---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Never before had I imagined leaving home…"
description: "\"“Never before had I imagined leaving home, but that wasn't because of lack of desire, only lack of possibility.”\" — Melanie Benjamin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/melanie-benjamin-4832_desire_never-before-had-i-imagined-leaving-home_462981.png"
---

#  Never before had I imagined leaving home, but that wasn't…

![“Never before had I imagined leaving home, but that wasn't because of lack of desire, only lack of possibility.” quote by Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/melanie-benjamin-4832_desire_never-before-had-i-imagined-leaving-home_462981.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/melanie-benjamin-4832_desire_never-before-had-i-imagined-leaving-home_462981.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/melanie-benjamin-4832_desire_never-before-had-i-imagined-leaving-home_462981.png)

> ““Never before had I imagined leaving home, but that wasn't because of lack of desire, only lack of possibility.””

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

## About This Quote

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

Desire to leave home exists, but opportunity is the real barrier.

**In simple terms:** Wanting to leave isn’t enough; you need chance.

Key Takeaway

Seek or create opportunities to move forward.

Themes

desire possibility travel growth limitations

Mood

hopeful determined

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- career change
- relocation
- education pursuits
- personal projects

Key Concepts

agency chance dreams

Questions to Reflect On

- What possibilities can you create to overcome constraints?
- How do you differentiate between lack of desire and lack of chance?

A Different Perspective

Even with strong desire, systemic obstacles may block progress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Home Wasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home-wasn-601494/) [Imagined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagined/) [Imagined Leaving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagined-leaving-3142874/) [Lack Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lack-possibility-4017661/) [Leaving home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaving-home/)

## Related quotes

> [I never, ever imagined leaving Great Britain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-smith/i-never-ever-imagined-leaving-great-britain/)

[Dan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-smith/)

> [It was a difficult period moving club to club, even before that going on loan, I never imagined leaving Bournemouth after a year, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ramsdale/it-was-a-difficult-period-moving-club-to-club-even-before-that-going/)

[Aaron Ramsdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ramsdale/)

> [“Whenever I cared about someone, I imagined them leaving—the words they’d say, the way it would feel when they left. I thought if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/whenever-i-cared-about-someone-i-imagined-them-leaving-the-words-they/)

[Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/)

> [Accepting that my time with Arsenal was over was difficult because I never imagined leaving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wojciech-szczesny/accepting-that-my-time-with-arsenal-was-over-was-difficult-because-i/)

[Wojciech Szczesny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wojciech-szczesny/)

> [Ever since I was a little girl, I watched many movies, and a lot of them are in California. So I already felt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-balti/ever-since-i-was-a-little-girl-i-watched-many-movies-and-a-lot-of/)

[Bianca Balti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-balti/)

> [Home wasn't so much a house as people, family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/home-wasn-t-so-much-a-house-as-people-family/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [“Sometimes home wasn't where you grew up. Home was where you were meant to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/sometimes-home-wasn-t-where-you-grew-up-home-was-where-you-were-meant/)

[Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/)

> [My dad was a regular dad. At home, he wasn't Bonzo the animal. He was a very intellectual, quiet chap - not the beast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-bonham/my-dad-was-a-regular-dad-at-home-he-wasn-t-bonzo-the-animal-he-was-a/)

[Jason Bonham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-bonham/)

> [“I rocked in silence, and realized for the first time that 'home' wasn't this place anymore. It was wherever Victor was. It was both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/i-rocked-in-silence-and-realized-for-the-first-time-that-home-wasn-t/)

[Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/)

> [“I'd come to see that home wasn't just about the place where you lived or the memories within the walls. It was the love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-e-butler/i-d-come-to-see-that-home-wasn-t-just-about-the-place-where-you-lived/)

[R.E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-e-butler/)

> [Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/home-wasn-t-a-set-house-or-a-single-town-on-a-map-it-was-wherever-the/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“And in that moment, Grace understood something that she would never forget: Home wasn't just a building or an apartment with a roof and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priscilla-cummings/and-in-that-moment-grace-understood-something-that-she-would-never/)

[Priscilla Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priscilla-cummings/)

> [“...I decided I'd changed my mind about home. Home was not Pensacola San Diego Guam or any of the other places we might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-willis-holt/i-decided-i-d-changed-my-mind-about-home-home-was-not-pensacola-san/)

[Kimberly Willis Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-willis-holt/)

> [“What he wanted was to be home, and home wasn’t here. He was stretched too thin to consider what was wise or what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/what-he-wanted-was-to-be-home-and-home-wasn-t-here-he-was-stretched/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [“She realized that home wasn't a place. It was here, safe in his arms. As long as she had this, everything would be all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-argyle/she-realized-that-home-wasn-t-a-place-it-was-here-safe-in-his-arms-as/)

