--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's the trouble with caring about…" description: "\"That's the trouble with caring about anybody, you begin to feel overprotective. Then you begin to feel crowded.\" — John Updike" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28e/john-updike-396_breakup_that-s-the-trouble-with-caring-about-any_1494482.png" --- # That's the trouble with caring about anybody, you begin to… ![“That's the trouble with caring about anybody, you begin to feel overprotective. Then you begin to feel crowded.” quote by John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28e/john-updike-396_breakup_that-s-the-trouble-with-caring-about-any_1494482.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28e/john-updike-396_breakup_that-s-the-trouble-with-caring-about-any_1494482.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28e/john-updike-396_breakup_that-s-the-trouble-with-caring-about-any_1494482.png) > “That's the trouble with caring about anybody, you begin to feel overprotective. Then you begin to feel crowded.” [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Caring deeply makes you overly protective, which can feel suffocating and invasive. **In simple terms:** Caring can become smothering. Key Takeaway Balance concern with personal space. Themes relationships boundaries empathy Mood reflective concerned Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - family life - friendships - parenting - team projects Key Concepts psychology interpersonal dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize when concern becomes overbearing? - What boundaries help maintain healthy connections? A Different Perspective Overprotectiveness may strain relationships and limit growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breakup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakup/) [Caring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caring/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Overprotective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overprotective/) ## Related quotes > [We feel crowded by other people; we feel crowded by social rules; we feel crowded by ourselves, mainly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/we-feel-crowded-by-other-people-we-feel-crowded-by-social-rules-we/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I spend so much time alone that whenever I see my shadow I feel crowded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/i-spend-so-much-time-alone-that-whenever-i-see-my-shadow-i-feel/) [Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/) > [To get overprotective about particular readings of the Bible is always in danger of idolatry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/to-get-overprotective-about-particular-readings-of-the-bible-is/) [N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/) > [“The people of jewel," said Olga Ciavolga,"treat their children like delicate flowers. They think they will not survive without constant protection. But there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lian-tanner/the-people-of-jewel-said-olga-ciavolga-treat-their-children-like/) [Lian Tanner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lian-tanner/) > [I was a theatrical kid, but my parents were overprotective. When I expressed interest in show business, they shut it down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendi-mclendon-covey/i-was-a-theatrical-kid-but-my-parents-were-overprotective-when-i/) [Wendi McLendon-Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendi-mclendon-covey/) > [“I leaned over the counter, jacket riding up in the back, and nearly lost my cool when he automatically tugged it back down for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-erickson/i-leaned-over-the-counter-jacket-riding-up-in-the-back-and-nearly/) [Megan Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-erickson/) > [I do think my mother was a bit overprotective, not in any sordid way, but just normally. She certainly might say to me, "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-dern/i-do-think-my-mother-was-a-bit-overprotective-not-in-any-sordid-way/) [Laura Dern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-dern/) > [“You really have to let me fight my own battles. You can't constantly second-guess me and try to protect me. It's stifling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james/you-really-have-to-let-me-fight-my-own-battles-you-can-t-constantly/) [E.L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james/) > [“you're all so overprotective you'd be delighted if you could pack your mates in cotton wool and put them inside glass bubbles.' Sascha started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/you-re-all-so-overprotective-you-d-be-delighted-if-you-could-pack/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [ I do have to say my daughter, Sunday, said to me \[I was being\] overprotective, so you must have been a fly on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-kidman/i-do-have-to-say-my-daughter-sunday-said-to-me-i-was-being/) [Nicole Kidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-kidman/) > [Though Anne was born in Alabama and schooled in Mississippi, she had traveled North, and, like many Southerners, gained a theoretical understanding of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-reichs/though-anne-was-born-in-alabama-and-schooled-in-mississippi-she-had/) [Kathy Reichs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-reichs/) > [“When her mother combed Harriet's hair, she said that the woods were disgustingly muddy and mosquito-ridden. During her history unit on pioneers, her father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-karalius/when-her-mother-combed-harriet-s-hair-she-said-that-the-woods-were/) Kimberly Karalius > [My parents were overprotective because you could get kidnapped and bombs were exploding in the streets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-maestro/my-parents-were-overprotective-because-you-could-get-kidnapped-and/) [Mia Maestro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-maestro/) > [There's a word like overprotective to describe some parents, but no word that means the opposite. What word do you use to describe parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-a-word-like-overprotective-to-describe-some-parents-but-no/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Now that I have kids, I'm probably more overprotective than I've ever been. My wife's nickname for me is 'red alert.' I sometimes check…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-damon/now-that-i-have-kids-i-m-probably-more-overprotective-than-i-ve-ever/) [Matt Damon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-damon/) ## More by John Updike > [Life is a roller coaster, you have your ups and downs unless you fall off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/life-is-a-roller-coaster-you-have-your-ups-and-downs-unless-you-fall/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Children are not a zoo of entertainingly exotic creatures, but an array of mirrors in which the human predicament leaps out at us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/children-are-not-a-zoo-of-entertainingly-exotic-creatures-but-an/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I assume my stance, and take back the club, low, slowly; at the top, my eyes fog over, and my joints dip and swirl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-assume-my-stance-and-take-back-the-club-low-slowly-at-the-top-my/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The New England spirit does not seek solutions in a