--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It gave me a sharp kind of sadness to…" description: "\"It gave me a sharp kind of sadness to think that no matter how much I loved him and tried to put him back together again, he might stay broken forever...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/paula-mclain-3064_back-together_it-gave-me-a-sharp-kind-of-sadness-to-th_2674579.jpg" --- # It gave me a sharp kind of sadness to think that no matter… ![“It gave me a sharp kind of sadness to think that no matter how much I loved him and tried to put him back together again, he might stay broken forever.” quote by Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/paula-mclain-3064_back-together_it-gave-me-a-sharp-kind-of-sadness-to-th_2674579.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/paula-mclain-3064_back-together_it-gave-me-a-sharp-kind-of-sadness-to-th_2674579.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/paula-mclain-3064_back-together_it-gave-me-a-sharp-kind-of-sadness-to-th_2674579.jpg) > “It gave me a sharp kind of sadness to think that no matter how much I loved him and tried to put him back together again, he might stay broken forever.” [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even deep love cannot always heal another’s brokenness; some wounds may remain despite our best efforts. **In simple terms:** Love sometimes cannot fix everyone. Key Takeaway Accept limits, seek healthy boundaries. Themes love loss compassion Mood sad reflective Type empathetic philosophical When to use this quote - caring for a loved one - supporting a friend - volunteering - self‑care Key Concepts emotional resilience acceptance grief Questions to Reflect On - When have you felt powerless in helping someone? - What boundaries protect you? A Different Perspective Healing may be impossible without the other’s willingness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Back together again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/back-together-again/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Your past might be messed up, but you can't stay broken forever. Find a way to fix yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/your-past-might-be-messed-up-but-you-can-t-stay-broken-forever-find-a/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [“Like a mirror our hearts will fall to the floor in a million pieces and only the strongest can mend us back together or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zeenat-farooq/like-a-mirror-our-hearts-will-fall-to-the-floor-in-a-million-pieces/) Zeenat Farooq > [We are going to have to gather up the fragments of knowledge and responsibilities that have been turned over to governments, corporations, and specialists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/we-are-going-to-have-to-gather-up-the-fragments-of-knowledge-and/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [If I can get that DAM trio back together again - "get the band back together" - and put on a concert of David…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-alomar/if-i-can-get-that-dam-trio-back-together-again-get-the-band-back/) [Carlos Alomar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-alomar/) > [It was as if I had thought all along I was a complete picture and he had revealed I was a puzzle and had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/it-was-as-if-i-had-thought-all-along-i-was-a-complete-picture-and-he/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [Becoming a strategic thinker is about opening your mind to possibilities. It’s about seeing the bigger picture. It’s about understanding the various parts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-mckeown/becoming-a-strategic-thinker-is-about-opening-your-mind-to/) [Max McKeown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-mckeown/) > [You have a diasporic black world, and the only way to put it back together again is symbolic. It's like Humpty Dumpty. Whoever could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-louis-gates/you-have-a-diasporic-black-world-and-the-only-way-to-put-it-back/) [Henry Louis Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-louis-gates/) > [Purgatory basically means that God can put the pieces back together again. That He can cleanse us in such a way that we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/purgatory-basically-means-that-god-can-put-the-pieces-back-together/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [There are things you break that can't be put back together again. And Kashmir may be one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/there-are-things-you-break-that-can-t-be-put-back-together-again-and/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I survived this torture which left me paralyzed for years. That's what that night was all about, mutilation, more than violence through sex. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/i-survived-this-torture-which-left-me-paralyzed-for-years-that-s-what/) [Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/) > [Your heart is like glass, if it breaks, it's pretty hard to put it back together again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-leto/your-heart-is-like-glass-if-it-breaks-it-s-pretty-hard-to-put-it-back/) [Jared Leto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-leto/) > [We are like Humpty Dumpty and all these king's horses and all these king's men cannot put us back together again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/we-are-like-humpty-dumpty-and-all-these-king-s-horses-and-all-these/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [ \[In Bolivia\] We want to overcome our historical problems with Chile. The sea has divided us and the sea must bring us back together… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/in-bolivia-we-want-to-overcome-our-historical-problems-with-chile-the/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [There are people who haven't faced the reality of what has gone on in Iraq. They still think that the old central state is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-w-galbraith/there-are-people-who-haven-t-faced-the-reality-of-what-has-gone-on-in/) Peter W. Galbraith > [Everybody was on the same page. Nobody has really gone out there on a different musical journey. When we got back together again, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everybody-was-on-the-same-page-nobody-has-really-gone-out-there-on-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Paula McLain > [“There are some who said I should have fought harder or longer than I did for my marriage, but in the end fighting for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/there-are-some-who-said-i-should-have-fought-harder-or-longer-than-i/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [I hope we'll get lucky enough to grow old together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-hope-we-ll-get-lucky-enough-to-grow-old-together/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“That's what terrible, sordid situations did to you, made you act crazily, against your own truths, against yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/that-s-what-terrible-sordid-situations-did-to-you-made-you-act/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“He didn't know how love managed to be a garden one moment and war the next.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/he-didn-t-know-how-love-managed-to-be-a-garden-one-moment-and-war-the/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [Books could be an incredible adventure. I stayed under my blanket and barely moved, and no one would have guessed how my mind raced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/books-could-be-an-incredible-adventure-i-stayed-under-my-blanket-and/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [People belong to each other only as long as they both believe. He stopped believing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/people-belong-to-each-other-only-as-long-as-they-both-believe-he/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [I miss good old-fashioned honorable people just trying to make something of life. Simply, without hurting anyone else. I know that makes me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-miss-good-old-fashioned-honorable-people-just-trying-to-make/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [... and yet he could also be very charming, in a bookish, infinitely apologetic way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/and-yet-he-could-also-be-very-charming-in-a-bookish-infinitely/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“It was august. for years it was august … . there was heat like wet gauze and a high, white sky and music coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/it-was-august-for-years-it-was-august-there-was-heat-like-wet-gauze/) [Paula Mclain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“If you're ready to make the mad dash I'm game.