--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I could never be sure whether he would be…" description: "\"“I could never be sure whether he would be there when I arrived. On my way through the forest I used to pass a large granite block where I would stop, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/linda-olsson-22069_felt-wrong_i-could-never-be-sure-whether-he-would-b_3077956.jpg" --- # I could never be sure whether he would be there when I… ![“I could never be sure whether he would be there when I arrived. On my way through the forest I used to pass a large granite block where I would stop, draw my breath and close my fists with my thumbs inside, then close my eyes and whisper: 'Please, please, please let him be there today,' before…” quote by Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/linda-olsson-22069_felt-wrong_i-could-never-be-sure-whether-he-would-b_3077956.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/linda-olsson-22069_felt-wrong_i-could-never-be-sure-whether-he-would-b_3077956.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/linda-olsson-22069_felt-wrong_i-could-never-be-sure-whether-he-would-b_3077956.jpg) > ““I could never be sure whether he would be there when I arrived. On my way through the forest I used to pass a large granite block where I would stop, draw my breath and close my fists with my thumbs inside, then close my eyes and whisper: 'Please, please, please let him be there today,' before continuing. If he wasn't, I felt it was because I had done wrong. That somehow I had to earn the right to such pleasure.”” [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A ritual of prayer and self‑doubt reveals a longing for validation and fear of being unworthy. **In simple terms:** Seeking approval through ritualistic prayer. Key Takeaway Accept that worth isn’t earned by external presence. Themes validation faith self‑doubt ritual loneliness Mood anxious hopeful reflective Type personal psychological When to use this quote - personal relationships - spiritual practice - mental health - seeking reassurance Key Concepts spirituality psychology attachment Questions to Reflect On - What does this ritual say about your sense of control? - How might you find inner validation without external approval? A Different Perspective If the desired presence never arrives, the ritual may reinforce anxiety rather than resolve it. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“No matter how close, you are always too far My eyes are drawn everywhere you are. I’m tired of the way we both pretend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cora-carmack/no-matter-how-close-you-are-always-too-far-my-eyes-are-drawn/) [Cora Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cora-carmack/) > [“The point is, I’m here to work.” “And part of that work entails that you pretend we’re dating.” “That’s outside this house. In here,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-halston/the-point-is-i-m-here-to-work-and-part-of-that-work-entails-that-you/) [Sidney Halston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-halston/) > [If you're teargassed repeatedly, as I have been as an academic researching protest movements, you learn how to hold your breath and close your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeynep-tufekci/if-you-re-teargassed-repeatedly-as-i-have-been-as-an-academic/) [Zeynep Tufekci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zeynep-tufekci/) > [I just wanna breathe you in tonight you take up evey thought that's in my mind so take another breath and close your eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-last-thing-we-ll-ever-do/i-just-wanna-breathe-you-in-tonight-you-take-up-evey-thought-that-s/) The Last Thing We'll Ever Do > [“He brought his lips and hot breath close to her ear. “And once I have you bound and helpless, how should I take you?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-safleur/he-brought-his-lips-and-hot-breath-close-to-her-ear-and-once-i-have/) [Elizabeth SaFleur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-safleur/) > [“We lay that way for a while, breathing together, watching the shadows flicker over the walls and each other's faces. She played with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selena-kitt/we-lay-that-way-for-a-while-breathing-together-watching-the-shadows/) [Selena Kitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selena-kitt/) > [I never really felt at home with that - the headbands, the roses, the feet, the peace sign, all that bollocks. That wasn't me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-beck/i-never-really-felt-at-home-with-that-the-headbands-the-roses-the/) [Jeff Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-beck/) > [“I acted tough, but inside I wasn’t. I felt like a melty Rolo center, real mushy. The truth was that if White Bird didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-dane/i-acted-tough-but-inside-i-wasn-t-i-felt-like-a-melty-rolo-center/) [Jordan Dane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-dane/) > [I lost a couple fights in a row, and something wasn't there. I felt the passion went adrift, and I got distracted in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uriah-hall/i-lost-a-couple-fights-in-a-row-and-something-wasn-t-there-i-felt-the/) [Uriah Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uriah-hall/) > [“ I'm here , I said, but I knew, increasingly, I wasn't here, and I felt that able-to-weep-and-be-seen version of myself that I'd been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/i-m-here-i-said-but-i-knew-increasingly-i-wasn-t-here-and-i-felt-that/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [I didn't get targeted in high school for being a Muslim - it wasn't that - but I always felt like an outsider in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mustafa-ali/i-didn-t-get-targeted-in-high-school-for-being-a-muslim-it-wasn-t/) [Mustafa Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mustafa-ali/) > [I've always felt like there was a lot of hype around me even when there wasn't. I felt like everyone was talking about