--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes I shrink from your knowing what…" description: "\"Sometimes I shrink from your knowing what I have felt for you, and sometimes I am distressed that all of it you will never know.\" — Thomas Hardy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/thomas-hardy-410_distressed_sometimes-i-shrink-from-your-knowing-wha_608443.jpg" --- # Sometimes I shrink from your knowing what I have felt for… ![“Sometimes I shrink from your knowing what I have felt for you, and sometimes I am distressed that all of it you will never know.” quote by Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/thomas-hardy-410_distressed_sometimes-i-shrink-from-your-knowing-wha_608443.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/thomas-hardy-410_distressed_sometimes-i-shrink-from-your-knowing-wha_608443.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/thomas-hardy-410_distressed_sometimes-i-shrink-from-your-knowing-wha_608443.jpg) > “Sometimes I shrink from your knowing what I have felt for you, and sometimes I am distressed that all of it you will never know.” [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fear of revealing feelings can cause distress when unspoken emotions remain unknown. **In simple terms:** Fear of sharing feelings hurts. Key Takeaway Speak openly to avoid regret. Themes love communication vulnerability Mood melancholic hopeful Type emotional advisory When to use this quote - romantic confession - friendship repair - family discussions Key Concepts emotional honesty fear of rejection Questions to Reflect On - What holds you back from sharing? - How might honesty change the relationship? A Different Perspective Silence can deepen pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Distressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distressed/) [Distressed Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distressed-know-4945641/) [Felt Distressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-distressed-3751382/) [Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing/) [Knowing Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowing-felt-2245693/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Shrink Knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shrink-knowing-4945640/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) ## Related quotes > [There are so many projects that I've written and had to abort because either I felt too distressed by what I was doing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-morgan/there-are-so-many-projects-that-i-ve-written-and-had-to-abort-because/) [Peter Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-morgan/) > [One of the things that has inspired me so much is knowing that I felt like I could never measure up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/one-of-the-things-that-has-inspired-me-so-much-is-knowing-that-i-felt/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [Some girls have to go to college to discover what they are good at; some are born doing what they must without even truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/some-girls-have-to-go-to-college-to-discover-what-they-are-good-at/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“...knowing often felt preferable to not knowing. It provided the illusion of control.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-castillo-price/knowing-often-felt-preferable-to-not-knowing-it-provided-the-illusion/) [Jordan Castillo Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-castillo-price/) > [God found me when I was at my lowest point. That was the first time in my life when I really felt like I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-kearney/god-found-me-when-i-was-at-my-lowest-point-that-was-the-first-time-in/) [Mat Kearney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-kearney/) > [I'm always distressed by the supposedly bright people who don't know what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-clark/i-m-always-distressed-by-the-supposedly-bright-people-who-don-t-know/) [Dick Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-clark/) > [I, being born a woman and distressed By all the needs and notions of my kind...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/i-being-born-a-woman-and-distressed-by-all-the-needs-and-notions-of/) [Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/) > [At first glance, Martha Stewart, queen of artfully distressed home furnishings, might not seem to have much in common with Michael R. Milken, one-time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/at-first-glance-martha-stewart-queen-of-artfully-distressed-home/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [“He who best discerns the worth of time is most distressed whenever time is lost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/he-who-best-discerns-the-worth-of-time-is-most-distressed-whenever/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [I am distressed when I see news channels saying 'Devdas' has let down the country by not getting an Oscar nomination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjay-leela-bhansali/i-am-distressed-when-i-see-news-channels-saying-devdas-has-let-down/) [Sanjay Leela Bhansali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjay-leela-bhansali/) > [I am exceedingly distressed at the proceedings of the Convention-being ... almost sure, they will ... lay the foundation of a Civil War.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbridge-gerry/i-am-exceedingly-distressed-at-the-proceedings-of-the-convention/) [Elbridge Gerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbridge-gerry/) > [Footage of people camped out at Best Buy or elsewhere is not remotely a celebration. Rather, it's a reminder of just how economically distressed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/footage-of-people-camped-out-at-best-buy-or-elsewhere-is-not-remotely/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [With every year that passes, I get further away from my target audience, and while I've been happy to think of myself as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/with-every-year-that-passes-i-get-further-away-from-my-target/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/if-you-look-at-the-world-you-ll-be-distressed-if-you-look-within-you/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [The superior man is distressed by his want (lack) of ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/the-superior-man-is-distressed-by-his-want-lack-of-ability/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) ## More by Thomas Hardy > [“He grew away from old associations, and saw something new in life and humanity. Secondarily, he made close acquaintance with phenomena which he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/he-grew-away-from-old-associations-and-saw-something-new-in-life-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“She was in a sound sleep, Jude, dying of anxiety lest she should have caught a chill which might permanently injure her, was glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/she-was-in-a-sound-sleep-jude-dying-of-anxiety-lest-she-should-have/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [Meanwhile, the trees were just as green as before; the birds sang and the sun shone as clearly now as ever. The familiar surroundings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/meanwhile-the-trees-were-just-as-green-as-before-the-birds-sang-and/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [You ride well, but you don't kiss nicely at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/you-ride-well-but-you-don-t-kiss-nicely-at-all/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [You could sometimes see her twelfth year in her cheeks, or her ninth sparkling from her eyes; and even her fifth would flit over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/you-could-sometimes-see-her-twelfth-year-in-her-cheeks-or-her-ninth/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“It was mid-May time, bringing with it weather not, perhaps, quite so blooming as that assumed to be natural to the month by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/it-was-mid-may-time-bringing-with-it-weather-not-perhaps-quite-so/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [If Galileo had said in verse that the world moved, the inquisition might have let him alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/if-galileo-had-said-in-verse-that-the-world-moved-the-inquisition/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [Some folk want their luck buttered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/some-folk-want-their-luck-buttered/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [Measurement of life should be proportioned rather to the intensity of the experience than to its actual length.