---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I thought he should have realized sooner…"
description: "\"“I thought he should have realized sooner that important people don't show up very often, and you should hold on to them when they do. Maybe I was smar..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/lorraine-zago-rosenthal-37854_breakups_i-thought-he-should-have-realized-sooner_2720401.jpg"
---

#  I thought he should have realized sooner that important…

![“I thought he should have realized sooner that important people don't show up very often, and you should hold on to them when they do. Maybe I was smarter than he was all along, because that was something I'd always known.” quote by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/lorraine-zago-rosenthal-37854_breakups_i-thought-he-should-have-realized-sooner_2720401.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/lorraine-zago-rosenthal-37854_breakups_i-thought-he-should-have-realized-sooner_2720401.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/lorraine-zago-rosenthal-37854_breakups_i-thought-he-should-have-realized-sooner_2720401.jpg)

> ““I thought he should have realized sooner that important people don't show up very often, and you should hold on to them when they do. Maybe I was smarter than he was all along, because that was something I'd always known.””

[Lorraine Zago Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/)

## About This Quote

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

Important people are rare; cherish them when present, as they may not return.

**In simple terms:** Rare people should be cherished.

Key Takeaway

Hold close those who matter before they’re gone.

Themes

relationships rarity appreciation

Mood

grateful hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- friendship anniversaries
- family gatherings
- mentor meetings

Key Concepts

social bonds emotional intelligence

Questions to Reflect On

- Who do you need to hold onto now?
- How can you show appreciation?

A Different Perspective

People may change despite appreciation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Breakups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakups/) [Maybe Smarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maybe-smarter-1885985/) [Realized Sooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realized-sooner-550295/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) [Smarter Known](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smarter-known-2877344/) [Sooner Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sooner-important-2877343/) [Thought Realized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-realized-1220727/)

## Related quotes

> [If someone states that Ajax played a negative game then maybe we are smarter than Manchester City.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-koeman/if-someone-states-that-ajax-played-a-negative-game-then-maybe-we-are/)

[Ronald Koeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-koeman/)

> [ëWhat a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irey/what-a-wonderful-life-i-ve-had-i-only-wish-i-d-realized-it-sooner-2/)

[Irey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irey/)

> [“The words of the writer Colette had haunted me for years: “What a wonderful life I’ve had! I only wish I’d realized it sooner.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/the-words-of-the-writer-colette-had-haunted-me-for-years-what-a/)

[Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/)

> [What a wonderful life I've had! I only wish I'd realized it sooner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-a-wonderful-life-i-ve-had-i-only-wish-i-d-realized-it-sooner/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When a thought realized she was a female without male qualities, she fell into deep thinking¦](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-papian/when-a-thought-realized-she-was-a-female-without-male-qualities-she/)

[Ruben Papian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-papian/)

> [Have you ever thought of someone and then realized you were smiling the whole time?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/have-you-ever-thought-of-someone-and-then-realized-you-were-smiling/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [“Every time I thought that I was "put together," I realized that we're always putting ourselves together, gathering the world in, letting it sift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-wells/every-time-i-thought-that-i-was-put-together-i-realized-that-we-re/)

[Rebecca Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-wells/)

> [I lied. I do that, you know, when it suits me. I would have thought you'd realized that by now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-stuart/i-lied-i-do-that-you-know-when-it-suits-me-i-would-have-thought-you-d/)

[Anne Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-stuart/)

> [“One day she had been out walking and she had wondered whether she had become a different person in the last year,… Then when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/one-day-she-had-been-out-walking-and-she-had-wondered-whether-she-had/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [Sometimes we wonder whether or not our adversaries have technologies that are a little bit further down the road than we thought or that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ratcliffe/sometimes-we-wonder-whether-or-not-our-adversaries-have-technologies/)

[John Ratcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ratcliffe/)

> [“people would worry much less about what others thought of them if they realized how seldom they did so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-s-hilton/people-would-worry-much-less-about-what-others-thought-of-them-if/)

[L.S. Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-s-hilton/)

