--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Going back to something is harder than…" description: "\"“Going back to something is harder than you think.\" I don't suppose I could have broken my mother's heart any more if I tried.”\" — Mitch Albom" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/mitch-albom-187_going-back_going-back-to-something-is-harder-than-y_2682024.png" --- # Going back to something is harder than you think." I don't… ![“Going back to something is harder than you think." I don't suppose I could have broken my mother's heart any more if I tried.” quote by Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/mitch-albom-187_going-back_going-back-to-something-is-harder-than-y_2682024.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/mitch-albom-187_going-back_going-back-to-something-is-harder-than-y_2682024.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/mitch-albom-187_going-back_going-back-to-something-is-harder-than-y_2682024.png) > ““Going back to something is harder than you think." I don't suppose I could have broken my mother's heart any more if I tried.”” [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Returning to past relationships can be painful, yet confronting them is necessary for healing. **In simple terms:** Revisiting old wounds is hard but needed. Key Takeaway Face past hurts to move forward. Themes grief family healing Mood somber introspective Type literary emotional When to use this quote - family conflict - personal growth - therapy sessions Key Concepts psychology memory Questions to Reflect On - What holds you back from addressing past hurts? - How can forgiveness be cultivated? A Different Perspective Denial may prevent confronting pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Broken Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-mother-2587725/) [Going back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-back-73911/) [Going Harder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-harder-290461/) [Harder Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harder-think-430251/) [Heart Tried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-tried-1080834/) [Heartfelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heartfelt/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother's Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mothers-heart/) [Moving on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-on/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [Going back to something is harder than you think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/going-back-to-something-is-harder-than-you-think/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“No matter how damaged or broken a mother is, her child will love her unconditionally. Because as children, we know no better. We only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/love-belvin/no-matter-how-damaged-or-broken-a-mother-is-her-child-will-love-her/) [Love Belvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/love-belvin/) > [In the end, you always go back to the people that were there in the beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-end-you-always-go-back-to-the-people-that-were-there-in-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We can't go back, though we're apt to waver even as our wheels spin on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brook-emery/we-can-t-go-back-though-we-re-apt-to-waver-even-as-our-wheels-spin-on/) [Brook Emery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brook-emery/) > [“I've come to learn, and to establish mine in that same place i come from. Staying in my school place makes me always a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-michael/i-ve-come-to-learn-and-to-establish-mine-in-that-same-place-i-come/) [sol michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-michael/) > [“When going forward doesn't get you where you need to be, going back will at least keep you moving”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sullivan/when-going-forward-doesn-t-get-you-where-you-need-to-be-going-back/) [Michael J. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sullivan/) > [“It’s your call. You want to go back home, go ahead. But if I were you, I wouldn’t. Home is death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-abbott/it-s-your-call-you-want-to-go-back-home-go-ahead-but-if-i-were-you-i/) [Jeff Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-abbott/) > [“Whenever a river reaches the ocean, it waits to go back..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-advise/whenever-a-river-reaches-the-ocean-it-waits-to-go-back/) [Will Advise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-advise/) > [“You're only given as much as you can handle, before going back for seconds”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/you-re-only-given-as-much-as-you-can-handle-before-going-back-for/) [Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/) > [Oliver's heart tried to pound its way out of his ribcage, but he ignored it. "I'm in love with Petunia," he announced. "And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-day-george/oliver-s-heart-tried-to-pound-its-way-out-of-his-ribcage-but-he/) [Jessica Day George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-day-george/) > [When God sets His heart on you, you will be tried often. But the longer and harder your affliction, the more deeply God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/when-god-sets-his-heart-on-you-you-will-be-tried-often-but-the-longer/) [David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/) > [I never thought, I would fall in love again…Then their was you. I trusted you. Why did I even think it was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myothersweetangel199/i-never-thought-i-would-fall-in-love-again-then-their-was-you-i/) [Myothersweetangel199](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myothersweetangel199/) > [“And I'm not too great at that sort of comforting thing, especially when my hands are cold and the bed is warm. I carried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/and-i-m-not-too-great-at-that-sort-of-comforting-thing-especially/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) > [“She fuckin broke his heart. The heart too many had tried to carve right out of his chest. The heart he’d given to her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-eden/she-fuckin-broke-his-heart-the-heart-too-many-had-tried-to-carve/) [Cynthia Eden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-eden/) > [You can't help it but you were born without a heart. At least you tried to believe what the people with hearts believed —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-can-t-help-it-but-you-were-born-without-a-heart-at-least-you/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More by Mitch Albom > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [the words people do not speak are louder than the ones they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-words-people-do-not-speak-are-louder-than-the-ones-they-do/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Once, lovers on faraway shores sat by candlelight and dipped ink to parchment, writing words that could not be erased. They took an evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/once-lovers-on-faraway-shores-sat-by-candlelight-and-dipped-ink-to/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Giving to other people makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not what I look like in the mirror. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/giving-to-other-people-makes-me-feel-alive-not-my-car-or-my-house-not/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Life goes quickly, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-goes-quickly-doesn-t-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [As children grow, they gravitate to their fates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/as-children-grow-they-gravitate-to-their-fates/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“If the only thing wrong with Moses is that he's not yours; if the only thing wrong with Jesus is that he's not yours;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/if-the-only-thing-wrong-with-moses-is-that-he-s-not-yours-if-the-only/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“whisper their good-byes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/whisper-their-good-byes/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“I had also developed my own culture. Work. Over the years, I had taken labor as my companion and had moved everything else to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-had-also-developed-my-own-culture-work-over-the-years-i-had-taken/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [When we are most alone is when we embrace another's loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/when-we-are-most-alone-is-when-we-embrace-another-s-loneliness/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-didn-t-get-it-sacrifice-is-a-part-of-life-it-s-supposed-to-be-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on the good things still in my life. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-give-myself-a-good-cry-if-i-need-it-but-then-i-concentrate-on-the/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [It was sad, the imbalance of it all. Why do kids assume so much from one parent and hold the other to a lower,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/it-was-sad-the-imbalance-of-it-all-why-do-kids-assume-so-much-from/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) [Explore all 962 Mitch Albom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## More Going back quotes > [“I've come to learn, and to establish mine in that same place i come from. Staying in my school place makes me always a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sol-michael/i-ve-come-to-learn-and-to-establish-mine-in-that-same-place-i-come/) [sol michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sol-michael/) > [“It’s your call. You want to go back home, go ahead. But if I were you, I wouldn’t. Home is death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-abbott/it-s-your-call-you-want-to-go-back-home-go-ahead-but-if-i-were-you-i/) [Jeff Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-abbott/) > [“Whenever a river reaches the ocean, it waits to go back..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-advise/whenever-a-river-reaches-the-ocean-it-waits-to-go-back/) [Will Advise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-advise/) > [“You're only given as much as you can handle, before going back for seconds”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/you-re-only-given-as-much-as-you-can-handle-before-going-back-for/) [Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/) > [“When going forward doesn't get you where you need to be, going back will at least keep you moving”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-sullivan/when-going-forward-doesn-t-get-you-where-you-need-to-be-going-back/) [Michael J. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-sullivan/) > [“We can't go back, though we're apt to waver even as our wheels spin on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brook-emery/we-can-t-go-back-though-we-re-apt-to-waver-even-as-our-wheels-spin-on/) [Brook Emery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brook-emery/) > [In the end, you always go back to the people that were there in the beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-end-you-always-go-back-to-the-people-that-were-there-in-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 8 Going back quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-back-73911/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Going back to something is harder than you think.\" I don't suppose I could have broken my mother's heart any more if I tried.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mitch Albom" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/going-back-to-something-is-harder-than-you-think-i-don-t-suppose-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Going back" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/going-back-to-something-is-harder-than-you-think-i-don-t-suppose-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/mitch-albom-187_going-back_going-back-to-something-is-harder-than-y_2682024.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/mitch-albom-187_going-back_going-back-to-something-is-harder-than-y_2682024.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ee/mitch-albom-187_going-back_going-back-to-something-is-harder-than-y_2682024.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Going back to something is harder than you think.\" I don't suppose I could have broken my mother's heart any…” — Mitch Albom", "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": "Mitch Albom", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Going back to something is harder...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/going-back-to-something-is-harder-than-you-think-i-don-t-suppose-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/going-back-to-something-is-harder-than-you-think-i-don-t-suppose-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 } } ] } ```