---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't fasten on Dorothy. Only…"
description: "\"“Don't fasten on Dorothy. Only unanswerable longing lies down that road. Gone is gone.”\" — Gregory Maguire"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/053/gregory-maguire-547_life_don-t-fasten-on-dorothy-only-unanswerabl_791018.png"
---

#  Don't fasten on Dorothy. Only unanswerable longing lies…

![“Don't fasten on Dorothy. Only unanswerable longing lies down that road. Gone is gone.” quote by Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/053/gregory-maguire-547_life_don-t-fasten-on-dorothy-only-unanswerabl_791018.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/053/gregory-maguire-547_life_don-t-fasten-on-dorothy-only-unanswerabl_791018.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/053/gregory-maguire-547_life_don-t-fasten-on-dorothy-only-unanswerabl_791018.png)

> ““Don't fasten on Dorothy. Only unanswerable longing lies down that road. Gone is gone.””

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

## 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 suggests that clinging to a past love or desire is futile; the road ahead holds only unanswerable longing, and what is lost cannot be reclaimed.

**In simple terms:** Holding onto past love is futile; loss is final.

Key Takeaway

Release attachment and move forward.

Themes

loss longing acceptance transience

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- breakups
- grieving
- career transitions
- creative blocks
- personal growth

Key Concepts

existentialism nostalgia impermanence

Questions to Reflect On

- What lingering longing holds you back?
- How can you honor loss without being trapped by it?

A Different Perspective

It may overlook the value of memory and learning from past experiences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Nostalgia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgia/)

## Related quotes

> [As a kid, I hated home, and I just wanted so much to learn or do something that could take me away and keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-hart/as-a-kid-i-hated-home-and-i-just-wanted-so-much-to-learn-or-do/)

[Beth Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-hart/)

> [“Down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can, Pursuing it with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/down-from-the-door-where-it-began-now-far-ahead-the-road-has-gone-and/)

[J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/)

> [Your unfinished business of the past can hold you from moving forward to the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe/your-unfinished-business-of-the-past-can-hold-you-from-moving-forward/)

[Simphiwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe/)

> [“I don't understand women that call themselves a "bitch". It doesn't empower a woman. Rather, it reveals to everyone that you were deeply hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/i-don-t-understand-women-that-call-themselves-a-bitch-it-doesn-t/)

[Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/)

> [I'm a suck-it-up-and-move-on kind of person. Every day is a new day, and you'll never be able to find happiness if you don't move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-underwood/i-m-a-suck-it-up-and-move-on-kind-of-person-every-day-is-a-new-day/)

[Carrie Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-underwood/)

> [When I got fired, I had a feeling of loss because Viacom had been a passionate long-term relationship. But I got my balance back.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-freston/when-i-got-fired-i-had-a-feeling-of-loss-because-viacom-had-been-a/)

[Tom Freston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-freston/)

> [It is in the genes of cities to bounce back from disasters - whether natural or man made. The denizens of suburbia have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-swarup/it-is-in-the-genes-of-cities-to-bounce-back-from-disasters-whether/)

[Vikas Swarup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-swarup/)

> [“Life is about accepting the challenges along the way, choosing to keep moving forward, and savoring the journey.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-t-bennett/life-is-about-accepting-the-challenges-along-the-way-choosing-to-keep/)

[Roy T. Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-t-bennett/)

> [I never set out to make a movie that was everything to everybody; if that were the case, we could all just take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-carruth/i-never-set-out-to-make-a-movie-that-was-everything-to-everybody-if/)

[Shane Carruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-carruth/)

> [Being single doesn't mean your open to any dumb ass that comes your way. It means TIME TO PUT YOUR LIFE TOGETHER AND TRIUMPH…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osvaldo-m/being-single-doesn-t-mean-your-open-to-any-dumb-ass-that-comes-your/)

[Osvaldo M](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osvaldo-m/)

> [It feels good when you learn to move on in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divyanka-tripathi/it-feels-good-when-you-learn-to-move-on-in-life/)

[Divyanka Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divyanka-tripathi/)

> [“Ganteng-ganteng kalau nggak bisa move on buat apa?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devania-annesya/ganteng-ganteng-kalau-nggak-bisa-move-on-buat-apa/)

[Devania Annesya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devania-annesya/)

> [Once I've designed something, I immediately move on to the next thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-wearstler/once-i-ve-designed-something-i-immediately-move-on-to-the-next-thing/)

