---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She shrunk into herself and waited for me…"
description: "\"“She shrunk into herself and waited for me to stare at her like she was gross an dirty. But I just wanted to hold her and tell her that she was worth s..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/krista-ritchie-1506_quote_she-shrunk-into-herself-and-waited-for-m_1170697.jpg"
---

#  She shrunk into herself and waited for me to stare at her…

![“She shrunk into herself and waited for me to stare at her like she was gross an dirty. But I just wanted to hold her and tell her that she was worth so much more than whatever she was searching for.” quote by Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/krista-ritchie-1506_quote_she-shrunk-into-herself-and-waited-for-m_1170697.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/krista-ritchie-1506_quote_she-shrunk-into-herself-and-waited-for-m_1170697.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/krista-ritchie-1506_quote_she-shrunk-into-herself-and-waited-for-m_1170697.jpg)

> ““She shrunk into herself and waited for me to stare at her like she was gross an dirty. But I just wanted to hold her and tell her that she was worth so much more than whatever she was searching for.””

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

## About This Quote

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

The narrator sees someone’s self‑esteem eroded and offers unconditional acceptance, emphasizing intrinsic value over perceived flaws.

**In simple terms:** Offer love and remind others of their hidden worth.

Key Takeaway

Affirm others’ value despite their self‑doubt.

Themes

compassion self‑esteem acceptance healing vulnerability

Mood

empathetic supportive gentle

Type

narrative emotional inspirational

When to use this quote

- counseling sessions
- friendship moments
- romantic encounters
- online support groups

Key Concepts

psychology of self‑image emotional support narrative empathy

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “worth” mean to you?
- How can you support someone feeling unworthy?

A Different Perspective

The person may reject help, needing time to internalize the affirmation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [I am gross, I like gross stuff, and the show that I do is extremely gross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-sherman/i-am-gross-i-like-gross-stuff-and-the-show-that-i-do-is-extremely/)

[Sarah Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-sherman/)

> [“I like gross generalizations...I also like disgusting specifics!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/i-like-gross-generalizations-i-also-like-disgusting-specifics/)

[Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/)

> [“- My little brother craps himself." I laughed. "- Well, maybe it's because he's, like, only one?" "- Whatever, it's still gross.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/my-little-brother-craps-himself-i-laughed-well-maybe-it-s-because-he/)

[Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/)

> [“I've been looking forward to this for weeks. You don't even know. It's like, gross hunter, gross hunter, gross hunter, puppet show!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/i-ve-been-looking-forward-to-this-for-weeks-you-don-t-even-know-it-s/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [You go from nobody looking at you to people taking second looks. I remember really loving it - and then feeling so guilty for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-schaal/you-go-from-nobody-looking-at-you-to-people-taking-second-looks-i/)

[Kristen Schaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-schaal/)

> [“Percy had shrunk to the size of a chihuahua and was perched on the kitchen table watching me make a bacon and egg pie.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-hawkins/percy-had-shrunk-to-the-size-of-a-chihuahua-and-was-perched-on-the/)

[Danielle Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-hawkins/)

> [My horizon's have shrunk and I have only endings to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/my-horizon-s-have-shrunk-and-i-have-only-endings-to-write/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [Only those are fit to live who do not fear to die and none are fit to die who have shrunk from the joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/only-those-are-fit-to-live-who-do-not-fear-to-die-and-none-are-fit-to-3/)

[Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/)

> [“Well, the only logical explanation is that all of my clothes shrunk!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-krishna/well-the-only-logical-explanation-is-that-all-of-my-clothes-shrunk/)

[Van Krishna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-krishna/)

> [“Somehow the present had shrunk into a smaller and much less interesting place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/somehow-the-present-had-shrunk-into-a-smaller-and-much-less/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [I shrunk my favourite jeans in my first week of university. I'd never done a wash before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-widdicombe/i-shrunk-my-favourite-jeans-in-my-first-week-of-university-i-d-never/)

[Josh Widdicombe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-widdicombe/)

