--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The human heart dares not stay away too…" description: "\"The human heart dares not stay away too long from that which hurt it most. There is a return journey to anguish that few of us are released from making..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ec/lillian-smith-28447_anguish_the-human-heart-dares-not-stay-away-too_549077.jpg" --- # The human heart dares not stay away too long from that… ![“The human heart dares not stay away too long from that which hurt it most. There is a return journey to anguish that few of us are released from making.” quote by Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ec/lillian-smith-28447_anguish_the-human-heart-dares-not-stay-away-too_549077.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ec/lillian-smith-28447_anguish_the-human-heart-dares-not-stay-away-too_549077.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ec/lillian-smith-28447_anguish_the-human-heart-dares-not-stay-away-too_549077.jpg) > “The human heart dares not stay away too long from that which hurt it most. There is a return journey to anguish that few of us are released from making.” [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People are drawn to the pain that mirrors their own, making it hard to escape recurring suffering. **In simple terms:** We often return to what hurts us most. Key Takeaway Recognize and break cycles of self‑inflicted anguish. Themes psychology relationships pain growth self‑awareness Mood reflective melancholic hopeful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - therapy - self‑reflection - support groups Key Concepts attachment theory emotional patterns trauma Questions to Reflect On - Why do we seek familiar pain? - What steps help release us from repeated anguish? A Different Perspective Changing deep‑seated emotional habits can be extremely challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anguish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anguish/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Human heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-heart/) [Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/) [Hurt Return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt-return-1351385/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-hurt-1645949/) [Return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/return/) [Return Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/return-journey-531145/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Too long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-long/) ## Related quotes > [“I can tell you this: there will be other girls, other disasters. 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One starts moving inwards rather than moving outwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/let-sannyas-be-the-turning-point-that-s-what-sannyas-is-all-about-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [The man who is cocksure that he has arrived is ready for the return journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/the-man-who-is-cocksure-that-he-has-arrived-is-ready-for-the-return/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [“Your extensive travels must have been fatiguing," Zakath said in that same flat tone, "particularly for the ladies. I'll see to it that your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-eddings/your-extensive-travels-must-have-been-fatiguing-zakath-said-in-that/) [David Eddings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-eddings/) > [Memory, with its fugitive adjustments, is the merciful veil to the grim enactments of the first law. It hides the anguish in the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-aumonier/memory-with-its-fugitive-adjustments-is-the-merciful-veil-to-the-grim/) [Stacy Aumonier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-aumonier/) > [Our religion is itself profoundly sad - a religion of universal anguish, and one which, because of its very catholicity, grants full liberty to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/our-religion-is-itself-profoundly-sad-a-religion-of-universal-anguish/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [pg.9 "In my heart there's a peaceful anguish, and my calm is made of resignation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/pg-9-in-my-heart-there-s-a-peaceful-anguish-and-my-calm-is-made-of/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Knowledge gives a wider choice and more anguish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-florman/knowledge-gives-a-wider-choice-and-more-anguish/) [Samuel Florman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-florman/) > [“He put his forehead against hers. “Alannah, my heart is yours.” He said softly. “And yet, I must hand it over to someone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-morin/he-put-his-forehead-against-hers-alannah-my-heart-is-yours-he-said/) [B.C. Morin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-morin/) ## More by Lillian Smith > [To believe in something not yet proved and to underwrite it with our lives: it is the only way we can leave the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/to-believe-in-something-not-yet-proved-and-to-underwrite-it-with-our/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) > [“To believe in something not yet proved and to underwrite it with our lives...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/to-believe-in-something-not-yet-proved-and-to-underwrite-it-with-our-2/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) > [To believe in something not yet proved and to underwrite it with our lives: it is the only way we can leave the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/to-believe-in-something-not-yet-proved-and-to-underwrite-it-with-our-3/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) > [Segregation is evil; there is no pattern of life which can dehumanize men as can the way of segregation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/segregation-is-evil-there-is-no-pattern-of-life-which-can-dehumanize/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) > [To find the point where hypothesis and fact meet; the delicate equilibrium between dream and reality; the place where fantasy and earthly things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/to-find-the-point-where-hypothesis-and-fact-meet-the-delicate/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) > [I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/i-soon-realized-that-no-journey-carries-one-far-unless-as-it-extends/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) > [Rich folks always talk hard times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/rich-folks-always-talk-hard-times/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) > [I broke every barrier I could to see things as they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/i-broke-every-barrier-i-could-to-see-things-as-they-are/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) > [Man, born