---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had the worst feeling, when I hung up…"
description: "\"“I had the worst feeling, when I hung up, that I had missed the purpose of our conversation, that we both had. We had been apart for so long and no lon..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/jennifer-gilmore-20736_communication_i-had-the-worst-feeling-when-i-hung-up-t_2006167.jpg"
---

#  I had the worst feeling, when I hung up, that I had missed…

![“I had the worst feeling, when I hung up, that I had missed the purpose of our conversation, that we both had. We had been apart for so long and no longer knew how to speak, other than as strangers. How are you feeling? we said, but what we meant was, Where are you? who are you now? Are you still…” quote by Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/jennifer-gilmore-20736_communication_i-had-the-worst-feeling-when-i-hung-up-t_2006167.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/jennifer-gilmore-20736_communication_i-had-the-worst-feeling-when-i-hung-up-t_2006167.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/jennifer-gilmore-20736_communication_i-had-the-worst-feeling-when-i-hung-up-t_2006167.jpg)

> ““I had the worst feeling, when I hung up, that I had missed the purpose of our conversation, that we both had. We had been apart for so long and no longer knew how to speak, other than as strangers. How are you feeling? we said, but what we meant was, Where are you? who are you now? Are you still in there?””

[Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

## 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 a deep disconnect after a long separation, fearing they no longer truly know each other.

**In simple terms:** Lost connection after time apart.

Key Takeaway

Seek honest conversation to rediscover each other.

Themes

communication identity loneliness

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

dialogue emotional

When to use this quote

- reunion
- long-distance relationships
- personal introspection

Key Concepts

existential questioning relationship dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “still in there” mean to you?
- How can you bridge the gap of unfamiliarity?

A Different Perspective

Assumes the other party feels the same without verification.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Conversation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversation/) [Worst feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worst-feeling/)

## Related quotes

> [Some days my husband Derek and I barely have time for a conversation about anything apart from the business of life - who's picking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-garraway/some-days-my-husband-derek-and-i-barely-have-time-for-a-conversation/)

[Kate Garraway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-garraway/)

> [“Insane: Mistakes the purpose of a conversation for a game of power; Reasons that weakness is more important than logic; Values selfish opinions over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sacredfire/insane-mistakes-the-purpose-of-a-conversation-for-a-game-of-power/)

[Robin Sacredfire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sacredfire/)

> [The biblical purpose of every conversation you have, in every personal interaction, is that they person who hears you will receive grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-biblical-purpose-of-every-conversation-you-have-in-every-personal/)

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

> [I shouldn't have said it, but the word slipped out of my mouth as easy as air. it wasn't exactly the kind of work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/obert-skye/i-shouldn-t-have-said-it-but-the-word-slipped-out-of-my-mouth-as-easy/)

[Obert Skye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/obert-skye/)

> [When I first signed at Anfield, I was asked what my feeling was and I said, for it to be perfect, I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogo-jota/when-i-first-signed-at-anfield-i-was-asked-what-my-feeling-was-and-i/)

[Diogo Jota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogo-jota/)

> [“That's what people say- 'it's not good-bye' - when they're too afraid to face what they're really feeling. I'm not going to see you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/that-s-what-people-say-it-s-not-good-bye-when-they-re-too-afraid-to-2/)

[Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/)

> [“These days I just can't seem to say what I mean,' she said. 'I just can't. Every time I try to say something, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/these-days-i-just-can-t-seem-to-say-what-i-mean-she-said-i-just-can-t/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [I just had this feeling about you," she said. "Is that foolish?" "I hope not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/i-just-had-this-feeling-about-you-she-said-is-that-foolish-i-hope-not/)

[Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/)

> [“I have this weird, bad feeling," said another boy. "In my feeling parts. Like something bad is going to happen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-t-anderson/i-have-this-weird-bad-feeling-said-another-boy-in-my-feeling-parts/)

[M.T. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-t-anderson/)

> [“I can't describe what I'm feeling," she said. "To anyone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/i-can-t-describe-what-i-m-feeling-she-said-to-anyone/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [I have a feeling,’ he said, ‘I have a feeling that we were meant to be together. That we have fought the good fight,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-have-a-feeling-he-said-i-have-a-feeling-that-we-were-meant-to-be/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [“Hmm… I’m having this strange sense of déjà vu, except you were telling me to stay out of your training business, and I told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/hmm-i-m-having-this-strange-sense-of-d-j-vu-except-you-were-telling/)

[Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/)

> [“It's too easy to be stupid, and too easy to wake up in the morning with the feeling you said something that had more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benson/it-s-too-easy-to-be-stupid-and-too-easy-to-wake-up-in-the-morning/)

