--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But they had already tried, again and…" description: "\"“But they had already tried, again and again and again, and always, when the first crashing wave of mutual longing subsided, the ugly wreck of the past..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af0/robert-galbraith-3411_longing_but-they-had-already-tried-again-and-aga_3190365.jpg" --- # But they had already tried, again and again and again, and… ![“But they had already tried, again and again and again, and always, when the first crashing wave of mutual longing subsided, the ugly wreck of the past lay revealed again, its shadow lying darkly over everything they tried to rebuild.” quote by robert galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af0/robert-galbraith-3411_longing_but-they-had-already-tried-again-and-aga_3190365.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af0/robert-galbraith-3411_longing_but-they-had-already-tried-again-and-aga_3190365.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af0/robert-galbraith-3411_longing_but-they-had-already-tried-again-and-aga_3190365.jpg) > ““But they had already tried, again and again and again, and always, when the first crashing wave of mutual longing subsided, the ugly wreck of the past lay revealed again, its shadow lying darkly over everything they tried to rebuild.”” [robert galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Repeated attempts to rebuild after loss are thwarted by lingering past trauma, showing how unresolved grief can dominate new beginnings. **In simple terms:** Past pain can ruin fresh starts. Key Takeaway Address old wounds before moving forward. Themes grief memory rebuilding Mood somber introspective Type literary emotional When to use this quote - therapy sessions - relationship counseling - creative projects - personal growth Key Concepts psychology trauma relationship dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How does past trauma affect current relationships? - What steps help release lingering shadows? A Different Perspective Healing may be slow and non‑linear. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Darkly Tried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkly-tried-5883159/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) [Longing Subsided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing-subsided-5883161/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Mutual Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mutual-longing-5883158/) [Nostalgia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgia/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) [Subsided Ugly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subsided-ugly-5883160/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“He took hold of Jack’s collar and bent down for a kiss. With each stroke of his tongue he thought, This is ours. 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It's Marvell's drop of dew wanting to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-don-t-know-why-but-you-know-you-have-to-go-home-it-s-an-eternal/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“I walk with a dual longing for life and for death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-lee-houghton/i-walk-with-a-dual-longing-for-life-and-for-death/) [Melissa Lee-Houghton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-lee-houghton/) > [“…The truth: dreaming is lonely the further away the closer to this one time No one has held me for so long Days stitch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angkarn-chanthathip/the-truth-dreaming-is-lonely-the-further-away-the-closer-to-this-one/) [Angkarn Chanthathip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angkarn-chanthathip/) > [The orgasm has replaced the Cross as the focus of longing and the image of fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/the-orgasm-has-replaced-the-cross-as-the-focus-of-longing-and-the/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [“How sad, he thought, that desire found new objects but did not abate, that when it came to longing there was no end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/how-sad-he-thought-that-desire-found-new-objects-but-did-not-abate/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [If we really face our sadness, we find it speaks with the voice of our deepest longing. And if we face it a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kingsley/if-we-really-face-our-sadness-we-find-it-speaks-with-the-voice-of-our/) [Peter Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kingsley/) > [To show a longing for anything that one cannot have, for instance, is not a clever position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/to-show-a-longing-for-anything-that-one-cannot-have-for-instance-is/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I can negate everything of that part of me that lives on vague nostalgias, except this desire for unity, this longing to solve, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-can-negate-everything-of-that-part-of-me-that-lives-on-vague/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Longing is like a seed that wrestles in the ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/longing-is-like-a-seed-that-wrestles-in-the-ground/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [It (taking photographs) is all about longingwithout longing-no pictures at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-petersen/it-taking-photographs-is-all-about-longingwithout-longing-no-pictures/) [Anders Petersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-petersen/) > [Could it be in longing we are most ourselves?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/could-it-be-in-longing-we-are-most-ourselves/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [Sometimes it has to do with other longings that are much more existential. Sometimes you go elsewhere not because you are not liking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/sometimes-it-has-to-do-with-other-longings-that-are-much-more/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“Haunted by the longing to feel something real, deep and magical; I searched for a shared ecstasy... that's when you came along.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebo-grand/haunted-by-the-longing-to-feel-something-real-deep-and-magical-i/) [Lebo Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebo-grand/) ## More by robert galbraith > [“Instinct was clawing at him like an importuning dog.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/instinct-was-clawing-at-him-like-an-importuning-dog/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [“Hard to remember these days that there was a time you had to wait for the ink and paper reviews to see your work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/hard-to-remember-these-days-that-there-was-a-time-you-had-to-wait-for/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [“it was weird. Would you believe it if some supermodel called you up and told you she was your sister?’ Strike thought of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/it-was-weird-would-you-believe-it-if-some-supermodel-called-you-up/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [“Strike was used to playing archaeologist among the ruins of people’s traumatised memories;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/strike-was-used-to-playing-archaeologist-among-the-ruins-of-people-s/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [“The model? Whoa.' But Spanner's interest in human beings, even when dead or famous, was still secondary to his fondness for rare comics, technological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/the-model-whoa-but-spanner-s-interest-in-human-beings-even-when-dead/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [“The whole world's writing novels, but nobody's reading them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/the-whole-world-s-writing-novels-but-nobody-s-reading-them/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [“Looking like a rake with two plastic tangerines tied to it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/looking-like-a-rake-with-two-plastic-tangerines-tied-to-it/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [“so he sat smoking on the sofa with the lower trouser leg hanging empty towards the floor, lost in thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/so-he-sat-smoking-on-the-sofa-with-the-lower-trouser-leg-hanging/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [“People liked to talk; there were very few exceptions, the question was how you made them do it. Some were amenable to alcohol; others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/people-liked-to-talk-there-were-very-few-exceptions-the-question-was/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [“Can I ask who you are, sir?" "Yeah, I expect so," said Strike, walking past him and ringing the doorbell. Anstis's dinner invitation notwithstanding,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/can-i-ask-who-you-are-sir-yeah-i-expect-so-said-strike-walking-past/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [“With the invention of the internet, any subliterate cretin can be Michiko Kakutani.