---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Things were not tragic for us then…"
description: "\"Things were not tragic for us then, because although we cared passionately we didn't care deeply.\" — Vita Sackville-West"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/vita-sackville-west-4366_care_things-were-not-tragic-for-us-then-becau_1438771.jpg"
---

#  Things were not tragic for us then, because although we…

![“Things were not tragic for us then, because although we cared passionately we didn't care deeply.” quote by Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/vita-sackville-west-4366_care_things-were-not-tragic-for-us-then-becau_1438771.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/vita-sackville-west-4366_care_things-were-not-tragic-for-us-then-becau_1438771.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/vita-sackville-west-4366_care_things-were-not-tragic-for-us-then-becau_1438771.jpg)

> “Things were not tragic for us then, because although we cared passionately we didn't care deeply.”

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

## About This Quote

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

Passionate but shallow concern leads to tragedy; true depth of feeling is needed to avoid superficiality.

**In simple terms:** Caring superficially can be tragic.

Key Takeaway

Seek deeper emotional engagement.

Themes

emotion depth tragedy

Mood

melancholic thoughtful

Type

literary reflective

When to use this quote

- relationships
- artistic creation
- political activism
- parenting
- friendship

Key Concepts

Authenticity emotional intelligence

Questions to Reflect On

- When have you cared without depth?
- What prevents you from feeling deeply?

A Different Perspective

Surface emotions may mask underlying issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Cared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cared/) [Cared Passionately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cared-passionately-5142622/) [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Didn Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didn-care/) [Generosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generosity/) [Passionately Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passionately-didn-5142623/) [Tragic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragic/) [Tragic Cared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragic-cared-5142624/)

## Related quotes

> [Throughout his life, Dickens cared passionately about orphans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-tomalin/throughout-his-life-dickens-cared-passionately-about-orphans/)

[Claire Tomalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-tomalin/)

> [In the end, it all comes down to the fact that I cared too much, and you didn't care enough or at all, really...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-the-end-it-all-comes-down-to-the-fact-that-i-cared-too-much-and-2/)

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

> [“Easy when you didn’t care, when people came onto the page and walked away again, back to their own stories, and you could imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-e-schwab/easy-when-you-didn-t-care-when-people-came-onto-the-page-and-walked/)

[V.E. Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-e-schwab/)

> [I scored a 910 on my SAT. I didn't care about education. I don't know what I cared about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skeet-ulrich/i-scored-a-910-on-my-sat-i-didn-t-care-about-education-i-don-t-know/)

[Skeet Ulrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skeet-ulrich/)

> [Bad news, Harry. I've just been to see Professor McGonagall about the Firebolt. She – er, got a bit shirty with me. Told me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bad-news-harry-i-ve-just-been-to-see-professor-mcgonagall-about-the/)

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

> [“He didn't care if you were safe, he just cared if you were his.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/he-didn-t-care-if-you-were-safe-he-just-cared-if-you-were-his/)

[Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/)

> [“HE LEFT BECAUSE he cared too much about her WHILE AT THE SAME TIME she didn't care enough about him”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-n-harris/he-left-because-he-cared-too-much-about-her-while-at-the-same-time/)

[José N. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-n-harris/)

> [“She didn't care about anything, or maybe she cared too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/she-didn-t-care-about-anything-or-maybe-she-cared-too-much/)

[Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/)

> [“I was lucky that my parents really didn't care what I did. I was lucky that their bedroom was across the upstairs landing, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ann-walker/i-was-lucky-that-my-parents-really-didn-t-care-what-i-did-i-was-lucky/)

[Sarah Ann Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ann-walker/)

> [“I didn't care that we'd caught a few stares from students passing by. I didn't care that the bell to begin class rang. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brodi-ashton/i-didn-t-care-that-we-d-caught-a-few-stares-from-students-passing-by/)

[Brodi Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brodi-ashton/)

> [We didn't care about salaries and having a nice car. We just cared about science and were really ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-britt-moser/we-didn-t-care-about-salaries-and-having-a-nice-car-we-just-cared/)

[May-Britt Moser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-britt-moser/)

> [If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't get so mad at the things you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/if-i-didn-t-care-about-you-i-wouldn-t-get-so-mad-at-the-things-you-do/)

[Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/)

> [“I might have hasked a question..., except that 1. I didn't know what it was, and 2. I didn't care to learn, and 3.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-might-have-hasked-a-question-except-that-1-i-didn-t-know-what-it/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Do you know how beautiful you are?' I shook my head 'I'm not. But you make me fell like I am.' I wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/do-you-know-how-beautiful-you-are-i-shook-my-head-i-m-not-but-you/)

[Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/)

> [“He didn't care who I was anymore. He just wondered, when he could have me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-mani/he-didn-t-care-who-i-was-anymore-he-just-wondered-when-he-could-have/)

[A. Mani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-mani/)

