---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Then I'd crawl back into bed, smelling…"
description: "\"Then I'd crawl back into bed, smelling her all around me, and tell myself that next time, I would lock that window. But I never did.\" — Sarah Dessen"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a6/sarah-dessen-110_bed_then-i-d-crawl-back-into-bed-smelling-he_814870.png"
---

#  Then I'd crawl back into bed, smelling her all around me…

![“Then I'd crawl back into bed, smelling her all around me, and tell myself that next time, I would lock that window. But I never did.” quote by Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a6/sarah-dessen-110_bed_then-i-d-crawl-back-into-bed-smelling-he_814870.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a6/sarah-dessen-110_bed_then-i-d-crawl-back-into-bed-smelling-he_814870.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a6/sarah-dessen-110_bed_then-i-d-crawl-back-into-bed-smelling-he_814870.png)

> “Then I'd crawl back into bed, smelling her all around me, and tell myself that next time, I would lock that window. But I never did.”

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Regret over missed opportunities and the desire to protect oneself from future pain.

**In simple terms:** Regret and self‑protection.

Key Takeaway

Learn from past mistakes without fear.

Themes

regret love self‑protection growth

Mood

melancholic hopeful

Type

narrative emotional

When to use this quote

- breakups
- personal safety
- future planning

Key Concepts

psychology relationship dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the window symbolize?
- How can you balance caution and openness?

A Different Perspective

Avoiding action can lead to repeated loss.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed/) [Bed Smelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed-smelling-306374/) [Lock Window](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lock-window-306376/) [Locks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/locks/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Next time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next-time/) [Smelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smelling/) [Smelling Tell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smelling-tell-306377/) [Window](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/window/) [Window Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/window-did-306375/)

## Related quotes

> [“I don’t care if you go to bed smelling like him, so long as you wake up smelling like me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-snow/i-don-t-care-if-you-go-to-bed-smelling-like-him-so-long-as-you-wake/)

[Tiffany Snow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-snow/)

> [Don't be a doormat for people to walk on but don't be a door to lock them out. Be a window with a screen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerose/don-t-be-a-doormat-for-people-to-walk-on-but-don-t-be-a-door-to-lock/)

[Jerose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerose/)

> [“ I saw a spaceship fly by your window. Did you see it disappear? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-rice/i-saw-a-spaceship-fly-by-your-window-did-you-see-it-disappear/)

[Damien Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-rice/)

> [It's a lot easier to be lost than found. It's the reason we're always searching and rarely discovered--so many locks not enough keys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/it-s-a-lot-easier-to-be-lost-than-found-it-s-the-reason-we-re-always/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [The last thing you want is to be smelling bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-sandoval/the-last-thing-you-want-is-to-be-smelling-bad/)

[Tom Sandoval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-sandoval/)

> [Ronald Reagan knew audiences. It was a key element of his political genius. One of the things at which brilliant politicians are better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/ronald-reagan-knew-audiences-it-was-a-key-element-of-his-political/)

[Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/)

> [“Now I sense the perfume of flowers like seeing a new thing. I know they smell just as well as I know I existed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/now-i-sense-the-perfume-of-flowers-like-seeing-a-new-thing-i-know/)

[Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/)

> [Its Ludacris 'Mr. Slay-A-Bitch.' Unless that p-ssy is smelling like a Filet-O-Fish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludacris/its-ludacris-mr-slay-a-bitch-unless-that-p-ssy-is-smelling-like-a/)

[Ludacris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludacris/)

> [“We talk a lot about the five senses: vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. I would add one more…imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-adamson/we-talk-a-lot-about-the-five-senses-vision-hearing-smell-taste-and/)

[Wes Adamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-adamson/)

> [Im eating a Chop Suey dish and hanging with a very teen smelling friend. And for some reason, I have this strange need of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignas-kardas/im-eating-a-chop-suey-dish-and-hanging-with-a-very-teen-smelling/)

[Ignas Kardas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignas-kardas/)

> [Seducing him in the tub smelling of vinegar was out of the question. There had to be some boundaries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/seducing-him-in-the-tub-smelling-of-vinegar-was-out-of-the-question/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [When I played for the Steelers and I got my bell rung, I'd take smelling salts and go right back out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bradshaw/when-i-played-for-the-steelers-and-i-got-my-bell-rung-i-d-take/)

[Terry Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bradshaw/)

> [“I bear no shame in smelling books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-lynn-cupino/i-bear-no-shame-in-smelling-books/)

[K. Lynn Cupino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-lynn-cupino/)

> [“Your hair smells like wind, did you know that?" Yep, me and Tucker, smelling each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/your-hair-smells-like-wind-did-you-know-that-yep-me-and-tucker/)

[Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/)

> [“When you walk with trash, you end up smelling the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/when-you-walk-with-trash-you-end-up-smelling-the-same/)

[Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/)

