---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because she knew that something happened…"
description: "\"“Because she knew that something happened to you when your mother didn't hold you close, or tell you all the time that you were the best thing ever, or..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/jojo-moyes-1045_mother_because-she-knew-that-something-happened_2347062.jpg"
---

#  Because she knew that something happened to you when your…

![“Because she knew that something happened to you when your mother didn't hold you close, or tell you all the time that you were the best thing ever, or even notice when you were home: a little part of you sealed over. You didn't need her. You didn't need anyone. And without even knowing you were…” quote by Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/jojo-moyes-1045_mother_because-she-knew-that-something-happened_2347062.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/jojo-moyes-1045_mother_because-she-knew-that-something-happened_2347062.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/jojo-moyes-1045_mother_because-she-knew-that-something-happened_2347062.jpg)

> ““Because she knew that something happened to you when your mother didn't hold you close, or tell you all the time that you were the best thing ever, or even notice when you were home: a little part of you sealed over. You didn't need her. You didn't need anyone. And without even knowing you were doing it, you waited. You waited for anyone who got close to you to see something they didn't like in you, something they hadn't initially seen, and to grow cold and disappear, too, like so much sea mist. Because there had to be something wrong, didn't there, if even your own mother didn't really love you?””

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A person’s emotional wounds from a neglectful mother lead to self‑isolation and fear of intimacy, causing them to push others away.

**In simple terms:** Neglect can cause people to close off emotionally.

Key Takeaway

Address early emotional wounds to foster healthier connections.

Themes

family trauma attachment

Mood

introspective hopeful

Type

literary psychological

When to use this quote

- parent‑child relationships
- therapeutic settings
- personal growth

Key Concepts

psychological healing self‑awareness emotional resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- What early experiences shape your current relationships?
- How can you break the cycle of self‑isolation?

A Different Perspective

Healing requires confronting painful memories, which can be difficult.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/)

## Related quotes

> [“she knew that something happened to you when your mother didn’t hold you close, or tell you all the time that you were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/she-knew-that-something-happened-to-you-when-your-mother-didn-t-hold/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

> [“Some stuff has to be done even if there is a risk. That's the first important thing I ever found out I didn't find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/some-stuff-has-to-be-done-even-if-there-is-a-risk-that-s-the-first/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“I could no more pretend I didn't have a mother than the sea could pretend it had no salt. My mother existed for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/i-could-no-more-pretend-i-didn-t-have-a-mother-than-the-sea-could/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“I’m probably going to be crazy for the rest of my life, thanks to her. I’m going to keep making fucked-up decisions and doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/i-m-probably-going-to-be-crazy-for-the-rest-of-my-life-thanks-to-her-2/)

[Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/)

> [Didn’t your mother ever tell you the only way to kill us is to cut us into pieces? You should have brought a wood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/didn-t-your-mother-ever-tell-you-the-only-way-to-kill-us-is-to-cut-us/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [I wanted love from every single woman on the planet because I didn't have my mother's love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-hucknall/i-wanted-love-from-every-single-woman-on-the-planet-because-i-didn-t/)

[Mick Hucknall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-hucknall/)

> [I didn't have a mother; I had a mama. I measure other women by the stature of my mama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-green/i-didn-t-have-a-mother-i-had-a-mama-i-measure-other-women-by-the/)

[Al Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-green/)

> [“I’m probably going to be crazy for the rest of my life, thanks to her. I’m going to keep making fucked-up decisions and doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/i-m-probably-going-to-be-crazy-for-the-rest-of-my-life-thanks-to-her/)

[Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/)

> [“But that's just it. I ... I don't want to go. I don't want to see that..." She glanced aside at Mouse and shuddered.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/but-that-s-just-it-i-i-don-t-want-to-go-i-don-t-want-to-see-that-she/)

[Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/)

> [“Something must have happened, your mother speculated. In her mind a woman with no child could only be explained by vast untrammeled calamity. Maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/something-must-have-happened-your-mother-speculated-in-her-mind-a/)

[Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [I am so much more than what happened to me. I'm a mother and a businesswoman; I run a charity that supports others overcoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-piper/i-am-so-much-more-than-what-happened-to-me-i-m-a-mother-and-a/)

[Katie Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-piper/)

> [“There were a lot of these middle-aged single types in the neighborhood, shipwrecked by every kind of catastrophe, but she was one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/there-were-a-lot-of-these-middle-aged-single-types-in-the/)

[Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/)

> [I am thinking of one woman and the rest is blotto. I say I am thinking of her, but the truth is I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-am-thinking-of-one-woman-and-the-rest-is-blotto-i-say-i-am-thinking/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

> [There were just a lot of things that happened between my mother and I, and I thought it would be easier if I lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-darwish/there-were-just-a-lot-of-things-that-happened-between-my-mother-and-i/)

[Tiffany Darwish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-darwish/)

> [Being stupid at home. I was very stupid. I was very clumsy. I was always joking around with my older sister and I guess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-clark-duncan/being-stupid-at-home-i-was-very-stupid-i-was-very-clumsy-i-was-always/)

