--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not knowing whether to wait or to forget…" description: "\"Not knowing whether to wait or to forget is the worst kind of suffering.\" — Paulo Coelho" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/paulo-coelho-10_forget_not-knowing-whether-to-wait-or-to-forget_2710141.jpg" --- # Not knowing whether to wait or to forget is the worst kind… ![“Not knowing whether to wait or to forget is the worst kind of suffering.” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/paulo-coelho-10_forget_not-knowing-whether-to-wait-or-to-forget_2710141.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/paulo-coelho-10_forget_not-knowing-whether-to-wait-or-to-forget_2710141.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/paulo-coelho-10_forget_not-knowing-whether-to-wait-or-to-forget_2710141.jpg) > “Not knowing whether to wait or to forget is the worst kind of suffering.” [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Indecision between waiting and forgetting causes deep suffering and emotional turmoil. **In simple terms:** Uncertainty brings suffering. Key Takeaway Choose a path, let go. Themes emotions decision suffering Mood reflective melancholic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - career choices - personal growth Key Concepts mindfulness letting go Questions to Reflect On - What are you waiting to forget? - How can you move forward? A Different Perspective Avoiding decision may prolong pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ## Related quotes > [But how to explain suffering because of a man? It's not explainable. With that kind of suffering, a person feels as if they're in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/but-how-to-explain-suffering-because-of-a-man-it-s-not-explainable/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To be forgotten by the one to whom you never forget is the worst thing that ever happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-forgotten-by-the-one-to-whom-you-never-forget-is-the-worst-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“To be forgotten by the one to whom you never forget is the worst thing ever happens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubair-ahmed/to-be-forgotten-by-the-one-to-whom-you-never-forget-is-the-worst/) Zubair Ahmed > [There are times in your life that you have to live without the things you really want and you do so knowing that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-times-in-your-life-that-you-have-to-live-without-the-things/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The worst feeling ever is not knowing whether you should wait or give up...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-worst-feeling-ever-is-not-knowing-whether-you-should-wait-or-give/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Patience is knowing you can wait for good things to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/patience-is-knowing-you-can-wait-for-good-things-to-happen/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [One of the worst feeling ever is not knowing whether you should wait or give up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/one-of-the-worst-feeling-ever-is-not-knowing-whether-you-should-wait/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Waiting and forgetting are painful. but not knowing whether to wait or forget is the worst kind of suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/waiting-and-forgetting-are-painful-but-not-knowing-whether-to-wait-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is often said that having gone through any kind of suffering tends to makes you appreciate life more and live more in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-baggini/it-is-often-said-that-having-gone-through-any-kind-of-suffering-tends/) [Julian Baggini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-baggini/) > [Is suffering so very serious? ...I'm referring to the kind of suffering a man inflicts on a woman or a woman on a man.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidonie-gabrielle-colette/is-suffering-so-very-serious-i-m-referring-to-the-kind-of-suffering-a/) [Sidonie Gabrielle Colette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidonie-gabrielle-colette/) > [“... money should not be spent according to what the West considers the most dramatic kind of suffering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-easterly/money-should-not-be-spent-according-to-what-the-west-considers-the/) [William Easterly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-easterly/) > [“Letting him go There is a particular kind of suffering to be experienced when you love something greater than yourself. A tender sacrifice. Like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lang-leav/letting-him-go-there-is-a-particular-kind-of-suffering-to-be/) [Lang Leav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lang-leav/) > [“Anyhow, I had found something out about an unknown privation, and I realized how a general love or craving, before it is explicit or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/anyhow-i-had-found-something-out-about-an-unknown-privation-and-i/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Is suffering so very serious? I have come to doubt it. It may be quite childish, a sort of undignified pastime I'm referring to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidonie-gabrielle-colette/is-suffering-so-very-serious-i-have-come-to-doubt-it-it-may-be-quite/) [Sidonie Gabrielle Colette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidonie-gabrielle-colette/) > [“Dukkha is not the self-inflicted stress of a technology executive; it’s the real stuff, the kind of suffering that merits the Pali word’s original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-michaelson/dukkha-is-not-the-self-inflicted-stress-of-a-technology-executive-it/) [Jay Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-michaelson/) ## More by Paulo Coelho > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Love will never separate a man