--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Terrified of being alone, yet afraid of…" description: "\"Terrified of being alone, yet afraid of intimacy, we experience widespread feelings of emptiness, of disconnection, of the unreality of self. And here ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/sherry-turkle-2764_companion_terrified-of-being-alone-yet-afraid-of-i_1978448.png" --- # Terrified of being alone, yet afraid of intimacy, we… ![“Terrified of being alone, yet afraid of intimacy, we experience widespread feelings of emptiness, of disconnection, of the unreality of self. And here the computer, a companion without emotional demands, offers a compromise. You can be a loner, but never alone. You can interact, but need never…” quote by Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/sherry-turkle-2764_companion_terrified-of-being-alone-yet-afraid-of-i_1978448.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/sherry-turkle-2764_companion_terrified-of-being-alone-yet-afraid-of-i_1978448.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/sherry-turkle-2764_companion_terrified-of-being-alone-yet-afraid-of-i_1978448.png) > “Terrified of being alone, yet afraid of intimacy, we experience widespread feelings of emptiness, of disconnection, of the unreality of self. And here the computer, a companion without emotional demands, offers a compromise. You can be a loner, but never alone. You can interact, but need never feel vulnerable to another person.” [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Technology offers companionship without vulnerability, but may deepen loneliness. **In simple terms:** Tech can be a safe companion, yet isolating. Key Takeaway Balance digital interaction with genuine human connection. Themes loneliness technology intimacy vulnerability Mood thoughtful concerned Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - remote work - online dating - social media use Key Concepts digital companionship emotional health Questions to Reflect On - How does tech replace real intimacy? - What risks arise from emotional safety? A Different Perspective Reliance on devices can hinder real emotional growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Afraid Intimacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/afraid-intimacy-2077725/) [Companion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companion/) [Companion Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companion-emotional-3363429/) [Compromise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compromise/) [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Disconnection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disconnection/) [Emotional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emotional/) [Emptiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emptiness/) [Emptiness Disconnection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emptiness-disconnection-3363427/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Intimacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intimacy/) [Isolation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isolation/) [Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness/) [Loner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loner/) [Loner Interact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loner-interact-3363428/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Offers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offers/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/) [Terrified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified/) [Unreality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unreality/) [Vulnerable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vulnerable/) ## Related quotes > [We're lonely, but we're afraid of intimacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/we-re-lonely-but-we-re-afraid-of-intimacy/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [“Question," says Christina, leaning forward. "The leaders who were watching your fear landscape...they were laughing at something." "Oh?" I bite my lip hard. "I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/question-says-christina-leaning-forward-the-leaders-who-were-watching/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I hate solitude but I am afraid of intimacy. The substance of my life is a private conversation with myself and to turn it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/i-hate-solitude-but-i-am-afraid-of-intimacy-the-substance-of-my-life/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [We're lonely, but we're afraid of intimacy. And so from social networks to sociable robots, we're designing technologies that will give us the illusion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-re-lonely-but-we-re-afraid-of-intimacy-and-so-from-social-networks/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“but somehow, his seeing her afraid was an intimacy she could not bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-bennett/but-somehow-his-seeing-her-afraid-was-an-intimacy-she-could-not-bear/) [Brit Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-bennett/) > [I hate solitude, but I'm afraid of intimacy. The substance of my life is a private conversation with myself which to turn into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/i-hate-solitude-but-i-m-afraid-of-intimacy-the-substance-of-my-life/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [“Marcus waves an unseen hand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-dara/marcus-waves-an-unseen-hand/) [Evan Dara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-dara/) > [“If you feel disconnected from reality or the 3D world, you can still become wealthy or financially stable by tapping into the spiritual aspects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s-baker/if-you-feel-disconnected-from-reality-or-the-3d-world-you-can-still/) [Robin S. Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s-baker/) > [“Connection is life; disconnection, death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-day/connection-is-life-disconnection-death/) [Deborah Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-day/) > [“People losing each other, their hands slipping loose in a crowd.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/people-losing-each-other-their-hands-slipping-loose-in-a-crowd/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [“To think that two bodies, crooked by life into question marks, when encountering one another did not form a heart.. To do that, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-jae/to-think-that-two-bodies-crooked-by-life-into-question-marks-when/) [Anna Jae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-jae/) > [“It is a common occurrence to sit with a precious but struggling son or daughter of God who shares that while they have many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-ammons/it-is-a-common-occurrence-to-sit-with-a-precious-but-struggling-son/) [Chuck Ammons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-ammons/) > [“We are like puzzle pieces who are perfectly suited to make a giant picture together, but we are assembling ourselves in the dark.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/we-are-like-puzzle-pieces-who-are-perfectly-suited-to-make-a-giant/) [Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/) > [Connection gives purpose and meaning to our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/connection-gives-purpose-and-meaning-to-our-lives/) [Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/) > [We have to learn how to contact one another over an enormous land space, across five-and-a-half time zones, in what as once a wilderness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-w-powe/we-have-to-learn-how-to-contact-one-another-over-an-enormous-land/) [B. W. Powe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-w-powe/) ## More by Sherry Turkle > [“From watching children play with objects designed as “amusements,” we come to a new place, a place of cold comforts. Child and adult, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/from-watching-children-play-with-objects-designed-as-amusements-we/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [“I said that we use digital “passbacks” to placate young children who say they are bored. We are not teaching them that boredom can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/i-said-that-we-use-digital-passbacks-to-placate-young-children-who/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [“enduring technological optimism, a belief that as other things go wrong, science will go right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/enduring-technological-optimism-a-belief-that-as-other-things-go/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [Conversation is the most human and humanizing thing that we do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/conversation-is-the-most-human-and-humanizing-thing-that-we-do/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [“In the classic children’s story The Velveteen Rabbit, a stuffed animal becomes “real” because of a child’s love. Tamagotchis do not wait passively but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/in-the-classic-children-s-story-the-velveteen-rabbit-a-stuffed-animal/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [Human relationships are rich and they're messy and they're demanding. And we clean them up with technology. Texting, email, posting, all of these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/human-relationships-are-rich-and-they-re-messy-and-they-re-demanding/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [“But at the same time, there is pressure to use technology in classroom in ways that make conversation nearly impossible. Interestingly, this technology is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/but-at-the-same-time-there-is-pressure-to-use-technology-in-classroom/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [I have to fight the impulse to use my phone as an alarm clock rather than leaving it in another room. If I don't,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/i-have-to-fight-the-impulse-to-use-my-phone-as-an-alarm-clock-rather/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [It all stems from the same thing - which is that when we are face to face - and this is what I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/it-all-stems-from-the-same-thing-which-is-that-when-we-are-face-to/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [“The new technologies allow us to “dial down” human contact, to titrate its nature and extent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/the-new-technologies-allow-us-to-dial-down-human-contact-to-titrate/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [We think constant connection will make us feel less lonely. The opposite is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/we-think-constant-connection-will-make-us-feel-less-lonely-the/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [If you're happy with where the Internet, Facebook, and Twitter have taken you, I'm not the Grinch. Someone called me Sherry Turkle's "evil Luddite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/if-you-re-happy-with-where-the-internet-facebook-and-twitter-have/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [My highest value is not that the trains are on time. I want to be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/my-highest-value-is-not-that-the-trains-are-on-time-i-want-to-be-free/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [The selfie, like all technology, causes us to reflect on our human values. This is a good thing because it challenges us to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/the-selfie-like-all-technology-causes-us-to-reflect-on-our-human/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) > [Technology doesn't just do things for us. It does things to us, changing not just what we do but who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/technology-doesn-t-just-do-things-for-us-it-does-things-to-us/) [Sherry Turkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) [Explore all 151 Sherry Turkle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/) ## More Companion quotes > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [One must accept the fact that we have only one companion in this world, a companion who accompanies us from the cradle to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/one-must-accept-the-fact-that-we-have-only-one-companion-in-this/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [One of the most powerful concepts, one which is a sure cure for lack of confidence, is the thought that God is with you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/one-of-the-most-powerful-concepts-one-which-is-a-sure-cure-for-lack/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I am simply looking for a companion with whom to spend my days, a companion who will cherish as much as I the stupidity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-julavits/i-am-simply-looking-for-a-companion-with-whom-to-spend-my-days-a/) [Heidi Julavits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-julavits/) > [I and my companions suffer from a disease of the heart which can be cured only with gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-and-my-companions-suffer-from-a-disease-of-the-heart-which-can-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The adult who puts his arm around his companion in the ballroom, and the child in the roadway, skipping in a round dance -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curt-sachs/the-adult-who-puts-his-arm-around-his-companion-in-the-ballroom-and/) [Curt Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curt-sachs/) > [True, the fragile bodies of his fellows do not weigh down his plane; true, the fretful minds of weaker men are missing from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/true-the-fragile-bodies-of-his-fellows-do-not-weigh-down-his-plane/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [God is our portion, Christ our companion, the Spirit our Comforter, Earth our lodge, and Heaven is our home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/god-is-our-portion-christ-our-companion-the-spirit-our-comforter/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [The thing that counts most in the pursuit of happiness is choosing the right companion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate/the-thing-that-counts-most-in-the-pursuit-of-happiness-is-choosing/) [Nate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate/) > [“Some of our friends are our friends only because we used to be friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-of-our-friends-are-our-friends-only-because-we-used-to-be-friends/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I am a frayed and nibbled survivor in a fallen world, and I am getting along. I am aging and eaten and have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-frayed-and-nibbled-survivor-in-a-fallen-world-and-i-am-getting/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [ \[A cat\] will make itself the companion of your hours of work, of loneliness, or of sadness. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophile-gautier/a-cat-will-make-itself-the-companion-of-your-hours-of-work-of/) [Theophile Gautier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophile-gautier/) > [Those who grieve frequently find themselves alone. Missed is the laughter of children, the commotion of teenagers, and the tender, loving concern of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/those-who-grieve-frequently-find-themselves-alone-missed-is-the/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [Plato calls complacency the companion of loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-grillparzer/plato-calls-complacency-the-companion-of-loneliness/) [Franz Grillparzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-grillparzer/) > [The burning soul, the burden'd mind, In books alone companions find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-josepha-hale/the-burning-soul-the-burden-d-mind-in-books-alone-companions-find/) [Sarah Josepha Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-josepha-hale/) [Browse all 1,106 Companion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Terrified of being alone, yet afraid of intimacy, we experience widespread feelings of emptiness, of disconnection, of the unreality of self. And here the computer, a companion without emotional demands, offers a compromise. You can be a loner, but never alone. You can interact, but need never feel vulnerable to another person.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sherry Turkle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/terrified-of-being-alone-yet-afraid-of-intimacy-we-experience/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Companion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/terrified-of-being-alone-yet-afraid-of-intimacy-we-experience/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/sherry-turkle-2764_companion_terrified-of-being-alone-yet-afraid-of-i_1978448.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/sherry-turkle-2764_companion_terrified-of-being-alone-yet-afraid-of-i_1978448.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f31/sherry-turkle-2764_companion_terrified-of-being-alone-yet-afraid-of-i_1978448.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Terrified of being alone, yet afraid of intimacy, we experience widespread feelings of emptiness, of…” — Sherry Turkle", "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": "Sherry Turkle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-turkle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Terrified of being alone, yet afraid...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/terrified-of-being-alone-yet-afraid-of-intimacy-we-experience/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-turkle/terrified-of-being-alone-yet-afraid-of-intimacy-we-experience/#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 } } ] } ```