--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Such narrowly missed human connection as…" description: "\"“Such narrowly missed human connection as this can in fact be fatal, no matter who's at fault, and often results in unrecoverable free fall and a too-h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57d/richard-ford-2097_human-connection_such-narrowly-missed-human-connection-as_1318345.png" --- # Such narrowly missed human connection as this can in fact… ![“Such narrowly missed human connection as this can in fact be fatal, no matter who's at fault, and often results in unrecoverable free fall and a too-hasty conclusion that 'the whole goddamn thing's not worth bothering with or it wouldn't be so goddamn confusing all the goddamn time,' after which…” quote by Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57d/richard-ford-2097_human-connection_such-narrowly-missed-human-connection-as_1318345.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57d/richard-ford-2097_human-connection_such-narrowly-missed-human-connection-as_1318345.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57d/richard-ford-2097_human-connection_such-narrowly-missed-human-connection-as_1318345.png) > ““Such narrowly missed human connection as this can in fact be fatal, no matter who's at fault, and often results in unrecoverable free fall and a too-hasty conclusion that 'the whole goddamn thing's not worth bothering with or it wouldn't be so goddamn confusing all the goddamn time,' after which one party (or both) just wanders off and never thinks to look toward the other again. Such is the iffiness of romance.”” [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Failed intimacy can lead to emotional collapse and a belief that relationships are futile **In simple terms:** Missing connection feels deadly and discouraging Key Takeaway Recognize and address relational gaps early Themes romance communication misunderstanding Mood cynical reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - dating - friendships - marriage counseling Key Concepts emotional isolation fatalism relationship dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What makes you assume a connection is irreparable? - How can you reframe a painful breakup? A Different Perspective Not all disconnections are fatal; effort can rebuild trust ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human connection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-connection/) [Romance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romance/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I'm a two-time Olympian, but on the front and back end of both of those were two Olympics where I narrowly missed making the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-bleiler/i-m-a-two-time-olympian-but-on-the-front-and-back-end-of-both-of/) [Gretchen Bleiler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-bleiler/) > [“A free fall from joy to.. Truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-stone/a-free-fall-from-joy-to-truth/) Katherine Stone > [“Sometimes you just don't know what's going to happen, exactly. And that's because sometimes you just don't have control over circumstances in your life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/sometimes-you-just-don-t-know-what-s-going-to-happen-exactly-and-that/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/sufficient-to-have-stood-though-free-to-fall/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [“You tried to teach me this years ago, how getting to the good stuff required a free fall into the unknown, that that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-reed/you-tried-to-teach-me-this-years-ago-how-getting-to-the-good-stuff/) [Deborah Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-reed/) > [There are people who have too much space between their ears, and given the time, do nothing but free fall forever inside their head.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-st-james/there-are-people-who-have-too-much-space-between-their-ears-and-given/) [James St. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-st-james/) > [“Her mood was suddenly in free fall, a state she knew all too well. A heaviness inside. A hollow loneliness. A need to either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mckay/her-mood-was-suddenly-in-free-fall-a-state-she-knew-all-too-well-a/) [Hilary McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mckay/) > [ “\[...\] when you know, you know. And you don't fight it. You don;t deny the inevitable. You free fall because you know there's someone… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-l-jennings/when-you-know-you-know-and-you-don-t-fight-it-you-don-t-deny-the/) [S.L. Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-l-jennings/) > [Once you depart from the Ten Commandments as being the foundation of right and wrong, you are in a free fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-terry/once-you-depart-from-the-ten-commandments-as-being-the-foundation-of/) [Randall Terry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-terry/) > [“The first impression scares the shit out of me, but it’s breathtaking, too, like when you push off a cliff and feel the wind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-aguirre/the-first-impression-scares-the-shit-out-of-me-but-it-s-breathtaking/) [Ann Aguirre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-aguirre/) > [Writing is a kind of free fall that you then go back and edit and shape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-gurganus/writing-is-a-kind-of-free-fall-that-you-then-go-back-and-edit-and/) [Allan Gurganus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-gurganus/) > [I was a pilot and flying hang gliders, paragliders, aerobatics airplanes, and then I discovered skydiving. Free fall. Free. With nothing around you, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-rossy/i-was-a-pilot-and-flying-hang-gliders-paragliders-aerobatics/) [Yves Rossy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-rossy/) > [“The moment when kite becomes free, it will fall down!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/the-moment-when-kite-becomes-free-it-will-fall-down/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“...The mockingbird took a single step into the air and dropped. His wings were still folded against his sides as though he were singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-mockingbird-took-a-single-step-into-the-air-and-dropped-his-wings/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“The whole organization seemed to be in free fall, indulging in a collective fantasy in which experienced colleagues refused to admit that their every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-whole-organization-seemed-to-be-in-free-fall-indulging-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Richard Ford > [Something will be there when the flood recedes. We know that. It will be those people now standing in the water, and on those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/something-will-be-there-when-the-flood-recedes-we-know-that-it-will/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [If you lose all hope, you can always find it again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/if-you-lose-all-hope-you-can-always-find-it-again/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [I started reading literature at 17 or 18, and I felt this extra beat to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-started-reading-literature-at-17-or-18-and-i-felt-this-extra-beat/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [I don't hate children. My wife and I just didn't think we would be good parents, and also by the time we got married…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-don-t-hate-children-my-wife-and-i-just-didn-t-think-we-would-be/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [Writing never came naturally and I still have to force my hand to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/writing-never-came-naturally-and-i-still-have-to-force-my-hand-to-do/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“Conversations