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/with-the-invention-of-the-internet-any-subliterate-cretin-can-be/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [“She is a woman of an excellent assurance, and an extraordinary happy wit, and tongue. Ben Jonson, Epicoene, or The Silent Woman”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/she-is-a-woman-of-an-excellent-assurance-and-an-extraordinary-happy/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [“Forever encased in the amber of a writer's prose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/forever-encased-in-the-amber-of-a-writer-s-prose/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [“...writers are a savage breed, Mr. Strike. If you want life-long friendship and selfless camaraderie, join the army and learn to kill. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/writers-are-a-savage-breed-mr-strike-if-you-want-life-long-friendship/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) > [“mythomania, her need to provoke, to taunt, to test.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/mythomania-her-need-to-provoke-to-taunt-to-test/) [Robert Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) [Explore all 130 robert galbraith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/) ## More Longing quotes > [At the centre of the human heart is the longing for an absolute good, a longing which is always there and is never appeased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/at-the-centre-of-the-human-heart-is-the-longing-for-an-absolute-good/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [“Haunted by the longing to feel something real, deep and magical; I searched for a shared ecstasy... that's when you came along.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebo-grand/haunted-by-the-longing-to-feel-something-real-deep-and-magical-i/) [Lebo Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebo-grand/) > [Sometimes it has to do with other longings that are much more existential. Sometimes you go elsewhere not because you are not liking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/sometimes-it-has-to-do-with-other-longings-that-are-much-more/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [Could it be in longing we are most ourselves?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/could-it-be-in-longing-we-are-most-ourselves/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [Tireless passion, fierce jealousy, longing to possess and crush-these alone were left of all his love for Rosalind; these remained to him as payment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/tireless-passion-fierce-jealousy-longing-to-possess-and-crush-these/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“She pretended not to notice the look of longing in his eyes. It didn’t mean anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-o-brien/she-pretended-not-to-notice-the-look-of-longing-in-his-eyes-it-didn-t/) [Kevin O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-o-brien/) > [The artist's experience lies so unbelievably close to the sexual, to its pain and its pleasure, that the two phenomena are really just different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/the-artist-s-experience-lies-so-unbelievably-close-to-the-sexual-to/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [“My only enemy is the miles of distance that's there between us, my favorite place is the road that leads me to you -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jyoti-patel/my-only-enemy-is-the-miles-of-distance-that-s-there-between-us-my/) [Jyoti Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jyoti-patel/) > [The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sense-that-in-this-universe-we-are-treated-as-strangers-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [By the time they were pulling into the parking lot of the A&P, the mood was fading, the moment gone. Amy could feel it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/by-the-time-they-were-pulling-into-the-parking-lot-of-the-a-p-the/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [But I still has enough longing for that concept that I didn't want to dispel it completely. Meaning: I didn't want to tell Lily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/but-i-still-has-enough-longing-for-that-concept-that-i-didn-t-want-to/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [Do the kind of things that come from the heart, When you do, you won't be dissatisfied, you won't be envious, you won't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-the-kind-of-things-that-come-from-the-heart-when-you-do-you-won-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“And how do you really feel? Like I'll never recover. Like I'll never draw another breath without half of it being a wish for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-seville/and-how-do-you-really-feel-like-i-ll-never-recover-like-i-ll-never/) [Jane Seville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-seville/) > [The future teachers I try to recruit are those show have refused to let themselves be neutered in this way, either in their private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kozol/the-future-teachers-i-try-to-recruit-are-those-show-have-refused-to/) [Jonathan Kozol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-kozol/) > [The greatest tales, well told, awaken the fears and longings of the listeners. Each man hears a different story. Each is touched by it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-marillier/the-greatest-tales-well-told-awaken-the-fears-and-longings-of-the/) [Juliet Marillier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-marillier/) [Browse all 2,553 Longing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But they had already tried, again and again and again, and always, when the first crashing wave of mutual longing subsided, the ugly wreck of the past lay revealed again, its shadow lying darkly over everything they tried to rebuild.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "robert galbraith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/but-they-had-already-tried-again-and-again-and-again-and-always-when/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Longing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/but-they-had-already-tried-again-and-again-and-again-and-always-when/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af0/robert-galbraith-3411_longing_but-they-had-already-tried-again-and-aga_3190365.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af0/robert-galbraith-3411_longing_but-they-had-already-tried-again-and-aga_3190365.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af0/robert-galbraith-3411_longing_but-they-had-already-tried-again-and-aga_3190365.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But they had already tried, again and again and again, and always, when the first crashing wave of mutual…” — robert galbraith", "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": "robert galbraith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-galbraith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But they had already tried, again...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/but-they-had-already-tried-again-and-again-and-again-and-always-when/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-galbraith/but-they-had-already-tried-again-and-again-and-again-and-always-when/#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 } } ] } ```