> [“I had grazed along the surface of her actions and made deep judgments. Rejecting someone because you couldn't understand their love, that was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-nersesian/i-had-grazed-along-the-surface-of-her-actions-and-made-deep-judgments/)

[Arthur Nersesian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-nersesian/)

> [No sooner had he thought this than he realized what was anchoring his happiness. It was purpose. He knew what he wanted to do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trenton-lee-stewart/no-sooner-had-he-thought-this-than-he-realized-what-was-anchoring-his/)

[Trenton Lee Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trenton-lee-stewart/)

> [“Then when she really thought about it she realized she’d been becoming different people for as long as she could remember but had never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/then-when-she-really-thought-about-it-she-realized-she-d-been/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [“The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the measure of a country isn't in how its richest citizens fare, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-reynolds/the-more-i-thought-about-it-the-more-i-realized-that-the-measure-of-a/)

[Abigail Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-reynolds/)

## More by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

> [“When she was gone, I went to the basement, found an empty box, and sealed the teddy bear and the NYU sweatshirt inside with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/when-she-was-gone-i-went-to-the-basement-found-an-empty-box-and/)

[Lorraine Zago Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/)

> [“Blake stared at me and I sensed what he was getting at - there wasn't anybody important, he was going to be in New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/blake-stared-at-me-and-i-sensed-what-he-was-getting-at-there-wasn-t/)

[Lorraine Zago Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/)

> [“Thunder crashed, lightning ripped across the sky, and we stayed on the bench with our arms around each other even though rain fell in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/thunder-crashed-lightning-ripped-across-the-sky-and-we-stayed-on-the/)

[Lorraine Zago Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/)

> [“I remembered the things we used to talk about, the things we'd planned. But now I wanted other things, new things, like the career…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/i-remembered-the-things-we-used-to-talk-about-the-things-we-d-planned/)

[Lorraine Zago Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/)

> [“I looked into Blake's eyes, remembering my lost marble and thinking that even though it was gone forever, there could be another match out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/i-looked-into-blake-s-eyes-remembering-my-lost-marble-and-thinking/)

[Lorraine Zago Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/)

> [“She was wearing her fuzzy pink hat and she was happy, which was so obnoxious. She'd become one of those people who waltzed through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/she-was-wearing-her-fuzzy-pink-hat-and-she-was-happy-which-was-so/)

[Lorraine Zago Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/)

> [“From the way Blake was looking at me, I for the feeling he'd finally figured it out. Maybe that was one thing about him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/from-the-way-blake-was-looking-at-me-i-for-the-feeling-he-d-finally/)

[Lorraine Zago Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/)

> [“And I didn't tell mom what happened. She'd already warned me that bad things could hide in the most unlikely places.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/and-i-didn-t-tell-mom-what-happened-she-d-already-warned-me-that-bad/)

[Lorraine Zago Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/)

> [“The memory of tonight was as unblemished as new-fallen snow that I had to protect from careless footsteps.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/the-memory-of-tonight-was-as-unblemished-as-new-fallen-snow-that-i/)

[Lorraine Zago Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/)

> [“Bye-bye, I thought, almost sure that I'd never see her again. But if I did - if we ran into each other someday -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/bye-bye-i-thought-almost-sure-that-i-d-never-see-her-again-but-if-i/)

[Lorraine Zago Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/)

> [“I don't think much about guys from the past. I'm glad I knew them, but there's a reason they didn't make it into my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/i-don-t-think-much-about-guys-from-the-past-i-m-glad-i-knew-them-but/)

[Lorraine Zago Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/)

[Explore all 12 Lorraine Zago Rosenthal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/)

## More Breakups quotes

> [“Sometimes family breakups are catastrophic, they can lead to decades of ill-feeling within the family unit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-ellis/sometimes-family-breakups-are-catastrophic-they-can-lead-to-decades/)

[Joy Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-ellis/)

> [“Feeling addicted to an ex makes letting them go excruciatingly hard even when you rationally want to move on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-cortney-warren/feeling-addicted-to-an-ex-makes-letting-them-go-excruciatingly-hard/)

