--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The relief that he didn’t, and the desire…" description: "\"“The relief that he didn’t, and the desire that he might”\" — Jessie Burton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/jessie-burton-12889_desire_the-relief-that-he-didn-t-and-the-desire_2106957.jpg" --- # The relief that he didn’t, and the desire that he might ![“The relief that he didn’t, and the desire that he might” quote by Jessie Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/jessie-burton-12889_desire_the-relief-that-he-didn-t-and-the-desire_2106957.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/jessie-burton-12889_desire_the-relief-that-he-didn-t-and-the-desire_2106957.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/jessie-burton-12889_desire_the-relief-that-he-didn-t-and-the-desire_2106957.jpg) > ““The relief that he didn’t, and the desire that he might”” [Jessie Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-burton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote captures the tension between relief that something didn't happen and the lingering desire that it could. **In simple terms:** Relief and desire coexist. Key Takeaway Acknowledge both feelings. Themes relief desire conflict Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical emotional When to use this quote - personal reflection - relationship dynamics - decision making Key Concepts psychology human emotion Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance relief with lingering desire? - What actions can resolve unmet desire? A Different Perspective Desire may lead to regret if not addressed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Relief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relief/) ## Related quotes > [When I started out, I didn't have any desire to be an actress or to learn how to act. I just wanted to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/when-i-started-out-i-didn-t-have-any-desire-to-be-an-actress-or-to/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [“There would always be a void. And my shoulders shook with relief that I didn’t have to fill it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-sun/there-would-always-be-a-void-and-my-shoulders-shook-with-relief-that/) [Amanda Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-sun/) > [What a relief. I didn't have to check the toilet for anything or the light bulbs or the phone. It was just good old-fashioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-roberts/what-a-relief-i-didn-t-have-to-check-the-toilet-for-anything-or-the/) [Julia Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-roberts/) > [“And as horrible as that felt in this moment, it was almost a relief. Because he didn't need to worry about loss if he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tere-michaels/and-as-horrible-as-that-felt-in-this-moment-it-was-almost-a-relief/) [Tere Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tere-michaels/) > [“It seemed to me that boys had a lot more fun. It was a relief. I didn't look at myself from the outside. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/it-seemed-to-me-that-boys-had-a-lot-more-fun-it-was-a-relief-i-didn-t/) [Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/) > [I didn't have any desire to be an actor until right before I did it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-sives/i-didn-t-have-any-desire-to-be-an-actor-until-right-before-i-did-it/) [Jamie Sives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-sives/) > [I didn't have any desire I might have had 10 years ago to shoot every single word that I wrote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-thomas-anderson/i-didn-t-have-any-desire-i-might-have-had-10-years-ago-to-shoot-every/) [Paul Thomas Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-thomas-anderson/) > [I love to dance. But I don't like being up in front of tons of people. I didn't have the desire to be performing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherilyn-fenn/i-love-to-dance-but-i-don-t-like-being-up-in-front-of-tons-of-people-2/) [Sherilyn Fenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherilyn-fenn/) > [I just didn't have the desire to run for political office. There are other things that I like to do, and it just wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-bush-koch/i-just-didn-t-have-the-desire-to-run-for-political-office-there-are/) [Dorothy Bush Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-bush-koch/) > [“My service for God was fervent, but my passions for Him were cold. I certainly didn’t desire to know Him more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-greear/my-service-for-god-was-fervent-but-my-passions-for-him-were-cold-i/) [J.D. Greear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-greear/) > [When we think carefully, we see that the brief elation we experience when appeasing sensual impulses may not be very different from what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/when-we-think-carefully-we-see-that-the-brief-elation-we-experience/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [Some people enjoy taking a light stroll in the morning and that gives them relief and that sort of feeling. That is what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ichiro-suzuki/some-people-enjoy-taking-a-light-stroll-in-the-morning-and-that-gives/) [Ichiro Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ichiro-suzuki/) > [My dogs can't do anything--and what a relief. I don't make any demands of them, and I don't try to shape them or their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-chua/my-dogs-can-t-do-anything-and-what-a-relief-i-don-t-make-any-demands/) [Amy Chua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-chua/) > [When they started to drain a swamp where birds and fish had lived, for a new housing development down the road from his apartment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maile-meloy/when-they-started-to-drain-a-swamp-where-birds-and-fish-had-lived-for/) [Maile Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maile-meloy/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) ## More by Jessie Burton > [“You really are an artist, aren’t you? You think it’s all about you, and you never stop looking for pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-burton/you-really-are-an-artist-aren-t-you-you-think-it-s-all-about-you-and/) [Jessie Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-burton/) > [“pity was the path to indifference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-burton/pity-was-the-path-to-indifference/) [Jessie Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-burton/) > [“My writing became the axis upon which all my identity and happiness hinged. It was now outward-looking, a self-conscious performance. I was asked to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-burton/my-writing-became-the-axis-upon-which-all-my-identity-and-happiness/) [Jessie Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-burton/) > [“A piece of art only succeeds when it's creator...possesses the belief that brings it into being”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-burton/a-piece-of-art-only-succeeds-when-it-s-creator-possesses-the-belief/) [Jessie Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-burton/) > [“We studied men like him at school – protected gentlemen, rich gentlemen, white gentlemen, who picked up pens and wrote the world for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-burton/we-studied-men-like-him-at-school-protected-gentlemen-rich-gentlemen/) [Jessie Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-burton/) > [“I feel like time’s tricked me, as if I’ve known you from before. Like we passed each other in our prams. 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When the war ended, people were forbidden to look back and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-burton/spain-s-past-is-a-cut-of-meat-turning-green-on-the-butcher-s-slab/) [Jessie Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-burton/) > [“as if her heart was slotting into place, a moment to breathe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-burton/as-if-her-heart-was-slotting-into-place-a-moment-to-breathe/) [Jessie Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-burton/) > [“The ink was secret nectar, for Marin isn't married.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-burton/the-ink-was-secret-nectar-for-marin-isn-t-married/) [Jessie Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-burton/) > [“an awful combination of carelessness and determination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-burton/an-awful-combination-of-carelessness-and-determination/) [Jessie Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-burton/) [Explore all 51 Jessie Burton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-burton/) ## More Desire quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/) [John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/) > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/) [Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/) > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) [Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The relief that he didn’t, and the desire that he might”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jessie Burton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-burton/the-relief-that-he-didn-t-and-the-desire-that-he-might/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Desire" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-burton/the-relief-that-he-didn-t-and-the-desire-that-he-might/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/jessie-burton-12889_desire_the-relief-that-he-didn-t-and-the-desire_2106957.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/jessie-burton-12889_desire_the-relief-that-he-didn-t-and-the-desire_2106957.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aec/jessie-burton-12889_desire_the-relief-that-he-didn-t-and-the-desire_2106957.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The relief that he didn’t, and the desire that he might” — Jessie Burton", "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": "Jessie Burton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-burton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The relief that he didn’t, and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-burton/the-relief-that-he-didn-t-and-the-desire-that-he-might/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-burton/the-relief-that-he-didn-t-and-the-desire-that-he-might/#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 } } ] } ```