--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Such has often been my apathy, when…" description: "\"Such has often been my apathy, when objects long sought, and earnestly desired, were placed within my reach.\" — Nathaniel Hawthorne" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_apathy_such-has-often-been-my-apathy-when-objec_1816161.jpg" --- # Such has often been my apathy, when objects long sought… ![“Such has often been my apathy, when objects long sought, and earnestly desired, were placed within my reach.” quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_apathy_such-has-often-been-my-apathy-when-objec_1816161.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_apathy_such-has-often-been-my-apathy-when-objec_1816161.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_apathy_such-has-often-been-my-apathy-when-objec_1816161.jpg) > “Such has often been my apathy, when objects long sought, and earnestly desired, were placed within my reach.” [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unattained desires feel frustrating despite being within reach. **In simple terms:** Frustration when close goals are missed. Key Takeaway Reassess approach to achieve near goals. Themes frustration desire goal attainment Mood melancholic thoughtful Type literary reflective When to use this quote - career advancement - personal projects - relationship goals Key Concepts psychology of motivation Questions to Reflect On - What prevents you from seizing reachable opportunities? - How can you adjust expectations? A Different Perspective May overlook external barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apathy/) [Apathy Objects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apathy-objects-2155840/) [Earnestly Desired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earnestly-desired-2155841/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long Sought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-sought-336352/) [Objects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/objects/) [Sought Earnestly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sought-earnestly-2155839/) ## Related quotes > [Possibility-thinking is the long sought-after fountain of youth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-schuller/possibility-thinking-is-the-long-sought-after-fountain-of-youth/) [Robert H. Schuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-schuller/) > [“But so long as he had no new policy, so long as he sought only to contain, the enemy without would always hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-fehrenbach/but-so-long-as-he-had-no-new-policy-so-long-as-he-sought-only-to/) [T. R. Fehrenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-fehrenbach/) > [A friend is long sought, hardly found, and with difficulty kept.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/a-friend-is-long-sought-hardly-found-and-with-difficulty-kept/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) > [Far be it for me to have worked it out in any abstract way. I don't know why the bull and Mrs. May have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/far-be-it-for-me-to-have-worked-it-out-in-any-abstract-way-i-don-t/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [So long as the people do not care to exercise their freedom, those who wish to tyrannize will do so; for tyrants are active…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-long-as-the-people-do-not-care-to-exercise-their-freedom-those-who/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is interesting to observe that in the year 1935 the average individual's incurious attitude towards the phenomenon of the State is precisely what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-j-nock/it-is-interesting-to-observe-that-in-the-year-1935-the-average/) [Albert J. Nock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-j-nock/) > [When a person goes to a country and finds their newspapers filled with nothing but good news, he can bet there are good men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-patrick-moynihan/when-a-person-goes-to-a-country-and-finds-their-newspapers-filled/) [Daniel Patrick Moynihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-patrick-moynihan/) > [Are you then unable to recognize unless it has the same sound as yours?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gide/are-you-then-unable-to-recognize-unless-it-has-the-same-sound-as-yours/) [Andre Gide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gide/) > [“Empathy nurtures wisdom. Apathy cultivates ignorance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/empathy-nurtures-wisdom-apathy-cultivates-ignorance/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [Part of the particular interest and beauty of science fiction and fantasy: writer and reader collaborate in world-making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/part-of-the-particular-interest-and-beauty-of-science-fiction-and/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [I believe more follies are committed out of complaisance to the world, than in following our own inclinations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wortley-montagu/i-believe-more-follies-are-committed-out-of-complaisance-to-the-world/) [Mary Wortley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wortley-montagu/) > [Mourn not the dead that in the cool earth lie... But rather mourn the apathetic throng - The cowed and the meek - Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-chaplin/mourn-not-the-dead-that-in-the-cool-earth-lie-but-rather-mourn-the/) [Ralph Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-chaplin/) > [“If someone with a high level of authority were to ask me, "Suzy, how can we make people so incredibly stupid and apathetic, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/if-someone-with-a-high-level-of-authority-were-to-ask-me-suzy-how-can/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/one-response-was-given-by-the-innkeeper-when-mary-and-joseph-wanted/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [If possible, I want to hear POLITICS defined without either sympathy or apathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/if-possible-i-want-to-hear-politics-defined-without-either-sympathy/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) ## More by Nathaniel Hawthorne > [“there was something of the women molded into the great, stalwart frame of Hollingsworth; nor was he ashamed of it; as men often are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-was-something-of-the-women-molded-into-the-great-stalwart-frame/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [The trees reflected in the river - they are unconscious of a spiritual world so near to them. So are we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-trees-reflected-in-the-river-they-are-unconscious-of-a-spiritual/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“The dismaying thing about the classic totalitarian mind is that any given gear, though mutilated, will have at its circumference unbroken sequences of teeth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-dismaying-thing-about-the-classic-totalitarian-mind-is-that-any/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill, and without a household fire, I longed to kindle one!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/my-heart-was-a-habitation-large-enough-for-many-guests-but-lonely-and/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Wherever there is a heart and an intellect, the diseases of the physical frame are tinged with the peculiarities of these.