[Amber Argyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-argyle/)

## More by Melanie Benjamin

> [“Elisabeth was the same as ever, and I was the same as ever around her; no longer a confident college senior, I was diminished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/elisabeth-was-the-same-as-ever-and-i-was-the-same-as-ever-around-her/)

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

> [“Who was this woman before me, her face imprinted with the expectations of others? I was Mom. I was Wife. I was Tragedy. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/who-was-this-woman-before-me-her-face-imprinted-with-the-expectations/)

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

> [Why were there so many barriers between us, always? Barriers of clothing, of etiquette, of time and age and reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/why-were-there-so-many-barriers-between-us-always-barriers-of/)

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

> [“my breath sour against my fist, which I still held to my mouth as if this was a sorrow that could be stifled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/my-breath-sour-against-my-fist-which-i-still-held-to-my-mouth-as-if/)

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

> [“And this was the greatest gift that aviation could ever give me; not the sense of freedom but the sense of permanence, coupling, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/and-this-was-the-greatest-gift-that-aviation-could-ever-give-me-not/)

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

> [“ashamed of it even as I craved it. “Oh, she does! There’s a party tomorrow,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/ashamed-of-it-even-as-i-craved-it-oh-she-does-there-s-a-party-tomorrow/)

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

> [“Now and adult, allowed a glimpse of these first cracks in my family's perfect surface, I couldn't help but wonder what else I didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/now-and-adult-allowed-a-glimpse-of-these-first-cracks-in-my-family-s/)

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

> [“To live for oneself is a terrifying prospect; there is comfort in martyrdom... p 364”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/to-live-for-oneself-is-a-terrifying-prospect-there-is-comfort-in/)

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

> [“For I can think of no fate drearier than sitting at home...for the rest of my life, watching all of you go off one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/for-i-can-think-of-no-fate-drearier-than-sitting-at-home-for-the-rest/)

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

> [“And this—instead of happiness—would be only what the two of us deserved, after all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/and-this-instead-of-happiness-would-be-only-what-the-two-of-us/)

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

> [“...all his smiles were just a little sad around the edges, as if he knew happiness never could last very long”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/all-his-smiles-were-just-a-little-sad-around-the-edges-as-if-he-knew/)

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

> [“And I did not speak German well; I found the language harsh and guttural, my ear simply couldn’t find it pleasing, and so my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/and-i-did-not-speak-german-well-i-found-the-language-harsh-and/)

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

> [“No, this was the career I wanted; a writer could be employed for as long as she could hold a pencil; for as long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/no-this-was-the-career-i-wanted-a-writer-could-be-employed-for-as/)

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

> [Unlike men, women got less sentimental as we aged, I was discovering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/unlike-men-women-got-less-sentimental-as-we-aged-i-was-discovering/)

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

> [“His death notice included the mention that in 1880, he had married Alice in Wonderland. I like to think he would have been pleased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/his-death-notice-included-the-mention-that-in-1880-he-had-married/)

[Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

[Explore all 105 Melanie Benjamin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/)

## More Desire quotes

> [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/)

[Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/)

> [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/)

> [I want the municipality to be a helping hand to the man with a desire of sympathy, to help the fallen when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burns/i-want-the-municipality-to-be-a-helping-hand-to-the-man-with-a-desire/)

[John Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burns/)

> [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/)

[John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/)

[Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/)

> [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/)

[Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/)

[John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/)

> [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. All my life, people have scolded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/in-discovering-books-you-became-free-to-explore-the-full-range-of/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

> [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/)

[Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/)

[Browse all 15,155 Desire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Never before had I imagined leaving home, but that wasn't because of lack of desire, only lack of possibility.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Melanie Benjamin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/never-before-had-i-imagined-leaving-home-but-that-wasn-t-because-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Desire"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/never-before-had-i-imagined-leaving-home-but-that-wasn-t-because-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/melanie-benjamin-4832_desire_never-before-had-i-imagined-leaving-home_462981.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/melanie-benjamin-4832_desire_never-before-had-i-imagined-leaving-home_462981.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/melanie-benjamin-4832_desire_never-before-had-i-imagined-leaving-home_462981.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Never before had I imagined leaving home, but that wasn't because of lack of desire, only lack of possibility.” — Melanie Benjamin",
                "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": "Melanie Benjamin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Never before had I imagined leaving...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/never-before-had-i-imagined-leaving-home-but-that-wasn-t-because-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/never-before-had-i-imagined-leaving-home-but-that-wasn-t-because-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
