--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They wanted spring, of course they wanted…" description: "\"“They wanted spring, of course they wanted it, more than anything. They longed for sun with every pore of their skin. But spring hurts. If spring can c..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/helen-dunmore-12115_flower_they-wanted-spring-of-course-they-wanted_1521496.png" --- # They wanted spring, of course they wanted it, more than… ![“They wanted spring, of course they wanted it, more than anything. They longed for sun with every pore of their skin. But spring hurts. If spring can come, if things can be different, how can you bear what your existence has been?” quote by Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/helen-dunmore-12115_flower_they-wanted-spring-of-course-they-wanted_1521496.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/helen-dunmore-12115_flower_they-wanted-spring-of-course-they-wanted_1521496.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/helen-dunmore-12115_flower_they-wanted-spring-of-course-they-wanted_1521496.png) > ““They wanted spring, of course they wanted it, more than anything. They longed for sun with every pore of their skin. But spring hurts. If spring can come, if things can be different, how can you bear what your existence has been?”” [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The longing for renewal clashes with the pain of change, questioning how to endure past suffering when hope appears. **In simple terms:** Hope and pain conflict; past hurts linger. Key Takeaway Embrace change while honoring past pain. Themes hope pain renewal existence resilience Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - grief recovery - seasonal change - mental health - spiritual awakening Key Concepts existential longing psychological conflict Questions to Reflect On - What does spring symbolize for you? - How can you honor past pain while seeking renewal? A Different Perspective Spring’s promise may be fleeting; past trauma can dominate present perception. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) ## Related quotes > [At the best of times, spring hurts depressives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/at-the-best-of-times-spring-hurts-depressives/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) > [It was a nice day, and I don't mean that it was sunny either. It was humid and not too cool, like winter was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/it-was-a-nice-day-and-i-don-t-mean-that-it-was-sunny-either-it-was/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [When you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-schuller/when-you-are-in-your-worst-moods-wait-be-patient-the-storm-will-pass/) [Robert H. 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It did nothing but make me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hajin-yoo/i-ve-always-wished-that-spring-would-come-because-i-was-so-afraid-of/) [Hajin Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hajin-yoo/) > [Never give up hope, spring will come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-stern/never-give-up-hope-spring-will-come/) [Jessica Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-stern/) ## More by Helen Dunmore > [Mourning Ruby is not a flat landscape: it is more like a box with pictures painted on every face. And each face is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/mourning-ruby-is-not-a-flat-landscape-it-is-more-like-a-box-with/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [To try to expunge an individual's history is a terrible violation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/to-try-to-expunge-an-individual-s-history-is-a-terrible-violation/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [Reread, rewrite, reread, rewrite. If it still doesn't work, throw it away. It's a nice feeling, and you don't want to be cluttered with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/reread-rewrite-reread-rewrite-if-it-still-doesn-t-work-throw-it-away/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [“The word 'personal' is one of my aversions. Personal loan. Personal hygiene. Personal safety. It's only a way of wrapping up bad news that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/the-word-personal-is-one-of-my-aversions-personal-loan-personal/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [I can remember being in my pram: children stayed in their prams much longer then than they do now. A big bouncy pram with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/i-can-remember-being-in-my-pram-children-stayed-in-their-prams-much/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [“Dad was alive. I believed Conor, but I still didn't really know it. But now I do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/dad-was-alive-i-believed-conor-but-i-still-didn-t-really-know-it-but/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [A novel, in the end, is a container, a shape which you are trying to pour your story into.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/a-novel-in-the-end-is-a-container-a-shape-which-you-are-trying-to/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [“Fear of this order is not an emotion. It is like a virus overwhelming every cell of his body, while his mind struggles to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/fear-of-this-order-is-not-an-emotion-it-is-like-a-virus-overwhelming/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [“Our houses are palaces to those who have none.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/our-houses-are-palaces-to-those-who-have-none/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [I could start with Mandelstam, who was a huge influence on my early writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/i-could-start-with-mandelstam-who-was-a-huge-influence-on-my-early/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [My first collection of poems was published by Bloodaxe Books, which was then a very new imprint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/my-first-collection-of-poems-was-published-by-bloodaxe-books-which/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [“It seemed to me that there was a self-interest hidden in the core of all of us, which cooled us when we contemplated any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/it-seemed-to-me-that-there-was-a-self-interest-hidden-in-the-core-of/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [A problem with a piece of writing often clarifies itself if you go for a long walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/a-problem-with-a-piece-of-writing-often-clarifies-itself-if-you-go/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [“You have to keep on with a house, day after day, I think. Heating, cleaning, opening and closing windows, making sounds to fill the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/you-have-to-keep-on-with-a-house-day-after-day-i-think-heating/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) > [I hope that readers will tear through my books because they can't stop themselves - and then, maybe, read them again and find new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-dunmore/i-hope-that-readers-will-tear-through-my-books-because-they-can-t/) [Helen Dunmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) [Explore all 56 Helen Dunmore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-dunmore/) ## More Flower quotes > [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/) [Craig D. 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You know deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kreger/sometimes-sometimes-it-is-really-difficult-to-turn-and-walk-away-from/) [David Kreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kreger/) > [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) > [A garden has a curious innocent way of consuming cash while all the time you are under the illusion that you are spending nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-meynell/a-garden-has-a-curious-innocent-way-of-consuming-cash-while-all-the/) [Esther Meynell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-meynell/) > [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. 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