--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you think you can stand looking and…" description: "\"“If you think you can stand looking and not touching for eight months, you're welcome to try.\" \"Try' being the operative word,\" he said, sighing. \"No, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/801/leah-raeder-6993_forbidden-love_if-you-think-you-can-stand-looking-and-n_1939409.jpg" --- # If you think you can stand looking and not touching for… ![“If you think you can stand looking and not touching for eight months, you're welcome to try." "Try' being the operative word," he said, sighing. "No, I can't. And I don't want to try.” quote by Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/801/leah-raeder-6993_forbidden-love_if-you-think-you-can-stand-looking-and-n_1939409.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/801/leah-raeder-6993_forbidden-love_if-you-think-you-can-stand-looking-and-n_1939409.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/801/leah-raeder-6993_forbidden-love_if-you-think-you-can-stand-looking-and-n_1939409.jpg) > ““If you think you can stand looking and not touching for eight months, you're welcome to try." "Try' being the operative word," he said, sighing. "No, I can't. And I don't want to try.”” [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Enduring prolonged temptation without action leads to frustration; the speaker admits inability and lack of desire to try **In simple terms:** Avoiding a task for months creates inner conflict and loss of motivation Key Takeaway Recognize limits and seek realistic goals Themes self-awareness temptation motivation Mood frustrated reflective Type advice personal When to use this quote - long‑term projects - habit formation - self‑control challenges Key Concepts psychology self-regulation Questions to Reflect On - What makes you resist trying? - How can you set achievable steps? A Different Perspective Sustained inaction may cause burnout or missed opportunities ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Forbidden love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forbidden-love/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Months Welcome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/months-welcome-3081034/) [Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship/) [Said Sighing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-sighing-554620/) [Sighing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sighing/) [Stand Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stand-looking-3081035/) [Taboo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taboo/) [Touching Months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/touching-months-3081033/) ## Related quotes > [“He leaned against her, pressing his shoulder to hers. 'Don't be mad at me,' he said, sighing. 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Looking back, I could have not hand-picked a better song to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-tippin/every-day-we-encounter-situations-where-we-have-to-make-a-stand/) [Aaron Tippin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-tippin/) > [“I wish that I could be of more help Joshua,” she said before sighing deeply. “But I’m afraid that what’s coming is way above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-hopkins/i-wish-that-i-could-be-of-more-help-joshua-she-said-before-sighing/) [M.F. Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-hopkins/) > [“If I may say so, Lady Queen,' said Giddon, 'it's not always easy to follow your conversation.' 'Oh, Giddon,' she said, sighing. 'If it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/if-i-may-say-so-lady-queen-said-giddon-it-s-not-always-easy-to-follow/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [“Well, there’s your problem then,” I said, sighing. “When you try to prove your art you’re going to fail every time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/well-there-s-your-problem-then-i-said-sighing-when-you-try-to-prove/) [Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/) > [“You are a virgin,” Layla said, sighing. “Think of it as an unavoidable stage of life, like getting old and toothless and having to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eloisa-james/you-are-a-virgin-layla-said-sighing-think-of-it-as-an-unavoidable/) [Eloisa James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eloisa-james/) > [“He embraced me, and said into my ear, 'I'm going to fuck the shit out of you.' I lost my breath. It was crude,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/he-embraced-me-and-said-into-my-ear-i-m-going-to-fuck-the-shit-out-of/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [“...there was no point in sighing after what I could not have. It only distracted me from what I did have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/there-was-no-point-in-sighing-after-what-i-could-not-have-it-only/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [We spend our years with sighing; it is a valleyof tears; but death is the funeral of all our sorrows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-watson/we-spend-our-years-with-sighing-it-is-a-valleyof-tears-but-death-is/) [Thomas Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-watson/) > [“Back in the cabin I light the fire and sit sighing and there are leaves skittering on the tin roof, it's August in Big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/back-in-the-cabin-i-light-the-fire-and-sit-sighing-and-there-are/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [ \[Jules\] slides into a seat beside me with her hot lunch tray, sighing. “Four hours, thirty-six minutes, and twelve seconds till we’re out of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/jules-slides-into-a-seat-beside-me-with-her-hot-lunch-tray-sighing/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I have been here before, But when or how I cannot tell: I know the grass beyond the door, The sweet keen smell, The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-gabriel-rossetti/i-have-been-here-before-but-when-or-how-i-cannot-tell-i-know-the/) [Dante Gabriel Rossetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-gabriel-rossetti/) > [Sitting over words Very late I have heard a kind of whispered sighing Not far Like a night wind in pines or like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sitting-over-words-very-late-i-have-heard-a-kind-of-whispered-sighing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Are you going to spend what might be your last your last few days together in Franklen Grove sulking and sighing? Or are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sienna-mercer/are-you-going-to-spend-what-might-be-your-last-your-last-few-days/) [Sienna Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sienna-mercer/) ## More by Leah Raeder > [“For a long time before I met you, I felt my life was this kind of test. I was in deep, cold water, swimming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/for-a-long-time-before-i-met-you-i-felt-my-life-was-this-kind-of-test/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [“So if we’re both so happy, why are we sad?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/so-if-we-re-both-so-happy-why-are-we-sad/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul and all that jazz.