--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Think of it! We could have gone on…" description: "\"Think of it! We could have gone on longing for one another and pretending not to notice forever. This obsession with dignity can ruin your life if you ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f7/mary-ann-shaffer-8826_dignity_think-of-it-we-could-have-gone-on-longin_2483327.png" --- # Think of it! We could have gone on longing for one another… ![“Think of it! We could have gone on longing for one another and pretending not to notice forever. This obsession with dignity can ruin your life if you let it.” quote by Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f7/mary-ann-shaffer-8826_dignity_think-of-it-we-could-have-gone-on-longin_2483327.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f7/mary-ann-shaffer-8826_dignity_think-of-it-we-could-have-gone-on-longin_2483327.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f7/mary-ann-shaffer-8826_dignity_think-of-it-we-could-have-gone-on-longin_2483327.png) > “Think of it! We could have gone on longing for one another and pretending not to notice forever. This obsession with dignity can ruin your life if you let it.” [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She warns that an obsessive focus on dignity can prevent genuine connection and cause personal ruin. **In simple terms:** Obsessing over dignity can ruin life. Key Takeaway Balance self-respect with openness to love. Themes dignity relationships obsession Mood thoughtful cautionary Type philosophical emotional When to use this quote - dating - family gatherings - conflict resolution - self-improvement Key Concepts psychology social norms emotional health Questions to Reflect On - When does self-respect become self‑sabotage? - How can we show dignity without alienating others? A Different Perspective Too much pride may isolate you. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity/) [Dignity Ruin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity-ruin-887382/) [Forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever/) [Gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gone/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) [Longing Pretending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing-pretending-887383/) [Obsession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsession/) [Obsession Dignity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsession-dignity-887381/) [Pretending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretending/) [Respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respect/) [Ruins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruins/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I am in a constant state of surprise these days. Actually, now that I calculate, I've been betrothed only one full day, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/i-am-in-a-constant-state-of-surprise-these-days-actually-now-that-i/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [“We could have gone on longing for one another and pretending not to notice forever. This obsession with dignity can ruin your life if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-barrows/we-could-have-gone-on-longing-for-one-another-and-pretending-not-to/) [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) > [This obsession with dignity can ruin your life if you let it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/this-obsession-with-dignity-can-ruin-your-life-if-you-let-it/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [“I truly missed my parents. I wanted to miss them. It was the only way I could love them, a crazy cocktail of longing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-sellers/i-truly-missed-my-parents-i-wanted-to-miss-them-it-was-the-only-way-i/) [Heather Sellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-sellers/) > [When you're the guy behind the camera, you're aware of the reasons for the compromises or the changes that get made. As an actor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/when-you-re-the-guy-behind-the-camera-you-re-aware-of-the-reasons-for/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [And I wasnt playing a role I was trying to be myself. But the harder I was striving, the more I was realizing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-i-wasnt-playing-a-role-i-was-trying-to-be-myself-but-the-harder-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/reading-good-books-ruins-you-for-enjoying-bad-books/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [Our obsession with material things and lack of self-worth is evident in our need for an abundance of momentary luxuries and must-have amenities that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-i/our-obsession-with-material-things-and-lack-of-self-worth-is-evident/) [T.I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-i/) > [For many people it's Facebook, or sports on TV, whatever it is. I have my own demons that I battle. But whatever they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/for-many-people-it-s-facebook-or-sports-on-tv-whatever-it-is-i-have/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) > [It is more than a little ironic that "capital accumulation" once a rather tendentious Marxian view of a supposed capitalist obsession, should have become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kuttner/it-is-more-than-a-little-ironic-that-capital-accumulation-once-a/) [Robert Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kuttner/) > [To tell the truth, I have no idea what love is. I often think it is a makeshift name--a pretty, but false name--invented to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginko/to-tell-the-truth-i-have-no-idea-what-love-is-i-often-think-it-is-a/) [Ginko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginko/) > [Aristocratic depression has this cosmic dimension to it, where it's asking these big questions about, "Why?" "What is the purpose of all this?" Neuroses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-douglas/aristocratic-depression-has-this-cosmic-dimension-to-it-where-it-s/) [Lawrence Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-douglas/) > [“Mistaking obsession for love is one of the greatest mistakes you'll every make”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-halle/mistaking-obsession-for-love-is-one-of-the-greatest-mistakes-you-ll/) [Karina Halle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-halle/) > [OBSESSED, p.p. Vexed by an evil spirit, like the Gadarene swine and other critics. Obsession was once more common than it is now. Arasthus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/obsessed-p-p-vexed-by-an-evil-spirit-like-the-gadarene-swine-and/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > ['Mad TV' is one of my most favorite shows of all time and is a huge part of my obsession with sketch comedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-dawson/mad-tv-is-one-of-my-most-favorite-shows-of-all-time-and-is-a-huge/) [Shane Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-dawson/) ## More by Mary Ann Shaffer > [Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/reading-good-books-ruins-you-for-enjoying-bad-books/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [Now that I think about it, maybe he is a werewolf. I can picture him lunging over the moors in hot pursuit of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/now-that-i-think-about-it-maybe-he-is-a-werewolf-i-can-picture-him/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [Miss X has always been a ditherer -- she was a ten month baby and has not improved in any material way since then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/miss-x-has-always-been-a-ditherer-she-was-a-ten-month-baby-and-has/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [I don't want to be married just to be married. I can't think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/i-don-t-want-to-be-married-just-to-be-married-i-can-t-think-of/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [“This profusion of questions, exclamations, and tales is the new version of the Society. Its members are spread all over the world, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/this-profusion-of-questions-exclamations-and-tales-is-the-new-version/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [“I kept trying to explain and he kept shouting until I began to cry from frustration. Then he felt remorseful, which was so unlike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/i-kept-trying-to-explain-and-he-kept-shouting-until-i-began-to-cry/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [“A sunny nature? A light heart? I have never been so insulted. Light-hearted is a short step from witless in my book. A cackling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/a-sunny-nature-a-light-heart-i-have-never-been-so-insulted-light/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [“I can’t think of anything lonelier than spending the rest of my life with someone I can’t talk to, or worse, someone I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/i-can-t-think-of-anything-lonelier-than-spending-the-rest-of-my-life/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [People don't know how chickens can turn on you, but they can -- just like mad dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/people-don-t-know-how-chickens-can-turn-on-you-but-they-can-just-like/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [Treat a dog right and he'll treat you right - he'll keep you company, be your friend, never ask you no questions. Cats is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/treat-a-dog-right-and-he-ll-treat-you-right-he-ll-keep-you-company-be/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [“Thousands of those men and boys died here, and I have recently learned that their inhuman treatment was the intended policy of Himmler. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/thousands-of-those-men-and-boys-died-here-and-i-have-recently-learned/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [What on earth did you say to Isola? She stopped in on her way to pick up Pride and Prejudice and to berate me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/what-on-earth-did-you-say-to-isola-she-stopped-in-on-her-way-to-pick/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [“He didn't say much at our first meeting - nor at any of our meetings since, come to think of it - but left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/he-didn-t-say-much-at-our-first-meeting-nor-at-any-of-our-meetings/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [Those times, I tried to think of something happy, something I'd liked - but not something I loved, for that made it worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/those-times-i-tried-to-think-of-something-happy-something-i-d-liked/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) > [Because there is nothing I would rather do than rummage through bookshops, I went at once to Hastings & Sons Bookshop upon receiving your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/because-there-is-nothing-i-would-rather-do-than-rummage-through/) [Mary Ann Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) [Explore all 73 Mary Ann Shaffer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/) ## More Dignity quotes > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [I take the responsibility of playing another ethnicity very, very seriously, and I promise myself and those people that I will represent them with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-curtis/i-take-the-responsibility-of-playing-another-ethnicity-very-very/) [Cliff Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-curtis/) > [One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/one-achieves-true-human-dignity-only-when-one-serves-only-he-is-great/) [Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/) > [I speak not for myself, but so those without a voice can be heard. Those who have fought for their rights. Their right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malala-yousafzai/i-speak-not-for-myself-but-so-those-without-a-voice-can-be-heard/) [Malala Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malala-yousafzai/) > [Use every man according to his desert and who should 'scape whipping? Use them after your own honor and dignity, the less they deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/use-every-man-according-to-his-desert-and-who-should-scape-whipping/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I started with the belief that every person who came to the laboratory was free to accept or to reject the dictates of authority.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-milgram/i-started-with-the-belief-that-every-person-who-came-to-the/) [Stanley Milgram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-milgram/) > [The dignity of man is in free choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-frisch/the-dignity-of-man-is-in-free-choice/) [Max Frisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-frisch/) > [One of the things I love about Africa is the amount of dignity and respect and humility you see all the time. You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-scott/one-of-the-things-i-love-about-africa-is-the-amount-of-dignity-and/) [Jill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-scott/) > [It is well for a man when he has learned to endure what he cannot change, and to give up with dignity what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/it-is-well-for-a-man-when-he-has-learned-to-endure-what-he-cannot/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [Daily contact with some teachers is itself all-sided ethical education for the child without a spoken precept. Here, too, the real advantage of male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-stanley-hall/daily-contact-with-some-teachers-is-itself-all-sided-ethical/) [G. Stanley Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-stanley-hall/) > [A man, as a man, could arrive at all the dignity that a man was capable of obtaining or receiving; but it needed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor/a-man-as-a-man-could-arrive-at-all-the-dignity-that-a-man-was-capable/) [John Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor/) > [There is something to be said for anyone who sits alone with dignity and silently begs for God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/there-is-something-to-be-said-for-anyone-who-sits-alone-with-dignity/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [I just remember that disturbing feeling of walking into that prison, the complete loss of privacy, the complete loss of stimulation, dignity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/i-just-remember-that-disturbing-feeling-of-walking-into-that-prison/) [Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/) > [Henry Kissinger may have wished I had presented him as a combination of Charles DeGaulle and Disraeli, but I didn't…out of respect for DeGaulle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/henry-kissinger-may-have-wished-i-had-presented-him-as-a-combination/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [The dignity of a woman's life is infinite, her status immeasurable, her capacity unbounded, her role divine...In the fast changing world of today her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/the-dignity-of-a-woman-s-life-is-infinite-her-status-immeasurable-her/) [Maharishi Mahesh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/) [Browse all 3,116 Dignity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Think of it! We could have gone on longing for one another and pretending not to notice forever. This obsession with dignity can ruin your life if you let it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mary Ann Shaffer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/think-of-it-we-could-have-gone-on-longing-for-one-another-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dignity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/think-of-it-we-could-have-gone-on-longing-for-one-another-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f7/mary-ann-shaffer-8826_dignity_think-of-it-we-could-have-gone-on-longin_2483327.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f7/mary-ann-shaffer-8826_dignity_think-of-it-we-could-have-gone-on-longin_2483327.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f7/mary-ann-shaffer-8826_dignity_think-of-it-we-could-have-gone-on-longin_2483327.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Think of it! We could have gone on longing for one another and pretending not to notice forever. This…” — Mary Ann Shaffer", "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": "Mary Ann Shaffer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ann-shaffer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Think of it! We could have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/think-of-it-we-could-have-gone-on-longing-for-one-another-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ann-shaffer/think-of-it-we-could-have-gone-on-longing-for-one-another-and/#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 } } ] } ```