[Kelly Wearstler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-wearstler/)

> [I'm not always right, but I learn from my mistakes and make it a productive experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-kolhoff/i-m-not-always-right-but-i-learn-from-my-mistakes-and-make-it-a/)

[Carson Kolhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-kolhoff/)

> [Loving him is what you did best and moving on is what will you do next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/loving-him-is-what-you-did-best-and-moving-on-is-what-will-you-do-next/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Gregory Maguire

> [“By so giving up, of course, it renews itself- that is the secret”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/by-so-giving-up-of-course-it-renews-itself-that-is-the-secret/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [Forgive us our trespasses," says Margarethe, "and get out of our way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/forgive-us-our-trespasses-says-margarethe-and-get-out-of-our-way/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [“There are two kinds of anger: hot and cold. Boys and girls experience both, but as they grow up the anger separates according to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/there-are-two-kinds-of-anger-hot-and-cold-boys-and-girls-experience/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [“Very few things in the world are certain, but morning is one of them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/very-few-things-in-the-world-are-certain-but-morning-is-one-of-them/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [No one survives in times of war unless they make war their home. How did I get so old and wise, but for welcoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/no-one-survives-in-times-of-war-unless-they-make-war-their-home-how/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [“I care as much as I can, but I don’t spend energy caring about things I cannot resolve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/i-care-as-much-as-i-can-but-i-don-t-spend-energy-caring-about-things/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [“How many times in a life, he thought, will I lie down in a darkness whose character I cannot imagine, to see what daybreak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/how-many-times-in-a-life-he-thought-will-i-lie-down-in-a-darkness/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [Old Flossie settle down on the other side of What-the-Dickens and dragged some handiwork out of a sack. She armed herself with two thorns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/old-flossie-settle-down-on-the-other-side-of-what-the-dickens-and/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [I shall pray for your soul,' promised Nessarose. I shall wait for your shoes,' Elphie answered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/i-shall-pray-for-your-soul-promised-nessarose-i-shall-wait-for-your/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [My first job was scooping ice cream at Friendly's in Albany, New York. I hated the work, most of my colleagues, and the uniform,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/my-first-job-was-scooping-ice-cream-at-friendly-s-in-albany-new-york/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [“At its most elemental, a spell is no more than a recipe for change.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/at-its-most-elemental-a-spell-is-no-more-than-a-recipe-for-change/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [I write because I admire the act of rationalization, of seeking clarity in one's understanding of the complexities of life, and I'm bad at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/i-write-because-i-admire-the-act-of-rationalization-of-seeking/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [“Do good though, will you?" She blinked brightly at the green girl. "If not for your parents or your grandmother, then for me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/do-good-though-will-you-she-blinked-brightly-at-the-green-girl-if-not/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [“You always had an eye for the fellow with a decent helping of sausage and hard-boiled eggs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/you-always-had-an-eye-for-the-fellow-with-a-decent-helping-of-sausage/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

> [“You need my help? What for? Bread, cash, a fake identity to help you slip sideways through the cracks? Tell me what you need,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/you-need-my-help-what-for-bread-cash-a-fake-identity-to-help-you-slip/)

[Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

[Explore all 470 Gregory Maguire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/)

## More Life 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/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/)

[Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/)

> [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/)

Deanna L. Lawlis

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Don't fasten on Dorothy. Only unanswerable longing lies down that road. Gone is gone.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gregory Maguire"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/don-t-fasten-on-dorothy-only-unanswerable-longing-lies-down-that-road/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Life"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/don-t-fasten-on-dorothy-only-unanswerable-longing-lies-down-that-road/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/053/gregory-maguire-547_life_don-t-fasten-on-dorothy-only-unanswerabl_791018.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/053/gregory-maguire-547_life_don-t-fasten-on-dorothy-only-unanswerabl_791018.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/053/gregory-maguire-547_life_don-t-fasten-on-dorothy-only-unanswerabl_791018.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Don't fasten on Dorothy. Only unanswerable longing lies down that road. Gone is gone.” — Gregory Maguire",
                "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": "Gregory Maguire",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Don't fasten on Dorothy. Only unanswerable...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/don-t-fasten-on-dorothy-only-unanswerable-longing-lies-down-that-road/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/don-t-fasten-on-dorothy-only-unanswerable-longing-lies-down-that-road/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