me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/i-ve-always-felt-like-there-was-a-lot-of-hype-around-me-even-when/) [Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/) > [Since puberty, I've always known there was a possibility of me being with a man. It wasn't anything I felt the need to explore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoni-porowski/since-puberty-i-ve-always-known-there-was-a-possibility-of-me-being/) [Antoni Porowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoni-porowski/) > [I always thought 'plus-size' wasn't a term that was negative - it wasn't something that I felt was something that was making me any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbie-ferreira/i-always-thought-plus-size-wasn-t-a-term-that-was-negative-it-wasn-t/) [Barbie Ferreira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbie-ferreira/) > [I've always felt there was something wrong with Wells Fargo's culture, for a very, very long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-eisman/i-ve-always-felt-there-was-something-wrong-with-wells-fargo-s-culture/) [Steve Eisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-eisman/) ## More by Linda Olsson > [Memories seem to surface in no particular order, with no time attached. Yesterday can seem as distant as last year. My life now consists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/memories-seem-to-surface-in-no-particular-order-with-no-time-attached/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [“My life's memories take up space with no regard to when they happened, or to their actual time span. The memories of brief incidents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/my-life-s-memories-take-up-space-with-no-regard-to-when-they-happened/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [“My life now consists of fragments where some are so blinding in their intensity that they make everything else indistinguishable. What shall I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/my-life-now-consists-of-fragments-where-some-are-so-blinding-in-their/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [Like memories. You can make yourself believe that they have been erased. But they are there, if you look closely. If you have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/like-memories-you-can-make-yourself-believe-that-they-have-been/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [“You can make yourself believe that someone can look into your eyes and read your mind. You can wish for it, or dread it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/you-can-make-yourself-believe-that-someone-can-look-into-your-eyes/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [“I think that perhaps there are no such defining moments at all. Beginnings and ends are fluid, long chains of events where some links…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/i-think-that-perhaps-there-are-no-such-defining-moments-at-all/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [“I have never talked to anyone about that night. Ever...' she said. 'And now when I listen to my own words, I realise that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/i-have-never-talked-to-anyone-about-that-night-ever-she-said-and-now/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [“Det korteste streif av ekte kjærlighet kan gi næring til et helt liv. Det må vi alltid huske.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/det-korteste-streif-av-ekte-kj-rlighet-kan-gi-n-ring-til-et-helt-liv/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [“My aloneness had never bothered me; I hadn't even been aware of it. But now it overwhelmed me. The awareness washed over me with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/my-aloneness-had-never-bothered-me-i-hadn-t-even-been-aware-of-it-but/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [Sometimes we are given exactly what we need. The precise people that you need the most come stumbling into your life. Sometimes you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/sometimes-we-are-given-exactly-what-we-need-the-precise-people-that/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [“Unlike film, real life rarely provides an opportunity for a retake," Ben said. "Perhaps that is why I like film so much. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/unlike-film-real-life-rarely-provides-an-opportunity-for-a-retake-ben/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [“Parents have such formidable power. They can protect you from all the pain in the world. Or inflict the hardest pain of all. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/parents-have-such-formidable-power-they-can-protect-you-from-all-the/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [“I lay down on the bed clasping the pictures and buried my face in the pillow in a vain attempt at silencing my sobs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/i-lay-down-on-the-bed-clasping-the-pictures-and-buried-my-face-in-the/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [“My poor little child Karin Boye My poor child, so afraid of the dark, who has met ghosts of another kind, who always among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/my-poor-little-child-karin-boye-my-poor-child-so-afraid-of-the-dark/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) > [“Perhaps we believe that anything is better than that which we all fear the most. Loneliness. Abandonment. But once you accept that fact that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/perhaps-we-believe-that-anything-is-better-than-that-which-we-all/) [Linda Olsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) [Explore all 26 Linda Olsson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/) ## More Felt Wrong quotes > [I've always felt there was something wrong with Wells Fargo's culture, for a very, very long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-eisman/i-ve-always-felt-there-was-something-wrong-with-wells-fargo-s-culture/) [Steve Eisman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-eisman/) > [It felt wrong for me to stay totally connected to that very strict way of approaching the heritage - what it can be, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raf-simons/it-felt-wrong-for-me-to-stay-totally-connected-to-that-very-strict/) [Raf Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raf-simons/) > [“A man was asleep in my bed for the first time ever, and it felt anything but wrong. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-erickson/a-man-was-asleep-in-my-bed-for-the-first-time-ever-and-it-felt/) [Megan Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-erickson/) > [But because they didn't see each other very often, their relationship had more ups and downs than either of them had experienced before. Since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/but-because-they-didn-t-see-each-other-very-often-their-relationship/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“If there was a such thing as arm porn, I was watching my very own channel. It felt wrong to look, but God, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vi-keeland/if-there-was-a-such-thing-as-arm-porn-i-was-watching-my-very-own/) [Vi Keeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vi-keeland/) > [I wasn't naive, but at the end of my Miss America year, when two different executives attacked me during what I thought were informational…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-carlson/i-wasn-t-naive-but-at-the-end-of-my-miss-america-year-when-two/) [Gretchen Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-carlson/) > [It felt wrong to be so proud of something that I had absolutely nothing to do with, but I couldn't help myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/it-felt-wrong-to-be-so-proud-of-something-that-i-had-absolutely/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [From the start. As early as - I felt I was in the wrong sex; I really did. I would go into my dad's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lynch/from-the-start-as-early-as-i-felt-i-was-in-the-wrong-sex-i-really-did/) [Jane Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lynch/) > [I knew I didn't want to come out in the 'New Yorker'; it just felt wrong. It needed an African conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/binyavanga-wainaina/i-knew-i-didn-t-want-to-come-out-in-the-new-yorker-it-just-felt-wrong/) [Binyavanga Wainaina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/binyavanga-wainaina/) > [Without Mona, Hanna felt like a great outfit without matching accessories, a screw-driver that was all orange juice and no vodka, and an iPod…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-shepard/without-mona-hanna-felt-like-a-great-outfit-without-matching/) [Sara Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-shepard/) > [“Chills crept up my back. It may seem like nothing to a normal person, but I wasn’t normal. I was a spy. And it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-bode/chills-crept-up-my-back-it-may-seem-like-nothing-to-a-normal-person/) [Maya Bode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-bode/) > [“I was thinking about the first time I ever saw you," he said, "and how after that I couldn't forget you. I wanted to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-was-thinking-about-the-first-time-i-ever-saw-you-he-said-and-how/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Being with you never felt wrong. It's the one thing I did right. You're the one thing I did right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-with-you-never-felt-wrong-it-s-the-one-thing-i-did-right-you-re/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Tristan being the someone else was just off.  It felt wrong to even think it. I knew why, too. He was the someone, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-k-lilley/tristan-being-the-someone-else-was-just-off-it-felt-wrong-to-even/) [R.K. Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-k-lilley/) > [It just felt wrong that the kids I was teaching didn't have the same access to materials that I did when I was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/it-just-felt-wrong-that-the-kids-i-was-teaching-didn-t-have-the-same/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) Browse all 35 Felt Wrong quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I could never be sure whether he would be there when I arrived. On my way through the forest I used to pass a large granite block where I would stop, draw my breath and close my fists with my thumbs inside, then close my eyes and whisper: 'Please, please, please let him be there today,' before continuing. If he wasn't, I felt it was because I had done wrong. That somehow I had to earn the right to such pleasure.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Linda Olsson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/i-could-never-be-sure-whether-he-would-be-there-when-i-arrived-on-my/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Felt Wrong" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/i-could-never-be-sure-whether-he-would-be-there-when-i-arrived-on-my/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/linda-olsson-22069_felt-wrong_i-could-never-be-sure-whether-he-would-b_3077956.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/linda-olsson-22069_felt-wrong_i-could-never-be-sure-whether-he-would-b_3077956.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dec/linda-olsson-22069_felt-wrong_i-could-never-be-sure-whether-he-would-b_3077956.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I could never be sure whether he would be there when I arrived. On my way through the forest I used to pass…” — Linda Olsson", "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": "Linda Olsson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-olsson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I could never be sure whether...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/i-could-never-be-sure-whether-he-would-be-there-when-i-arrived-on-my/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-olsson/i-could-never-be-sure-whether-he-would-be-there-when-i-arrived-on-my/#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 } } ] } ```