--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes we don't know what we want…" description: "\"Sometimes we don't know what we want until we don't get it.\" — Sloane Crosley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/sloane-crosley-1764_know_sometimes-we-don-t-know-what-we-want-unt_2291939.png" --- # Sometimes we don't know what we want until we don't get it. ![“Sometimes we don't know what we want until we don't get it.” quote by Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/sloane-crosley-1764_know_sometimes-we-don-t-know-what-we-want-unt_2291939.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/sloane-crosley-1764_know_sometimes-we-don-t-know-what-we-want-unt_2291939.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/sloane-crosley-1764_know_sometimes-we-don-t-know-what-we-want-unt_2291939.png) > “Sometimes we don't know what we want until we don't get it.” [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often realize the value of something only after losing it, prompting reflection on unmet desires. **In simple terms:** We recognize wants after loss. Key Takeaway Reflect on what you truly value. Themes loss realization desire Mood melancholic reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - relationships - career - health - personal growth Key Concepts psychology gratitude Questions to Reflect On - What have you taken for granted? - How does loss clarify priorities? A Different Perspective Loss can distort perspective, making it hard to assess true needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [I am not temperamental. I just know what I want and if I don't have it, I try to get it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-goddard/i-am-not-temperamental-i-just-know-what-i-want-and-if-i-don-t-have-it/) [Paulette Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-goddard/) > [Now that I know what I want, I don't have to hold on to it quite so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/now-that-i-know-what-i-want-i-don-t-have-to-hold-on-to-it-quite-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I like him but he don't even know me.. I miss him but he don't even know me.. I want him but he don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-kryztyn/i-like-him-but-he-don-t-even-know-me-i-miss-him-but-he-don-t-even/) [Kim Kryztyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-kryztyn/) > [If you don't know what you want, you will probably never get it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/if-you-don-t-know-what-you-want-you-will-probably-never-get-it/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [“Sometimes we don't know what we want until we don't get it. It's like meeting someone for the first time after hearing their voice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/sometimes-we-don-t-know-what-we-want-until-we-don-t-get-it-it-s-like/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [I don't know what I want, but I know what I don't want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-don-t-know-what-i-want-but-i-know-what-i-don-t-want/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [Sometimes you don't even know what you want until you find out you can't have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-o-rourke/sometimes-you-don-t-even-know-what-you-want-until-you-find-out-you/) [Meghan O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-o-rourke/) > [Always quit for the day when you know what you want to do next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/always-quit-for-the-day-when-you-know-what-you-want-to-do-next/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I never want to put my name on something that I don't love or wouldn't wear myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hailey-baldwin/i-never-want-to-put-my-name-on-something-that-i-don-t-love-or-wouldn/) [Hailey Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hailey-baldwin/) > [“I don't want to know that you don't want me. I don't want to know what you do without me. I don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-quin/i-don-t-want-to-know-that-you-don-t-want-me-i-don-t-want-to-know-what/) [Sara Quin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-quin/) > [I don't know why I want you, but I do. I don't think I should love you, but I always will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-know-why-i-want-you-but-i-do-i-don-t-think-i-should-love-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Be who you want to be, do what you don't let anyone else tell you can't do this and that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-davies/be-who-you-want-to-be-do-what-you-don-t-let-anyone-else-tell-you-can/) [Ryan Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-davies/) > [But I want you around even when I don't need you. —Jeremy Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-lester/but-i-want-you-around-even-when-i-don-t-need-you-jeremy-richards/) [Julius Lester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-lester/) > [You can be fake all you want, but don't be fake around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brianna-gomillion/you-can-be-fake-all-you-want-but-don-t-be-fake-around-me/) Brianna Gomillion > [I bet you want me back now don't you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellie-pickler/i-bet-you-want-me-back-now-don-t-you/) [Kellie Pickler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellie-pickler/) ## More by Sloane Crosley > [“Names I am most commonly called by telemarketers: Simone, Slain, Siobhan, Flo, Stacey, Susan, Slater, Leanne, and Slow (Yes, my parents named me "Slow".…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/names-i-am-most-commonly-called-by-telemarketers-simone-slain-siobhan/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [“I’m not sure how the ponies happened, though I have an inkling: “Can I get you anything?” I’ll say, getting up from a dinner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-m-not-sure-how-the-ponies-happened-though-i-have-an-inkling-can-i/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [As most New Yorkers have done, I have given serious and generous thought to the state of my apartment should I get killed during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/as-most-new-yorkers-have-done-i-have-given-serious-and-generous/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [“If I could just get my partner to see me how she used to - to fall in love with me all over again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/if-i-could-just-get-my-partner-to-see-me-how-she-used-to-to-fall-in/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [I don't really think of my essays as being about myself. I know it sounds insane, but I just don't think of them as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-don-t-really-think-of-my-essays-as-being-about-myself-i-know-it/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [It takes a level of creative depression to hear 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' and weep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/it-takes-a-level-of-creative-depression-to-hear-girls-just-wanna-have/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [Book tours are such a little tapas meal of where I could live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/book-tours-are-such-a-little-tapas-meal-of-where-i-could-live/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [I wouldn't want to live in Berlin. It's bombed out and there's a lot of techno.