--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She'd assumed she'd be married and have…" description: "\"She'd assumed she'd be married and have kids by this age, that she would be grooming her own daughter for this, as her friends were doing. She wanted i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/sarah-addison-allen-810_age_she-d-assumed-she-d-be-married-and-have_921412.png" --- # She'd assumed she'd be married and have kids by this age… ![“She'd assumed she'd be married and have kids by this age, that she would be grooming her own daughter for this, as her friends were doing. She wanted it so much she would dream about it sometimes, and then she would wake up with the skin at her wrists and neck red from the scratchy lace of the…” quote by Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/sarah-addison-allen-810_age_she-d-assumed-she-d-be-married-and-have_921412.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/sarah-addison-allen-810_age_she-d-assumed-she-d-be-married-and-have_921412.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/sarah-addison-allen-810_age_she-d-assumed-she-d-be-married-and-have_921412.png) > “She'd assumed she'd be married and have kids by this age, that she would be grooming her own daughter for this, as her friends were doing. She wanted it so much she would dream about it sometimes, and then she would wake up with the skin at her wrists and neck red from the scratchy lace of the wedding gown she'd dreamed of wearing. But she'd never felt anything for the men she'd dated, nothing beyond her own desperation. And her desire to marry wasn't strong enough, would never be strong enough, to allow her to marry a man she didn't love.” [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator longs for marriage, dreaming of a wedding gown, yet lacks genuine love, highlighting the conflict between societal expectations and authentic desire. **In simple terms:** She dreams of marriage but lacks real love. Key Takeaway Seek authentic connections over idealized expectations. Themes love expectations identity desire societal pressure Mood hopeful conflicted Type personal emotional When to use this quote - Dating choices - Therapy sessions - Personal journaling - Friendship support Key Concepts Romantic idealism Self‑discovery Emotional authenticity Questions to Reflect On - What does true love mean to you? - How can you balance dreams with reality? A Different Perspective Romantic pressure can cause emotional distress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Being married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-married/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Daughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daughter/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Desperation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desperation/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Grooming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grooming/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Red](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/red/) [Strong enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-enough/) [Wake up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wake-up/) ## Related quotes > [“Imagine all of L.A. filled with windup men wandering empty-headed and waiting for orders and directions and purpose. 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Jayachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-jayachandran/) > [It would have been convenient to be gay. Just because of the grooming, the narcissism, stuff like that. But I have this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-brand/it-would-have-been-convenient-to-be-gay-just-because-of-the-grooming/) [Russell Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-brand/) > [People used to think I was so strange because my toiletry bag used to contain so many grooming items and cosmetics and stuff. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-youngquest/people-used-to-think-i-was-so-strange-because-my-toiletry-bag-used-to/) [Nick Youngquest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-youngquest/) > [If I could only have one grooming tool, it would be floss. I don't want to have broken Cheetos in my teeth. To protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-van-ness/if-i-could-only-have-one-grooming-tool-it-would-be-floss-i-don-t-want/) [Jonathan Van Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-van-ness/) ## More by Sarah Addison Allen > [“It feels like he's taken your heart, doesn't it?…Like he's reached in and pulled it out from you. And I bet he smiles like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/it-feels-like-he-s-taken-your-heart-doesn-t-it-like-he-s-reached-in/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [“Sitting at the old patio table she’d cleared of leaves, she smiled and leaned back. The stars looked twisted in the limbs of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/sitting-at-the-old-patio-table-she-d-cleared-of-leaves-she-smiled-and/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [Nothing is really broke, so it's not like I can fix it. 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You can't live with them, you can't shoot them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/men-you-can-t-live-with-them-you-can-t-shoot-them/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [“After awhile, all the men wanted his opinion, and all the girls were in love with him. He made certain of it. Because he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/after-awhile-all-the-men-wanted-his-opinion-and-all-the-girls-were-in/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [People adapt. People change. You can grow where you're planted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/people-adapt-people-change-you-can-grow-where-you-re-planted/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [“She wasn’t sure exactly when it happened when she had realized that she could only make one of them happy. 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He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. 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That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "She'd assumed she'd be married and have kids by this age, that she would be grooming her own daughter for this, as her friends were doing. She wanted it so much she would dream about it sometimes, and then she would wake up with the skin at her wrists and neck red from the scratchy lace of the wedding gown she'd dreamed of wearing. But she'd never felt anything for the men she'd dated, nothing beyond her own desperation. 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