--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes I think the human heart is just…" description: "\"Sometimes I think the human heart is just a simple shelf. There is only so much you can pile onto it before something falls off an edge and you are lef..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80f/jodi-picoult-45_fall_sometimes-i-think-the-human-heart-is-jus_1757125.jpg" --- # Sometimes I think the human heart is just a simple shelf… ![“Sometimes I think the human heart is just a simple shelf. There is only so much you can pile onto it before something falls off an edge and you are left to pick up the pieces.” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80f/jodi-picoult-45_fall_sometimes-i-think-the-human-heart-is-jus_1757125.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80f/jodi-picoult-45_fall_sometimes-i-think-the-human-heart-is-jus_1757125.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80f/jodi-picoult-45_fall_sometimes-i-think-the-human-heart-is-jus_1757125.jpg) > “Sometimes I think the human heart is just a simple shelf. There is only so much you can pile onto it before something falls off an edge and you are left to pick up the pieces.” [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The heart has limited capacity; overloading it leads to loss and the need to repair. **In simple terms:** Hearts can only hold so much before they break. Key Takeaway Recognize limits and prioritize emotional load. Themes emotional health boundaries resilience Mood reflective somber Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - grief - stress management Key Concepts capacity overload recovery Questions to Reflect On - How do you know when your heart is overloaded? - What steps help you heal after emotional loss? A Different Perspective People may still recover despite overload. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Human heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-heart/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I quite like mistakes. I think they're human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sting/i-quite-like-mistakes-i-think-they-re-human/) [Sting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sting/) > [I am always consulted about covers, and give feedback, but I am also aware that what causes a customer to pick a book up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-am-always-consulted-about-covers-and-give-feedback-but-i-am-also/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“She wondered how trees became petrified, if the same process worked with a human heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/she-wondered-how-trees-became-petrified-if-the-same-process-worked/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I think all writers are always collecting characters as we go along. Not just characters of course, we're collecting EVERYTHING. Bits and pieces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-sokoloff/i-think-all-writers-are-always-collecting-characters-as-we-go-along/) Alexandra Sokoloff > [Imagine a world that seemed so much bigger than you. Imagine waking up one morning and finding a piece of yourself you didn't even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/imagine-a-world-that-seemed-so-much-bigger-than-you-imagine-waking-up/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“The human heart is unsearchable. Who is to fathom it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilkie-collins/the-human-heart-is-unsearchable-who-is-to-fathom-it/) [Wilkie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilkie-collins/) > [When you create something out of thin air you have to know the human heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-jones/when-you-create-something-out-of-thin-air-you-have-to-know-the-human/) [Thom Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-jones/) > [Species are being wiped out every day. Do we want to live with this or don't we? That is really our choice. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horst-rechelbacher/species-are-being-wiped-out-every-day-do-we-want-to-live-with-this-or/) [Horst Rechelbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horst-rechelbacher/) > [So tell me, as an outsider, what do you think of the human race?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-tell-me-as-an-outsider-what-do-you-think-of-the-human-race/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You know what I want to think of myself? As a human being. Because, I mean I don't want to be like As Confucius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/you-know-what-i-want-to-think-of-myself-as-a-human-being-because-i/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [Computer is filled with hundreds of projects... Thousand lines of code is written... Many lines still to come... but you can't remember a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/computer-is-filled-with-hundreds-of-projects-thousand-lines-of-code/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [I'm predisposed to think that as a people, we're hardwired to understand things through the telling of stories. I think that as human beings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/i-m-predisposed-to-think-that-as-a-people-we-re-hardwired-to/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [I think that human beings have gotten as far as we've gotten because of our adaptability, our ability to adapt, and our ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-silva/i-think-that-human-beings-have-gotten-as-far-as-we-ve-gotten-because/) [Jason Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-silva/) > [I still think that if the human race, or even one nation, could only get right about its God the rest would follow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-housman/i-still-think-that-if-the-human-race-or-even-one-nation-could-only/) [Laurence Housman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-housman/) > [The hope is that, in not too many years, human brains and computing machines will be coupled together very tightly, and that the resulting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-r-licklider/the-hope-is-that-in-not-too-many-years-human-brains-and-computing/) [J. C. R. Licklider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-r-licklider/) ## More by Jodi Picoult > [You get through it, you just never get over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-get-through-it-you-just-never-get-over-it/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Let me guess," Eric says, "You never meant for it to happen." "Hell, yes, I did. I've wanted her since you two started dating."