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/measurement-of-life-should-be-proportioned-rather-to-the-intensity-of/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“I was court-martialed in my absence, and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot me in my absence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/i-was-court-martialed-in-my-absence-and-sentenced-to-death-in-my/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“It being the first time in his life that he had touched female fingers under water, Dick duly registered the sensation as rather a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/it-being-the-first-time-in-his-life-that-he-had-touched-female/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“As soon as she could discern the outline of the house, it had all its old effect upon Tess's imagination. Part of her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/as-soon-as-she-could-discern-the-outline-of-the-house-it-had-all-its/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [ The perfect woman, you see \[is\] a working-woman; not an idler; not a fine lady; but one who \[uses\] her hands and her head… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-perfect-woman-you-see-is-a-working-woman-not-an-idler-not-a-fine/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“The Sinister Spirit sneered: 'It had to be!' And again the Spirit of Pity whispered, 'Why?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/the-sinister-spirit-sneered-it-had-to-be-and-again-the-spirit-of-pity/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“Justice” was done, and the President of the Immortals (in Aeschylean phrase) had ended his sport with Tess.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/justice-was-done-and-the-president-of-the-immortals-in-aeschylean/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) [Explore all 561 Thomas Hardy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) ## More Distressed quotes > [The superior man is distressed by his want (lack) of ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/the-superior-man-is-distressed-by-his-want-lack-of-ability/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/if-you-look-at-the-world-you-ll-be-distressed-if-you-look-within-you/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [With every year that passes, I get further away from my target audience, and while I've been happy to think of myself as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/with-every-year-that-passes-i-get-further-away-from-my-target/) [Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/) > [Footage of people camped out at Best Buy or elsewhere is not remotely a celebration. Rather, it's a reminder of just how economically distressed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/footage-of-people-camped-out-at-best-buy-or-elsewhere-is-not-remotely/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [I am exceedingly distressed at the proceedings of the Convention-being ... almost sure, they will ... lay the foundation of a Civil War.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbridge-gerry/i-am-exceedingly-distressed-at-the-proceedings-of-the-convention/) [Elbridge Gerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbridge-gerry/) > [I am distressed when I see news channels saying 'Devdas' has let down the country by not getting an Oscar nomination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjay-leela-bhansali/i-am-distressed-when-i-see-news-channels-saying-devdas-has-let-down/) [Sanjay Leela Bhansali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjay-leela-bhansali/) > [“He who best discerns the worth of time is most distressed whenever time is lost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/he-who-best-discerns-the-worth-of-time-is-most-distressed-whenever/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [At first glance, Martha Stewart, queen of artfully distressed home furnishings, might not seem to have much in common with Michael R. Milken, one-time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-berenson/at-first-glance-martha-stewart-queen-of-artfully-distressed-home/) [Alex Berenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-berenson/) > [I, being born a woman and distressed By all the needs and notions of my kind...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/i-being-born-a-woman-and-distressed-by-all-the-needs-and-notions-of/) [Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/) > [I'm always distressed by the supposedly bright people who don't know what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-clark/i-m-always-distressed-by-the-supposedly-bright-people-who-don-t-know/) [Dick Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-clark/) > [I can't help but to write, I have a inner need for it. If I'm not in the middle of some literary project, I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-can-t-help-but-to-write-i-have-a-inner-need-for-it-if-i-m-not-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“People are distressed by their inability to do it. The problem, however, is simply that they don't do it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mencius/people-are-distressed-by-their-inability-to-do-it-the-problem-however/) [Mencius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mencius/) > [We are distressed by the unilateral actions of those provinces that are clearly determined to redefine what our common faith was once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-akinola/we-are-distressed-by-the-unilateral-actions-of-those-provinces-that/) [Peter Akinola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-akinola/) > [O, ye who visit the distressed, do ye know that everything your money can buy, given with a cold, averted face, is not worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-beecher-stowe/o-ye-who-visit-the-distressed-do-ye-know-that-everything-your-money/) [Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-beecher-stowe/) > [“Who answers the distressed one when he calls upon Him”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quran-27-62/who-answers-the-distressed-one-when-he-calls-upon-him/) [Quran 27 62](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quran-27-62/) [Browse all 43 Distressed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distressed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes I shrink from your knowing what I have felt for you, and sometimes I am distressed that all of it you will never know.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Hardy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/sometimes-i-shrink-from-your-knowing-what-i-have-felt-for-you-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Distressed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/sometimes-i-shrink-from-your-knowing-what-i-have-felt-for-you-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/thomas-hardy-410_distressed_sometimes-i-shrink-from-your-knowing-wha_608443.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/thomas-hardy-410_distressed_sometimes-i-shrink-from-your-knowing-wha_608443.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00f/thomas-hardy-410_distressed_sometimes-i-shrink-from-your-knowing-wha_608443.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes I shrink from your knowing what I have felt for you, and sometimes I am distressed that all of it…” — Thomas Hardy", "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": "Thomas Hardy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Sometimes I shrink from your knowing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/sometimes-i-shrink-from-your-knowing-what-i-have-felt-for-you-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/sometimes-i-shrink-from-your-knowing-what-i-have-felt-for-you-and/#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 } } ] } ```