--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I leave, and the leaving is so…" description: "\"I leave, and the leaving is so exhilarating I know I can never go back. But then what? Do I just keep leaving places, and leaving them, and leaving the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ba/john-green-12_exhilarating_i-leave-and-the-leaving-is-so-exhilarati_2935239.jpg" --- # I leave, and the leaving is so exhilarating I know I can… ![“I leave, and the leaving is so exhilarating I know I can never go back. But then what? Do I just keep leaving places, and leaving them, and leaving them, tramping a perpetual journey?” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ba/john-green-12_exhilarating_i-leave-and-the-leaving-is-so-exhilarati_2935239.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ba/john-green-12_exhilarating_i-leave-and-the-leaving-is-so-exhilarati_2935239.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ba/john-green-12_exhilarating_i-leave-and-the-leaving-is-so-exhilarati_2935239.jpg) > “I leave, and the leaving is so exhilarating I know I can never go back. But then what? Do I just keep leaving places, and leaving them, and leaving them, tramping a perpetual journey?” [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Leaving can feel liberating yet may lead to endless wandering without purpose. **In simple terms:** Leaving excites but may cause perpetual motion. Key Takeaway Seek purpose beyond constant departure. Themes change freedom search for meaning Mood melancholic hopeful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - travel - career changes - relationship endings - self‑discovery - life transitions Key Concepts existentialism personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What do you hope to find by leaving? - How can you balance movement with stability? A Different Perspective It may romanticize escape over confronting issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Exhilarating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhilarating/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Leaving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaving/) [Leaving Exhilarating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaving-exhilarating-4348105/) [Leaving Leaving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaving-leaving-2144508/) [Leaving Places](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaving-places-1180562/) [Leaving Tramping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaving-tramping-4107685/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) ## Related quotes > [“Do I just keep leaving places, and leaving them, and leaving them, tramping a perpetual journey?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/do-i-just-keep-leaving-places-and-leaving-them-and-leaving-them/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I have a habit of leaving places at the wrong time, just when something big may have happened for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nico/i-have-a-habit-of-leaving-places-at-the-wrong-time-just-when/) [Nico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nico/) > [“i hate leaving places i love i was never at one place long. am i selfish?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-bauer/i-hate-leaving-places-i-love-i-was-never-at-one-place-long-am-i/) [Joan Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-bauer/) > [“It was hard to leave. But it was impossible to stay. He was leaving from choice because he was young and energetic and adventurous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/it-was-hard-to-leave-but-it-was-impossible-to-stay-he-was-leaving/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“I Was Always Leaving" I was always leaving, I was about to get up and go, I was on my way, not sure where.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-nordhaus/i-was-always-leaving-i-was-always-leaving-i-was-about-to-get-up-and/) [Jean Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-nordhaus/) > [I always say, it's better to be asked why you're leaving, rather than when you're leaving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keir-starmer/i-always-say-it-s-better-to-be-asked-why-you-re-leaving-rather-than/) [Keir Starmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keir-starmer/) > [I feel great. George W.Bush is leaving. We're leaving. It's all perfect timing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-jourgensen/i-feel-great-george-w-bush-is-leaving-we-re-leaving-it-s-all-perfect/) [Al Jourgensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-jourgensen/) > [“...there is a way of leaving and yet of not leaving; of hinting that one loves and is willing to return, yet never coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-connolly/there-is-a-way-of-leaving-and-yet-of-not-leaving-of-hinting-that-one/) [Cyril Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-connolly/) > [“I want my life to be about LIVING, not leaving --which is why I'm LEAVING nothing behind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-k-wall-2/i-want-my-life-to-be-about-living-not-leaving-which-is-why-i-m/) [Shelley K Wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-k-wall-2/) > [Half-drunk on well-creamed gas station coffee and the exhilarating loneliness of a freeway in nighttime...