--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I am here alone for the first time in…" description: "\"“I am here alone for the first time in weeks, to take up my “real” life again at last. That is what is strange—that friends, even passionate love, are ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/may-sarton-897_conversations_i-am-here-alone-for-the-first-time-in-we_2370433.jpg" --- # I am here alone for the first time in weeks, to take up my… ![“I am here alone for the first time in weeks, to take up my “real” life again at last. That is what is strange—that friends, even passionate love, are not my real life unless there is time alone in which to explore and to discover what is happening or has happened. Without the interruptions…” quote by May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/may-sarton-897_conversations_i-am-here-alone-for-the-first-time-in-we_2370433.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/may-sarton-897_conversations_i-am-here-alone-for-the-first-time-in-we_2370433.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3c0/may-sarton-897_conversations_i-am-here-alone-for-the-first-time-in-we_2370433.jpg) > ““I am here alone for the first time in weeks, to take up my “real” life again at last. That is what is strange—that friends, even passionate love, are not my real life unless there is time alone in which to explore and to discover what is happening or has happened. Without the interruptions, nourishing and maddening, this life would become arid. Yet I taste it fully only when I am alone here and “the house and I resume old conversations.”” [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Solitude allows deep self‑exploration and authentic experience, while constant companionship can dilute personal growth. **In simple terms:** Alone time lets us truly understand ourselves. Key Takeaway Seek solitude for self‑discovery. Themes solitude self‑discovery relationships Mood reflective introspective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - creative writing - therapy - personal retreats Key Concepts existentialism psychology creative process Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance solitude and connection? - What rituals help you process alone time? A Different Perspective Alone time can also cause loneliness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conversations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversations/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Passionate love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionate-love/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-alone/) ## Related quotes > [Every time I read our old conversations, I realize how close we used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-time-i-read-our-old-conversations-i-realize-how-close-we-used/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every time I read through our old conversations, I realize how close we used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-time-i-read-through-our-old-conversations-i-realize-how-close/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every night when everyone's asleep, I grab my phone and I start reading all our old conversations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/every-night-when-everyone-s-asleep-i-grab-my-phone-and-i-start/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [When I miss you, I re-read our old conversations and smile like an idiot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-miss-you-i-re-read-our-old-conversations-and-smile-like-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I miss you I re-read our old conversations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-miss-you-i-re-read-our-old-conversations/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You know, it actually makes me cry reading old conversations and remembering how happy we use to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azhar/you-know-it-actually-makes-me-cry-reading-old-conversations-and/) Azhar > [I shouldn't read back on old conversations, old memories. I need to forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-shouldn-t-read-back-on-old-conversations-old-memories-i-need-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I miss you, I read our old conversations, smile like an idiot, listen to songs that reminds me of you, then miss you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-miss-you-i-read-our-old-conversations-smile-like-an-idiot/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every time I read our old conversations, I always realize how close we use to be O.M.G!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junior-d-r-l-testament/every-time-i-read-our-old-conversations-i-always-realize-how-close-we/) Junior Dè Rèál Testament > [Theres moments where I just sit down and read our old conversations, and Im not reading it for no reason. Im reading it because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asking-alexander/theres-moments-where-i-just-sit-down-and-read-our-old-conversations/) Asking Alexander > [Re-reading old conversations & realizing your feeling's for that person have completely faded away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/re-reading-old-conversations-realizing-your-feeling-s-for-that-person/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [How unnatural the imposed view, imposed by a puritanical ethos, that passionate love belongs only to the young, that people are dead from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/how-unnatural-the-imposed-view-imposed-by-a-puritanical-ethos-that/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [There is no doubt that solitude is a challenge and to maintain balance within it a precarious business. But I must not forget that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/there-is-no-doubt-that-solitude-is-a-challenge-and-to-maintain/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [“Fear is normal, expected. But only love is real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meggan-watterson/fear-is-normal-expected-but-only-love-is-real/) [Meggan Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meggan-watterson/) > [Love is the part of us that is real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-jampolsky/love-is-the-part-of-us-that-is-real/) [Gerald Jampolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-jampolsky/) ## More by May Sarton > [“I felt pain like an assault, The old pain again When the world thrusts itself inside, When we have to take in the outside,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-felt-pain-like-an-assault-the-old-pain-again-when-the-world-thrusts/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Most people have to talk so they won't hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/most-people-have-to-talk-so-they-won-t-hear/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [People who cannot feel punish those who do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/people-who-cannot-feel-punish-those-who-do/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [This suspension of one's own reality, this being entirely alone in a strange city (at times I wondered if I had lost the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/this-suspension-of-one-s-own-reality-this-being-entirely-alone-in-a/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [One must think like a hero to behave like a merely decent human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/one-must-think-like-a-hero-to-behave-like-a-merely-decent-human-being/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Real