---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That is why we were drawn to one another…"
description: "\"That is why we were drawn to one another and why we are brother and sister. I am going to teach you to dance and play and smile, and still not be happy..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/hermann-hesse-130_brother_that-is-why-we-were-drawn-to-one-another_2743103.png"
---

#  That is why we were drawn to one another and why we are…

![“That is why we were drawn to one another and why we are brother and sister. I am going to teach you to dance and play and smile, and still not be happy. And you are going to teach me to think and to know and yet not be happy. Do you know that we are both children of the Devil?” quote by Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/hermann-hesse-130_brother_that-is-why-we-were-drawn-to-one-another_2743103.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/hermann-hesse-130_brother_that-is-why-we-were-drawn-to-one-another_2743103.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/hermann-hesse-130_brother_that-is-why-we-were-drawn-to-one-another_2743103.png)

> “That is why we were drawn to one another and why we are brother and sister. I am going to teach you to dance and play and smile, and still not be happy. And you are going to teach me to think and to know and yet not be happy. Do you know that we are both children of the Devil?”

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Shared learning and companionship can coexist with inner unhappiness, suggesting deeper existential conflict.

**In simple terms:** Learning together yet feeling empty.

Key Takeaway

Seek meaning beyond external connections.

Themes

existence relationships spirituality

Mood

melancholic contemplative

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- friendship
- family
- personal growth

Key Concepts

existentialism dualism inner conflict

Questions to Reflect On

- What inner void persists despite companionship?
- How can you find fulfillment within?

A Different Perspective

Happiness may require inner work, not just external ties.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Brother and sister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother-and-sister/) [Brotherhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brotherhood/) [Brothers and sisters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brothers-and-sisters/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Devil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devil/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Sister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sister/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [Brother and Sister So &amp; So are not your standard; Jesus is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/brother-and-sister-so-so-are-not-your-standard-jesus-is/)

[Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/)

> [Growing up, I had a very normal relationship with my brother and sister. But, over time, they became my best friends, and now I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logan-lerman/growing-up-i-had-a-very-normal-relationship-with-my-brother-and/)

[Logan Lerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/logan-lerman/)

> [I may have had a crush on Zac, but we are like brother and sister, so nothing would ever happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-hudgens/i-may-have-had-a-crush-on-zac-but-we-are-like-brother-and-sister-so/)

[Vanessa Hudgens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-hudgens/)

> [I have an older brother and sister, and I'm definitely ahead of my years in terms of sci-fi and films. My brother is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-john-kamen/i-have-an-older-brother-and-sister-and-i-m-definitely-ahead-of-my/)

[Hannah John-Kamen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-john-kamen/)

> [“No two things could be more the Reverse of each other than were the Brother and Sister, in most instances; particularly in this, That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/no-two-things-could-be-more-the-reverse-of-each-other-than-were-the/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [I'm an only child. Which is kind of bad, because having a brother or sister is like another form of friendship. That's something I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-portman/i-m-an-only-child-which-is-kind-of-bad-because-having-a-brother-or/)

[Natalie Portman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-portman/)

> [All my family, my blood, is mixed up now. They don't even all know each other. I just hope they don't never hate or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-california-cooper/all-my-family-my-blood-is-mixed-up-now-they-don-t-even-all-know-each/)

[J. California Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-california-cooper/)

> [The only siblings I have are half-siblings. My nuclear family would have been an extra-suffocating threesome. Instead, I have an interesting brother and sister,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-smiley/the-only-siblings-i-have-are-half-siblings-my-nuclear-family-would/)

[Jane Smiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-smiley/)

> [Grandmother pointed out my brother Perry, my sister Sarah, and my sister Eliza, who stood in the group. I had never seen my brother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/grandmother-pointed-out-my-brother-perry-my-sister-sarah-and-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [I'm afraid that what most people don't know about me is that I'm very close to my brother and sister, who are 16 and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomie-harris/i-m-afraid-that-what-most-people-don-t-know-about-me-is-that-i-m-very/)

[Naomie Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomie-harris/)

> [That is why every brother and sister will react differently according to how they learn to defend themselves and adapt to different circumstances. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-is-why-every-brother-and-sister-will-react-differently-according/)

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

> [Getting close to books, and spending time by myself, I was obliged to think about things I would never have thought about if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-foote/getting-close-to-books-and-spending-time-by-myself-i-was-obliged-to/)

[Shelby Foote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-foote/)

> [In Invisible there's a lot about childhood, the death of the brother and then the relationship between the brother and sister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/in-invisible-there-s-a-lot-about-childhood-the-death-of-the-brother/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [I want to be alone and work until the day my heads hits the drawing table and I'm dead. Kaput. I feel very much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/i-want-to-be-alone-and-work-until-the-day-my-heads-hits-the-drawing/)

[Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/)

> [Do you know what friendship is... it is to be brother and sister; two souls which touch without mingling, two fingers on one hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/do-you-know-what-friendship-is-it-is-to-be-brother-and-sister-two/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

