---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because who would ever want to get close…"
description: "\"Because who would ever want to get close to another person if they knew how hard the letting-go part was? In your heart they only die a little at a tim..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/stephen-king-13_forget_because-who-would-ever-want-to-get-close_2059488.jpg"
---

#  Because who would ever want to get close to another person…

![“Because who would ever want to get close to another person if they knew how hard the letting-go part was? In your heart they only die a little at a time, don't they? Like a plant when you go away on a trip and forget to ask a neighbor to poke in once in awhile with the old watering-can, and its so…” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/stephen-king-13_forget_because-who-would-ever-want-to-get-close_2059488.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/stephen-king-13_forget_because-who-would-ever-want-to-get-close_2059488.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/stephen-king-13_forget_because-who-would-ever-want-to-get-close_2059488.jpg)

> “Because who would ever want to get close to another person if they knew how hard the letting-go part was? In your heart they only die a little at a time, don't they? Like a plant when you go away on a trip and forget to ask a neighbor to poke in once in awhile with the old watering-can, and its so sad—”

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

## About This Quote

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

Letting go of close relationships feels painful because love is a gradual loss, like a plant wilting without care.

**In simple terms:** Love fades slowly when ignored.

Key Takeaway

Accept gradual loss, tend relationships.

Themes

loss relationships grief

Mood

melancholy reflective

Type

literary emotional

When to use this quote

- long-distance friendships
- family estrangement
- breakups
- care for plants

Key Concepts

attachment impermanence caregiving

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you nurture connections despite distance?
- What small acts prevent emotional with?

A Different Perspective

Emotional distance can be chosen, not inevitable.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Close Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close-person-1175905/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Going away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-away/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Letting go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-go/) [Letting Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-heart-662764/) [Like Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-plant-437525/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant/) [Plant Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant-away-3921235/) [Poke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poke/) [So sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/so-sad/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Watering Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watering-sad-3921234/)

## Related quotes

> [The hardest thing to do is letting someone go, even if your heart is still gripping on to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisette-alfaro/the-hardest-thing-to-do-is-letting-someone-go-even-if-your-heart-is/)

[Lisette Alfaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisette-alfaro/)

> [It is only through letting our heart break that we discover something unexpected: the heart cannot actually break, it can only break open. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-welwood/it-is-only-through-letting-our-heart-break-that-we-discover-something/)

[John Welwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-welwood/)

> [“Even if you be Mendacious.. I know deep in your heart.. you don't wish to be one.. its just, you r acting so 'cos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijeet-sawant/even-if-you-be-mendacious-i-know-deep-in-your-heart-you-don-t-wish-to/)

[Abhijeet Sawant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijeet-sawant/)

> [“If you’re trying to avoid loss, there’s no point in taking another breath, or letting your heart beat one more time. It all ends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/if-you-re-trying-to-avoid-loss-there-s-no-point-in-taking-another/)

[Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/)

> [“Letting my heart instead of my hormones decide when to do it made what Aiden and I'd done special. And when we passed each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/letting-my-heart-instead-of-my-hormones-decide-when-to-do-it-made/)

[Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/)

> [“Contrition means finding the courage to let your heart break over sin. Willfully letting your heart break and then offering the pieces to God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-f-davis/contrition-means-finding-the-courage-to-let-your-heart-break-over-sin/)

[Ellen F. Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-f-davis/)

> [Letting you back into my heart was the SECOND biggest mistake of my life!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-ambler/letting-you-back-into-my-heart-was-the-second-biggest-mistake-of-my/)

[Tracy Ambler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-ambler/)

> [“Part of living is acknowledging people’s pain and grief, but not letting it take over your heart. Though it’s always nighttime in the depths,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-james/part-of-living-is-acknowledging-people-s-pain-and-grief-but-not/)

[Steven James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-james/)

> [Letting go, at its heart, is an act of agreement with Life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-finley/letting-go-at-its-heart-is-an-act-of-agreement-with-life/)

[Guy Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-finley/)

> [“I have calculated the total number of hours we spend sleeping beside each other in a week and I wanted to tell you it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-demulder/i-have-calculated-the-total-number-of-hours-we-spend-sleeping-beside/)

[Sierra Demulder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-demulder/)