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-wouldn-t-want-to-live-in-berlin-it-s-bombed-out-and-there-s-a-lot/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [The reason that war is such a fascinating subject for writers is because it's a revealer. Put a bunch of people in an adrenaline-fuelled,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/the-reason-that-war-is-such-a-fascinating-subject-for-writers-is/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [“Shortly after this exchange my roommate suggested we start throwing water balloons at the construction workers. Not really at them because, I know, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/shortly-after-this-exchange-my-roommate-suggested-we-start-throwing/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [When it seems impossible that a deep connection with another person could just go away instead of changing form. It seems impossible that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/when-it-seems-impossible-that-a-deep-connection-with-another-person/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [Because I am a horrible flincher, contact lenses are not an option. I'm always envious of contact-wearers. There are endless reasons to take off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/because-i-am-a-horrible-flincher-contact-lenses-are-not-an-option-i-m/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [“How can we not still be rooting for the younger versions of ourselves as if they actually exist, playing catch-up in time? Who wouldn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/how-can-we-not-still-be-rooting-for-the-younger-versions-of-ourselves/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [There is no such thing as a crazy dog person in New York. Are there people who are completely insane about their dogs? Hordes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-crazy-dog-person-in-new-york-are-there/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [As most doctors will tell you, cleansing is ridiculous. You know what's been around longer than that state-of-the-art juicer? Your kidneys. And your liver.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/as-most-doctors-will-tell-you-cleansing-is-ridiculous-you-know-what-s/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) [Explore all 210 Sloane Crosley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) ## More Know quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [“To know someone, to be known. That matters more than he'd ever thought it would.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianna-baggott/to-know-someone-to-be-known-that-matters-more-than-he-d-ever-thought/) [Julianna Baggott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianna-baggott/) > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [If we will not interfere with our thought, but will act entirely, or see how the thing stands in God, we know the particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-we-will-not-interfere-with-our-thought-but-will-act-entirely-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [Don't get too attached to someone you know you can't be together with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/don-t-get-too-attached-to-someone-you-know-you-can-t-be-together-with/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [I know what you're thinking... and you oughtta be ashamed of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-preston/i-know-what-you-re-thinking-and-you-oughtta-be-ashamed-of-yourself/) Robert Preston > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [You will never know just how beautiful you are to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-never-know-just-how-beautiful-you-are-to-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [I have always been a big meta guy because I think the way journalism is practiced in Washington, and the way everyone sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/i-have-always-been-a-big-meta-guy-because-i-think-the-way-journalism/) [Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/) > [“Take your time to find and understand what you don’t know and in the end, you shall know that it is not all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/take-your-time-to-find-and-understand-what-you-don-t-know-and-in-the/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) Browse all 22,299 Know quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes we don't know what we want until we don't get it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sloane Crosley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/sometimes-we-don-t-know-what-we-want-until-we-don-t-get-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Know" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/sometimes-we-don-t-know-what-we-want-until-we-don-t-get-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/sloane-crosley-1764_know_sometimes-we-don-t-know-what-we-want-unt_2291939.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/sloane-crosley-1764_know_sometimes-we-don-t-know-what-we-want-unt_2291939.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/sloane-crosley-1764_know_sometimes-we-don-t-know-what-we-want-unt_2291939.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes we don't know what we want until we don't get it.” — Sloane Crosley", "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": "Sloane Crosley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sometimes we don't know what we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/sometimes-we-don-t-know-what-we-want-until-we-don-t-get-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/sometimes-we-don-t-know-what-we-want-until-we-don-t-get-it/#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 } } ] } ```