--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The attraction remains because there is…" description: "\"“The attraction remains because there is something about him that I can't reach, something strange and estranging. I like seeing him from a distance. I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/siri-hustvedt-860_quote_the-attraction-remains-because-there-is_1236358.jpg" --- # The attraction remains because there is something about… ![“The attraction remains because there is something about him that I can't reach, something strange and estranging. I like seeing him from a distance. I know that. I like to see him in a room full of people when he looks like a stranger, and then to remember that I do know him and that I will be…” quote by Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/siri-hustvedt-860_quote_the-attraction-remains-because-there-is_1236358.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/siri-hustvedt-860_quote_the-attraction-remains-because-there-is_1236358.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8f/siri-hustvedt-860_quote_the-attraction-remains-because-there-is_1236358.jpg) > ““The attraction remains because there is something about him that I can't reach, something strange and estranging. I like seeing him from a distance. I know that. I like to see him in a room full of people when he looks like a stranger, and then to remember that I do know him and that I will be going home with him.”” [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Desire for an unattainable person creates a mix of fascination and distance. **In simple terms:** Wanting someone out of reach is oddly compelling. Key Takeaway Recognize when distance fuels desire. Themes desire distance longing Mood melancholic curious reflective Type literary introspective When to use this quote - social events - crushes - unrequited love - observing from afar Key Concepts psychology unattainability identity Questions to Reflect On - Why are you drawn to the unknown? - How does distance shape your feelings? A Different Perspective Obsessing may prevent genuine connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attraction/) [Stranger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stranger/) ## Related quotes > [Like all of a sudden I didnt fit in anywhere not at school, not at home. 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Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing and I don't even need your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotye/you-didn-t-have-to-cut-me-off-make-out-like-it-never-happened-and/) [Gotye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotye/) > [It sometimes happens and will sometimes happen again that I forget who I am and strut before my eyes, like a stranger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/it-sometimes-happens-and-will-sometimes-happen-again-that-i-forget/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [Do you know how it feels like when someone special suddenly starts treating you like a stranger ?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-paul/do-you-know-how-it-feels-like-when-someone-special-suddenly-starts/) [Karan Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-paul/) > [There is nothing sadder in this life than to watch someone you love walk away before you like a stranger. ):](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldyna-threesya/there-is-nothing-sadder-in-this-life-than-to-watch-someone-you-love/) [Aldyna Threesya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldyna-threesya/) > [I been with strangers all day and they treated me like family. I come in here to family and you treat me like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/i-been-with-strangers-all-day-and-they-treated-me-like-family-i-come/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [ \[H\]ope takes you by the throat like a stranger, it makes your heart leap... ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/h-ope-takes-you-by-the-throat-like-a-stranger-it-makes-your-heart-leap/) [Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/) > [We met like an stranger but what hurts more we end up like the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/we-met-like-an-stranger-but-what-hurts-more-we-end-up-like-the-same/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [All of a sudden I didn't fit in anywhere. Not at school, not at home...and every time I turned around, another person I'd known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/all-of-a-sudden-i-didn-t-fit-in-anywhere-not-at-school-not-at-home/) [Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/) > [“They went about their everyday lives like there was nothing that existed out outside of the norm. They knew nothing of angels, death, fear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keary-taylor/they-went-about-their-everyday-lives-like-there-was-nothing-that/) [Keary Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keary-taylor/) > [“Whenever there's something I don't like about a stranger, I try to imagine that someone out there loves them, and it puts them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/whenever-there-s-something-i-don-t-like-about-a-stranger-i-try-to/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [It is better to be alone than to be with someone who treats you like a stranger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deangerous/it-is-better-to-be-alone-than-to-be-with-someone-who-treats-you-like/) Deangerous > [“I am my remembering self, and the experiencing self, who does my living, is like a stranger to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/i-am-my-remembering-self-and-the-experiencing-self-who-does-my-living/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) ## More by Siri Hustvedt > [I am married to a writer, and this - writing - is an odd enterprise. It's something we both support very strongly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-am-married-to-a-writer-and-this-writing-is-an-odd-enterprise-it-s/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [With almost no exceptions, art by men is much more expensive than art by women. Even great women artists, like Louise Bourgeois and Lee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/with-almost-no-exceptions-art-by-men-is-much-more-expensive-than-art/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I love the little garden in the back of my family's brownstone in Brooklyn. Digging out there in the dirt is a joy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-love-the-little-garden-in-the-back-of-my-family-s-brownstone-in/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I watched 'Holiday' in college, and that was when I had my first fantasy of being Katharine Hepburn, standing at the top of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-watched-holiday-in-college-and-that-was-when-i-had-my-first-fantasy/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“the impersonal and the personal are always connected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-impersonal-and-the-personal-are-always-connected/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [When