--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first real unhappiness I remember to…" description: "\"The first real unhappiness I remember to have felt was when some one told me, one day, that I did not love God. I insisted, almost tearfully, that I di..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/lucy-larcom-9021_be-good_the-first-real-unhappiness-i-remember-to_3063010.jpg" --- # The first real unhappiness I remember to have felt was… ![“The first real unhappiness I remember to have felt was when some one told me, one day, that I did not love God. I insisted, almost tearfully, that I did; but I was told that if I did truly love Him I should always be good. I knew I was not that, and the feeling of sudden orphanage came over me…” quote by Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/lucy-larcom-9021_be-good_the-first-real-unhappiness-i-remember-to_3063010.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/lucy-larcom-9021_be-good_the-first-real-unhappiness-i-remember-to_3063010.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/lucy-larcom-9021_be-good_the-first-real-unhappiness-i-remember-to_3063010.jpg) > “The first real unhappiness I remember to have felt was when some one told me, one day, that I did not love God. I insisted, almost tearfully, that I did; but I was told that if I did truly love Him I should always be good. I knew I was not that, and the feeling of sudden orphanage came over me like a bewildering cloud.” [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Feeling judged for faith can cause deep loneliness, highlighting the need for personal spiritual authenticity. **In simple terms:** Faith criticism can feel isolating. Key Takeaway Seek inner conviction over external approval. Themes faith identity loneliness Mood reflective somber Type personal spiritual When to use this quote - religious community - personal crisis - seeking support - self‑reflection Key Concepts spiritual authenticity social judgment psychological impact Questions to Reflect On - What defines true belief for you? - How do you reconcile personal faith with communal expectations? A Different Perspective Spiritual doubt may persist despite external validation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Be good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-good/) [Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cloud/) [Clouds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clouds/) [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [God love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-love/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Knew Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knew-feeling-369070/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-god/) [One day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-day/) [Orphanage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orphanage/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real Unhappiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-unhappiness-1745696/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Truly love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truly-love/) [Unhappiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappiness/) [Unhappiness Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappiness-remember-5146118/) ## Related quotes > [“Real unhappiness is ugly and wounding and scarring to the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/real-unhappiness-is-ugly-and-wounding-and-scarring-to-the-soul/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [I've always known, all my life, that I was going to be something special. 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I knew we loved Cassia, if not exactly the same way, then the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-condie/right-then-i-knew-we-were-feeling-the-same-thing-i-knew-we-loved/) [Ally Condie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-condie/) > [“I had thought the second sight was a dream, or a vision, a sudden rush of breath. I had thought that the truth might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-fletcher/i-had-thought-the-second-sight-was-a-dream-or-a-vision-a-sudden-rush/) [Susan Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-fletcher/) > [“He was gripped by what he could think of only as numbness, though he knew it was a feeling compounded of emotions so deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/he-was-gripped-by-what-he-could-think-of-only-as-numbness-though-he/) [John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/) > [Is it love that connects us, is that what it is? I never knew that the feeling I have is regular old love because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/is-it-love-that-connects-us-is-that-what-it-is-i-never-knew-that-the/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [“I knew that feeling of euphoria brought on by an attentive, cute guy could be very misleading.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-clipston/i-knew-that-feeling-of-euphoria-brought-on-by-an-attentive-cute-guy/) [Amy Clipston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-clipston/) > [“Almost as soon as it was lit it began to sound as though it were running down, but in fact it would continue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-crowley/almost-as-soon-as-it-was-lit-it-began-to-sound-as-though-it-were/) [John Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-crowley/) > [“Maybe I had been making a greater monster of him than he really was, or maybe I was still under his influence, for I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melika-dannese-lux/maybe-i-had-been-making-a-greater-monster-of-him-than-he-really-was/) [Melika Dannese Lux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melika-dannese-lux/) > [“Jan had friends who like him had left their old homeland and who devoted all their time to the struggle for its lost freedom.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/jan-had-friends-who-like-him-had-left-their-old-homeland-and-who/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [5 drifted up over the lake , through my body and over my face , it knew I was alone , I am feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-navaal/5-drifted-up-over-the-lake-through-my-body-and-over-my-face-it-knew-i/) [Mohamed Navaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-navaal/) > [“They seemed happy and at peace. I knew the feeling for the first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-f-riley/they-seemed-happy-and-at-peace-i-knew-the-feeling-for-the-first-time/) [Karen F. Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-f-riley/) > [“Fire shot through my body at his touch. The scent of his skin caused my brain to short circuit. I knew I was only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriane-leigh/fire-shot-through-my-body-at-his-touch-the-scent-of-his-skin-caused/) [Adriane Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriane-leigh/) ## More by Lucy Larcom > [O Mariner-soul, Thy quest is but begun, There are new worlds Forever to be won.