--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We could go back to the time when we…" description: "\"We could go back to the time when we first met: a man in emotional tatters over someone who had left him, and a woman madly in love with her neighbor. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05c/paulo-coelho-10_bitter_we-could-go-back-to-the-time-when-we-fir_1624585.jpg" --- # We could go back to the time when we first met: a man in… ![“We could go back to the time when we first met: a man in emotional tatters over someone who had left him, and a woman madly in love with her neighbor. I could repeat what I said to you once: 'I'm going to fight to the bitter end.' Well, I fought and I lost, and now I'll just have to lick my wounds…” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05c/paulo-coelho-10_bitter_we-could-go-back-to-the-time-when-we-fir_1624585.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05c/paulo-coelho-10_bitter_we-could-go-back-to-the-time-when-we-fir_1624585.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/05c/paulo-coelho-10_bitter_we-could-go-back-to-the-time-when-we-fir_1624585.jpg) > “We could go back to the time when we first met: a man in emotional tatters over someone who had left him, and a woman madly in love with her neighbor. I could repeat what I said to you once: 'I'm going to fight to the bitter end.' Well, I fought and I lost, and now I'll just have to lick my wounds and leave.” [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. A lover reflects on a past relationship, expressing devotion and loss, and acknowledges defeat while moving forward. **In simple terms:** Love can be fierce and painful, yet we must heal. Key Takeaway Embrace love, accept loss, and heal. Themes love loss resilience heartbreak growth Mood melancholic hopeful Type literary emotional When to use this quote - therapy sessions - breakup support groups - personal journals Key Concepts unrequited love personal sacrifice emotional recovery Questions to Reflect On - What does “fight to the bitter end” teach about attachment? - How can one balance love and self‑preservation? A Different Perspective May romanticize suffering as noble. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitter/) [Bitter End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitter-end-318440/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Emotional Tatters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional-tatters-318439/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Fight Bitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight-bitter-318437/) [Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting/) [First met](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-met/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Fought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fought/) [Fought Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fought-lost-318438/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Madly in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madly-in-love/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mets/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Wounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wounds/) ## Related quotes > [As much as the South African racist regime is prepared to fight to the last man, so are we determined to fight to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winnie-madikizela-mandela/as-much-as-the-south-african-racist-regime-is-prepared-to-fight-to/) [Winnie Madikizela-Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winnie-madikizela-mandela/) > [“A man has to fight to the bitter end and then some more”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/a-man-has-to-fight-to-the-bitter-end-and-then-some-more/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [I stood up as best I could to their disgusting stupidity and brutality, but I did not, of course, manage to beat them at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-grosz/i-stood-up-as-best-i-could-to-their-disgusting-stupidity-and/) [George Grosz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-grosz/) > [Bisping will fight to the bitter end but does not love the fighting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-rockhold/bisping-will-fight-to-the-bitter-end-but-does-not-love-the-fighting/) [Luke Rockhold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-rockhold/) > [We need to remind ourselves of the kind of society of which we have dreamed for so long, for which we have fought, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-ramaphosa/we-need-to-remind-ourselves-of-the-kind-of-society-of-which-we-have/) [Cyril Ramaphosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-ramaphosa/) > [Sick of the saying You don't know what you had until it was gone.. What about I knew what I had the whole time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-h/sick-of-the-saying-you-don-t-know-what-you-had-until-it-was-gone-what/) [Miranda H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-h/) > [The public relations warriors fought and lost Monte Carlo's Battle of the Magazine Covers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-vinocur/the-public-relations-warriors-fought-and-lost-monte-carlo-s-battle-of/) [John Vinocur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-vinocur/) > [What voice did on my spirit fall, Peschiera, when thy bridge I crost? 'Tis better to have fought and lost That never to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hugh-clough/what-voice-did-on-my-spirit-fall-peschiera-when-thy-bridge-i-crost/) [Arthur Hugh Clough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hugh-clough/) > [“I fought and fought until I lost the battle, then I fought some more until I lost the war”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-mackin/i-fought-and-fought-until-i-lost-the-battle-then-i-fought-some-more/) [Dean Mackin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-mackin/) > [I will see this game of life out to its bitter end](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/i-will-see-this-game-of-life-out-to-its-bitter-end/) [Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/) > [Your hate will be your bitter end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dahvie-vanity/your-hate-will-be-your-bitter-end/) [Dahvie Vanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dahvie-vanity/) > [“Through thick and thin, we're brothers to the bitter end. And if you're going to hell, buddy, I'm driving the bus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/through-thick-and-thin-we-re-brothers-to-the-bitter-end-and-if-you-re/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“In order to avoid this bitter end, we would all have to be born again, and born with the knowledge of alternatives. Even then?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/in-order-to-avoid-this-bitter-end-we-would-all-have-to-be-born-again/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“All for a girl. But she wasn’t just any girl. She was mine. And I was hers. Until the bitter end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-halle/all-for-a-girl-but-she-wasn-t-just-any-girl-she-was-mine-and-i-was/) [Karina Halle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-halle/) > [Until the bitter end, the emptiness inside her was hers alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/until-the-bitter-end-the-emptiness-inside-her-was-hers-alone/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## 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. 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The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Troy was a sweet, good man. We just were never destined to be married. We just didn't have the same values. But I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-pleshette/troy-was-a-sweet-good-man-we-just-were-never-destined-to-be-married/) [Suzanne Pleshette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-pleshette/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. 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Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word, then I know nothing of Calvary love. For a cup brimful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-carmichael/if-a-sudden-jar-can-cause-me-to-speak-an-impatient-unloving-word-then/) [Amy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-carmichael/) [Browse all 1,923 Bitter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitter/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We could go back to the time when we first met: a man in emotional tatters over someone who had left him, and a woman madly in love with her neighbor. I could repeat what I said to you once: 'I'm going to fight to the bitter end.' 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