-you-blocked-the-memory-of-me-out-of-your-mind-doesn-t/) [Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [“We must exude a sense of proportional gratitude that humankind’s exquisite texture is composed of a feeling soul and an intelligent will, which people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/we-must-exude-a-sense-of-proportional-gratitude-that-humankind-s/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“...those features are burned so deep into my memory and my heart that I should recognize them anywhere in the world from among a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/those-features-are-burned-so-deep-into-my-memory-and-my-heart-that-i/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [We are so much more powerful and important than we realize. In each moment that we connect with another, we have the opportunity to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lee/we-are-so-much-more-powerful-and-important-than-we-realize-in-each/) Robin Lee > [“Even after everyone had gone home, the house was filled with the good time they’d had, as if it could linger in the air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-voigt/even-after-everyone-had-gone-home-the-house-was-filled-with-the-good/) [Cynthia Voigt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-voigt/) > [“When I’m gone, time won’t change. It will pass the way it always has. I’ve seen it happen. People always move on. You will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-sheppard/when-i-m-gone-time-won-t-change-it-will-pass-the-way-it-always-has-i/) [J.L. Sheppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-sheppard/) > [Memory is not what the heart desires. That is only a mirror, be it clear as Kheled-zaram. Or so says the heart of Gimli…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/memory-is-not-what-the-heart-desires-that-is-only-a-mirror-be-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Your name is upon my tongue your image is in my sight your memory is in my heart where can I send these words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/your-name-is-upon-my-tongue-your-image-is-in-my-sight-your-memory-is/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [To be here recovers from a state of soul, from a state of mind. I have the memory of the heart. I know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacky-ickx/to-be-here-recovers-from-a-state-of-soul-from-a-state-of-mind-i-have/) [Jacky Ickx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacky-ickx/) > [Memory is not what the heart desires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/memory-is-not-what-the-heart-desires/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude is the memory of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/french-proverb/gratitude-is-the-memory-of-the-heart/) French Proverb > [I think I'm learning how to release every day. Recognizing that everything you encounter, touch, or love can become part of you, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrianne-lenker/i-think-i-m-learning-how-to-release-every-day-recognizing-that/) [Adrianne Lenker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrianne-lenker/) > [“Don't let me go off to the front without having touched you for the first time, without having heard your voice say my name.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-brockmole/don-t-let-me-go-off-to-the-front-without-having-touched-you-for-the/) [Jessica Brockmole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-brockmole/) ## More by Gary A. Braunbeck > [“Love isn't a smiling bride who holds a colorful bouquet and gazes lovingly at her husband; it's a corpse-littered battlefield where the walking wounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-a-braunbeck/love-isn-t-a-smiling-bride-who-holds-a-colorful-bouquet-and-gazes/) [Gary A. Braunbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-a-braunbeck/) > [“A life lived in loneliness is no life at all." -"Mail-Order Annie”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-a-braunbeck/a-life-lived-in-loneliness-is-no-life-at-all-mail-order-annie/) [Gary A. Braunbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-a-braunbeck/) > [“You love them all the more for their concern, but wish they'd get it through their heads that there are some people who don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-a-braunbeck/you-love-them-all-the-more-for-their-concern-but-wish-they-d-get-it/) [Gary A. Braunbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-a-braunbeck/) > [“Take my advice - if you expect no kindness, then you won't be disappointed when none is given; but, Lord, are you all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-a-braunbeck/take-my-advice-if-you-expect-no-kindness-then-you-won-t-be/) [Gary A. Braunbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-a-braunbeck/) > [“I am not one who believes that killing yourself is necessarily a coward's way out. It is my belief that a body'd have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-a-braunbeck/i-am-not-one-who-believes-that-killing-yourself-is-necessarily-a/) [Gary A. Braunbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-a-braunbeck/) [Explore all 6 Gary A. Braunbeck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-a-braunbeck/) ## More Memory quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [“Maybe there is something when it all ends. Maybe there is memory, memory of the person you loved, when you lived. Maybe this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-ellison/maybe-there-is-something-when-it-all-ends-maybe-there-is-memory/) [Kate Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-ellison/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [Memory is funny. Once you hit a vein the problem is not how to remember but how to control the flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/memory-is-funny-once-you-hit-a-vein-the-problem-is-not-how-to/) [Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/) > [Once upon a time. Ah forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-upon-a-time-ah-forget-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/) [Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/) > [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I have a memory like an elephant. I remember every elephant I've ever met.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-caen/i-have-a-memory-like-an-elephant-i-remember-every-elephant-i-ve-ever/) [Herb Caen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-caen/) > [Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/your-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-doesn-t-it-simply-files-things/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [My first Olympics memory was watching Haile Gebrselassie in Sydney 2000. His sprint finish to defend his title really moved me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-farah/my-first-olympics-memory-was-watching-haile-gebrselassie-in-sydney/) [Mo Farah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-farah/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [My greatest memories as a kid were playing sports with my dad and watching sports with my dad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-teixeira/my-greatest-memories-as-a-kid-were-playing-sports-with-my-dad-and/) [Mark Teixeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-teixeira/) > [What’s the use of remembering anything? If it was unpleasant it was unpleasant and if it was pleasant it’s over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-dundy/what-s-the-use-of-remembering-anything-if-it-was-unpleasant-it-was/) [Elaine Dundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-dundy/) > [Always remember a little thing can change everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-remember-a-little-thing-can-change-everything/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If God knows me I will never forget him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trunxbeats/if-god-knows-me-i-will-never-forget-him/) Trunxbeats [Browse all 12,248 Memory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Can you understand what it's like to miss something so terribly that you'll accept even the shadow of its memory to keep your heart from withering away?\" -From \"Danaïd Night”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gary A. Braunbeck" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-a-braunbeck/can-you-understand-what-it-s-like-to-miss-something-so-terribly-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Memory" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-a-braunbeck/can-you-understand-what-it-s-like-to-miss-something-so-terribly-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/gary-a-braunbeck-57527_memory_can-you-understand-what-it-s-like-to-mis_2488583.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/gary-a-braunbeck-57527_memory_can-you-understand-what-it-s-like-to-mis_2488583.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c55/gary-a-braunbeck-57527_memory_can-you-understand-what-it-s-like-to-mis_2488583.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Can you understand what it's like to miss something so terribly that you'll accept even the shadow of its…” — Gary A. Braunbeck", "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": "Gary A. Braunbeck", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-a-braunbeck/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Can you understand what it's like...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-a-braunbeck/can-you-understand-what-it-s-like-to-miss-something-so-terribly-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-a-braunbeck/can-you-understand-what-it-s-like-to-miss-something-so-terribly-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 } } ] } ```