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/let-me-guess-eric-says-you-never-meant-for-it-to-happen-hell-yes-i/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“It’s the difference between dancing along the eggshell crust of acquaintance and diving into the messy center of a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-s-the-difference-between-dancing-along-the-eggshell-crust-of/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Because hate's just the flip side of love. Like heads and tails on a dime. If you don't know what it feels like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/because-hate-s-just-the-flip-side-of-love-like-heads-and-tails-on-a/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I love feeling loved. I don't love knowing that I will always come in second place. I love the fact that at least sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-love-feeling-loved-i-don-t-love-knowing-that-i-will-always-come-in/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Music is the language of memory”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/music-is-the-language-of-memory/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [But there is a different between mending someone who's broken and finding someone who makes you complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-there-is-a-different-between-mending-someone-who-s-broken-and/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“sometimes words are not big enough to contain all the feelings you are trying to pour into them. My”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/sometimes-words-are-not-big-enough-to-contain-all-the-feelings-you/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“The age wasn't as important as the milestones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-age-wasn-t-as-important-as-the-milestones/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The night is falling down around us. Meteors rain like fireworks, quick rips in the seam of the dark... Every second, another streak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-night-is-falling-down-around-us-meteors-rain-like-fireworks-quick/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“When she had packed all the artifacts that made up their personal history into liquor store boxes, the house became strictly a feminine place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-she-had-packed-all-the-artifacts-that-made-up-their-personal/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Here's what I hadn't realized : the mother you haven't seen for almost 36 years isn't your mother. She is a stranger. Sharing DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/here-s-what-i-hadn-t-realized-the-mother-you-haven-t-seen-for-almost/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [My brother believed in all sorts of mythical creatures: pixies, dragons, werewolves, honest men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/my-brother-believed-in-all-sorts-of-mythical-creatures-pixies-dragons/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) [Explore all 2,062 Jodi Picoult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More Fall 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/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [“When you jump, all you're going to do is fall. But leaping? Leaping is when you think there's something on the other side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-jump-all-you-re-going-to-do-is-fall-but-leaping-leaping-is/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [To hurry through the rise and fall of a fine, full sentence is like defying the role of time in human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/to-hurry-through-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-fine-full-sentence-is-like/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [“We will all, at some point in our lives, fall. Every single one of us. We shouldn't spend our time trying to avoid falling.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/we-will-all-at-some-point-in-our-lives-fall-every-single-one-of-us-we/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [How wonderful it would be to scatter words as they rise to consciousness, to let them lie where they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-scatter-words-as-they-rise-to/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) > [My life is a crystal teardrop. There are snowflakes falling in the teardrop and little figures trudging in slow motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/my-life-is-a-crystal-teardrop-there-are-snowflakes-falling-in-the/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [Life will knock you down & it's tough, but you are strong enough. Get back up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-will-knock-you-down-it-s-tough-but-you-are-strong-enough-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I was 13, I began relaxing my hair, and that meant when I turned 18 it began to crack and fall off, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soledad-o-brien/when-i-was-13-i-began-relaxing-my-hair-and-that-meant-when-i-turned/) [Soledad O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soledad-o-brien/) > [“If you ever falling but can't see the bottom be glad you can't because at the bottom it's either a soft land or rocks!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelseigh-ashton/if-you-ever-falling-but-can-t-see-the-bottom-be-glad-you-can-t/) Kelseigh Ashton > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) Browse all 13,401 Fall quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes I think the human heart is just a simple shelf. 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