--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we lost something precious, and we'd…" description: "\"When we lost something precious, and we'd looked and looked and still couldn't find it, then we didn't have to be completely heartbroken. We still had ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_believe_when-we-lost-something-precious-and-we-d_1466245.jpg" --- # When we lost something precious, and we'd looked and… ![“When we lost something precious, and we'd looked and looked and still couldn't find it, then we didn't have to be completely heartbroken. We still had that last bit of comfort, thinking one day, when we grow up, and we were free to travel around the counry, we would always go and find it in…” quote by Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_believe_when-we-lost-something-precious-and-we-d_1466245.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_believe_when-we-lost-something-precious-and-we-d_1466245.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_believe_when-we-lost-something-precious-and-we-d_1466245.jpg) > “When we lost something precious, and we'd looked and looked and still couldn't find it, then we didn't have to be completely heartbroken. We still had that last bit of comfort, thinking one day, when we grow up, and we were free to travel around the counry, we would always go and find it in Norfolk...And that's why years and years later, that day Tommy and I found another copy of that lost tape of mine in a town on the Norfolk coast, we didn't just think it pretty funny; we both felt deep down some tug, some old wish to believe again in something that was once close to our hearts.” [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even after loss, a lingering hope remains, allowing comfort and a future quest to recover what was once cherished. **In simple terms:** Hope persists after loss, guiding future search. Key Takeaway Hold onto hope and keep searching. Themes loss hope memory journey recovery Mood nostalgic optimistic Type novelistic reflective When to use this quote - grieving - travel - search for lost items - personal growth Key Concepts psychology nostalgia resilience Questions to Reflect On - What does the lost tape symbolize for you? - How does hope shape your response to loss? A Different Perspective Hope can become denial of present reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heartbroken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartbroken/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [“When we lost something precious, and we'd looked and looked and still couldn't find it, then we didn't have to be completely heartbroken. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/when-we-lost-something-precious-and-we-d-looked-and-looked-and-still-2/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“Might as well tell you. In that shop we were in, they had this shelf with loads of records and tapes. So I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/might-as-well-tell-you-in-that-shop-we-were-in-they-had-this-shelf/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [But I really wanted to find it for you. And when it looked in the end like it wasn't going to turn up, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-i-really-wanted-to-find-it-for-you-and-when-it-looked-in-the-end/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“The point is, there was a gap in Miss Emily's calendar collection: none of them had a single picture of Norfolk. I'd always wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/the-point-is-there-was-a-gap-in-miss-emily-s-calendar-collection-none/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“We were just trying to create a place for ourselves in a world that didn’t want us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/we-were-just-trying-to-create-a-place-for-ourselves-in-a-world-that/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [ “You see, because \[Norfolk is\] stuck out here on the east, on this hump jutting into the sea, it's not on the way to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/you-see-because-norfolk-is-stuck-out-here-on-the-east-on-this-hump/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [Someday you'll wake up knowing you lost a precious diamond while you were too busy collecting stones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/someday-you-ll-wake-up-knowing-you-lost-a-precious-diamond-while-you/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Somewhere on the way, I lost something precious, Something which was close, Something which I preserved for long. And now I can't get that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jatin-tanwer/somewhere-on-the-way-i-lost-something-precious-something-which-was/) [Jatin Tanwer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jatin-tanwer/) > [When I Realized I Found That I Have Lost My Precious Time To Get Something Which Was Neither Mine Nor Matters To My Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-realized-i-found-that-i-have-lost-my-precious-time-to-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“When you lost something precious, the memories of it became a tormenting reminder of what you could never have again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gena-showalter/when-you-lost-something-precious-the-memories-of-it-became-a/) [Gena Showalter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gena-showalter/) > [Hmmm! dont be sad if you have lost something precious as one day when you will need it the most you will have it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sardar-hyder-abbas/hmmm-dont-be-sad-if-you-have-lost-something-precious-as-one-day-when/) [Sardar Hyder Abbas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sardar-hyder-abbas/) > [I've lost so much precious, It only left me more cold, A nice man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniyal-butt/i-ve-lost-so-much-precious-it-only-left-me-more-cold-a-nice-man/) [Daniyal Butt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniyal-butt/) > [I cry enough for you now its time for me to laugh cuz you lost precious thang and that is ma lovable heart ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honey-babe/i-cry-enough-for-you-now-its-time-for-me-to-laugh-cuz-you-lost/) [Honey Babe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honey-babe/) > [what is lost because it is most precious what is most precious because it is lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/what-is-lost-because-it-is-most-precious-what-is-most-precious/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [We believe deep down that we've lost something precious and are seeking it outside ourselves, never realizing that we are carrying it within