---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I only wanted to know where I ended and…"
description: "\"“I only wanted to know where I ended and everything else began, and I still do, in these oceanic days.”\" — Melissa Febos"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/melissa-febos-7449_ended_i-only-wanted-to-know-where-i-ended-and_344162.png"
---

#  I only wanted to know where I ended and everything else…

![“I only wanted to know where I ended and everything else began, and I still do, in these oceanic days.” quote by Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/melissa-febos-7449_ended_i-only-wanted-to-know-where-i-ended-and_344162.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/melissa-febos-7449_ended_i-only-wanted-to-know-where-i-ended-and_344162.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/melissa-febos-7449_ended_i-only-wanted-to-know-where-i-ended-and_344162.png)

> ““I only wanted to know where I ended and everything else began, and I still do, in these oceanic days.””

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

## About This Quote

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

She reflects on the blurred boundaries between self and the world, seeking identity amid vast, uncertain experiences.

**In simple terms:** Seeking self in a vast world.

Key Takeaway

Explore your limits boundaries.

Themes

identity existence self‑discovery

Mood

contemplative melancholic

Type

literary personal

When to use this quote

- creative writing
- therapy
- spiritual exploration

Key Concepts

philosophical inquiry personal narrative

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you define yourself beyond roles?
- What does “oceanic” symbolize for you?

A Different Perspective

Identity can be elusive and fluid.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Oceanic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oceanic/)

## Related quotes

> [“Aelin extended her hand—a question and an offer and a promise. “To a better future,” she said. “You came back,” he said, as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/aelin-extended-her-hand-a-question-and-an-offer-and-a-promise-to-a/)

[Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/)

> [He felt now that he was not simply close to her, but that he did not know where he ended and she began.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-felt-now-that-he-was-not-simply-close-to-her-but-that-he-did-not/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [I feel like music is oceanic - there's no end to what you can discover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanine-tesori/i-feel-like-music-is-oceanic-there-s-no-end-to-what-you-can-discover/)

[Jeanine Tesori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanine-tesori/)

> [“In school I ended up writing three different papers on "The Castaway" section of Moby-Dick, the chapter where the cabin boy Pip falls overboard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/in-school-i-ended-up-writing-three-different-papers-on-the-castaway/)

[David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/)

> [“I wish to spend a lifetime near a lighthouse where loneliness will be the glimmer of luminous prancing upon ocean waves… rising and falling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/i-wish-to-spend-a-lifetime-near-a-lighthouse-where-loneliness-will-be/)

[Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/)

> [“Into the sea I’d love to sink When with both eyes a shark can blink Is he a brave fish or a marine man?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/into-the-sea-i-d-love-to-sink-when-with-both-eyes-a-shark-can-blink/)

[Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/)

> [“All shadows of clouds the sun cannot hide like the moon cannot stop oceanic tide; but a hidden star can still be smiling at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/all-shadows-of-clouds-the-sun-cannot-hide-like-the-moon-cannot-stop/)

[Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/)

> [“Sharks are the lions of the sea.They glamorize the oceanic glory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/sharks-are-the-lions-of-the-sea-they-glamorize-the-oceanic-glory/)

[Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/)

> [“Shearwater sighed, like a whale in the night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/shearwater-sighed-like-a-whale-in-the-night/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

> [“Oceanic farness treasures tomorrow Mingled tears lost in the sea of sorrow Our immortal love will lead us a way When pale days remain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/oceanic-farness-treasures-tomorrow-mingled-tears-lost-in-the-sea-of/)

[Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/)

> [“Wild waves rise and fall when they arrive And that’s what makes the calm sea alive”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/wild-waves-rise-and-fall-when-they-arrive-and-that-s-what-makes-the/)

[Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/)