of woman, has found it a hard thing to forgive her for giving him birth. The patriarchal protest against the ancient matriarch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/man-born-of-woman-has-found-it-a-hard-thing-to-forgive-her-for-giving/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) > [Belief in Some One's right to punish you is the fate of all children in Judaic-Christian culture. But nowhere else, perhaps, have the rich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/belief-in-some-one-s-right-to-punish-you-is-the-fate-of-all-children/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) > [The point of life is to find the delicate equilibrium between dream and reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/the-point-of-life-is-to-find-the-delicate-equilibrium-between-dream/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) > [When you stop learning, stop listening, stop looking and asking questions, always new questions, then it is time to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/when-you-stop-learning-stop-listening-stop-looking-and-asking/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) > [The question in crisis or ordeal is not: Are you going to be an extremist? The question is: What kind of extremist are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/the-question-in-crisis-or-ordeal-is-not-are-you-going-to-be-an/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) > [“None but the weak crave to be better than. Strong men are satisfied with their own strength.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/none-but-the-weak-crave-to-be-better-than-strong-men-are-satisfied/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) > [We need not feel ashamed of flirting with the zodiac. The zodiac is well worth flirting with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-smith/we-need-not-feel-ashamed-of-flirting-with-the-zodiac-the-zodiac-is/) [Lillian Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) [Explore all 19 Lillian Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-smith/) ## More Anguish quotes > [“He put his forehead against hers. “Alannah, my heart is yours.” He said softly. “And yet, I must hand it over to someone else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-morin/he-put-his-forehead-against-hers-alannah-my-heart-is-yours-he-said/) [B.C. Morin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-morin/) > [Knowledge gives a wider choice and more anguish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-florman/knowledge-gives-a-wider-choice-and-more-anguish/) [Samuel Florman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-florman/) > [pg.9 "In my heart there's a peaceful anguish, and my calm is made of resignation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/pg-9-in-my-heart-there-s-a-peaceful-anguish-and-my-calm-is-made-of/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Memory, with its fugitive adjustments, is the merciful veil to the grim enactments of the first law. It hides the anguish in the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-aumonier/memory-with-its-fugitive-adjustments-is-the-merciful-veil-to-the-grim/) [Stacy Aumonier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-aumonier/) > [Our religion is itself profoundly sad - a religion of universal anguish, and one which, because of its very catholicity, grants full liberty to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/our-religion-is-itself-profoundly-sad-a-religion-of-universal-anguish/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [Being human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/being-human-we-would-expel-from-our-lives-physical-pain-and-mental/) [Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) > [The intellectuals' chief cause of anguish are one another's works. Jacques Barzun, 1959 all ignorance toboggans into know and trudges up to ignorance again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-cummings/the-intellectuals-chief-cause-of-anguish-are-one-another-s-works/) [e. e. cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-cummings/) > [I saw my parents as gods whose every wish must be obeyed or I would suffer the penalty of anguish and guilt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-wood/i-saw-my-parents-as-gods-whose-every-wish-must-be-obeyed-or-i-would/) [Natalie Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-wood/) > [Every last cast is actually a first cast. The first cast and first chance to catch the next fish. The next time you anguish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-bishop/every-last-cast-is-actually-a-first-cast-the-first-cast-and-first/) [Tony Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-bishop/) > [Journalism is an extraordinary and terrible privilege. Not by chance, if you are aware of it, does it consume you with a hundred feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/journalism-is-an-extraordinary-and-terrible-privilege-not-by-chance/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [I have discovered in my long life that there are many words and phrases which have more power than any spell of magick. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/i-have-discovered-in-my-long-life-that-there-are-many-words-and/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [One realizes that human relationships are the tragic necessity of human life; that they can never be wholly satisfactory, that every ego is half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/one-realizes-that-human-relationships-are-the-tragic-necessity-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [I have designed my style pantomimes as white ink drawings on black backgrounds, so that man's destiny appears as a thread lost in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-marceau/i-have-designed-my-style-pantomimes-as-white-ink-drawings-on-black/) [Marcel Marceau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-marceau/) > [So silently, peacefully, without hurry, without any tension, without any anguish, move into yourself instantly. It is urgent. Unless meditation becomes urgent to you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/so-silently-peacefully-without-hurry-without-any-tension-without-any/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [It breaks my heart to think about a family weeping over the loss of a loved one. I understand the anguish that some feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-p-bush/it-breaks-my-heart-to-think-about-a-family-weeping-over-the-loss-of-a/) [George P. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-p-bush/) [Browse all 570 Anguish quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anguish/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The human heart dares not stay away too long from that which hurt it most. 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