> [“There are open wounds, shrunk sometimes to the size of a pin-prick but wounds still.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/there-are-open-wounds-shrunk-sometimes-to-the-size-of-a-pin-prick-but/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

> [I've always shrunk from usurping the functions of Providence, and when I have to exercise them I decidedly prefer that it shouldn't be on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/i-ve-always-shrunk-from-usurping-the-functions-of-providence-and-when/)

[Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/)

> [“Blameless as I was, and knew that I was, in reference to any wrong she could possibly suspect me of, I shrunk before her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/blameless-as-i-was-and-knew-that-i-was-in-reference-to-any-wrong-she/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [ By \[age\] 93, I had shrunk quite a lot. My car was known as the Phantom Cadillac. People would see it whizzing by and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/by-age-93-i-had-shrunk-quite-a-lot-my-car-was-known-as-the-phantom/)

[George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/)

## More by Krista Ritchie

> [“In this moment, I'm yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/in-this-moment-i-m-yours/)

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

> [“I had no one before Rose. No true friends. No family, not really. Now I have her. I have people I care about. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/i-had-no-one-before-rose-no-true-friends-no-family-not-really-now-i/)

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

> [“Can we only be invited inside if you understand our costumes?” Connor asks. He cranes his neck to look past the host’s shoulder. “Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/can-we-only-be-invited-inside-if-you-understand-our-costumes-connor/)

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

> [“I love you, Dais, because you’re the wildest fucking girl with the biggest fucking heart. And without you in my life”—he shakes his head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/i-love-you-dais-because-you-re-the-wildest-fucking-girl-with-the/)

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

> [“Don’t you ever fucking apologize for another guy’s offense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/don-t-you-ever-fucking-apologize-for-another-guy-s-offense/)

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

> [“You want me, you have me. Let’s go, wolf scout.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/you-want-me-you-have-me-let-s-go-wolf-scout/)

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

> [“You’re not a pit stop. You’re my finish line. There’s no one after you... “I want you for eternity, not for a brief moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/you-re-not-a-pit-stop-you-re-my-finish-line-there-s-no-one-after-you/)

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

> [“A man in a green truck lays on his horn to my left, as if noise will magically part the congested freeway. I hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/a-man-in-a-green-truck-lays-on-his-horn-to-my-left-as-if-noise-will/)

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

> [“I want to live here. In his arms. Where I know it’s safe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/i-want-to-live-here-in-his-arms-where-i-know-it-s-safe/)

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

> [“No,” Connor says. “A man never leaves his dog behind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/no-connor-says-a-man-never-leaves-his-dog-behind/)

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

> [“Did you bet on me?' I ask dumbfounded. 'Yeah,' Lo says, unabashed. His eyes fall to mine. 'And I'll always bet on your side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/did-you-bet-on-me-i-ask-dumbfounded-yeah-lo-says-unabashed-his-eyes/)

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

> [“I wish. I wish. I wish . And nothing ever comes true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/i-wish-i-wish-i-wish-and-nothing-ever-comes-true/)

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

> [“I near her, cupping her face with large rough hands. I stare down into her yellow-green eyes. “You’re not a pit stop. You’re my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/i-near-her-cupping-her-face-with-large-rough-hands-i-stare-down-into/)

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

> [“And then we end- we end where we started. Just us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/and-then-we-end-we-end-where-we-started-just-us/)

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

> [“I usually dumb down around the intellectually deficient so I don’t come off like a complete prick.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/i-usually-dumb-down-around-the-intellectually-deficient-so-i-don-t/)

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

[Explore all 234 Krista Ritchie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

## More Wanted Hold quotes

> [When Sunderland turned down an offer for me from Crystal Palace I went to see Moyes in his office three or four times. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-van-aanholt/when-sunderland-turned-down-an-offer-for-me-from-crystal-palace-i/)

[Patrick van Aanholt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-van-aanholt/)

