--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He that outlives a wife whom he has long…" description: "\"He that outlives a wife whom he has long loved, sees himself disjoined from the only mind that has the same hopes, and fears, and interest; from the on..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/samuel-johnson-50_action_he-that-outlives-a-wife-whom-he-has-long_2320688.jpg" --- # He that outlives a wife whom he has long loved, sees… ![“He that outlives a wife whom he has long loved, sees himself disjoined from the only mind that has the same hopes, and fears, and interest; from the only companion with whom he has shared much good and evil; and with whom he could set his mind at liberty, to retrace the past or anticipate the…” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/samuel-johnson-50_action_he-that-outlives-a-wife-whom-he-has-long_2320688.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/samuel-johnson-50_action_he-that-outlives-a-wife-whom-he-has-long_2320688.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/samuel-johnson-50_action_he-that-outlives-a-wife-whom-he-has-long_2320688.jpg) > “He that outlives a wife whom he has long loved, sees himself disjoined from the only mind that has the same hopes, and fears, and interest; from the only companion with whom he has shared much good and evil; and with whom he could set his mind at liberty, to retrace the past or anticipate the future. The continuity of being is lacerated; the settled course of sentiment and action is stopped; and life stands suspended and motionless.” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Losing a beloved partner shatters one's sense of shared purpose and continuity, leaving life feeling halted and empty. **In simple terms:** Loss of a spouse disrupts shared hopes and life feels paused. Key Takeaway Recognize grief and seek new connections. Themes grief loss identity continuity Mood sad reflective Type philosophical emotional When to use this quote - widowhood - midlife crisis - mental health counseling - support groups Key Concepts existentialism attachment theory Questions to Reflect On - How can one rebuild a sense of shared purpose after loss? - What practices help restore personal continuity? A Different Perspective Healing takes time; new purpose must be cultivated. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Anticipate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anticipate/) [Companion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companion/) [Continuity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/continuity/) [Courses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courses/) [Disjoined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disjoined-5546823/) [Disjoined Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disjoined-mind-5546820/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Good and evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-and-evil/) [Hopes and fears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hopes-and-fears/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberty/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Mind Liberty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-liberty-823243/) [Outlives Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outlives-wife-5546822/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Sees Disjoined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sees-disjoined-5546821/) [Sentiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentiments/) [Suspended](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suspended/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Widowed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/widowed/) [Widowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/widowers/) [Widowhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/widowhood/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) ## Related quotes > [Writing, for me, has to do with liberty of mind. 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Widows often don't, because it makes their lives harder. \[p. 61\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/widowers-marry-again-because-it-makes-their-lives-easier-widows-often/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [In a study we did of bereavement, we found that rather impressive numbers of widows and widowers had not simply gone back to their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/in-a-study-we-did-of-bereavement-we-found-that-rather-impressive/) [Irvin D. 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Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/resolve-not-to-be-poor-whatever-you-have-spend-less-poverty-is-a/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The basis of all excellence is truth: he that professes love ought to feel its power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-basis-of-all-excellence-is-truth-he-that-professes-love-ought-to/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Words are daughters of earth but ideas are sons of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/words-are-daughters-of-earth-but-ideas-are-sons-of-heaven/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The cherubim were never intended as an object of worship, because they were only the appendices to another thing. 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