> [The body is a device to calculate the astronomy of the spirit. Look through that astrolabe and become oceanic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/the-body-is-a-device-to-calculate-the-astronomy-of-the-spirit-look/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [“I started to see it Eunice's way. We now had obligations to each other. Our families had failed us, and now we had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/i-started-to-see-it-eunice-s-way-we-now-had-obligations-to-each-other/)

[Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/)

> [“She wanted to breathe him in, hold tight until they’d lost track of where one ended and the other began.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-osburn/she-wanted-to-breathe-him-in-hold-tight-until-they-d-lost-track-of/)

[Terri Osburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-osburn/)

> [“When the tidal waves wildly behaving My bare feet on the shore busy saving The calm warmth leaking out of the sand To let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munia-khan/when-the-tidal-waves-wildly-behaving-my-bare-feet-on-the-shore-busy/)

[Munia Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munia-khan/)

## More by Melissa Febos

> [Letting go of the cozy stories you've been carrying around is devastating. But there's more room for new stuff after you do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/letting-go-of-the-cozy-stories-you-ve-been-carrying-around-is/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [When you conceal inner reality, this pressure builds. You often don't expose yourself until it reaches extremity, a breaking point, and what emerges is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/when-you-conceal-inner-reality-this-pressure-builds-you-often-don-t/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [I can only see right in front of me when I'm writing, you know? I never think of it as raw or personal or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-can-only-see-right-in-front-of-me-when-i-m-writing-you-know-i-never/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“I have always been afraid to have children. I didn't want to give them the parts of me--the hurtling hunger, the shame--but now I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-have-always-been-afraid-to-have-children-i-didn-t-want-to-give-them/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“There are still times when he and I fall into our respective labyrinths. I no longer believe that anyone but ourselves can lead us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/there-are-still-times-when-he-and-i-fall-into-our-respective/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [I think we all are born inside of our parents' narratives. We stay there for a good while. We are taught their narratives about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-think-we-all-are-born-inside-of-our-parents-narratives-we-stay/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“Maybe that's all bravery is: when your hunger is greater than your fear. I resist the implication that bravery is noble. I must face…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/maybe-that-s-all-bravery-is-when-your-hunger-is-greater-than-your/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“I have always enjoyed watching women dress. The appeal isn't sexual. Most girls' first glimpse of private female life is watching their mothers dress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-have-always-enjoyed-watching-women-dress-the-appeal-isn-t-sexual/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“It was the first time anyone had broken up with me. It was a thing I had successfully avoided for thirty-two years.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/it-was-the-first-time-anyone-had-broken-up-with-me-it-was-a-thing-i/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [I can still discern people's weaknesses, but it doesn't make me want to exploit them; it makes me want to hug them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-can-still-discern-people-s-weaknesses-but-it-doesn-t-make-me-want/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“There is a moment in your 20s when you know what it means to love rightly, but not how to do it, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/there-is-a-moment-in-your-20s-when-you-know-what-it-means-to-love/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“The labyrinth, after all, is Sarah's creation. She calls upon the Goblin King. And this is the biggest difference between my brother's afflictions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/the-labyrinth-after-all-is-sarah-s-creation-she-calls-upon-the-goblin/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“I want to tell her that darkness is not bad. It is only the place we can't see yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-want-to-tell-her-that-darkness-is-not-bad-it-is-only-the-place-we/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [I made a conscious decision when I was writing that book to depict in real time how I treated it, and how I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-made-a-conscious-decision-when-i-was-writing-that-book-to-depict-in/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

> [“It’s the oldest lesson. The first lesson. It's like the first noble truth of Buddhism - there's going to be suffering, and that's okay.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/it-s-the-oldest-lesson-the-first-lesson-it-s-like-the-first-noble/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

[Explore all 91 Melissa Febos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

## More Ended quotes

> [I studied philosophy and ended on sociology. For some reason, all the advanced courses in philosophy were offered 4:30 to 6:30, so I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-jackson/i-studied-philosophy-and-ended-on-sociology-for-some-reason-all-the/)

