--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How he wishes it could be true! He is…" description: "\"“How he wishes it could be true! He is tired of shadows, of complications, of complicated people.”\" — J.M. Coetzee" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/j-m-coetzee-2457_shadows_how-he-wishes-it-could-be-true-he-is-tir_2450747.png" --- # How he wishes it could be true! He is tired of shadows, of… ![“How he wishes it could be true! He is tired of shadows, of complications, of complicated people.” quote by J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/j-m-coetzee-2457_shadows_how-he-wishes-it-could-be-true-he-is-tir_2450747.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/j-m-coetzee-2457_shadows_how-he-wishes-it-could-be-true-he-is-tir_2450747.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0de/j-m-coetzee-2457_shadows_how-he-wishes-it-could-be-true-he-is-tir_2450747.png) > ““How he wishes it could be true! He is tired of shadows, of complications, of complicated people.”” [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He longs for truth and simplicity, weary of complexity and deceptive people. **In simple terms:** Desire for truth and simplicity amid complexity. Key Takeaway Seek clarity and authentic connections. Themes truth simplicity complexity relationships Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - social interactions - creative work Key Concepts existentialism psychology literature Questions to Reflect On - What truths are you pursuing? - How do you simplify your environment? A Different Perspective Complexity can be unavoidable in life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Shadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadows/) ## Related quotes > [Never have false hope for granted wishes, but always have true faith in answered prayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-have-false-hope-for-granted-wishes-but-always-have-true-faith/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She wishes that it were true, all of it. That it were more than just a story. That is was their story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/she-wishes-that-it-were-true-all-of-it-that-it-were-more-than-just-a/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“In spite of being complicated people choose superstitions over common sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/in-spite-of-being-complicated-people-choose-superstitions-over-common/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [That's what I learned from World War II. Things are always more complicated than most people believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/that-s-what-i-learned-from-world-war-ii-things-are-always-more/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Love isn't complicated; people make it complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine/love-isn-t-complicated-people-make-it-complicated/) [Josephine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine/) > [It may be that America has become too big and complicated for most people to deal with being part of. People are longing for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/it-may-be-that-america-has-become-too-big-and-complicated-for-most/) [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) > [The characters are complicated. The people you think are bad, may not be so bad, and the ones you think are good, may not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-baer/the-characters-are-complicated-the-people-you-think-are-bad-may-not/) Neal Baer > [Moods are complicated and very much a part of who we are. People would be very boring without them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/moods-are-complicated-and-very-much-a-part-of-who-we-are-people-would/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Football is a simple game made complicated by people who should know better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-shankly/football-is-a-simple-game-made-complicated-by-people-who-should-know/) [Bill Shankly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-shankly/) > [Love is a lot more complicated than people think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bogdanovich/love-is-a-lot-more-complicated-than-people-think/) [Peter Bogdanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bogdanovich/) > [The truth is complicated, and few people are actually monsters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-joseph/the-truth-is-complicated-and-few-people-are-actually-monsters/) [Max Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-joseph/) > [People are complicated. People have secrets. It doesnt make them good people or bad people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-zayas/people-are-complicated-people-have-secrets-it-doesnt-make-them-good/) [David Zayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-zayas/) > [I hope people who read my books feel empathy for us and really see us as complicated people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-hope-people-who-read-my-books-feel-empathy-for-us-and-really-see-us/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [Law and politics are often overly complicated because there are people that don't want the rest of us to know what's going on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-melber/law-and-politics-are-often-overly-complicated-because-there-are/) [Ari Melber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-melber/) > [I just want to keep writing characters who are interesting and complicated people and interesting roles for women, in TV or film or in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-meriwether/i-just-want-to-keep-writing-characters-who-are-interesting-and/) [Elizabeth Meriwether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-meriwether/) ## More by J.M. Coetzee > [“I urge you: don't cut short these thought-trains of yours. Follow them through to their end. Your thoughts and your feelings. Follow them through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/i-urge-you-don-t-cut-short-these-thought-trains-of-yours-follow-them/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [“I truly believe I am not afraid of death. What I shrink from, I believe, is the shame of dying as stupid and befuddled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/i-truly-believe-i-am-not-afraid-of-death-what-i-shrink-from-i-believe/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [“Technically he is old enough to be her father; but then, technically one can be a father at twelve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/technically-he-is-old-enough-to-be-her-father-but-then-technically/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [“I remember asking John, after Dusklands, what new project he had on the go. His answer was vague. 