> [He wanted to hear her concerns and alleviate them, he wanted to hold her and kiss her and convince her that he would find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/he-wanted-to-hear-her-concerns-and-alleviate-them-he-wanted-to-hold/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [“I wanted to hold her, but still have her move freely in my arms. I wanted to taste her lips and breathe in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittainy-c-cherry/i-wanted-to-hold-her-but-still-have-her-move-freely-in-my-arms-i/)

[Brittainy C. Cherry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittainy-c-cherry/)

> [“I wanted to hold onto the house the way you'd hold onto a love letter. It was proof that I had not always been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ottessa-moshfegh/i-wanted-to-hold-onto-the-house-the-way-you-d-hold-onto-a-love-letter/)

[Ottessa Moshfegh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ottessa-moshfegh/)

> [“Over time, we became less sure we were something the other wanted to hold on to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/over-time-we-became-less-sure-we-were-something-the-other-wanted-to/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [For me, I was never someone who wanted to hold on to the celebrity image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-the-eagle/for-me-i-was-never-someone-who-wanted-to-hold-on-to-the-celebrity/)

[Eddie the Eagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-the-eagle/)

> [“He wanted to hold his boy and tease him and make him laugh, he wanted the chunk of him close;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/he-wanted-to-hold-his-boy-and-tease-him-and-make-him-laugh-he-wanted/)

[Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/)

> [“She wasn't certain of exactly what they had together; she doubted Owen knew, either; but whatever it was, she desperately wanted to hold on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-garlock/she-wasn-t-certain-of-exactly-what-they-had-together-she-doubted-owen/)

[Dorothy Garlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-garlock/)

> [I was not content to believe in a personal devil and serve him, in the ordinary sense of the word. I wanted to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/i-was-not-content-to-believe-in-a-personal-devil-and-serve-him-in-the/)

[Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/)

> [“I wanted nothing more than for him to hold me in that moment . Hold me and never let me go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-forrest/i-wanted-nothing-more-than-for-him-to-hold-me-in-that-moment-hold-me/)

[Bella Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-forrest/)

> [“...hero or not, he wanted to hold her forever and not let go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-glick/hero-or-not-he-wanted-to-hold-her-forever-and-not-let-go/)

Heidi Glick

> [It was not in me It came and went I wanted to hold it It was held by wine (I no longer know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/it-was-not-in-me-it-came-and-went-i-wanted-to-hold-it-it-was-held-by/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [He would not let her go. Even though, staring into her open eyes in the swirling salt-filled water, with sun flashing though each wave,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/he-would-not-let-her-go-even-though-staring-into-her-open-eyes-in-the/)

[Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/)

> [The fact of the matter is that I wanted to hold a grudge in some funny kind of way.Against everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-puzo/the-fact-of-the-matter-is-that-i-wanted-to-hold-a-grudge-in-some/)

[Mario Puzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-puzo/)

> [“I wanted to hold onto this point in time before our eyes found each other and before I knew whether our hearts could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-fantino/i-wanted-to-hold-onto-this-point-in-time-before-our-eyes-found-each/)

[Lisa Fantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-fantino/)

Browse all 43 Wanted Hold quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“She shrunk into herself and waited for me to stare at her like she was gross an dirty. But I just wanted to hold her and tell her that she was worth so much more than whatever she was searching for.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Krista Ritchie"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/she-shrunk-into-herself-and-waited-for-me-to-stare-at-her-like-she/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Wanted Hold"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/she-shrunk-into-herself-and-waited-for-me-to-stare-at-her-like-she/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/krista-ritchie-1506_quote_she-shrunk-into-herself-and-waited-for-m_1170697.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/krista-ritchie-1506_quote_she-shrunk-into-herself-and-waited-for-m_1170697.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b8/krista-ritchie-1506_quote_she-shrunk-into-herself-and-waited-for-m_1170697.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“She shrunk into herself and waited for me to stare at her like she was gross an dirty. But I just wanted to…” — Krista Ritchie",
                "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": "Krista Ritchie",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“She shrunk into herself and waited...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/she-shrunk-into-herself-and-waited-for-me-to-stare-at-her-like-she/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/she-shrunk-into-herself-and-waited-for-me-to-stare-at-her-like-she/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