[Lawrence Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-jackson/)

> [I didn't finish high school - left home when I was 15. I moved away to Fresno and worked as a grocery clerk. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-covey/i-didn-t-finish-high-school-left-home-when-i-was-15-i-moved-away-to/)

[Joy Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-covey/)

> [I ended up becoming so self-conscious that my songs stopped being about my life and started being about what people thought of my music.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-phair/i-ended-up-becoming-so-self-conscious-that-my-songs-stopped-being/)

[Liz Phair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-phair/)

> [Everything is ended if you forgive and forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/everything-is-ended-if-you-forgive-and-forget/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [My whole life sort of ended when my mom died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/my-whole-life-sort-of-ended-when-my-mom-died/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [I stayed in the astronaut program until 1993. People ask me why I left. I thought I had a lot of things to contribute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-stayed-in-the-astronaut-program-until-1993-people-ask-me-why-i-left/)

[Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/)

> [I just put myself in a hotel and was smoking coke for a while. Then I met up with the wrong people. I ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-wallice/i-just-put-myself-in-a-hotel-and-was-smoking-coke-for-a-while-then-i/)

[Marc Wallice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-wallice/)

> [History may someday record that the Arab awakening that began with the Arab revolt of 1916 against the Ottomans ended about a century later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/history-may-someday-record-that-the-arab-awakening-that-began-with/)

[Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/)

> [“The best relationships fade out and you're not even sure when it ended.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-c-brown/the-best-relationships-fade-out-and-you-re-not-even-sure-when-it-ended/)

Derrick C. Brown

> [When I talk about the end of apartheid, I prefer not to claim the honor that I have ended it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-w-de-klerk/when-i-talk-about-the-end-of-apartheid-i-prefer-not-to-claim-the/)

[F. W. de Klerk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-w-de-klerk/)

> [I took Second City out of desperation, and that's what ended up working out. It shows that you should be doing a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hader/i-took-second-city-out-of-desperation-and-that-s-what-ended-up/)

[Bill Hader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hader/)

> [What's interesting about Stephen Baldwin is that me and Dana Gould were originally cast for 'Bio-Dome' - but Pauly Shore and Baldwin ended up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harland-williams/what-s-interesting-about-stephen-baldwin-is-that-me-and-dana-gould/)

[Harland Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harland-williams/)

> [I wanted to be a writer and I ended up being a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-colin-campbell/i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-and-i-ended-up-being-a-writer/)

[Lady Colin Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-colin-campbell/)

> [The character of the monkey just grew from something out of his face and my granddad's personality. They fused, and that's what I ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-conti/the-character-of-the-monkey-just-grew-from-something-out-of-his-face/)

[Nina Conti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-conti/)

> [In my mid-twenties, I said to myself: 'I can't perform anymore!' I didn't know what I wanted to do. I didn't perform for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-kayden/in-my-mid-twenties-i-said-to-myself-i-can-t-perform-anymore-i-didn-t/)

[Spencer Kayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-kayden/)

Browse all 625 Ended quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I only wanted to know where I ended and everything else began, and I still do, in these oceanic days.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Melissa Febos"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-only-wanted-to-know-where-i-ended-and-everything-else-began-and-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ended"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-only-wanted-to-know-where-i-ended-and-everything-else-began-and-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/melissa-febos-7449_ended_i-only-wanted-to-know-where-i-ended-and_344162.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/melissa-febos-7449_ended_i-only-wanted-to-know-where-i-ended-and_344162.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd1/melissa-febos-7449_ended_i-only-wanted-to-know-where-i-ended-and_344162.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I only wanted to know where I ended and everything else began, and I still do, in these oceanic days.” — Melissa Febos",
                "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": "Melissa Febos",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I only wanted to know where...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-only-wanted-to-know-where-i-ended-and-everything-else-began-and-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/i-only-wanted-to-know-where-i-ended-and-everything-else-began-and-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
