--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My soul needs him as much as my lungs…" description: "\"“My soul needs him as much as my lungs need air. So much so that I feel like I’m suffocating just being away from him.”\" — J.B. McGee" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2be/j-b-mcgee-15302_suffocating_my-soul-needs-him-as-much-as-my-lungs-ne_3053895.jpg" --- # My soul needs him as much as my lungs need air. So much so… ![“My soul needs him as much as my lungs need air. So much so that I feel like I’m suffocating just being away from him.” quote by J.B. McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2be/j-b-mcgee-15302_suffocating_my-soul-needs-him-as-much-as-my-lungs-ne_3053895.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2be/j-b-mcgee-15302_suffocating_my-soul-needs-him-as-much-as-my-lungs-ne_3053895.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2be/j-b-mcgee-15302_suffocating_my-soul-needs-him-as-much-as-my-lungs-ne_3053895.jpg) > ““My soul needs him as much as my lungs need air. So much so that I feel like I’m suffocating just being away from him.”” [J.B. McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-mcgee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels an intense, essential emotional dependence on a loved one, comparing it to a physical need for breath, causing distress when apart. **In simple terms:** Love feels as vital as breathing, and separation feels suffocating. Key Takeaway Recognize and communicate your deep need for closeness. Themes love dependence longing emotional health Mood yearning intense reflective Type emotional poetic relationship When to use this quote - romantic relationships - long-distance partnerships - mental health counseling - creative writing Key Concepts attachment theory psychology of love interpersonal need Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance deep attachment with personal autonomy? - What signs show love is becoming unhealthy? A Different Perspective The metaphor may exaggerate, overlooking healthy boundaries and self‑sufficiency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [Recently, I looked back at my first manuscripts and was struck by the lack of space, of breath. 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McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-mcgee/) > [“And, I just can't shake this feeling I have when I'm around him. The chemistry, The electricity I feel when he's close to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-mcgee/and-i-just-can-t-shake-this-feeling-i-have-when-i-m-around-him-the/) [J.B. McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-mcgee/) > [“I know you probably feel like there's no color left in the world. Like there's no light, instead all darkness. But there's sunshine. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-mcgee/i-know-you-probably-feel-like-there-s-no-color-left-in-the-world-like/) [J.B. McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-mcgee/) > [“But God gives us the people we need in our lives for the amount of time he sees fit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-mcgee/but-god-gives-us-the-people-we-need-in-our-lives-for-the-amount-of/) [J.B. McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-mcgee/) > [“Oh, she loved weddings and longed for the day she would have her own. The day when she would be kissed like that by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-mcgee/oh-she-loved-weddings-and-longed-for-the-day-she-would-have-her-own/) [J.B. McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-mcgee/) > [“No, you were certainly not trying to seduce me, more like trying to wound my ego, break my heart, I dunno. Did you like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-mcgee/no-you-were-certainly-not-trying-to-seduce-me-more-like-trying-to/) [J.B. McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-mcgee/) > [“Sometimes silence means more than words filled with pity and regret. He squeezes my hand, and I know that is his way of saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-mcgee/sometimes-silence-means-more-than-words-filled-with-pity-and-regret/) [J.B. McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-mcgee/) > [“You look…” he shook his head looking her up and down, “You look delicious. If I don’t get you out of here, I’m going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-mcgee/you-look-he-shook-his-head-looking-her-up-and-down-you-look-delicious/) [J.B. McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-mcgee/) > [“If I can't have you for the rest of my life, I will be alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-mcgee/if-i-can-t-have-you-for-the-rest-of-my-life-i-will-be-alone/) [J.B. McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-mcgee/) > [“Turning my head so I can look into his eyes, I strum my fingers across his cheek. “You’re right. I think we’ve both had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-mcgee/turning-my-head-so-i-can-look-into-his-eyes-i-strum-my-fingers-across/) [J.B. McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-mcgee/) > [“You can’t get back the time in the past. You can’t change it. You can only make sure to learn and move forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-mcgee/you-can-t-get-back-the-time-in-the-past-you-can-t-change-it-you-can/) [J.B. McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-mcgee/) > [“I feel like I've been in a dark tunnel, but now I'm no longer blinded by darkness, but rather by an overwhelming brightness. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-mcgee/i-feel-like-i-ve-been-in-a-dark-tunnel-but-now-i-m-no-longer-blinded/) [J.B. McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-mcgee/) > [“I’m so sorry,” Gabby whispered. “Don’t be, baby. This was way better than what I had planned anyway.” He moved a stray curl back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-mcgee/i-m-so-sorry-gabby-whispered-don-t-be-baby-this-was-way-better-than/) [J.B. McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-mcgee/) > [“I take the tiniest of steps back and reach out to place my hand in his. When I do, it’s exactly as I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-mcgee/i-take-the-tiniest-of-steps-back-and-reach-out-to-place-my-hand-in/) [J.B. McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-mcgee/) > [“Miss Gerhart, the last time I saw you, you had quite a mouthful to shout at me. You’re really quiet today. Cat got your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-b-mcgee/miss-gerhart-the-last-time-i-saw-you-you-had-quite-a-mouthful-to/) [J.B. McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-mcgee/) [Explore all 43 J.B. McGee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-b-mcgee/) ## More Suffocating quotes > [I spent two years in Palo Alto - what an awful, suffocating place for those of us who don't care about yoga, yogurts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/i-spent-two-years-in-palo-alto-what-an-awful-suffocating-place-for/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [What's different now is that while political leaders used to give talking points to talk radio, now talk-radio hosts are giving talking points to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-avlon/what-s-different-now-is-that-while-political-leaders-used-to-give/) [John Avlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-avlon/) > [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/) > [I was on this path to becoming a computer-science guy, but I didn't like it. I got no joy from it. It was very,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumail-nanjiani/i-was-on-this-path-to-becoming-a-computer-science-guy-but-i-didn-t/) [Kumail Nanjiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumail-nanjiani/) > [“I turn and gaze at the bright blue sky, squinting. It’s like surfacing for air after giving up hope, after resigning to drown, suffocating”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-klein/i-turn-and-gaze-at-the-bright-blue-sky-squinting-it-s-like-surfacing/) [Katie Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-klein/) > [I buried how much I missed you. burried to the very bottom of my heart and its still there digging the way back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-buried-how-much-i-missed-you-burried-to-the-very-bottom-of-my-heart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A town so suffocating and small, you tripped over people you hated every day. People who knew things about you. It's the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/a-town-so-suffocating-and-small-you-tripped-over-people-you-hated/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“Struggling transforms her captor into a Chinese finger trap. She’s suffocating. Sucking in air without relief. Her lungs expand. Contract. Expand. They fill with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-kreitzer/struggling-transforms-her-captor-into-a-chinese-finger-trap-she-s/) [Laura Kreitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-kreitzer/) > [“Truly unconditional love was suffocating, in that it took so little notice of who you actually were.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-risk-hallberg/truly-unconditional-love-was-suffocating-in-that-it-took-so-little/) [Garth Risk Hallberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-risk-hallberg/) > [“Success is suffocating. The air is thinner at the top.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/success-is-suffocating-the-air-is-thinner-at-the-top/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“I'm out of the room in the next instant, like a man wanting breath, after suffocating through the horror of a burrito eating obese…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix-banner/i-m-out-of-the-room-in-the-next-instant-like-a-man-wanting-breath/) Nix Banner > [I became entirely given over to extreme dread. The fear was so powerful that it seemed to make my personality completely evaporate... 'Whitley' ceased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/i-became-entirely-given-over-to-extreme-dread-the-fear-was-so/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) > [Looked at sky through smoke heavy with human fat and God was not there. The cold, suffocating dark goes on forever and we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/looked-at-sky-through-smoke-heavy-with-human-fat-and-god-was-not-2/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [“Have you ever imagined loving and hating someone so much, exactly at the same time? It is suffocating.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ama-h-vanniarachchy/have-you-ever-imagined-loving-and-hating-someone-so-much-exactly-at/) Ama H. Vanniarachchy > [“Louis can't catch his breath. Neither can Harry. Why isn't there more air? Harry must have taken it with him. "Not with you," Harry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/velvetoscar/louis-can-t-catch-his-breath-neither-can-harry-why-isn-t-there-more/) [Velvetoscar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/velvetoscar/) Browse all 121 Suffocating quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“My soul needs him as much as my lungs need air. 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