--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was single for a long time and felt…" description: "\"I was single for a long time and felt very much alone in the world, and talk of family values upset me very much at that phase in my life, because I us..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a52/wendy-cope-17267_family_i-was-single-for-a-long-time-and-felt-ve_1824956.jpg" --- # I was single for a long time and felt very much alone in… ![“I was single for a long time and felt very much alone in the world, and talk of family values upset me very much at that phase in my life, because I used to think: 'What about people like me?” quote by Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a52/wendy-cope-17267_family_i-was-single-for-a-long-time-and-felt-ve_1824956.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a52/wendy-cope-17267_family_i-was-single-for-a-long-time-and-felt-ve_1824956.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a52/wendy-cope-17267_family_i-was-single-for-a-long-time-and-felt-ve_1824956.jpg) > “I was single for a long time and felt very much alone in the world, and talk of family values upset me very much at that phase in my life, because I used to think: 'What about people like me?” [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Feeling isolated leads to questioning societal norms, especially when personal experience feels excluded. **In simple terms:** Loneliness fuels doubt about family values. Key Takeaway Seek connection, challenge assumptions. Themes loneliness family values identity social norms Mood introspective empathetic Type personal reflective When to use this quote - college years - career start - family gatherings - social activism Key Concepts sociology psychology self‑esteem Questions to Reflect On - How do personal feelings shape your view of societal expectations? - What steps can you take to find belonging? A Different Perspective Personal narratives may not represent broader experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Family Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-value/) [Family values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-values/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Phases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phases/) [Single](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single/) [Talk Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-family-413144/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Upset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upset/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Used Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used-think/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Values Upset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values-upset-2225406/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [And it is time for those who talk about family values to start valuing families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-it-is-time-for-those-who-talk-about-family-values-to-start/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is some humour in 'Family Values.' I don't want everyone to think it's not going to make them laugh. But there are quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/there-is-some-humour-in-family-values-i-don-t-want-everyone-to-think/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [“Words unconsciously shift thoughts and feelings. One person's 'terrorist' is another's 'freedom fighter'; politicians jockey to commandeer 'family values,' and somehow you can't favor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/words-unconsciously-shift-thoughts-and-feelings-one-person-s/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) > [It has been a dream of mine to play for Ohio State. This prestigious university best represents my family values, and playing under Urban…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-haskins/it-has-been-a-dream-of-mine-to-play-for-ohio-state-this-prestigious/) [Dwayne Haskins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-haskins/) > [Joking aside, politicians are often more flawed than the rest of us. We need to stop pretending politics and family values go together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/joking-aside-politicians-are-often-more-flawed-than-the-rest-of-us-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ['The Godfather' illustrated the family values - the reality that it was really a family thing, honor and tradition. It wasn't just a single-dimension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-vincent/the-godfather-illustrated-the-family-values-the-reality-that-it-was/) [Frank Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-vincent/) > [“This is what you get when you found a political system on the family values of Henry VIII. At a point in the not-too-remote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/this-is-what-you-get-when-you-found-a-political-system-on-the-family/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [This is wonderful, wonderful! Be the bird. You are the bird. Sacrifice yourself to abandoned family values…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/this-is-wonderful-wonderful-be-the-bird-you-are-the-bird-sacrifice/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [It's time to take Economics 101 to Washington. We believe in liberty, we believe in limited government, we believe in free enterprise, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-bills/it-s-time-to-take-economics-101-to-washington-we-believe-in-liberty/) [Kurt Bills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-bills/) > [The truth is that family values, as used by the American Family Association, Dan Quayle, and the southern Baptists, has nothing to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-sullivan/the-truth-is-that-family-values-as-used-by-the-american-family/) [Morris Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-sullivan/) > [To allow same-sex couples to adopt children and then to label their families as second-class because the adoptive parents are of the same sex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-reinhardt/to-allow-same-sex-couples-to-adopt-children-and-then-to-label-their/) [Stephen Reinhardt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-reinhardt/) > [Hillary Clinton's opponent in the U.S. Senate race, the Republican she's going to be running against, has been married three times, had an affair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/hillary-clinton-s-opponent-in-the-u-s-senate-race-the-republican-she/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [In every state of the Union, Fundamentalists still fight to ban all the science they dislike and prosecute all who teach it. To them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/in-every-state-of-the-union-fundamentalists-still-fight-to-ban-all/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [I describe family values as responsibility towards others, increase of tolerance, compromise, support, flexibility. And essentially the things I call the silent song of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-minuchin/i-describe-family-values-as-responsibility-towards-others-increase-of/) [Salvador Minuchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvador-minuchin/) > [“Those who consider themselves ‘Conservative’ frequently identify with family values, so they should consider carefully the fact that in 1960, only 18% of women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-befumo/those-who-consider-themselves-conservative-frequently-identify-with/) [Joseph Befumo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-befumo/) ## More by Wendy Cope > [The reason modern poetry is difficult is so that the poet's wife cannot understand it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/the-reason-modern-poetry-is-difficult-is-so-that-the-poet-s-wife/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [I like buying clothes, especially as I get a tax-deductible allowance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/i-like-buying-clothes-especially-as-i-get-a-tax-deductible-allowance/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [On Waterloo Bridge where we said our goodbyes, the weather conditions bring tears to my eyes. I wipe them away with a black woolly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/on-waterloo-bridge-where-we-said-our-goodbyes-the-weather-conditions/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [I've never been more famous than I was, suddenly, in 1986.