[Dr. Cortney Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-cortney-warren/)

> [“…finally I see that it’s never been me, just a blanket that keeps you warm. Easily tossed along when something flashier or someone prettier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/finally-i-see-that-it-s-never-been-me-just-a-blanket-that-keeps-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Based on a string of bad breakups, I was forced to examine my choice of partners. Surely, that must have abolished me from any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/based-on-a-string-of-bad-breakups-i-was-forced-to-examine-my-choice/)

[Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/)

> [“No baby, you didn't hurt me. You wrecked me. Know the difference.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-anum/no-baby-you-didn-t-hurt-me-you-wrecked-me-know-the-difference/)

[J.A. ANUM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-anum/)

> [“ I KNEW IT WAS OVER when tonight you couldn't make the phone ring when you used to make the sun rise when trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-gottlieb/i-knew-it-was-over-when-tonight-you-couldn-t-make-the-phone-ring-when/)

[Daphne Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-gottlieb/)

> [“A feeling struck me one fine day that people call ‘love’, Before that my life was empty, all I had was loneliness and sorrow……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehek-bassi/a-feeling-struck-me-one-fine-day-that-people-call-love-before-that-my/)

[Mehek Bassi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehek-bassi/)

> [“Whatever age you are when you’re first burned is old enough to lose hope that you’ll ever get excited about anybody else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daria-snadowsky/whatever-age-you-are-when-you-re-first-burned-is-old-enough-to-lose/)

[Daria Snadowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daria-snadowsky/)

> [“We have already said more goodbyes than are necessary. Those were goodbyes that brought about the end of partings. We taught each other that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/we-have-already-said-more-goodbyes-than-are-necessary-those-were/)

[Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/)

> [“This Fucking Idiot Apologize For Everything”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nihal-aame/this-fucking-idiot-apologize-for-everything/)

[Nihal Aame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nihal-aame/)

> [Every band goes through breakups or splits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-portnoy/every-band-goes-through-breakups-or-splits/)

[Mike Portnoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-portnoy/)

> [“Pain was my tie to a past that a part of me wanted to hold on to. The more I hurt, the more I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daria-snadowsky/pain-was-my-tie-to-a-past-that-a-part-of-me-wanted-to-hold-on-to-the/)

[Daria Snadowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daria-snadowsky/)

> [“If you want to call it quits, just tell me. Man up and say it to my face. Don’t just skulk around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-richards/if-you-want-to-call-it-quits-just-tell-me-man-up-and-say-it-to-my/)

[J.M. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-richards/)

> [“those whom love has held, has held here in time curious, in this labyrinth of roses—it will go on holding, though in cruelty—of stars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-daniel-thieme/those-whom-love-has-held-has-held-here-in-time-curious-in-this/)

[John Daniel Thieme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-daniel-thieme/)

> [Relationships would last longer if people would stay stronger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/relationships-would-last-longer-if-people-would-stay-stronger/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

[Browse all 249 Breakups quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakups/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I thought he should have realized sooner that important people don't show up very often, and you should hold on to them when they do. Maybe I was smarter than he was all along, because that was something I'd always known.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lorraine Zago Rosenthal"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/i-thought-he-should-have-realized-sooner-that-important-people-don-t/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Breakups"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/i-thought-he-should-have-realized-sooner-that-important-people-don-t/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/lorraine-zago-rosenthal-37854_breakups_i-thought-he-should-have-realized-sooner_2720401.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/lorraine-zago-rosenthal-37854_breakups_i-thought-he-should-have-realized-sooner_2720401.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb4/lorraine-zago-rosenthal-37854_breakups_i-thought-he-should-have-realized-sooner_2720401.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I thought he should have realized sooner that important people don't show up very often, and you should hold…” — Lorraine Zago Rosenthal",
                "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": "Lorraine Zago Rosenthal",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I thought he should have realized...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/i-thought-he-should-have-realized-sooner-that-important-people-don-t/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-zago-rosenthal/i-thought-he-should-have-realized-sooner-that-important-people-don-t/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