Peter Benson

> [“It's funny,' I said. 'It's very funny. And it's a lot of fun, too, to be in love.' 'Do you think so?' her eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/it-s-funny-i-said-it-s-very-funny-and-it-s-a-lot-of-fun-too-to-be-in/)

[Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/)

> [“But why should I care what he's doing if I'm crazy about you?' 'We are allowed to have more than one feeling at once,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/but-why-should-i-care-what-he-s-doing-if-i-m-crazy-about-you-we-are/)

[Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/)

## More by Jennifer Gilmore

> [Idea of the generations continuing is really important. And that's interesting to me. I write about families; I'm interested in families. Even though I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/idea-of-the-generations-continuing-is-really-important-and-that-s/)

[Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

> [People might seem to have a perfectly fine life but inside, we don't even know if they've suffered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/people-might-seem-to-have-a-perfectly-fine-life-but-inside-we-don-t/)

[Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

> [I feel like if writers used writing as therapy we'd have a ton of happy writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/i-feel-like-if-writers-used-writing-as-therapy-we-d-have-a-ton-of/)

[Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

> [While I am very much Jewish 'identified,' I'm not a very religious person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/while-i-am-very-much-jewish-identified-i-m-not-a-very-religious-person/)

[Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

> [I want to say that, in general, when it works, open adoption is great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/i-want-to-say-that-in-general-when-it-works-open-adoption-is-great/)

[Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

> [Publishing in a way doesn't have a lot to do with writing, and writing doesn't have a lot to do with publishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/publishing-in-a-way-doesn-t-have-a-lot-to-do-with-writing-and-writing/)

[Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

> [I think we think that parenthood is confined to the country of mothers, but I think a lot of the men I've spoken to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/i-think-we-think-that-parenthood-is-confined-to-the-country-of/)

[Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

> [I really don't feel that writing is therapy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/i-really-don-t-feel-that-writing-is-therapy/)

[Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

> [My first two novels were set in the past, and that freed me up in a lot of ways; it allowed me to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/my-first-two-novels-were-set-in-the-past-and-that-freed-me-up-in-a/)

[Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

> [It would be a lie to say that people are coming to adoption with joy at all times. Hope, perhaps, but it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/it-would-be-a-lie-to-say-that-people-are-coming-to-adoption-with-joy/)

[Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

> [The birth mother is placing the baby out of love. I still believe that. Well, the ones weve dealt with who were actually pregnant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/the-birth-mother-is-placing-the-baby-out-of-love-i-still-believe-that/)

[Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

> [What is it about the blank page that makes me want to hurl myself into a game of solitaire? I ask myself these kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/what-is-it-about-the-blank-page-that-makes-me-want-to-hurl-myself/)

[Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

> [With domestic adoption, you get a form, you fill it out, and there are these boxes: African-American, African-American and Hispanic, and you check the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/with-domestic-adoption-you-get-a-form-you-fill-it-out-and-there-are/)

[Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

> [I will say, in open adoption, all these choices you make about race, about the amount of mental illness you can deal with, about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/i-will-say-in-open-adoption-all-these-choices-you-make-about-race/)

[Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

> [The birth mother is placing the baby out of love. I still believe that. Well, the ones we've dealt with who were actually pregnant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/the-birth-mother-is-placing-the-baby-out-of-love-i-still-believe-that-2/)

[Jennifer Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

[Explore all 30 Jennifer Gilmore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/)

## More Communication quotes

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/)

[Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/)

[Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/)

[Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/)

> [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/)

Yoram Wind

> [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/)

[Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/)

[Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I had the worst feeling, when I hung up, that I had missed the purpose of our conversation, that we both had. We had been apart for so long and no longer knew how to speak, other than as strangers. How are you feeling? we said, but what we meant was, Where are you? who are you now? Are you still in there?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jennifer Gilmore"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/i-had-the-worst-feeling-when-i-hung-up-that-i-had-missed-the-purpose/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/i-had-the-worst-feeling-when-i-hung-up-that-i-had-missed-the-purpose/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/jennifer-gilmore-20736_communication_i-had-the-worst-feeling-when-i-hung-up-t_2006167.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/jennifer-gilmore-20736_communication_i-had-the-worst-feeling-when-i-hung-up-t_2006167.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9d7/jennifer-gilmore-20736_communication_i-had-the-worst-feeling-when-i-hung-up-t_2006167.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I had the worst feeling, when I hung up, that I had missed the purpose of our conversation, that we both…” — Jennifer Gilmore",
                "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": "Jennifer Gilmore",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-gilmore/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I had the worst feeling, when...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/i-had-the-worst-feeling-when-i-hung-up-that-i-had-missed-the-purpose/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-gilmore/i-had-the-worst-feeling-when-i-hung-up-that-i-had-missed-the-purpose/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