from his personal legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-will-never-separate-a-man-from-his-personal-legend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/to-love-is-to-be-in-communion-with-the-other-and-to-discover-in-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Eat when it is time to eat. And walk when it is time to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/eat-when-it-is-time-to-eat-and-walk-when-it-is-time-to-walk/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Trudi se da zivis, sjecanja su za starije ljude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/trudi-se-da-zivis-sjecanja-su-za-starije-ljude/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [She didn't need to understand the meaning of life; it was enough to find someone who did, and then fall asleep in his arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-didn-t-need-to-understand-the-meaning-of-life-it-was-enough-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The simpler the pose, the better; the more sober, the more beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-simpler-the-pose-the-better-the-more-sober-the-more-beautiful/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) [Explore all 3,665 Paulo Coelho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More Forget quotes > [I Never met her,i never talked to her,but in my whole day I am either thinking about her or trying to forget her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhananda/i-never-met-her-i-never-talked-to-her-but-in-my-whole-day-i-am-either/) [Subhananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhananda/) > [What people tend to forget is the journey that I had getting to Formula One. There were plenty of years where I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hamilton/what-people-tend-to-forget-is-the-journey-that-i-had-getting-to/) [Lewis Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hamilton/) > [Once upon a time. Ah forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-upon-a-time-ah-forget-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forget the credit, they (male actors) take all the money as well. We don't get paid even one-third of what male actors get. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kangana-ranaut/forget-the-credit-they-male-actors-take-all-the-money-as-well-we-don/) [Kangana Ranaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kangana-ranaut/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/your-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-doesn-t-it-simply-files-things/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Which people take the time to care for their souls, these days? I reckon not many. But...hear this: I think that maybe in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-fletcher/which-people-take-the-time-to-care-for-their-souls-these-days-i/) [Susan Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-fletcher/) > [The problem with people is they forget that most of the time it's the small things that count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/the-problem-with-people-is-they-forget-that-most-of-the-time-it-s-the/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [Remind a man of what he remembers, and you will make him forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/remind-a-man-of-what-he-remembers-and-you-will-make-him-forget-it/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [“So you try, and try, to move past it and forget about them, but it's like they're stuck in your head -- you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-mcdonald/so-you-try-and-try-to-move-past-it-and-forget-about-them-but-it-s/) [Abby McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-mcdonald/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [People are disturbed not by things but by the view they take of them. They may forget what you said, but they will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/people-are-disturbed-not-by-things-but-by-the-view-they-take-of-them/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [I don't think people will ever forget I was an 'Angel,' anymore than they'll forget Sally Field was 'The Flying Nun.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-ladd/i-don-t-think-people-will-ever-forget-i-was-an-angel-anymore-than/) [Cheryl Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-ladd/) > [If God knows me I will never forget him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trunxbeats/if-god-knows-me-i-will-never-forget-him/) Trunxbeats > [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) Browse all 11,315 Forget quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Not knowing whether to wait or to forget is the worst kind of suffering.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paulo Coelho" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/not-knowing-whether-to-wait-or-to-forget-is-the-worst-kind-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Forget" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/not-knowing-whether-to-wait-or-to-forget-is-the-worst-kind-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/paulo-coelho-10_forget_not-knowing-whether-to-wait-or-to-forget_2710141.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/paulo-coelho-10_forget_not-knowing-whether-to-wait-or-to-forget_2710141.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/622/paulo-coelho-10_forget_not-knowing-whether-to-wait-or-to-forget_2710141.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Not knowing whether to wait or to forget is the worst kind of suffering.” — Paulo Coelho", "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": "Paulo Coelho", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Not knowing whether to wait or...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/not-knowing-whether-to-wait-or-to-forget-is-the-worst-kind-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/not-knowing-whether-to-wait-or-to-forget-is-the-worst-kind-of/#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 } } ] } ```