I don't get enough sleep, I am cranky, vulnerable to headaches, and my concentration is poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/when-i-don-t-get-enough-sleep-i-am-cranky-vulnerable-to-headaches-and/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“Transformation of the self are related to where you are, and identity Is dependent on others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/transformation-of-the-self-are-related-to-where-you-are-and-identity/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [There's a phenomenology of being sick, one that depends on temperament, personal history, and the culture which we live in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/there-s-a-phenomenology-of-being-sick-one-that-depends-on-temperament/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [The faculty of memory cannot be separated from the imagination. They go hand in hand. To one degree or another, we all invent our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-faculty-of-memory-cannot-be-separated-from-the-imagination-they/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“Looking is part of love, but what you see when you look is anybody's guess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/looking-is-part-of-love-but-what-you-see-when-you-look-is-anybody-s/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [Every sickness has an alien quality, a feeling of invasion and loss of control that is evident in the language we use about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/every-sickness-has-an-alien-quality-a-feeling-of-invasion-and-loss-of/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I have a tendency to face my bad fantasies in my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-have-a-tendency-to-face-my-bad-fantasies-in-my-books/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [“The outside also becomes us. A human being is born an unfinished organism and as the person develops experience with others becomes a physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-outside-also-becomes-us-a-human-being-is-born-an-unfinished/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I am an American, but a sense of otherness was part of my growing up. I spoke Norwegian before I spoke English. My mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-am-an-american-but-a-sense-of-otherness-was-part-of-my-growing-up-i/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [When I was an impoverished graduate student, I would sometimes spend $20 or $30 on a T-shirt or accessory I didn't need or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/when-i-was-an-impoverished-graduate-student-i-would-sometimes-spend/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) [Explore all 330 Siri Hustvedt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) ## More Attraction quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [You cannot perceive what you are not in the vibration of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-anka/you-cannot-perceive-what-you-are-not-in-the-vibration-of/) [Darryl Anka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-anka/) > [What the Laws of Attraction are really about; how to harness the power of creation within you to make life what you truly desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/what-the-laws-of-attraction-are-really-about-how-to-harness-the-power/) [Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/) > [You are the one who calls the law of attraction into action, and you do it through your thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/you-are-the-one-who-calls-the-law-of-attraction-into-action-and-you/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [The vast majority of people are born, grow up, struggle and go through life in misery and failure, not realizing that it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-vast-majority-of-people-are-born-grow-up-struggle-and-go-through/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [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/) > [You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to surmise that war has a perverse appeal for the human race, nor is the attraction limited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/you-don-t-have-to-be-sigmund-freud-to-surmise-that-war-has-a-perverse/) [Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/) > [It doesn't matter if they say you can't do it. It only matters if you say you can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-mackay/it-doesn-t-matter-if-they-say-you-can-t-do-it-it-only-matters-if-you/) [Harvey Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-mackay/) > [If you want to find greater happiness and fulfillment in your life, you must begin to understand and live in harmony with the law…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/if-you-want-to-find-greater-happiness-and-fulfillment-in-your-life/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) > [We don't need to complicate all the "reasons" behind our emotions. It's much simpler than that. Two categories .. good feelings, bad feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/we-don-t-need-to-complicate-all-the-reasons-behind-our-emotions-it-s/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [Focus on being grateful for what you have already .. enjoy it!! Then release into the universe. The universe will manifest it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/focus-on-being-grateful-for-what-you-have-already-enjoy-it-then/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber but rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy which spurs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-want-to-remind-priests-that-the-confessional-must-not-be-a-torture/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [All of my work is meant to evoke a whole bunch of different layers of discord between the attraction and repulsion that we feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-jordan/all-of-my-work-is-meant-to-evoke-a-whole-bunch-of-different-layers-of/) [Chris Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-jordan/) > [War is thus divine in itself, since it is a law of the world. War is divine through its consequences of a supernatural nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-de-maistre/war-is-thus-divine-in-itself-since-it-is-a-law-of-the-world-war-is/) [Joseph de Maistre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-de-maistre/) > [As your awareness of the riches available to you in your everyday life grows, you are on the way to becoming the laughing Buddha.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/as-your-awareness-of-the-riches-available-to-you-in-your-everyday/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) [Browse all 2,005 Attraction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attraction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The attraction remains because there is something about him that I can't reach, something strange and estranging. I like seeing him from a distance. I know that. 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