[Michael Clark Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-clark-duncan/)

## More by Jojo Moyes

> [“How was she supposed to bear the prospect of never seeing him again? Never seeing his face light up simply because she had walked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/how-was-she-supposed-to-bear-the-prospect-of-never-seeing-him-again/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

> [“I had a vague memory of the intensity of teenage female relationships; more of a passion than a normal friendship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/i-had-a-vague-memory-of-the-intensity-of-teenage-female-relationships/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

> [“I want him to live if HE wants to live. If he doesn't, then by forcing him to carry on, you, me… we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/i-want-him-to-live-if-he-wants-to-live-if-he-doesn-t-then-by-forcing/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

> [How is it possible to exist with so much pain?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/how-is-it-possible-to-exist-with-so-much-pain/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

> [“I often think that the ability to earn a living by doing the thing one loves must be one of life's greatest gifts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/i-often-think-that-the-ability-to-earn-a-living-by-doing-the-thing/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

> [“Nobody ever says "sweet girl" about someone they were in love with. It's like the whole "we'll still be friends" thing. It means you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/nobody-ever-says-sweet-girl-about-someone-they-were-in-love-with-it-s/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

> [“Sometimes , Clark, you are pretty much the only thing that makes me want to get up in the morning -Will Traynor &lt;3”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/sometimes-clark-you-are-pretty-much-the-only-thing-that-makes-me-want/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

> [“I liked the exoticism his travels gave him, the unknownness. He had blown in with the soft breezes of a wider world, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/i-liked-the-exoticism-his-travels-gave-him-the-unknownness-he-had/)

[jojo moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

> [“Good to meet you, Patrick," Will said. "And thank you for the...advice." "Oh, just trying to help my girlfriend get the best out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/good-to-meet-you-patrick-will-said-and-thank-you-for-the-advice-oh/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

> [“How could I explain to this man how much I wanted to work? Did he have the slightest idea how much I missed my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/how-could-i-explain-to-this-man-how-much-i-wanted-to-work-did-he-have/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

> [If I don't cry while writing a key emotional scene, my gut feeling is it's failed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/if-i-don-t-cry-while-writing-a-key-emotional-scene-my-gut-feeling-is/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

> [“Still watches too much porn, though. You can tell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/still-watches-too-much-porn-though-you-can-tell/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

> [“Four hours later Liv wakes in a box room with an Arsenal duet cover and a head that thumps so hard she has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/four-hours-later-liv-wakes-in-a-box-room-with-an-arsenal-duet-cover/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

> [“It was a terrible thing to discover you no longer wanted the life that stretched out ahead of you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/it-was-a-terrible-thing-to-discover-you-no-longer-wanted-the-life/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

> [You cut yourself off from all sorts of experiences because you tell yourself you are ‘not that sort of person’” “But, I’m not.” “How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/you-cut-yourself-off-from-all-sorts-of-experiences-because-you-tell/)

[Jojo Moyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

[Explore all 274 Jojo Moyes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/)

## More Mother quotes

> [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/)

[Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/)

> [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/)

[Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [My mother was strong-willed, demanding, and very supportive all at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/my-mother-was-strong-willed-demanding-and-very-supportive-all-at-the/)

[Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/)

> [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/)

[Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/)

> [I would give anything to be able to kick a ball with my son or read the kids a bedtime story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-burrow/i-would-give-anything-to-be-able-to-kick-a-ball-with-my-son-or-read/)

[Rob Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-burrow/)

> [Being a new mother is a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phaedra-parks/being-a-new-mother-is-a-blessing/)

[Phaedra Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phaedra-parks/)

> [Named after my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/named-after-my-mother/)

[Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/)

> [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/)

[Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/)

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/)

[Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/)

> [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/)

[Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/)

> [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/)

[Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/)

[Browse all 24,507 Mother quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Because she knew that something happened to you when your mother didn't hold you close, or tell you all the time that you were the best thing ever, or even notice when you were home: a little part of you sealed over. You didn't need her. You didn't need anyone. And without even knowing you were doing it, you waited. You waited for anyone who got close to you to see something they didn't like in you, something they hadn't initially seen, and to grow cold and disappear, too, like so much sea mist. Because there had to be something wrong, didn't there, if even your own mother didn't really love you?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jojo Moyes"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/because-she-knew-that-something-happened-to-you-when-your-mother-didn/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Mother"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/because-she-knew-that-something-happened-to-you-when-your-mother-didn/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/jojo-moyes-1045_mother_because-she-knew-that-something-happened_2347062.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/jojo-moyes-1045_mother_because-she-knew-that-something-happened_2347062.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/jojo-moyes-1045_mother_because-she-knew-that-something-happened_2347062.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Because she knew that something happened to you when your mother didn't hold you close, or tell you all the…” — Jojo Moyes",
                "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": "Jojo Moyes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jojo-moyes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Because she knew that something happened...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/because-she-knew-that-something-happened-to-you-when-your-mother-didn/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jojo-moyes/because-she-knew-that-something-happened-to-you-when-your-mother-didn/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