joy is becoming exceedingly rare among artists of any kind. And I have an idea that those who can and do communicate it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/real-joy-is-becoming-exceedingly-rare-among-artists-of-any-kind-and-i/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [For to be desperate is to discover strength. / We die of comfort and by conflict live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/for-to-be-desperate-is-to-discover-strength-we-die-of-comfort-and-by/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [“I see you with that shell Held to your sensitive abstracted ear, Hunting the ocean’s rumor till you hear it well, Until you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-see-you-with-that-shell-held-to-your-sensitive-abstracted-ear/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [There is a wilder solitude in winter When every sense is pricked alive and keen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/there-is-a-wilder-solitude-in-winter-when-every-sense-is-pricked/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [I long for the bulbs to arrive, for the early autumn chores are melancholy, but the planting of bulbs is the work of hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-long-for-the-bulbs-to-arrive-for-the-early-autumn-chores-are/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Why is it that people who cannot show feeling presume that that is a strength and not a weakness?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/why-is-it-that-people-who-cannot-show-feeling-presume-that-that-is-a/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Innocence is not pure so much as pleased, Always expectant, bright-eyed, self-enclosed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/innocence-is-not-pure-so-much-as-pleased-always-expectant-bright-eyed/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [I have written every poem, every novel, for the same purpose-to find out what I think, to know where I stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-have-written-every-poem-every-novel-for-the-same-purpose-to-find/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [For art is order, but it is born out of the chaos of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/for-art-is-order-but-it-is-born-out-of-the-chaos-of-life/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [all great people are humble because great people have great work and are humbled by the largeness of their dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/all-great-people-are-humble-because-great-people-have-great-work-and/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) [Explore all 336 May Sarton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) ## More Conversations quotes > [I miss our conversations, I miss how we used to talk every minute of everyday and how I was able to tell you everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-miss-our-conversations-i-miss-how-we-used-to-talk-every-minute-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want the conversations I have with my homeboys to be brought to TV.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-clark/i-want-the-conversations-i-have-with-my-homeboys-to-be-brought-to-tv/) [Ryan Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-clark/) > [I normally don't initiate conversations with guys unless they want to talk about certain things - when I'm at the facility, I'm there to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kluwe/i-normally-don-t-initiate-conversations-with-guys-unless-they-want-to/) [Chris Kluwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kluwe/) > [“With nowhere to be and all day to have them, conversations out on the trail took on a whole new meaning and depth. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-rohrig/with-nowhere-to-be-and-all-day-to-have-them-conversations-out-on-the/) [Kyle Rohrig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-rohrig/) > [I rather have one great person to talk to every night than have several pointless conversations with temporary people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/i-rather-have-one-great-person-to-talk-to-every-night-than-have/) Patience > [“So this is my aim for watercooler conversations: improve the ability to identify and understand errors of judgment and choice, in others and eventually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/so-this-is-my-aim-for-watercooler-conversations-improve-the-ability/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [We do become our conversations. We really will become our associations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s-sharma/we-do-become-our-conversations-we-really-will-become-our-associations/) [Robin S. Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s-sharma/) > [Relationships this days are harder now because conversations become texting, arguments become phone calls and feelings becomes status updates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/insane-insomniac/relationships-this-days-are-harder-now-because-conversations-become/) [Insane & Insomniac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/insane-insomniac/) > [Art can help steer important conversations in the right direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjun-mathur/art-can-help-steer-important-conversations-in-the-right-direction/) [Arjun Mathur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjun-mathur/) > [What I'm interested in is the conversations going on about the Anthropocene and what it means to view ourselves as a part of Earth's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grinspoon/what-i-m-interested-in-is-the-conversations-going-on-about-the/) [David Grinspoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grinspoon/) > [There are a lot of people who probably enjoyed 'Conversations with Friends' who are part of the system that is actively exploiting other people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-probably-enjoyed-conversations-with/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [“I wore an eye patch when I was a kid, you said. Maybe we met out here and fell in love over bad barbecue.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-wore-an-eye-patch-when-i-was-a-kid-you-said-maybe-we-met-out-here/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“I feel as though I have been having conversations like this all my life. None of us is young anymore, but what has just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-feel-as-though-i-have-been-having-conversations-like-this-all-my/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [I'm boRed out of my mind, so herE I Am, taLking to some of my friends in my contacts List. you are one, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guardian/i-m-bored-out-of-my-mind-so-here-i-am-talking-to-some-of-my-friends/) Guardian > [“First, let me finish. Then interrupt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-spellman/first-let-me-finish-then-interrupt/) [Brian Spellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-spellman/) [Browse all 788 Conversations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversations/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I am here alone for the first time in weeks, to take up my “real” life again at last. That is what is strange—that friends, even passionate love, are not my real life unless there is time alone in which to explore and to discover what is happening or has happened. Without the interruptions, nourishing and maddening, this life would become arid. 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