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/o-mariner-soul-thy-quest-is-but-begun-there-are-new-worlds-forever-to/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [A tattered copy of Johnson's large Dictionary was a great delight to me, on account of the specimens of English versifications which I found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/a-tattered-copy-of-johnson-s-large-dictionary-was-a-great-delight-to/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [We were not meant to mask ourselves before our fellow-beings, but to be, through our human forms, true and clear utterances of the spirit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/we-were-not-meant-to-mask-ourselves-before-our-fellow-beings-but-to/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [The peach-bud glows, the wild bee hums, and wind-flowers wave in graceful gladness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/the-peach-bud-glows-the-wild-bee-hums-and-wind-flowers-wave-in/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [I don't own an inch of land, but all I see is mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/i-don-t-own-an-inch-of-land-but-all-i-see-is-mine/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/if-the-world-seems-cold-to-you-kindle-fires-to-warm-it/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [I never thought that the possession of money would make me feel rich: it often does seem to have an opposite effect. But then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/i-never-thought-that-the-possession-of-money-would-make-me-feel-rich/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [Whether rich or poor, a home is not a home unless the roots of love are ever striking deeper through the crust of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/whether-rich-or-poor-a-home-is-not-a-home-unless-the-roots-of-love/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [The New Hampshire girls who came to Lowell were descendants of the sturdy backwoodsmen who settled that State scarcely a hundred years before… They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/the-new-hampshire-girls-who-came-to-lowell-were-descendants-of-the/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [The religion of our fathers overhung us children like the shadow of a mighty tree against the trunk of which we rested, while we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/the-religion-of-our-fathers-overhung-us-children-like-the-shadow-of-a/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [These blossoms, gathered in familiar paths, With dear companions now passed out of sight, Shall not be laid upon their graves. They live, Since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/these-blossoms-gathered-in-familiar-paths-with-dear-companions-now/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [The curse of covetousness is that it destroys manhood by substituting money for character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/the-curse-of-covetousness-is-that-it-destroys-manhood-by-substituting/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [Rich or poor, every child comes into the world with some imperative need of its own, which shapes its individuality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/rich-or-poor-every-child-comes-into-the-world-with-some-imperative/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [If an apple blossom or a ripe apple could tell its own story, it would be, still more than its own, the story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/if-an-apple-blossom-or-a-ripe-apple-could-tell-its-own-story-it-would/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) > [There is something in the place where we were born that holds us always by the heart-strings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-larcom/there-is-something-in-the-place-where-we-were-born-that-holds-us/) [Lucy Larcom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) [Explore all 76 Lucy Larcom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-larcom/) ## More Be good quotes > [Passion is what you need to be good, an unforgiving passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-easton/passion-is-what-you-need-to-be-good-an-unforgiving-passion/) [David Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-easton/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [Peace is the result of love, and if love were easy we'd all be good at it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colman-mccarthy/peace-is-the-result-of-love-and-if-love-were-easy-we-d-all-be-good-at/) [Colman McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colman-mccarthy/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Most of us want to live in harmony and peace and be good to others. Right now, however, the world is in a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hany-abu-assad/most-of-us-want-to-live-in-harmony-and-peace-and-be-good-to-others/) [Hany Abu-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hany-abu-assad/) > [I've never had any desire to be good. I don't like goodness particularly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/i-ve-never-had-any-desire-to-be-good-i-don-t-like-goodness/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [To become a classical ballerina, you have to move to New York when you're 12 or 11 and that becomes your life. I just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-garner/to-become-a-classical-ballerina-you-have-to-move-to-new-york-when-you/) [Jennifer Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-garner/) > [The producers felt that 24 would be good for the audience, to really get to know who these 12 and 12 are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-abdul/the-producers-felt-that-24-would-be-good-for-the-audience-to-really/) [Paula Abdul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-abdul/) > [All will concede that in order to have good neighbors, we must also be good neighbors. That applies in every field of human endeavor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/all-will-concede-that-in-order-to-have-good-neighbors-we-must-also-be/) [Harry S. 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Why do you suppose His world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-marshall/living-in-the-middle-of-beauty-like-this-we-ve-no-call-to-have-puny/) [Catherine Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-marshall/) [Browse all 1,747 Be good quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-good/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first real unhappiness I remember to have felt was when some one told me, one day, that I did not love God. I insisted, almost tearfully, that I did; but I was told that if I did truly love Him I should always be good. 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