--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The memory of sustenance is a terrible…" description: "\"“The memory of sustenance is a terrible thing. Far worse, I think, than actual starving. Starving just kills you. Longing can gnaw away at you forever...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/terri-cheney-27205_memory_the-memory-of-sustenance-is-a-terrible-t_670271.jpg" --- # The memory of sustenance is a terrible thing. Far worse, I… ![“The memory of sustenance is a terrible thing. Far worse, I think, than actual starving. Starving just kills you. Longing can gnaw away at you forever.” quote by Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/terri-cheney-27205_memory_the-memory-of-sustenance-is-a-terrible-t_670271.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/terri-cheney-27205_memory_the-memory-of-sustenance-is-a-terrible-t_670271.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a3/terri-cheney-27205_memory_the-memory-of-sustenance-is-a-terrible-t_670271.jpg) > ““The memory of sustenance is a terrible thing. Far worse, I think, than actual starving. Starving just kills you. Longing can gnaw away at you forever.”” [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Longing for food can be more tormenting than actual hunger. **In simple terms:** Desire can cause more pain than the need itself. Key Takeaway Recognize and manage cravings that cause suffering. Themes desire suffering psychology Mood thoughtful somber Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - dieting - addiction - financial scarcity - emotional longing Key Concepts mindfulness cognitive distortion Questions to Reflect On - How does anticipation affect your experience of lack? - What strategies reduce obsessive longing? A Different Perspective Ignoring the underlying cause may not resolve the pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Nostalgia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgia/) ## Related quotes > [My body believes a famine is imminent and has begun stocking up on provisions. These supplies are being stored around my waistline. I've tried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-bruce-cameron/my-body-believes-a-famine-is-imminent-and-has-begun-stocking-up-on/) [W. Bruce Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-bruce-cameron/) > [“Most of us are spiritually starving. We just don't feel it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanley-watimar/most-of-us-are-spiritually-starving-we-just-don-t-feel-it/) [Hanley Watimar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanley-watimar/) > [We have food all around us all the time, and if we haven't eaten for three hours, we think we're starving. You're not starving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocko-willink/we-have-food-all-around-us-all-the-time-and-if-we-haven-t-eaten-for/) [Jocko Willink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocko-willink/) > [Campaigning actress ASHLEY JUDD refuses to 'breed' with her racing star husband DARIO FRANCHITTI while there are starving children in the world. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-judd/campaigning-actress-ashley-judd-refuses-to-breed-with-her-racing-star/) [Ashley Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-judd/) > [We had to leave Norway and go where it was all happening, which was London. We loved it there, but it was hard. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morten-harket/we-had-to-leave-norway-and-go-where-it-was-all-happening-which-was/) [Morten Harket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morten-harket/) > [I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/i-have-seen-war-i-have-seen-war-on-land-and-sea-i-have-seen-blood/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [“It is a solemn thing, and no small scandal in the Kingdom, to see God's children starving while actually seated at the Father's table.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/it-is-a-solemn-thing-and-no-small-scandal-in-the-kingdom-to-see-god-s/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [“He hadn't eaten a bite of breakfast, sex always made him hungry. Suddenly Matt realized he was starving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-webb/he-hadn-t-eaten-a-bite-of-breakfast-sex-always-made-him-hungry/) [Peggy Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-webb/) > [People are overweight and starving at the same time. It's a tragedy for both the individual and society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/people-are-overweight-and-starving-at-the-same-time-it-s-a-tragedy/) [Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/) > [Having an eating disorder doesn't show ‘strength.’ Strength is when are able to overcome your demons after being sick and tired for so long.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/having-an-eating-disorder-doesn-t-show-strength-strength-is-when-are/) [Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/) > [Haters feed themselves when you down but when they see you happy they starving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/haters-feed-themselves-when-you-down-but-when-they-see-you-happy-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is useless to talk virtue to a starving girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-howard-shaw/it-is-useless-to-talk-virtue-to-a-starving-girl/) [Anna Howard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-howard-shaw/) > [If you followed the media you'd think that everybody in Africa was starving to death, and that's not the case; so it's important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/if-you-followed-the-media-you-d-think-that-everybody-in-africa-was/) [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/) > [“She writes like she’s starving and reads like she’s feasting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-larson/she-writes-like-she-s-starving-and-reads-like-she-s-feasting/) R.D. Larson > [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) ## More by Terri Cheney > [“It’s a little-known secret, and it should probably stay that way: attempting suicide usually jump-starts your brain chemistry. There must be something about taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-cheney/it-s-a-little-known-secret-and-it-should-probably-stay-that-way/) [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) > [“...love is a chemical imbalance, too. That perilous highs and desperate lows and extravagant flurries of mood are not always symptoms of a broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-cheney/love-is-a-chemical-imbalance-too-that-perilous-highs-and-desperate/) [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) > [True beauty, I realized,is not the absence of ugliness, but the acceptance of it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-cheney/true-beauty-i-realized-is-not-the-absence-of-ugliness-but-the/) [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) > [“These flies were half the size of my fist. They came at you and stuck to you with a single-minded purpose you had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-cheney/these-flies-were-half-the-size-of-my-fist-they-came-at-you-and-stuck/) [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) > [“Was drug induced happy still happy? Was it the right kind of happy? Did it count?