us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tsoknyi-rinpoche/we-believe-deep-down-that-we-ve-lost-something-precious-and-are/) [Tsoknyi Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tsoknyi-rinpoche/) ## More by Kazuo Ishiguro > [The evening's the best part of the day. You've done your day's work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/the-evening-s-the-best-part-of-the-day-you-ve-done-your-day-s-work/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [As a writer, I'm more interested in what people tell themselves happened rather than what actually happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/as-a-writer-i-m-more-interested-in-what-people-tell-themselves/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“About him and his wife voting for different parties. A few years ago that would have been unthinkable.” “No doubt.” “Quite extraordinary the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/about-him-and-his-wife-voting-for-different-parties-a-few-years-ago/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“But what is the sense in forever speculating what might have happened had such and such a moment turned out differently? One could presumably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-what-is-the-sense-in-forever-speculating-what-might-have-happened/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“Silence is just as likely to indicate the most profound ideas forming, the deepest energies being summoned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/silence-is-just-as-likely-to-indicate-the-most-profound-ideas-forming/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“I don't know why, but it didn't seem an option for more than one of us to storm off, and I wanted to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-don-t-know-why-but-it-didn-t-seem-an-option-for-more-than-one-of-us/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [Our family arrived in England in 1960. At that time I thought the war was ancient history. But if I think of 15 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/our-family-arrived-in-england-in-1960-at-that-time-i-thought-the-war/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [He chose a certain path in life, it proved to be a misguided one, but there, he chose it, he can say that at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/he-chose-a-certain-path-in-life-it-proved-to-be-a-misguided-one-but/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“For however one may come in later years to reassess one’s achievements, it is always a consolation to know that one’s life has contained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/for-however-one-may-come-in-later-years-to-reassess-one-s/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [You're always in a rush, or else you're too exhausted to have a proper conversation. Soon enough, the long hours, the traveling, the broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/you-re-always-in-a-rush-or-else-you-re-too-exhausted-to-have-a-proper/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [I don't think it's any fun, even if you are one of the most respected authors in the world like Margaret Atwood, to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-don-t-think-it-s-any-fun-even-if-you-are-one-of-the-most-respected/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [I think it's quite difficult to understand what kind of life a writer leads. They might be millionaires, or they might be starving people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-think-it-s-quite-difficult-to-understand-what-kind-of-life-a-writer/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“But this small episode is as good an illustration as any of the hazards of uttering witticisms. By the very nature of a witticism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-this-small-episode-is-as-good-an-illustration-as-any-of-the/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [There comes a point when you can more or less count the number of books you're going to write before you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/there-comes-a-point-when-you-can-more-or-less-count-the-number-of/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [My wife is the most savage critic. She doesn't feel intimidated by my reputation. As far as she's concerned, she's just criticising a boyfriend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/my-wife-is-the-most-savage-critic-she-doesn-t-feel-intimidated-by-my/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) [Explore all 292 Kazuo Ishiguro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [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/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [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/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When we lost something precious, and we'd looked and looked and still couldn't find it, then we didn't have to be completely heartbroken. We still had that last bit of comfort, thinking one day, when we grow up, and we were free to travel around the counry, we would always go and find it in Norfolk...And that's why years and years later, that day Tommy and I found another copy of that lost tape of mine in a town on the Norfolk coast, we didn't just think it pretty funny; we both felt deep down some tug, some old wish to believe again in something that was once close to our hearts.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kazuo Ishiguro" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/when-we-lost-something-precious-and-we-d-looked-and-looked-and-still/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/when-we-lost-something-precious-and-we-d-looked-and-looked-and-still/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_believe_when-we-lost-something-precious-and-we-d_1466245.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_believe_when-we-lost-something-precious-and-we-d_1466245.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/314/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_believe_when-we-lost-something-precious-and-we-d_1466245.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When we lost something precious, and we'd looked and looked and still couldn't find it, then we didn't have…” — Kazuo Ishiguro", "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": "Kazuo Ishiguro", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When we lost something precious, and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/when-we-lost-something-precious-and-we-d-looked-and-looked-and-still/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/when-we-lost-something-precious-and-we-d-looked-and-looked-and-still/#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 } } ] } ```