--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was a child I truly loved…" description: "\"When I was a child I truly loved: Unthinking love as calm and deep As the North Sea. But I have lived, And now I do not sleep.\" — John Gardner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/184/john-gardner-3092_calm_when-i-was-a-child-i-truly-loved-unthink_10635.jpg" --- # When I was a child I truly loved: Unthinking love as calm… ![“When I was a child I truly loved: Unthinking love as calm and deep As the North Sea. But I have lived, And now I do not sleep.” quote by John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/184/john-gardner-3092_calm_when-i-was-a-child-i-truly-loved-unthink_10635.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/184/john-gardner-3092_calm_when-i-was-a-child-i-truly-loved-unthink_10635.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/184/john-gardner-3092_calm_when-i-was-a-child-i-truly-loved-unthink_10635.jpg) > “When I was a child I truly loved: Unthinking love as calm and deep As the North Sea. But I have lived, And now I do not sleep.” [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A nostalgic reflection on the pure, effortless love of childhood contrasted with the restless, sleepless state of adulthood. **In simple terms:** Childhood love vs. adult restlessness Key Takeaway Pure love fades with age Themes nostalgia love growth disillusionment time Mood melancholic reflective Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - reflecting on past innocence - experiencing adult anxiety - comparing youthful idealism with mature reality Key Concepts emotional depth inner conflict Practical Applications - writing memoirs - therapy sessions Questions to Reflect On - How does adulthood alter our capacity for unconditional love? - What does sleeplessness symbolize in personal growth? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Calm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calm/) [Calm Deep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calm-deep-365960/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love Calm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-calm-365959/) [North sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north-sea/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Truly love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truly-love/) [Truly Loved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truly-loved-232418/) [Unthinking Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unthinking-love-365961/) ## Related quotes > [“To be loved by a man, truly loved, made a woman feel as if she could burst. Of course, Lia was strong and could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-anne/to-be-loved-by-a-man-truly-loved-made-a-woman-feel-as-if-she-could/) [Melody Anne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-anne/) > [I've ever truly loved just one girl. She alone my heart desires and she alone seems so far from my reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/i-ve-ever-truly-loved-just-one-girl-she-alone-my-heart-desires-and/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [If I truly loved someone,I wouldn't just give them half of my heart I'll give them all of me,because u would want the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-truly-loved-someone-i-wouldn-t-just-give-them-half-of-my-heart-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Only those who have truly loved understand the loss.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-alexander/only-those-who-have-truly-loved-understand-the-loss/) [Felix Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-alexander/) > [The fact that you are the first and only person Ive ever loved and the first person who ever truly loved me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-fact-that-you-are-the-first-and-only-person-ive-ever-loved-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I truly loved you, but now I'm walking away”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-lang/i-truly-loved-you-but-now-i-m-walking-away/) [Jonny Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-lang/) > [“the details of anything you love are always what is most thrilling, most poignant, most important. i loved her as she rose from bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-poindexter/the-details-of-anything-you-love-are-always-what-is-most-thrilling/) [Christopher Poindexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-poindexter/) > [I'm very proud of my love for Whitney Houston. 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Alan Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-alan-woods/) > [A small percentage of us had what we all want, someone to love us truthfully, someone who will be there for us no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-santagato/a-small-percentage-of-us-had-what-we-all-want-someone-to-love-us/) [Danny Santagato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-santagato/) > [The heart that has truly loved never forgets, But as truly loves on to the close.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/the-heart-that-has-truly-loved-never-forgets-but-as-truly-loves-on-to/) [Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/) ## More by John Gardner > [“All to often, on the long road up, young leaders become servants of what is rather than shapers of what might be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/all-to-often-on-the-long-road-up-young-leaders-become-servants-of/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“They only think they think. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/) [Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/) > [The goal of the operation is to send Gaza back to the Middle Ages, only then will Israel be calm for the next 40 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ben-ari/the-goal-of-the-operation-is-to-send-gaza-back-to-the-middle-ages/) [Michael Ben-Ari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ben-ari/) > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [~Keep Calm and Swagger On~](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/im-nothing/keep-calm-and-swagger-on/) [Im Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/im-nothing/) > [Ride your horse calm, forward and then make him straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-zettl/ride-your-horse-calm-forward-and-then-make-him-straight/) [Walter Zettl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-zettl/) > [Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs. 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Aiken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-a-aiken/) [Browse all 3,074 Calm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calm/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was a child I truly loved: Unthinking love as calm and deep As the North Sea. 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