## More by Hermann Hesse

> [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [A home isn't just a roof over our heads. A home is a place where we feel loved and where we love others. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-home-isn-t-just-a-roof-over-our-heads-a-home-is-a-place-where-we/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Fortunately, like most children, I had learned what is most valuable, most indispensable for life before school years began, taught by apple trees, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/fortunately-like-most-children-i-had-learned-what-is-most-valuable/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [“The mistaken and unhappy notion that a man is an enduring unity is known to you. It is also known to you that a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-mistaken-and-unhappy-notion-that-a-man-is-an-enduring-unity-is/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [“... it would be better for our country and the world in general, if at least the few people who were capable of thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/it-would-be-better-for-our-country-and-the-world-in-general-if-at/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [The bird fights its way out of the egg. The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-bird-fights-its-way-out-of-the-egg-the-egg-is-the-world-who-would/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Everything becomes a little different as soon as it is spoken out loud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/everything-becomes-a-little-different-as-soon-as-it-is-spoken-out-loud/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [It may be important to great thinkers to examine the world, to explain and despise it. But I think it is only important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/it-may-be-important-to-great-thinkers-to-examine-the-world-to-explain/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [“..it is useless for you to build walls and dormitories and chapels and churches. Death looks through the window and laughs..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/it-is-useless-for-you-to-build-walls-and-dormitories-and-chapels-and/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [“When the world is at peace, when all things are tranquil and all men obey their superiors in all their courses, then music can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/when-the-world-is-at-peace-when-all-things-are-tranquil-and-all-men/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [A mere nothing suffices — and the lightning strikes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-mere-nothing-suffices-and-the-lightning-strikes/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [“And if time is not real, then the dividing line that seems to lie between this world and eternity, between suffering and bliss, between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/and-if-time-is-not-real-then-the-dividing-line-that-seems-to-lie/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Beautiful was this world, looking at it thus, without searching, thus simply, thus childlike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/beautiful-was-this-world-looking-at-it-thus-without-searching-thus/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Were not the gods forms created like me and you, mortal, transient?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/were-not-the-gods-forms-created-like-me-and-you-mortal-transient/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

[Explore all 951 Hermann Hesse quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

## More Brother 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/)

> [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

> [Luckily, the bullet that hit my chest never got to me. It was stopped by a silver case I got for my brother's wedding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-doohan/luckily-the-bullet-that-hit-my-chest-never-got-to-me-it-was-stopped/)

[James Doohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-doohan/)

> [“Yeah. You treat him like a son or a soldier, instead of like a brother. He wants you to like him and admire him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hunter/yeah-you-treat-him-like-a-son-or-a-soldier-instead-of-like-a-brother/)

[Faith Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hunter/)

> [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/)

[Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/)

> [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/)

[Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/)

> [There's no publicist, no advertisements, and no one's pushing us. If people are buying our records, it's because big brothers and sisters or friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-moody/there-s-no-publicist-no-advertisements-and-no-one-s-pushing-us-if/)

Spencer Moody

> [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. I could've done it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-only-way-to-make-sure-that-the-hand-didn-t-get-to-you-would-have/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [“Your favorite son and brother, Shade. Like”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-aveyard/your-favorite-son-and-brother-shade-like/)

[Victoria Aveyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-aveyard/)

> [Sister + brother = a lovely family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sister-brother-a-lovely-family/)

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

> [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/brothers-and-sisters-i-bid-you-beware-of-giving-your-heart-to-a-dog/)

[Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/)

> [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/)

[Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/)

> [Stephanie could see the greed seep into the watery eyes of her father’s other brother, a horrible little man called Fergus, as he nodded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/stephanie-could-see-the-greed-seep-into-the-watery-eyes-of-her-father/)

[Derek Landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/)

> [I worked in a barbershop. I used to make the waves in the brother's hair, you know? Like, Nat King Cole, Sugar Ray Robinson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clinton/i-worked-in-a-barbershop-i-used-to-make-the-waves-in-the-brother-s/)

[George Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clinton/)

[Browse all 7,453 Brother quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "That is why we were drawn to one another and why we are brother and sister. I am going to teach you to dance and play and smile, and still not be happy. And you are going to teach me to think and to know and yet not be happy. Do you know that we are both children of the Devil?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hermann Hesse"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/that-is-why-we-were-drawn-to-one-another-and-why-we-are-brother-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Brother"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/that-is-why-we-were-drawn-to-one-another-and-why-we-are-brother-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/hermann-hesse-130_brother_that-is-why-we-were-drawn-to-one-another_2743103.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/hermann-hesse-130_brother_that-is-why-we-were-drawn-to-one-another_2743103.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/hermann-hesse-130_brother_that-is-why-we-were-drawn-to-one-another_2743103.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That is why we were drawn to one another and why we are brother and sister. I am going to teach you to dance…” — Hermann Hesse",
                "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": "Hermann Hesse",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "That is why we were drawn...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/that-is-why-we-were-drawn-to-one-another-and-why-we-are-brother-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/that-is-why-we-were-drawn-to-one-another-and-why-we-are-brother-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