## More by Sarah Dessen

> [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“if i were a book i would be so open”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/if-i-were-a-book-i-would-be-so-open/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [Harder to get in than out, like so little else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/harder-to-get-in-than-out-like-so-little-else/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“At times, I found myself questioning his very existence, even though I knew I had, in fact, spotted him, with my own eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/at-times-i-found-myself-questioning-his-very-existence-even-though-i/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [You don't have to say it out loud. I already know why you like me.' 'You do, huh?' 'Yep.' He wrapped his arms around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-don-t-have-to-say-it-out-loud-i-already-know-why-you-like-me-you/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [No relationship is perfect, ever. There are always some ways you have to bend, to compromise, to give something up in order to gain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/no-relationship-is-perfect-ever-there-are-always-some-ways-you-have/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [When you had to do something, you had to do it. And eventually, if you were lucky, you did it well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/when-you-had-to-do-something-you-had-to-do-it-and-eventually-if-you/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [the truth about forever is that it is happening right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/the-truth-about-forever-is-that-it-is-happening-right-now/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I jammed my hand in my jacket pocket, bracing myself fo the next hit, and fel something. Something grainy and samll, sticking to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-jammed-my-hand-in-my-jacket-pocket-bracing-myself-fo-the-next-hit/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I had no illusions about love anymore. It came, it went, it left casualties or it didn't. People weren't meant to be together forever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-had-no-illusions-about-love-anymore-it-came-it-went-it-left/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“But maybe that isn't so bad. You can't love anyone that way more than once in a lifetime. It's too hard and it hurts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/but-maybe-that-isn-t-so-bad-you-can-t-love-anyone-that-way-more-than/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [This was just one night, one chance to vary and see where it took me. The fireflies were probably already out: maybe it wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/this-was-just-one-night-one-chance-to-vary-and-see-where-it-took-me/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [call it chicken salad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/call-it-chicken-salad/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [“For me, however, it was a mix of the two, this constant push and pull. I loved it here. But I'd been in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/for-me-however-it-was-a-mix-of-the-two-this-constant-push-and-pull-i/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [I think whenever a writer is really enjoying themselves and liking what they are doing, that shows on the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-think-whenever-a-writer-is-really-enjoying-themselves-and-liking/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

[Explore all 1,251 Sarah Dessen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

## More Bed quotes

> [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/)

[Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/)

> [Your idea of fidelity is not having more than one man in bed at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-raphael/your-idea-of-fidelity-is-not-having-more-than-one-man-in-bed-at-the/)

[Frederic Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-raphael/)

> [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/)

[Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/)

> [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I wish I had as much in bed as I get in the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-wish-i-had-as-much-in-bed-as-i-get-in-the-newspapers/)

[Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/)

> [ Leave a cavity behind the \[wall\] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-and-on-the-inside-build-walls/)

[Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/)

> [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/)

[Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/)

> [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/)

[Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/)

> [“In the parking lot, she drove and parked in a dark area with no other cars around. She reclined her seat, and listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/in-the-parking-lot-she-drove-and-parked-in-a-dark-area-with-no-other/)

[Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/)

> [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [I have to meditate before I go to bed, always. I have to let the day go and let the eternal in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bellamy-young/i-have-to-meditate-before-i-go-to-bed-always-i-have-to-let-the-day-go/)

[Bellamy Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bellamy-young/)

> [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [I think life is full of challenges and problems. I don't believe that anyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's not a bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-mansell/i-think-life-is-full-of-challenges-and-problems-i-don-t-believe-that/)

[Nigel Mansell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-mansell/)

> [When I saw him I thought I could curl up inside him and go to sleep and never wake up." "Men are no good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/when-i-saw-him-i-thought-i-could-curl-up-inside-him-and-go-to-sleep/)

[Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/)

> [I always wanted to be a movie star. I thought it meant being famous and having breakfast in bed. I didn't know you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-allyson/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-movie-star-i-thought-it-meant-being-famous/)

[June Allyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-allyson/)

[Browse all 4,159 Bed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Then I'd crawl back into bed, smelling her all around me, and tell myself that next time, I would lock that window. But I never did.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sarah Dessen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/then-i-d-crawl-back-into-bed-smelling-her-all-around-me-and-tell/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bed"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/then-i-d-crawl-back-into-bed-smelling-her-all-around-me-and-tell/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a6/sarah-dessen-110_bed_then-i-d-crawl-back-into-bed-smelling-he_814870.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a6/sarah-dessen-110_bed_then-i-d-crawl-back-into-bed-smelling-he_814870.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7a6/sarah-dessen-110_bed_then-i-d-crawl-back-into-bed-smelling-he_814870.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Then I'd crawl back into bed, smelling her all around me, and tell myself that next time, I would lock that…” — Sarah Dessen",
                "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": "Sarah Dessen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Then I'd crawl back into bed,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/then-i-d-crawl-back-into-bed-smelling-her-all-around-me-and-tell/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/then-i-d-crawl-back-into-bed-smelling-her-all-around-me-and-tell/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
