---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We know so little about one another. We…"
description: "\"We know so little about one another. We embrace a shadow and love a dream.\" — Hjalmar Söderberg"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/hjalmar-s-derberg-14633_and-love_we-know-so-little-about-one-another-we-e_1933164.png"
---

#  We know so little about one another. We embrace a shadow…

![“We know so little about one another. We embrace a shadow and love a dream.” quote by Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/hjalmar-s-derberg-14633_and-love_we-know-so-little-about-one-another-we-e_1933164.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/hjalmar-s-derberg-14633_and-love_we-know-so-little-about-one-another-we-e_1933164.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/hjalmar-s-derberg-14633_and-love_we-know-so-little-about-one-another-we-e_1933164.png)

> “We know so little about one another. We embrace a shadow and love a dream.”

[Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/)

## About This Quote

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

Human connections are shallow; we cling to vague images and fantasies rather than true understanding.

**In simple terms:** We know little of each other and love idealized visions.

Key Takeaway

Seek genuine insight beyond appearances.

Themes

relationships illusion understanding

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- friendships
- romantic relationships
- social media interactions

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we move from idealizing to truly knowing others?
- What barriers prevent authentic intimacy?

A Different Perspective

Idealized images can replace real connection, leading to disappointment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow/)

## Related quotes

> [“A man of power should embrace his Shadow, or if he cannot embrace it, at least accept it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-lampe/a-man-of-power-should-embrace-his-shadow-or-if-he-cannot-embrace-it/)

[Katherine Lampe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-lampe/)

> [Love that ends is the shadow of love; true love is without beginning or end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazrat-inayat-khan/love-that-ends-is-the-shadow-of-love-true-love-is-without-beginning/)

[Hazrat Inayat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazrat-inayat-khan/)

> [Your life will be transformed when you make peace with your shadow. The caterpillar will become a breathtakingly beautiful butterfly. You will no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-ford/your-life-will-be-transformed-when-you-make-peace-with-your-shadow-2/)

[Debbie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-ford/)

> [Activating our light and our full potential requires that we embrace our shadow. Realizing our wholeness requires us to become big enough to hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-rydall/activating-our-light-and-our-full-potential-requires-that-we-embrace/)

[Derek Rydall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-rydall/)

> [“I embrace my shadow self. Shadows give depth and dimension to my life. I believe in embracing my duality, in learning to let darkness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaeda-dewalt/i-embrace-my-shadow-self-shadows-give-depth-and-dimension-to-my-life/)

[Jaeda DeWalt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaeda-dewalt/)

> [Embrace the shadow, facing the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/embrace-the-shadow-facing-the-truth/)

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

> [“I think what we fear is the shadow of what we love”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-wilder/i-think-what-we-fear-is-the-shadow-of-what-we-love/)

Diana Wilder

> [“I wanted my heart to bloom and shelter a shadow of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-pokhrel/i-wanted-my-heart-to-bloom-and-shelter-a-shadow-of-love/)

[Suman Pokhrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-pokhrel/)

> [Pain is the shadow of love - the reason why lovers like darkness..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sachithra/pain-is-the-shadow-of-love-the-reason-why-lovers-like-darkness/)

[Sachithra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sachithra/)

> [“You must learn to love death’s ink-black shadow as much as you love the light of dawn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-buroker/you-must-learn-to-love-death-s-ink-black-shadow-as-much-as-you-love/)

[Lindsay Buroker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-buroker/)

> [“I’d rather spend the rest of my life without ever seeing you again,” he says, “than watch them destroy you because of me.” His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sangu-mandanna/i-d-rather-spend-the-rest-of-my-life-without-ever-seeing-you-again-he-2/)

[Sangu Mandanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sangu-mandanna/)

> [“Like light and shadow, love and hate were inseparable. One could not exist without the other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/like-light-and-shadow-love-and-hate-were-inseparable-one-could-not/)

[David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/)

> [“Everyone has a temptation; a weakness that they would yield to. Mine is you. Not only you, but your love. For your love is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-megan-varnadore/everyone-has-a-temptation-a-weakness-that-they-would-yield-to-mine-is/)

[Jennifer Megan Varnadore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-megan-varnadore/)

> [Shame is the shadow of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pj-harvey/shame-is-the-shadow-of-love/)

[PJ Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pj-harvey/)

> [We made mad love shadow love random love and abandoned love. Accidentally like a martyr. The hurt gets worse, and the heart gets harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-zevon/we-made-mad-love-shadow-love-random-love-and-abandoned-love/)

[Warren Zevon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-zevon/)

## More by Hjalmar Söderberg

> [“La moralidad es un servicio doméstico, no una divinidad. Conviene usarla, pero no debe mandar”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/la-moralidad-es-un-servicio-dom-stico-no-una-divinidad-conviene/)

[Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/)

> [“In the days when I was ambitious I worked out a very pretty little plan for conquering the whole earth and rearranging things as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/in-the-days-when-i-was-ambitious-i-worked-out-a-very-pretty-little/)

[Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/)

> [“Grădinarului i s-a spus că doar iarba va creşte pe mormântul meu, iar primăvara voi avea anemone. O să vii odată o să culegi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/gr-dinarului-i-s-a-spus-c-doar-iarba-va-cre-te-pe-morm-ntul-meu-iar/)

[Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/)

> [Do not go to the bottom of things, or you will go to the bottom yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/do-not-go-to-the-bottom-of-things-or-you-will-go-to-the-bottom/)

[Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/)

> [“We want everything, we want to be everything. We want to experience all the joys of good fortune and the full depths of suffering.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/we-want-everything-we-want-to-be-everything-we-want-to-experience-all/)

[Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/)

> [“Och vad är månskenet? Solsken i andra hand. Försvagat, förfalskat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/och-vad-r-m-nskenet-solsken-i-andra-hand-f-rsvagat-f-rfalskat/)

[Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/)

> [“Never will she be mine; never. I never brought a flush to her cheek, and it is not I who now have made it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/never-will-she-be-mine-never-i-never-brought-a-flush-to-her-cheek-and/)

[Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/)

> [One wants to be loved, in lack thereof admired, in lack thereof feared, in lack thereof loathed and despised. One wants to instill some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/one-wants-to-be-loved-in-lack-thereof-admired-in-lack-thereof-feared/)

[Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/)

> [Nothing so reduces and drags down a human being as the consciousness of not being loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/nothing-so-reduces-and-drags-down-a-human-being-as-the-consciousness/)

[Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/)

> [“Thought is an acid, eating us away. At first we imagine it will only eat into that which is rotten and sick and must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/thought-is-an-acid-eating-us-away-at-first-we-imagine-it-will-only/)

[Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/)

> [“He was strict and hard and had perfectly clear and definite ideas about duty, where the others were concerned. For oneself one can always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/he-was-strict-and-hard-and-had-perfectly-clear-and-definite-ideas/)

[Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/)

> [“There are people who have no talent for happiness and who know this with painful, implacable clarity. Such people don’t seek happiness, merely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/there-are-people-who-have-no-talent-for-happiness-and-who-know-this/)

[Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/)

> [“Let me tell you something: there are three sorts of people - thinkers, scribblers, and cattle. It is true, I secretly count almost all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/let-me-tell-you-something-there-are-three-sorts-of-people-thinkers/)

[Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/)

> [People want to be loved; failing that admired; failing that feared; failing that hated and despised. They want to evoke some sort of sentiment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/people-want-to-be-loved-failing-that-admired-failing-that-feared/)

[Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/)

> [“Și de-atunci e numai toamna. Mereu, necontenit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/i-de-atunci-e-numai-toamna-mereu-necontenit/)

[Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/)

[Explore all 18 Hjalmar Söderberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/)

## More And love quotes

> [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/)

[Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to help people understand that animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-chavez/we-need-in-a-special-way-to-work-twice-as-hard-to-help-people/)

[Cesar Chavez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-chavez/)

> [There are few husbands whom the wife cannot win in the long run, by patience and love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-of-valois/there-are-few-husbands-whom-the-wife-cannot-win-in-the-long-run-by/)

[Margaret of Valois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-of-valois/)

> [There's little in taking or giving, There's little in water or wine: This living, this living, this living, Was never a project of mine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/there-s-little-in-taking-or-giving-there-s-little-in-water-or-wine/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [We'll walk together holding hands, and kiss in broad daylight, and love each other as much as we want to, and no one will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/we-ll-walk-together-holding-hands-and-kiss-in-broad-daylight-and-love/)

[Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/)

> [Anyone who knows me knows that I am really into hair. I'm a real girly girl and love doing my hair and experimenting with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zooey-deschanel/anyone-who-knows-me-knows-that-i-am-really-into-hair-i-m-a-real-girly/)

[Zooey Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zooey-deschanel/)

> [“When we let go of our battles and open our heart to things as they are, then we come to rest in the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/when-we-let-go-of-our-battles-and-open-our-heart-to-things-as-they/)

[Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/)

> [Only when man succeeds in developing his reason and love further than he has done so far, only when he can build a world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/only-when-man-succeeds-in-developing-his-reason-and-love-further-than/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [I shall pray God to send charity into this hideous world, and sympathy for the weak, and love for the unhappy and unfortunate. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wyndham/i-shall-pray-god-to-send-charity-into-this-hideous-world-and-sympathy/)

[John Wyndham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wyndham/)

> [And I read the moral--A brave endeavour To do thy duty, whate'er its worth, Is better than life with love forever, And love is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-jeffrey-roche/and-i-read-the-moral-a-brave-endeavour-to-do-thy-duty-whate-er-its/)

James Jeffrey Roche

> [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [You should never hate anyone, even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You have to find the redeeming quality and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-should-never-hate-anyone-even-your-worst-enemies-everyone-has/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

> [I rejoice that the reign of Christ is such, while it thrills the soul with emotions, and opens before the highest intellect the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-simpson/i-rejoice-that-the-reign-of-christ-is-such-while-it-thrills-the-soul/)

[Matthew Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-simpson/)

> [If you abide in the love of Christ, rooted in the faith, you will encounter, even amid setbacks and suffering, the source of true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/if-you-abide-in-the-love-of-christ-rooted-in-the-faith-you-will/)

[Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/)

Browse all 2,635 And love quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We know so little about one another. We embrace a shadow and love a dream.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hjalmar Söderberg"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/we-know-so-little-about-one-another-we-embrace-a-shadow-and-love-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "And love"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/we-know-so-little-about-one-another-we-embrace-a-shadow-and-love-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/hjalmar-s-derberg-14633_and-love_we-know-so-little-about-one-another-we-e_1933164.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/hjalmar-s-derberg-14633_and-love_we-know-so-little-about-one-another-we-e_1933164.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4bc/hjalmar-s-derberg-14633_and-love_we-know-so-little-about-one-another-we-e_1933164.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We know so little about one another. We embrace a shadow and love a dream.” — Hjalmar Söderberg",
                "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": "Hjalmar Söderberg",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We know so little about one...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/we-know-so-little-about-one-another-we-embrace-a-shadow-and-love-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/we-know-so-little-about-one-another-we-embrace-a-shadow-and-love-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