'There is always something or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/i-remember-asking-john-after-dusklands-what-new-project-he-had-on-the/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [“The truth is, he tired of criticism, tired of prose measured by the yard." --Disgrace”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/the-truth-is-he-tired-of-criticism-tired-of-prose-measured-by-the/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [“Since I was in flight from religion, I assumed that my classmates had to be in flight from religion too, albeit in a quieter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/since-i-was-in-flight-from-religion-i-assumed-that-my-classmates-had/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [“Lucy was frightened, frightened near to death. Her voice choked, she could not breath, her limbs went numb. "This is not happening", she said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/lucy-was-frightened-frightened-near-to-death-her-voice-choked-she/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [“It occurs to me that we crush insects beneath our feet, miracles of creation too, beetles, worms, cockroaches, ants, in their various ways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/it-occurs-to-me-that-we-crush-insects-beneath-our-feet-miracles-of/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [“He sits with the pen in his hand, holding himself back from a descent into representations that have no place in the world, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/he-sits-with-the-pen-in-his-hand-holding-himself-back-from-a-descent/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [“Do you remember Vlek, who was such a good sheepdog that she and Jakob alone could drive a whole flock past you at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/do-you-remember-vlek-who-was-such-a-good-sheepdog-that-she-and-jakob/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [“We are accustomed to believe that our world was created by God speaking the Word; but I ask, may it not rather be that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/we-are-accustomed-to-believe-that-our-world-was-created-by-god/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [“...from the oppression of such freedom who would not welcome the liberation of confinement?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/from-the-oppression-of-such-freedom-who-would-not-welcome-the/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [“If he has a last thought, if there is time for a last thought, it will simply be, So this is what a last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/if-he-has-a-last-thought-if-there-is-time-for-a-last-thought-it-will/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [“At what age , he wonders, did Origen castrate himself? Not the most graceful solution, but then ageing is not a graceful bussines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/at-what-age-he-wonders-did-origen-castrate-himself-not-the-most/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) > [“...he seems to be on the brink of one of his bad spells again, one of the fits of lugubrious self-pity that turn into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/he-seems-to-be-on-the-brink-of-one-of-his-bad-spells-again-one-of-the/) [J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) [Explore all 122 J.M. Coetzee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/) ## More Shadows quotes > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I watched the movie 'What We Do in the Shadows' in a packed theater when it first came out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-dacosta/i-watched-the-movie-what-we-do-in-the-shadows-in-a-packed-theater/) [Nia DaCosta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-dacosta/) > [Even in the darkness, his smile threw shadows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/even-in-the-darkness-his-smile-threw-shadows/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“strike from the shadows, disapear into darkness”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/strike-from-the-shadows-disapear-into-darkness/) [derek landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/) > [The sun was trembling on the brink of the world, the shadows at their longest, and they still had several kilometers to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/the-sun-was-trembling-on-the-brink-of-the-world-the-shadows-at-their/) [John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/) > [Never Allow The Dark Shadows Of Your Past To Dim The Light You Were Destined To Shine...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prahmiss/never-allow-the-dark-shadows-of-your-past-to-dim-the-light-you-were/) Prahmiss > [“Try to think of it as though we are rewriting history––the first time this experience occurred you and I never kissed in this Dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-caligiuri/try-to-think-of-it-as-though-we-are-rewriting-history-the-first-time/) [Ross Caligiuri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-caligiuri/) > [As we wind on down the road, our shadows taller than our souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-plant/as-we-wind-on-down-the-road-our-shadows-taller-than-our-souls/) [Robert Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-plant/) > [“My dream is to create something so beautiful that it encourages people to present the best version of themselves to me everywhere I go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-caligiuri/my-dream-is-to-create-something-so-beautiful-that-it-encourages/) [Ross Caligiuri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-caligiuri/) > [“There is light in the shadow just as there is shadow in the light and although many disclaim these shadows as everything unpleasant in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kensi-brianne-smith/there-is-light-in-the-shadow-just-as-there-is-shadow-in-the-light-and/) Kensi Brianne Smith > [There are only shades of gray. Black and white are nothing more than lofty ideals in our minds, the standards by which we try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/there-are-only-shades-of-gray-black-and-white-are-nothing-more-than/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“She bid him farewell, And scrutinized his silhouette, That slowly faded in the shadows. She whispered, "Au-revoir" To the nocturnal mist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruqayya-shaheed-khan/she-bid-him-farewell-and-scrutinized-his-silhouette-that-slowly-faded/) Ruqayya Shaheed Khan > [“I've always been in others' shadows”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santino-hassell/i-ve-always-been-in-others-shadows/) [Santino Hassell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santino-hassell/) > [“Shadows of the world made shadows of the heart much deeper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-krafton/shadows-of-the-world-made-shadows-of-the-heart-much-deeper/) [Ash Krafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-krafton/) > [Nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants currently live within our borders. That's 11 million people living in the shadows whom we know next to nothing about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-israel/nearly-11-million-undocumented-immigrants-currently-live-within-our/) [Steve Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-israel/) [Browse all 940 Shadows quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadows/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“How he wishes it could be true! He is tired of shadows, of complications, of complicated people.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "J.M. 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