with adults other than a person's parents had more of an outcome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/conversations-with-adults-other-than-a-person-s-parents-had-more-of/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [Some people want to be bank presidents. Other people want to rob banks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/some-people-want-to-be-bank-presidents-other-people-want-to-rob-banks/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [In order to write novels for a living - it's not pathological, but I do think and worry and brood and fidget about stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/in-order-to-write-novels-for-a-living-it-s-not-pathological-but-i-do/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [There are more people in America that love guns and want guns for themselves and everyone else than there are not. It is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/there-are-more-people-in-america-that-love-guns-and-want-guns-for/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [That said, being dyslexic, I wasn't a great reader when I was kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/that-said-being-dyslexic-i-wasn-t-a-great-reader-when-i-was-kid/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [I'm an equal opportunity reader - although I don't much read plays. And since I was raised a Presbyterian, pretty much all pleasures are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-m-an-equal-opportunity-reader-although-i-don-t-much-read-plays-and/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [The pace of life feels morally dangerous to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/the-pace-of-life-feels-morally-dangerous-to-me/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“to sit in the empty stands of a Florida ball park and hear the sounds of glove leather and chatter;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/to-sit-in-the-empty-stands-of-a-florida-ball-park-and-hear-the-sounds/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“And what there is to learn from almost any human experience is that your own interests usually do not come first where other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/and-what-there-is-to-learn-from-almost-any-human-experience-is-that/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“It was on such a night as this that the unhappy things came about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/it-was-on-such-a-night-as-this-that-the-unhappy-things-came-about/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) [Explore all 184 Richard Ford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) ## More Human connection quotes > [I love using the latest technologies to make life more efficient, but I don't want to advocate that technology replaces the need to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-webb/i-love-using-the-latest-technologies-to-make-life-more-efficient-but/) [Maynard Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-webb/) > [Whatever your supposed politics are - left, right - if you put it in a human connection, most people will rise to the occasion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/whatever-your-supposed-politics-are-left-right-if-you-put-it-in-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“We live in the most ‘connected’ time ever… yet loneliness is everywhere.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roche-uccello/we-live-in-the-most-connected-time-ever-yet-loneliness-is-everywhere/) [Roche Uccello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roche-uccello/) > [ If I had a worldview, and I don’t know if I do, but if I did, it’s one that’s intensely humanistic. \[That worldview\] is… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-kripke/if-i-had-a-worldview-and-i-don-t-know-if-i-do-but-if-i-did-it-s-one/) [Eric Kripke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-kripke/) > [I talked to a lot of people about what makes a good weekend, and discovered a few common threads: human connection, play, interaction with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-onstad/i-talked-to-a-lot-of-people-about-what-makes-a-good-weekend-and/) [Katrina Onstad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-onstad/) > [“You cannot force a person to see you as someone they want to open up to; you cannot force a person to see you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/you-cannot-force-a-person-to-see-you-as-someone-they-want-to-open-up/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [“Desperately wanting God's kingdom to come, we lead with the law, like a sixteen-year-old girl who thought a Bible on a desk corner would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-hatmaker/desperately-wanting-god-s-kingdom-to-come-we-lead-with-the-law-like-a/) [Jen Hatmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-hatmaker/) > [Human communication, 'as the saying goes, is a clash of symbols' it covers a multitude of signs. But it is more than media and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/human-communication-as-the-saying-goes-is-a-clash-of-symbols-it/) [Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/) > [“Corporate anthropologist Karen Stephenson argues that though trust is the natural glue of human connection since prehistoric times, it is mostly absent in modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-marie-slaughter/corporate-anthropologist-karen-stephenson-argues-that-though-trust-is/) [Anne-Marie Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-marie-slaughter/) > [Tech is all about building human connections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padmasree-warrior/tech-is-all-about-building-human-connections/) [Padmasree Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padmasree-warrior/) > [“Never underestimate the empowering effect of human connection. All you need is that one person, who understands you completely, believes in you and makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drishti-bablani-wordions/never-underestimate-the-empowering-effect-of-human-connection-all-you/) [Drishti Bablani, Wordions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drishti-bablani-wordions/) > [“Show up for collective moments of joy and pain so we can actually bear witness to inextricable human connection. Women and men with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/show-up-for-collective-moments-of-joy-and-pain-so-we-can-actually/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [I really love the independent movies and I just think that sometimes when they throw a lot of money into it and a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-seymour/i-really-love-the-independent-movies-and-i-just-think-that-sometimes/) [Jane Seymour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-seymour/) > [“God does Love Us and does meet the needs of each and every one of us through Attending Angels. Those Angelic deeds are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-d-longoria-jr/god-does-love-us-and-does-meet-the-needs-of-each-and-every-one-of-us/) [Raymond D. Longoria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-d-longoria-jr/) > [“A hug is a display of love that begins on the physical end of the spectrum but bleeds into the emotional end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-holden/a-hug-is-a-display-of-love-that-begins-on-the-physical-end-of-the/) [Kim Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-holden/) [Browse all 125 Human connection quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-connection/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Such narrowly missed human connection as this can in fact be fatal, no matter who's at fault, and often results in unrecoverable free fall and a too-hasty conclusion that 'the whole goddamn thing's not worth bothering with or it wouldn't be so goddamn confusing all the goddamn time,' after which one party (or both) just wanders off and never thinks to look toward the other again. 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