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/half-drunk-on-well-creamed-gas-station-coffee-and-the-exhilarating/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [It is so hard to leave—until you leave. And then it is the easiest goddamned thing in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-is-so-hard-to-leave-until-you-leave-and-then-it-is-the-easiest/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [But that wasn't quite right. I called it a nine because I was saving my ten. And here it was, the great and terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/but-that-wasn-t-quite-right-i-called-it-a-nine-because-i-was-saving/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I would actually love to fly. I think that that would be probably the most exhilarating feeling, and as close as you can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-larter/i-would-actually-love-to-fly-i-think-that-that-would-be-probably-the/) [Ali Larter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-larter/) > [Running! If there's any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can't think of what it might be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/running-if-there-s-any-activity-happier-more-exhilarating-more/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [My first big show was with Tim McGraw and Mark Chesnutt, and that was overwhelming. There was probably 25,000 people there. I was nervous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ann-womack/my-first-big-show-was-with-tim-mcgraw-and-mark-chesnutt-and-that-was/) [Lee Ann Womack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ann-womack/) ## More by John Green > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More Exhilarating quotes > [My first big show was with Tim McGraw and Mark Chesnutt, and that was overwhelming. There was probably 25,000 people there. I was nervous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ann-womack/my-first-big-show-was-with-tim-mcgraw-and-mark-chesnutt-and-that-was/) [Lee Ann Womack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ann-womack/) > [Running! If there's any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can't think of what it might be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/running-if-there-s-any-activity-happier-more-exhilarating-more/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I would actually love to fly. I think that that would be probably the most exhilarating feeling, and as close as you can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-larter/i-would-actually-love-to-fly-i-think-that-that-would-be-probably-the/) [Ali Larter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-larter/) > [There is no doubt that running away on a fresh, blue morning can be exhilarating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/there-is-no-doubt-that-running-away-on-a-fresh-blue-morning-can-be/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [I think there is something exhilarating in flying amongst clouds, and always get a feeling of wanting to pit my aeroplane against them, charge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-rumney-samson/i-think-there-is-something-exhilarating-in-flying-amongst-clouds-and/) [Charles Rumney Samson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-rumney-samson/) > [Today's competitiveness, so much imposed from without, is exhausting, not exhilarating; is unending-a part of one's social life, one's solitude, one's sleep, one's sleeplessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kronenberger/today-s-competitiveness-so-much-imposed-from-without-is-exhausting/) [Louis Kronenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kronenberger/) > [If I think back to every rehearsal process for every play I've ever worked on, there's just so much crying at home. I barely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-baker/if-i-think-back-to-every-rehearsal-process-for-every-play-i-ve-ever/) [Annie Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-baker/) > [It was life, often unsatisfying, frequently cruel, usually boring, sometimes beautiful, once in a while exhilarating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-was-life-often-unsatisfying-frequently-cruel-usually-boring/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Killing Lincoln is a must-read historical thriller. Bill O'Reilly recounts the dramatic events of the spring of 1865 with such exhilarating immediacy that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-flynn/killing-lincoln-is-a-must-read-historical-thriller-bill-o-reilly/) [Vince Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-flynn/) > [Early love is exciting and exhilarating. It's light and bubbly. Anyone can love like that. But after three children, after a separation and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/early-love-is-exciting-and-exhilarating-it-s-light-and-bubbly-anyone/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [It's exhilarating to be alive in a time of awakening consciousness; it can also be confusing, disorienting, and painful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/it-s-exhilarating-to-be-alive-in-a-time-of-awakening-consciousness-it/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [When you are performing in theater, you feel so connected to your audience. Its exhilarating!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-marano/when-you-are-performing-in-theater-you-feel-so-connected-to-your/) [Laura Marano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-marano/) > [“Liberty is terrifying but it is also exhilarating.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germaine-greer/liberty-is-terrifying-but-it-is-also-exhilarating/) [Germaine Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germaine-greer/) > [We Americans, or half of Americans, think health care is a commodity. Other countries view health care as a social service that should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uwe-reinhardt/we-americans-or-half-of-americans-think-health-care-is-a-commodity/) [Uwe Reinhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uwe-reinhardt/) > [It is quite exhilarating to speak about a God who has an incredible bias, a notorious bias in favor of the downtrodden. You look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/it-is-quite-exhilarating-to-speak-about-a-god-who-has-an-incredible/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) [Browse all 277 Exhilarating quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhilarating/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I leave, and the leaving is so exhilarating I know I can never go back. But then what? 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