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/i-ve-never-been-more-famous-than-i-was-suddenly-in-1986/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [In my case, the long gaps between my books have got quite a lot to do with lack of confidence. A lot of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/in-my-case-the-long-gaps-between-my-books-have-got-quite-a-lot-to-do/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [“A Green Song (to sing at the bottle-bank) One green bottle, Drop it in the bank. Ten green bottles, What a lot we drank.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/a-green-song-to-sing-at-the-bottle-bank-one-green-bottle-drop-it-in/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [I used to think all poets were Byronic Mad, bad and dangerous to know. And then I met a few. See Lamb 486:25.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/i-used-to-think-all-poets-were-byronic-mad-bad-and-dangerous-to-know/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [I always tell students that writing a poem and publishing it are two quite separate things, and you should write what you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/i-always-tell-students-that-writing-a-poem-and-publishing-it-are-two/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [I like a quiet life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/i-like-a-quiet-life/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [Bloody Christmas, here again, let us raise a loving cup, peace on earth, goodwill to men, and make them do the washing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/bloody-christmas-here-again-let-us-raise-a-loving-cup-peace-on-earth/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [Bloody men are like bloody buses - you wait for about a year and as soon as one approaches your stop two or three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/bloody-men-are-like-bloody-buses-you-wait-for-about-a-year-and-as/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [“Everybody in this room is bored. The poems drag, the voice and gestures irk. He can't be interrupted or ignored. Poor fools, we came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/everybody-in-this-room-is-bored-the-poems-drag-the-voice-and-gestures/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [“Making Cocoa For Kingsley Amis It was a dream I had last week And some kind of record seemed vital. I knew it wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/making-cocoa-for-kingsley-amis-it-was-a-dream-i-had-last-week-and/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [There is some humour in 'Family Values.' I don't want everyone to think it's not going to make them laugh. But there are quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/there-is-some-humour-in-family-values-i-don-t-want-everyone-to-think/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) > [I've said what I'm prepared to say in my poems, and then journalists think that you're going to tell them a whole lot more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/i-ve-said-what-i-m-prepared-to-say-in-my-poems-and-then-journalists/) [Wendy Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) [Explore all 37 Wendy Cope quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/) ## More Family 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/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [Social responsibility above the level of family, or at most of tribe, requires imagination-- devotion, loyalty, all the higher virtues -- which a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/social-responsibility-above-the-level-of-family-or-at-most-of-tribe/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/) [Maureen Andeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-andeson/) > [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [“So Jace is my actual family," Kit said. "But I can't go live with him, because him and his hot girlfriend are going off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/so-jace-is-my-actual-family-kit-said-but-i-can-t-go-live-with-him/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/) [Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/) [Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/) > [“She knew how to play him so very well. He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/) [Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/) > [As a family, we all loved the Flyers. To me, rooting for the Flyers were how I bonded with my dad especially.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-f-goldberg/as-a-family-we-all-loved-the-flyers-to-me-rooting-for-the-flyers-were/) [Adam F. Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-f-goldberg/) > [The people have always been family to me here in Las Vegas. The people have always been very, very kind to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-cunningham/the-people-have-always-been-family-to-me-here-in-las-vegas-the-people/) [Randall Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-cunningham/) > [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/) [Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/) > [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Family over friends, because real friends are family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/family-over-friends-because-real-friends-are-family/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 36,913 Family quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was single for a long time and felt very much alone in the world, and talk of family values upset me very much at that phase in my life, because I used to think: 'What about people like me?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wendy Cope" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/i-was-single-for-a-long-time-and-felt-very-much-alone-in-the-world/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Family" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/i-was-single-for-a-long-time-and-felt-very-much-alone-in-the-world/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a52/wendy-cope-17267_family_i-was-single-for-a-long-time-and-felt-ve_1824956.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a52/wendy-cope-17267_family_i-was-single-for-a-long-time-and-felt-ve_1824956.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a52/wendy-cope-17267_family_i-was-single-for-a-long-time-and-felt-ve_1824956.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was single for a long time and felt very much alone in the world, and talk of family values upset me very…” — Wendy Cope", "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": "Wendy Cope", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-cope/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was single for a long...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/i-was-single-for-a-long-time-and-felt-very-much-alone-in-the-world/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-cope/i-was-single-for-a-long-time-and-felt-very-much-alone-in-the-world/#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 } } ] } ```