> [I saw you with her, but I didnt care, I realized a long time ago, I was letting my heart do the thinking instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/i-saw-you-with-her-but-i-didnt-care-i-realized-a-long-time-ago-i-was/)

[Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/)

> [Sometimes change is what's best, letting your heart break, and learning how to cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-change-is-what-s-best-letting-your-heart-break-and-learning/)

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

> [“I don't know if I'm okay. It shouldn't be possible to be this close to another person. To let them crawl inside you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katja-millay/i-don-t-know-if-i-m-okay-it-shouldn-t-be-possible-to-be-this-close-to/)

[Katja Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katja-millay/)

> [Be close to that person who makes you happy but be closer to that person who can't be happy without you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-close-to-that-person-who-makes-you-happy-but-be-closer-to-that/)

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

> [Never keep distance to a person who likes u so much. and never get close to a person who doesn't like u. both will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-keep-distance-to-a-person-who-likes-u-so-much-and-never-get/)

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

## More by Stephen King

> [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

[Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

## More Forget quotes

> [I Never met her,i never talked to her,but in my whole day I am either thinking about her or trying to forget her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhananda/i-never-met-her-i-never-talked-to-her-but-in-my-whole-day-i-am-either/)

[Subhananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhananda/)

> [What people tend to forget is the journey that I had getting to Formula One. There were plenty of years where I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-hamilton/what-people-tend-to-forget-is-the-journey-that-i-had-getting-to/)

[Lewis Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-hamilton/)

> [Once upon a time. Ah forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-upon-a-time-ah-forget-it/)

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

> [Forget the credit, they (male actors) take all the money as well. We don't get paid even one-third of what male actors get. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kangana-ranaut/forget-the-credit-they-male-actors-take-all-the-money-as-well-we-don/)

[Kangana Ranaut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kangana-ranaut/)

> [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/your-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-doesn-t-it-simply-files-things/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [“Which people take the time to care for their souls, these days? I reckon not many. But...hear this: I think that maybe in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-fletcher/which-people-take-the-time-to-care-for-their-souls-these-days-i/)

[Susan Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-fletcher/)

> [The problem with people is they forget that most of the time it's the small things that count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/the-problem-with-people-is-they-forget-that-most-of-the-time-it-s-the/)

[Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/)

> [Remind a man of what he remembers, and you will make him forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/remind-a-man-of-what-he-remembers-and-you-will-make-him-forget-it/)

[Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/)

> [“So you try, and try, to move past it and forget about them, but it's like they're stuck in your head -- you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-mcdonald/so-you-try-and-try-to-move-past-it-and-forget-about-them-but-it-s/)

[Abby McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-mcdonald/)

> [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/)

[Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/)

> [People are disturbed not by things but by the view they take of them. They may forget what you said, but they will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/people-are-disturbed-not-by-things-but-by-the-view-they-take-of-them/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [I don't think people will ever forget I was an 'Angel,' anymore than they'll forget Sally Field was 'The Flying Nun.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-ladd/i-don-t-think-people-will-ever-forget-i-was-an-angel-anymore-than/)

[Cheryl Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-ladd/)

> [If God knows me I will never forget him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trunxbeats/if-god-knows-me-i-will-never-forget-him/)

[Trunxbeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trunxbeats/)

> [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

[Browse all 11,315 Forget quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Because who would ever want to get close to another person if they knew how hard the letting-go part was? In your heart they only die a little at a time, don't they? Like a plant when you go away on a trip and forget to ask a neighbor to poke in once in awhile with the old watering-can, and its so sad—",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephen King"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/because-who-would-ever-want-to-get-close-to-another-person-if-they/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Forget"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/because-who-would-ever-want-to-get-close-to-another-person-if-they/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/stephen-king-13_forget_because-who-would-ever-want-to-get-close_2059488.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/stephen-king-13_forget_because-who-would-ever-want-to-get-close_2059488.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7a/stephen-king-13_forget_because-who-would-ever-want-to-get-close_2059488.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Because who would ever want to get close to another person if they knew how hard the letting-go part was? In…” — Stephen King",
                "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": "Stephen King",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Because who would ever want to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/because-who-would-ever-want-to-get-close-to-another-person-if-they/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/because-who-would-ever-want-to-get-close-to-another-person-if-they/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