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/if-you-re-ready-to-make-the-mad-dash-i-m-game/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“We knew what we had and what it meant, and though so much had happened since for both of us, there was nothing like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/we-knew-what-we-had-and-what-it-meant-and-though-so-much-had-happened/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“There are things I didn't see before, like how nice it is to have someone around. Not the white knight whisking you away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/there-are-things-i-didn-t-see-before-like-how-nice-it-is-to-have/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“That's obviously, isn't it?' she said. 'A hawk is always a hawk, except'- and here she raised on heavy eyebrow and gave a mysterious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/that-s-obviously-isn-t-it-she-said-a-hawk-is-always-a-hawk-except-and/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“I hope we’ll get lucky enough to grow old together. You see them on the street, those couples who’ve been married so long you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-hope-we-ll-get-lucky-enough-to-grow-old-together-you-see-them-on/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“It was terrible to feel so empty, as if I were nothing. Why couldn't I be happy? And just what was happines anyway?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/it-was-terrible-to-feel-so-empty-as-if-i-were-nothing-why-couldn-t-i/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) [Explore all 139 Paula McLain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) ## More Back together quotes > [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [Everybody was on the same page. Nobody has really gone out there on a different musical journey. When we got back together again, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everybody-was-on-the-same-page-nobody-has-really-gone-out-there-on-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People are always like, Why did you and husband Carey Hart get back together? Well, we weren't done. And now we have Willow, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pink/people-are-always-like-why-did-you-and-husband-carey-hart-get-back/) [Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pink/) > [I feel like a big faker because I've been putting my life back together, and nobody knows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/i-feel-like-a-big-faker-because-i-ve-been-putting-my-life-back/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [There are people who haven't faced the reality of what has gone on in Iraq. They still think that the old central state is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-w-galbraith/there-are-people-who-haven-t-faced-the-reality-of-what-has-gone-on-in/) Peter W. Galbraith > [It's really weird to be in more than one franchise because an actor's life is so nomadic, and so it's a real privilege to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cho/it-s-really-weird-to-be-in-more-than-one-franchise-because-an-actor-s/) [John Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cho/) > [You can usually tell when a couple becomes centered on each other because they are forever breaking up and getting back together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-covey/you-can-usually-tell-when-a-couple-becomes-centered-on-each-other/) [Sean Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-covey/) > [It's a gamble. A band like Kiss, a lot of those are our audience but we don't do as much make-up. Alice would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-a-gamble-a-band-like-kiss-a-lot-of-those-are-our-audience-but-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For the world is broken, sundered, busted down the middle, self ripped from self and man pasted back together as mythical monster, half angel,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walker-percy/for-the-world-is-broken-sundered-busted-down-the-middle-self-ripped/) [Walker Percy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walker-percy/) > [I stared hard, trying to find a pattern. Thinking if I kept looking hard enough, maybe the pieces of the world would fit back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-rifka-brunt/i-stared-hard-trying-to-find-a-pattern-thinking-if-i-kept-looking/) [Carol Rifka Brunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-rifka-brunt/) > [ \[In Bolivia\] We want to overcome our historical problems with Chile. The sea has divided us and the sea must bring us back together… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evo-morales/in-bolivia-we-want-to-overcome-our-historical-problems-with-chile-the/) [Evo Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evo-morales/) > [All I know is that I have two choices – stay wrapped in blankets and get on with dying, or get the list back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-downham/all-i-know-is-that-i-have-two-choices-stay-wrapped-in-blankets-and/) [Jenny Downham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-downham/) > [Here are the things I know for sure: When you think you’re right, you are most likely wrong. Things that break—be they bones, hearts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/here-are-the-things-i-know-for-sure-when-you-think-you-re-right-you/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [(T)he world is broken up into pieces, and...it's up to everyone to help put it all back together. 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It's two people that are there for each other and support each other and care about each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-kelly/see-that-s-the-thing-about-second-chances-it-s-two-people-that-are/) [Jacqueline Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-kelly/) Browse all 229 Back together quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It gave me a sharp kind of sadness to think that no matter how much I loved him and tried to put him back together again, he might stay broken forever.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paula McLain" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/it-gave-me-a-sharp-kind-of-sadness-to-think-that-no-matter-how-much-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Back together" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/it-gave-me-a-sharp-kind-of-sadness-to-think-that-no-matter-how-much-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/paula-mclain-3064_back-together_it-gave-me-a-sharp-kind-of-sadness-to-th_2674579.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/paula-mclain-3064_back-together_it-gave-me-a-sharp-kind-of-sadness-to-th_2674579.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c83/paula-mclain-3064_back-together_it-gave-me-a-sharp-kind-of-sadness-to-th_2674579.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It gave me a sharp kind of sadness to think that no matter how much I loved him and tried to put him back…” — Paula McLain", "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": "Paula McLain", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It gave me a sharp kind...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/it-gave-me-a-sharp-kind-of-sadness-to-think-that-no-matter-how-much-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/it-gave-me-a-sharp-kind-of-sadness-to-think-that-no-matter-how-much-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 } } ] } ```