--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maybe it's because I can't have him that…" description: "\"“Maybe it's because I can't have him that I feel safe wanting him. He's beyond my reach, so he won't hurt me.”\" — Tess Gerritsen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c12/tess-gerritsen-3102_wanting_maybe-it-s-because-i-can-t-have-him-that_1657539.png" --- # Maybe it's because I can't have him that I feel safe… ![“Maybe it's because I can't have him that I feel safe wanting him. He's beyond my reach, so he won't hurt me.” quote by Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c12/tess-gerritsen-3102_wanting_maybe-it-s-because-i-can-t-have-him-that_1657539.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c12/tess-gerritsen-3102_wanting_maybe-it-s-because-i-can-t-have-him-that_1657539.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c12/tess-gerritsen-3102_wanting_maybe-it-s-because-i-can-t-have-him-that_1657539.png) > ““Maybe it's because I can't have him that I feel safe wanting him. He's beyond my reach, so he won't hurt me.”” [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) ## 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 someone unattainable feels safer because it avoids potential hurt. **In simple terms:** Wanting the unreachable feels safer. Key Takeaway Recognize fear behind distant attractions. Themes psychology relationships fear attachment Mood reflective melancholic Type literary psychological When to use this quote - Romantic relationships - friendship boundaries - self‑reflection Key Concepts emotional safety self‑protection unconscious motives Questions to Reflect On - Why do we equate distance with safety? - Can closeness be managed without fear? 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While the much younger nun had succumbed to her injuries, Ursula's heart kept beating, her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/but-human-anatomy-and-human-endurance-are-variable-while-the-much/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [Where we go depends on what we know, and what we know depends on where we go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/where-we-go-depends-on-what-we-know-and-what-we-know-depends-on-where/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“Some people make choices hoping for the best; Korsak had made a choice simply to avoid the worst.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/some-people-make-choices-hoping-for-the-best-korsak-had-made-a-choice/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) [Explore all 134 Tess Gerritsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) ## More Wanting quotes > [Wanting someone you cant have, isnt that the way it always works?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wanting-someone-you-cant-have-isnt-that-the-way-it-always-works/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Growing up I did commercials and things like that, but nothing serious. 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They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-doubleday/growing-up-i-did-commercials-and-things-like-that-but-nothing-serious/) [Portia Doubleday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portia-doubleday/) > [My earliest memory was watching gymnastics on live TV and wanting to do what the 'big girls' did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-hernandez/my-earliest-memory-was-watching-gymnastics-on-live-tv-and-wanting-to/) [Laurie Hernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-hernandez/) > [Everybody out there watches the show and has expectations of wanting to be an 'Idol', but we're going to teach them how much hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-bice/everybody-out-there-watches-the-show-and-has-expectations-of-wanting/) [Bo Bice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-bice/) > [“Isn’t everyone on the planet or at least everyone on the planet called me stuck between the two impulses of wanting to walk away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/isn-t-everyone-on-the-planet-or-at-least-everyone-on-the-planet/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“All our misery comes from wanting at all costs to go on being Tom, Dick, or Harry, year in, year out. 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