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/wherever-there-is-a-heart-and-an-intellect-the-diseases-of-the/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-founders-of-a-new-colony-whatever-utopia-of-human-virtue-and/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [Generosity is the flower of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/generosity-is-the-flower-of-justice/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“he seemed to be in quest for mental food, not heart sustenance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/he-seemed-to-be-in-quest-for-mental-food-not-heart-sustenance/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“Unfathomable to mere mortals is the lore of fiends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/unfathomable-to-mere-mortals-is-the-lore-of-fiends/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“Possibly, he was in a state of second growth and recovery, and was constantly assimilating nutriment for his spirit and intellect from sights, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/possibly-he-was-in-a-state-of-second-growth-and-recovery-and-was/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“What wonder, then, should we be frightened by the aspect of a monster, which, after all,—though we can point to every feature of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-wonder-then-should-we-be-frightened-by-the-aspect-of-a-monster/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [As the architecture of a country always follows the earliest structures, American architecture should be a refinement of the log-house. The Egyptian is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/as-the-architecture-of-a-country-always-follows-the-earliest/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [What we call real estate - the solid ground to build a house on - is the broad foundation on which nearly all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-we-call-real-estate-the-solid-ground-to-build-a-house-on-is-the/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“The bookworm of great libraries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-bookworm-of-great-libraries/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [There are many things in this world that a child must not ask about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-are-many-things-in-this-world-that-a-child-must-not-ask-about/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) [Explore all 526 Nathaniel Hawthorne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) ## More Apathy quotes > [If possible, I want to hear POLITICS defined without either sympathy or apathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/if-possible-i-want-to-hear-politics-defined-without-either-sympathy/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [One response was given by the innkeeper when Mary and Joseph wanted to find a room where the Child could be born. The innkeeper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/one-response-was-given-by-the-innkeeper-when-mary-and-joseph-wanted/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [Try to greet troubles with apathy. Hello's are never what they used to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-swellers/try-to-greet-troubles-with-apathy-hello-s-are-never-what-they-used-to/) [The Swellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-swellers/) > [Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/apathy-can-be-overcome-by-enthusiasm/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [Indifference must be a crime in us, to be ranked but one degree below treachery; for deserting the commonwealth is next to betraying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/indifference-must-be-a-crime-in-us-to-be-ranked-but-one-degree-below/) [Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-st-john-1st-viscount-bolingbroke/) > [Insect politics, indifferent universe. Bang your head against the wall, but apathy is worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-henley/insect-politics-indifferent-universe-bang-your-head-against-the-wall/) [Don Henley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-henley/) > [“And there's a freedom in apathy, a wild, dizzying liberation on which you can almost get drunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/and-there-s-a-freedom-in-apathy-a-wild-dizzying-liberation-on-which/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [For he who is not deaf, half a silence is enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-malfatti/for-he-who-is-not-deaf-half-a-silence-is-enough/) [Jean-Paul Malfatti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-malfatti/) > [“Just because a person is silent doesn’t mean there’s no message.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/just-because-a-person-is-silent-doesn-t-mean-there-s-no-message/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“If someone with a high level of authority were to ask me, "Suzy, how can we make people so incredibly stupid and apathetic, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/if-someone-with-a-high-level-of-authority-were-to-ask-me-suzy-how-can/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“It takes more than one kick in the pants to reverse a lifetime of unplanned apathy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-neilan/it-takes-more-than-one-kick-in-the-pants-to-reverse-a-lifetime-of/) [Paul Neilan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-neilan/) > [“Use the apathy of your logic to solve your problems and then the passion of your soul to enjoy life after that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelos-michalopoulos/use-the-apathy-of-your-logic-to-solve-your-problems-and-then-the/) [Angelos Michalopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelos-michalopoulos/) > [“The fundamental basis by which the court’s decision might be made is, in itself, imperfect and subject to contradictions. There is very little consideration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashim-shanker/the-fundamental-basis-by-which-the-court-s-decision-might-be-made-is/) [Ashim Shanker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashim-shanker/) > [“The young woman had read a good many novels, and she had seen a good many films; this education by newspaper, serial and film…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-renard/the-young-woman-had-read-a-good-many-novels-and-she-had-seen-a-good/) [Maurice Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-renard/) > [Mourn not the dead that in the cool earth lie... But rather mourn the apathetic throng - The cowed and the meek - Who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-chaplin/mourn-not-the-dead-that-in-the-cool-earth-lie-but-rather-mourn-the/) [Ralph Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-chaplin/) [Browse all 619 Apathy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apathy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Such has often been my apathy, when objects long sought, and earnestly desired, were placed within my reach.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nathaniel Hawthorne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/such-has-often-been-my-apathy-when-objects-long-sought-and-earnestly/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Apathy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/such-has-often-been-my-apathy-when-objects-long-sought-and-earnestly/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_apathy_such-has-often-been-my-apathy-when-objec_1816161.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_apathy_such-has-often-been-my-apathy-when-objec_1816161.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/65f/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_apathy_such-has-often-been-my-apathy-when-objec_1816161.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Such has often been my apathy, when objects long sought, and earnestly desired, were placed within my reach.” — Nathaniel Hawthorne", "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": "Nathaniel Hawthorne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Such has often been my apathy,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/such-has-often-been-my-apathy-when-objects-long-sought-and-earnestly/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/such-has-often-been-my-apathy-when-objects-long-sought-and-earnestly/#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 } } ] } ```