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/i-am-the-master-of-my-fate-i-am-the-captain-of-my-soul-and-all-that/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [“You're never saying what you think you're saying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/you-re-never-saying-what-you-think-you-re-saying/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [“Here’s a history of the world: Girl meets boy. Girl fucks boy. Girl gets scared and skips out on boy. Boy builds civilization to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/here-s-a-history-of-the-world-girl-meets-boy-girl-fucks-boy-girl-gets/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [“That is all life is. Breathing in, breathing out. The space between two breaths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/that-is-all-life-is-breathing-in-breathing-out-the-space-between-two/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [“Don’t come here to fuck with my head and play games. You don’t test someone’s love by leaving them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/don-t-come-here-to-fuck-with-my-head-and-play-games-you-don-t-test/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [“It wasn't about flirting with death, like Mom. It was about wanting to live all the way to the seams of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/it-wasn-t-about-flirting-with-death-like-mom-it-was-about-wanting-to/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [“We sat in the shadows, full of unspeakable things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/we-sat-in-the-shadows-full-of-unspeakable-things/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [“But this is who you are. You’re a liar, and a thief, and a junkie. I don’t hate you, Mom. I’m disappointed in you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/but-this-is-who-you-are-you-re-a-liar-and-a-thief-and-a-junkie-i-don/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [“That's another thing about lies: if you convince yourself they're true, they become true. A lie is a discrepancy of belief, not fact.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/that-s-another-thing-about-lies-if-you-convince-yourself-they-re-true/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [“What is this feeling? I wondered. What is this hunger that grows worse the more I feed it? They’d come up with a name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/what-is-this-feeling-i-wondered-what-is-this-hunger-that-grows-worse/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [“I can't hold on to you. You're like a shooting star. Just a trail of fire in my hands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/i-can-t-hold-on-to-you-you-re-like-a-shooting-star-just-a-trail-of/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [“I'm also thinking the night I met you was like someone handed me a winning lottery ticket and said, 'You can only have it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/i-m-also-thinking-the-night-i-met-you-was-like-someone-handed-me-a/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [“Every time I opened my mouth, flame licked up my throat. I could have razed vil­lages, kid­napped princesses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/every-time-i-opened-my-mouth-flame-licked-up-my-throat-i-could-have/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) [Explore all 96 Leah Raeder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) ## More Forbidden love quotes > [“When you fear nothing, you have nothing to fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-f-chandler/when-you-fear-nothing-you-have-nothing-to-fear/) [S.F. Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-f-chandler/) > [“You finally find the Scripter and she's an absolute babe. What are the chances? Not to mention, you two actually like one another. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gulla/you-finally-find-the-scripter-and-she-s-an-absolute-babe-what-are-the/) [Nicole Gulla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-gulla/) > [“We can’t do this on so many levels,” she whispered. But I don’t care." 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But dont think Im going to share the bed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/airicka-phoenix/fine-stay-i-dont-care-i-rolled-onto-my-side-and-closed-my-eyes-but/) [Airicka Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/airicka-phoenix/) > [“She looked at me, and she saw something no one else did. Even I don't know what." -Landon”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-james/she-looked-at-me-and-she-saw-something-no-one-else-did-even-i-don-t/) [Ella James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-james/) > [What do you want from me Duncan? My breath caught in my throat when he licked his lips and swallowed hard. I dont know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-jeffery/what-do-you-want-from-me-duncan-my-breath-caught-in-my-throat-when-he/) [Ashley Jeffery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-jeffery/) > [“I'm dangerous for you, Abby - Benjamin Blake”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathey-gray/i-m-dangerous-for-you-abby-benjamin-blake/) [Kathey Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathey-gray/) > [“Make me a weapon,” I whispered as he pulled away. “Make it so I never have to dream about this again—make it so we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-giovanni/make-me-a-weapon-i-whispered-as-he-pulled-away-make-it-so-i-never/) [Cassandra Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-giovanni/) > [“He was my addiction and once I got that taste of him I wouldn’t want to stop even if I was getting eaten alive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/he-was-my-addiction-and-once-i-got-that-taste-of-him-i-wouldn-t-want/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [Never's just the echo of forever, lonesome as a love that might have been. Let me go on lovin' and believin' 'til it's over.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-kristofferson/never-s-just-the-echo-of-forever-lonesome-as-a-love-that-might-have/) [Kris Kristofferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-kristofferson/) > [“I don’t know how to dance!” she said. His arms tightened around her when she tried to pull away. “Then just let me hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/airicka-phoenix/i-don-t-know-how-to-dance-she-said-his-arms-tightened-around-her-when/) [Airicka Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/airicka-phoenix/) > [“He suddenly felt the urge to kiss her-hard- upon the mouth. But this- what he felt, it could never be real. Because once the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/he-suddenly-felt-the-urge-to-kiss-her-hard-upon-the-mouth-but-this/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [It is a wonderful subduer-this need of love, this hunger of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/it-is-a-wonderful-subduer-this-need-of-love-this-hunger-of-the-heart/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) [Browse all 124 Forbidden love quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forbidden-love/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If you think you can stand looking and not touching for eight months, you're welcome to try.\" \"Try' being the operative word,\" he said, sighing. \"No, I can't. 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