## More by Vita Sackville-West

> [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [I cannot bear that you / Should think me faithful, when I am untrue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/i-cannot-bear-that-you-should-think-me-faithful-when-i-am-untrue/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [“This is how you must imagine your letters arriving, and me carrying them off to read in peace, and saying 'oh darling Virginia', and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/this-is-how-you-must-imagine-your-letters-arriving-and-me-carrying/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [“There had been no moments when she could differentiate and say: Then, at such a moment, I love him; and again, Then, at such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/there-had-been-no-moments-when-she-could-differentiate-and-say-then/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [Women, like men, ought to have their youth so glutted with freedom they hate the very idea of freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/women-like-men-ought-to-have-their-youth-so-glutted-with-freedom-they/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [The farmer and the gardener are both busy, the gardener perhaps the more excitable of the two, for he is more of the amateur,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/the-farmer-and-the-gardener-are-both-busy-the-gardener-perhaps-the/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [For the last 40 years of my life I have broken my back, my fingernails, and sometimes my heart, in the practical pursuit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-the-last-40-years-of-my-life-i-have-broken-my-back-my-fingernails/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [Successful gardening is not necessarily a question of wealth, it is a question of love, taste, and knowledge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/successful-gardening-is-not-necessarily-a-question-of-wealth-it-is-a/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [What is beautiful is good, and who is good will soon be beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/what-is-beautiful-is-good-and-who-is-good-will-soon-be-beautiful/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [My garden all is overblown with roses,/ My spirit all is overblown with rhyme,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/my-garden-all-is-overblown-with-roses-my-spirit-all-is-overblown-with/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [Nothing shows up the difference between the things said or read, so much as the daily experience of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/nothing-shows-up-the-difference-between-the-things-said-or-read-so/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [how poor and disheartening a thing is experience compared with hope!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/how-poor-and-disheartening-a-thing-is-experience-compared-with-hope/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [ “You angel, you have written. \[...\] Please, in all this muddle of life, continue to be a bright and constant star. Just a few… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/you-angel-you-have-written-please-in-all-this-muddle-of-life-continue/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [I miss you even more than I could have believed; and I was prepared to miss you a good deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/i-miss-you-even-more-than-i-could-have-believed-and-i-was-prepared-to/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [I like muddling things up; and if a herb looks nice in a border, then why not grow it there? Why not grow anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/i-like-muddling-things-up-and-if-a-herb-looks-nice-in-a-border-then/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

[Explore all 110 Vita Sackville-West quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

## More Care quotes

> [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/)

[Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/)

> [We all know what it feels like to love someone and care about them and want to protect them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-madeira/we-all-know-what-it-feels-like-to-love-someone-and-care-about-them/)

[Kiana Madeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-madeira/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [I certainly do care for you Jeff Campbell less than you are always thinking and much more than you are ever knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-certainly-do-care-for-you-jeff-campbell-less-than-you-are-always/)

[Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/)

> [Advances in technology will continue to reach far into every sector of our economy. Future job and economic growth in industry, defense, transportation, agriculture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-bond/advances-in-technology-will-continue-to-reach-far-into-every-sector/)

[Christopher Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-bond/)

> [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/)

[Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/)

> [I believe in taxation and health care that is outside the usual libertarian mandate, because I don't want people to have to suffer. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-peart/i-believe-in-taxation-and-health-care-that-is-outside-the-usual/)

[Neil Peart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-peart/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [What makes you care about nature, about the planet? Is it really that you're afraid of what's going to happen if you don't take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/what-makes-you-care-about-nature-about-the-planet-is-it-really-that/)

[Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/)

> [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [When you're in your twenties and starting out, the problem is that you care about being cool. Being older, I can care less about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-righton/when-you-re-in-your-twenties-and-starting-out-the-problem-is-that-you/)

[James Righton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-righton/)

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [I don't care if you make a print on a bath mat, just as long as it is a good print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-weston/i-don-t-care-if-you-make-a-print-on-a-bath-mat-just-as-long-as-it-is/)

[Edward Weston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-weston/)

> [The world's problems are, by and large, human problems-the unavoidable consequence of egoic sleepwalking. If we care to look, all the signs are present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/the-world-s-problems-are-by-and-large-human-problems-the-unavoidable/)

[Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/)

> [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/)

[John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/)

[Browse all 19,019 Care quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Things were not tragic for us then, because although we cared passionately we didn't care deeply.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Vita Sackville-West"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/things-were-not-tragic-for-us-then-because-although-we-cared/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Care"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/things-were-not-tragic-for-us-then-because-although-we-cared/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/vita-sackville-west-4366_care_things-were-not-tragic-for-us-then-becau_1438771.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/vita-sackville-west-4366_care_things-were-not-tragic-for-us-then-becau_1438771.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/vita-sackville-west-4366_care_things-were-not-tragic-for-us-then-becau_1438771.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Things were not tragic for us then, because although we cared passionately we didn't care deeply.” — Vita Sackville-West",
                "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": "Vita Sackville-West",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Things were not tragic for us...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/things-were-not-tragic-for-us-then-because-although-we-cared/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/things-were-not-tragic-for-us-then-because-although-we-cared/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