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-cheney/was-drug-induced-happy-still-happy-was-it-the-right-kind-of-happy-did/) [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) > [“I actually stopped talking. I actually listened. So I knew that I wasn't all the way manic, because when you're all the way manic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-cheney/i-actually-stopped-talking-i-actually-listened-so-i-knew-that-i-wasn/) [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) > [“True beauty is not the absence of ugliness, but the acceptance of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-cheney/true-beauty-is-not-the-absence-of-ugliness-but-the-acceptance-of-it/) [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) > [ “\[ \] manic sex isn't really intercourse. It's dicourse, just another way to ease the insatiable need for contact and communication. In place of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-cheney/manic-sex-isn-t-really-intercourse-it-s-dicourse-just-another-way-to/) [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) > [“The world is essentially bipolar: driven to extremes but defined by flux. Saints are always just a stumble away from sinners. Nothing is absolute,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-cheney/the-world-is-essentially-bipolar-driven-to-extremes-but-defined-by/) [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) > [“Without the darkness, how can we ever hope to understand the light?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-cheney/without-the-darkness-how-can-we-ever-hope-to-understand-the-light/) [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) > [“Happiness is fine, in its season, but happiness out of season is a sure harbinger of doom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-cheney/happiness-is-fine-in-its-season-but-happiness-out-of-season-is-a-sure/) [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) > [“Stories don't always have to end happily.. Sometimes it's just enough that they end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-cheney/stories-don-t-always-have-to-end-happily-sometimes-it-s-just-enough/) [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) > [“If you nurture it long enough, a lie can become a life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-cheney/if-you-nurture-it-long-enough-a-lie-can-become-a-life/) [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) > [“The cruelest curse of the disease is also its most sacred promise: You will not feel this way forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-cheney/the-cruelest-curse-of-the-disease-is-also-its-most-sacred-promise-you/) [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) > [“People always mean well, but they don’t understand that when you’re seriously depressed, suicidal ideation can be the only thing that keeps you alive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-cheney/people-always-mean-well-but-they-don-t-understand-that-when-you-re/) [Terri Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) [Explore all 19 Terri Cheney quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-cheney/) ## More Memory quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [“Maybe there is something when it all ends. Maybe there is memory, memory of the person you loved, when you lived. Maybe this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-ellison/maybe-there-is-something-when-it-all-ends-maybe-there-is-memory/) [Kate Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-ellison/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [Memory is funny. Once you hit a vein the problem is not how to remember but how to control the flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/memory-is-funny-once-you-hit-a-vein-the-problem-is-not-how-to/) [Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/) > [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/) > [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/) [Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/) > [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I have a memory like an elephant. I remember every elephant I've ever met.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-caen/i-have-a-memory-like-an-elephant-i-remember-every-elephant-i-ve-ever/) [Herb Caen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-caen/) > [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/) > [My first Olympics memory was watching Haile Gebrselassie in Sydney 2000. His sprint finish to defend his title really moved me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-farah/my-first-olympics-memory-was-watching-haile-gebrselassie-in-sydney/) [Mo Farah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-farah/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [My greatest memories as a kid were playing sports with my dad and watching sports with my dad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-teixeira/my-greatest-memories-as-a-kid-were-playing-sports-with-my-dad-and/) [Mark Teixeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-teixeira/) > [What’s the use of remembering anything? If it was unpleasant it was unpleasant and if it was pleasant it’s over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-dundy/what-s-the-use-of-remembering-anything-if-it-was-unpleasant-it-was/) [Elaine Dundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-dundy/) > [Always remember a little thing can change everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-remember-a-little-thing-can-change-everything/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If God knows me I will never forget him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trunxbeats/if-god-knows-me-i-will-never-forget-him/) Trunxbeats [Browse all 12,248 Memory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The memory of sustenance is a terrible thing. Far worse, I think, than actual starving. Starving just kills you. 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