crowd; raw light and solitariness are less dreaded than welcomed as enhancers of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-new-england-spirit-does-not-seek-solutions-in-a-crowd-raw-light/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I imagine most of that stuff on the information highway is roadkill anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-imagine-most-of-that-stuff-on-the-information-highway-is-roadkill/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Families, doing everything for each other out of imagined obligation and always getting in each other's way, what a tangle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/families-doing-everything-for-each-other-out-of-imagined-obligation/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The fucking world is running out of gas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-fucking-world-is-running-out-of-gas/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The theme of old age doesn't seem to fascinate Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-theme-of-old-age-doesn-t-seem-to-fascinate-hollywood/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The mind cannot fall asleep as long as it watches itself. Only when the mind moves unwatched and becomes absorbed in images that tug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-mind-cannot-fall-asleep-as-long-as-it-watches-itself-only-when/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“it was somehow wonderful of her to be, in every detail, herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/it-was-somehow-wonderful-of-her-to-be-in-every-detail-herself/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [In fiction, imaginary people become realer to us than any named celebrity glimpsed in a series of rumored events, whose causes and subtler ramifications…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/in-fiction-imaginary-people-become-realer-to-us-than-any-named/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Her hair had been going gray as long as he could remember; she bundled it behind in a bun held with hairpins that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/her-hair-had-been-going-gray-as-long-as-he-could-remember-she-bundled/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Possession diminishes perception of value, immediately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/possession-diminishes-perception-of-value-immediately/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I can't bear to finish things, beyond a certain point they get heavy. There's something so dead about a finished painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-can-t-bear-to-finish-things-beyond-a-certain-point-they-get-heavy/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Some people find fall depressing, others hate spring. I've always been a spring person myself. All that growth, you can feel Nature groaning, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/some-people-find-fall-depressing-others-hate-spring-i-ve-always-been/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) [Explore all 592 John Updike quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## More Breakup quotes > [After a bad relationship and you think life is over when its far from, pick your self up and show the person who let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/after-a-bad-relationship-and-you-think-life-is-over-when-its-far-from/) [Kevin McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/) > [ \[attempts to save the relationship on the phone but said the wrong word while talking\] It didn't come out right, but I wasn't in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paritoshik-sharma/attempts-to-save-the-relationship-on-the-phone-but-said-the-wrong/) [Paritoshik Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paritoshik-sharma/) > [If you leave someone for another person, don't be surprised if that person leaves you for someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-leave-someone-for-another-person-don-t-be-surprised-if-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's fucking terrifying that no matter how many promises they made, no matter how long you've been together, someone can get up & walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larissa-derrah/it-s-fucking-terrifying-that-no-matter-how-many-promises-they-made-no/) Larissa Derrah > [If it's too hard, walk away. There are a million other people out there who won't make you feel bad!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-it-s-too-hard-walk-away-there-are-a-million-other-people-out-there/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Learning to trust is hard for many people, especially those who have been through bad break ups and who have experienced heartache from situations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/learning-to-trust-is-hard-for-many-people-especially-those-who-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It changes you a little bit every time you either break someone's heart or get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-seyfried/it-changes-you-a-little-bit-every-time-you-either-break-someone-s/) [Amanda Seyfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-seyfried/) > [“Dry your eyes mate, I know you want to make her see how much this pain hurts, but you’ve got to walk away now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-skinner/dry-your-eyes-mate-i-know-you-want-to-make-her-see-how-much-this-pain/) [Mike Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-skinner/) > [You see, at the beginning we weren't fighters. We weren't yellers or throwers, even if we eventually came to be. It would take time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinaw-mengestu/you-see-at-the-beginning-we-weren-t-fighters-we-weren-t-yellers-or/) [Dinaw Mengestu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinaw-mengestu/) > [The pain experienced during a breakup is as individual as the millions of people who go through it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tigress-luv/the-pain-experienced-during-a-breakup-is-as-individual-as-the/) Tigress Luv > [Wishing you knew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wishing-you-knew/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Feeling addicted to an ex makes letting them go excruciatingly hard even when you rationally want to move on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-cortney-warren/feeling-addicted-to-an-ex-makes-letting-them-go-excruciatingly-hard/) Dr. Cortney Warren > [I take a step back, and let you go. I told you I'm not bulletproof; Now you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-take-a-step-back-and-let-you-go-i-told-you-i-m-not-bulletproof-now/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Break ups are painful, but if initiated at the right time can fuel one's sense of optimism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/break-ups-are-painful-but-if-initiated-at-the-right-time-can-fuel-one/) [Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/) > [If they walk out of your life they're telling you to move on because they're not in love with you. It hurts, but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/if-they-walk-out-of-your-life-they-re-telling-you-to-move-on-because/) [SONYA PARKER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) [Browse all 1,846 Breakup quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakup/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That's the trouble with caring about anybody, you begin to feel overprotective. 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