--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't know. I don't know where that…" description: "\"“I don't know. I don't know where that strength went, I don't remember losing it. I think that over time it got chipped away, bit by bit, by life, by t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/paula-hawkins-9343_life_i-don-t-know-i-don-t-know-where-that-str_3168859.jpg" --- # I don't know. I don't know where that strength went, I… ![“I don't know. I don't know where that strength went, I don't remember losing it. I think that over time it got chipped away, bit by bit, by life, by the living of it.” quote by Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/paula-hawkins-9343_life_i-don-t-know-i-don-t-know-where-that-str_3168859.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/paula-hawkins-9343_life_i-don-t-know-i-don-t-know-where-that-str_3168859.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80b/paula-hawkins-9343_life_i-don-t-know-i-don-t-know-where-that-str_3168859.jpg) > ““I don't know. I don't know where that strength went, I don't remember losing it. I think that over time it got chipped away, bit by bit, by life, by the living of it.”” [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on a gradual loss of inner strength, eroded by life's hardships over time. **In simple terms:** Strength fades slowly due to life's pressures. Key Takeaway Recognize and rebuild lost strength. Themes self‑esteem resilience life challenges Mood reflective somber Type personal motivational When to use this quote - relationship stress - career burnout - health setbacks Key Concepts psychology personal growth erosion Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your life have chipped away your confidence? - How can you restore it? A Different Perspective Strength can be reclaimed through intentional effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [There's no such thing as a perfect life, but if you hold on to that long enough and watch it get chipped away, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-diamond/there-s-no-such-thing-as-a-perfect-life-but-if-you-hold-on-to-that/) [Jason Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-diamond/) > [I remember losing my first rec soccer game and being so mad and so upset. Most kids don't think about that when they're 3…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-tucker/i-remember-losing-my-first-rec-soccer-game-and-being-so-mad-and-so/) [Justin Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-tucker/) > [“That man would have chipped away at your heart bit by bit until there was nothing left. It may have been bruised, but at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/that-man-would-have-chipped-away-at-your-heart-bit-by-bit-until-there/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [Don't think of it as losing, think of it as getting beat by a girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-think-of-it-as-losing-think-of-it-as-getting-beat-by-a-girl/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The more we have, the more we realize can be taken from us, and that’s when our lives border on insanity. We live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-sorenson/the-more-we-have-the-more-we-realize-can-be-taken-from-us-and-that-s/) [Toni Sorenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-sorenson/) > [I hate losing more than anything. I think losing is something that drives me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-hayward/i-hate-losing-more-than-anything-i-think-losing-is-something-that/) [Gordon Hayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-hayward/) > [You should read something else." Why would he have done that to him?" I don't know," she said. Do you ever feel like Job?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/you-should-read-something-else-why-would-he-have-done-that-to-him-i/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [If you haven't been in a war and are wondering how long it takes to get used to losing everything you think you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-rosoff/if-you-haven-t-been-in-a-war-and-are-wondering-how-long-it-takes-to/) [Meg Rosoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-rosoff/) > [Finding is losing something else. I think about, perhaps even mourn, what I lost to find this](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/finding-is-losing-something-else-i-think-about-perhaps-even-mourn/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [A chipped pebble is almost part of the hand it never leaves. A thrown spear declares a sort of independence the moment it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/a-chipped-pebble-is-almost-part-of-the-hand-it-never-leaves-a-thrown/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [You can't cure a chipped plate. All you can do is live with it or throw it out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-cornwell/you-can-t-cure-a-chipped-plate-all-you-can-do-is-live-with-it-or/) [Patricia Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-cornwell/) > [Messages about money are passed down from generation to generation, worn and chipped like the family dishes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/messages-about-money-are-passed-down-from-generation-to-generation/) [Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/) > [“Chipped plant pots trail the dead brown remains of my doomed summer attempt at growing my own herbs,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-marshall/chipped-plant-pots-trail-the-dead-brown-remains-of-my-doomed-summer/) [Laura Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-marshall/) > [What the helmet, another chipped tooth!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamera-mowry/what-the-helmet-another-chipped-tooth/) [Tamera Mowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamera-mowry/) > [Sometimes, the best teacup is chipped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-the-best-teacup-is-chipped/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Paula Hawkins > [“It’s less acceptable to drink on the train on a Monday,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/it-s-less-acceptable-to-drink-on-the-train-on-a-monday/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“I am not the girl I used to be...it's as if people can see the damage written all over me, can see it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/i-am-not-the-girl-i-used-to-be-it-s-as-if-people-can-see-the-damage/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“She felt it when she woke, not a presence but an absence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/she-felt-it-when-she-woke-not-a-presence-but-an-absence/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“Beautiful sunshine, cloudless skies, no one to play with, nothing to do. Living like this, the way I'm living at the moment, is harder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/beautiful-sunshine-cloudless-skies-no-one-to-play-with-nothing-to-do/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“I want to drag knives over my skin, just to feel something other than shame, but I'm not even brave enough for that”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/i-want-to-drag-knives-over-my-skin-just-to-feel-something-other-than/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“I forgot to feel what I was supposed to be feeling...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/i-forgot-to-feel-what-i-was-supposed-to-be-feeling/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“gardens over. One of them was crying—maybe they both were—and there was a child bawling its head off,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/gardens-over-one-of-them-was-crying-maybe-they-both-were-and-there/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“The things I want to remember I can't, and the things I try so hard to forget just keep coming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/the-things-i-want-to-remember-i-can-t-and-the-things-i-try-so-hard-to/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“the author claimed that blacking out wasn’t simply a matter of forgetting what had happened, but having no memories to forget in the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/the-author-claimed-that-blacking-out-wasn-t-simply-a-matter-of/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“LA VIE N’EST PAS UN PARAGRAPHE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/la-vie-n-est-pas-un-paragraphe/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“me thinking straight. I take a shower, get dressed and make another cup of coffee, and then I sit down in the living room,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/me-thinking-straight-i-take-a-shower-get-dressed-and-make-another-cup/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“Something felt off, but I realized eventually that it was just me. Still,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/something-felt-off-but-i-realized-eventually-that-it-was-just-me-still/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“the holes in your life are permanent. You have to grow around them, like tree roots around concrete; you mould yourself through the gaps.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/the-holes-in-your-life-are-permanent-you-have-to-grow-around-them/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“I don't remember things. I black out and I can't remember where I've been or what I've done. Sometimes I wonder if I've done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/i-don-t-remember-things-i-black-out-and-i-can-t-remember-where-i-ve/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“Some days I feel so bad that I have to drink; some days I feel so bad that I can’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/some-days-i-feel-so-bad-that-i-have-to-drink-some-days-i-feel-so-bad/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) [Explore all 64 Paula Hawkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. 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That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I don't know. 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