40 Quotes About Wanting What You Can't Have

In this generation, it is people’s instinct to feel entitled to items or experiences, and people expect to be treated a certain way because they feel like they deserve it. These days it's natural to want everything we can't have — children end up getting all the electronics they want because it’s so much easier for parents to entertain their kids by giving them a phone or a tablet than to listen to them cry and whine. We want to fit in and be independent, so it "just makes sense" to get expensive smartphones so we can communicate more easily in the modern world.

When we grow up and enter the real world, we are hit with a culture shock — because suddenly not everybody is going to treat us with the same level of respect or give us the opportunities we believe we deserve. No one is going to just give us straight A’s without doing the work, we are going to have to support ourselves without the help of parents who can buy us everything. We realize that it's hard work to get a job, that it's not so easy to pay for things or feed ourselves.

Even when it comes to love — through heartbreak and relationship challenges we learn that we won't always be with the people we want to be with. And the people we miss won't always miss us back, or come back down the line to be with us.

How do we deal with wanting what we can't have? Not everything will be served to us on a silver platter, so we have to be willing to put in the work in real life. We need to learn how to deal with disappointment.

So if you ever find yourself longing for something, use these quotes about wanting what you can't have to help you realize that although you may want it all, you can't have it all, all the time.

1. Change your perspective.

“When you can’t have what you want, it’s time to start wanting what you have.” — Kathleen A Sutton

2. Hard realizations.

“Just because I don’t talk to you, it doesn’t mean I still don’t think about you. I’m just distancing myself because I know I can’t have YOU.” — Unknown

3. Those attachments

“Sometimes someone comes into your life that changes everything. Raises the standards, makes you laugh and makes you feel like you. There is something about him that you can’t put into words and even though you’re not with him, you don’t want to let him go.” — Unknown

4. Everything happens for a reason.

“Sometimes, you just can’t get what you want, but it doesn’t mean that you can never have it. Everything takes place at the right time.” — Unknown

5. Those things will eventually find their way into your life.

“You can close your eyes to things you don’t want to see but you can’t close your heart to things you don’t want to feel.” — Unknown

6. Overwhelming feelings and thoughts.

“…it’s all too much and not enough at the same time.” — Jack Kerouac

7. That's such a hard thing to admit.

“Admit it, you want someone you can’t have.” — Unknown

8. Happiness is something that everyone wants to some extent.

“I just want to make you happy. Because you’re the reason that I’m so happy.” — Unknown

9. Sometimes secrets are necessary.

“Some of the best moments in life are the ones you can’t tell anyone about.” — Unknown

10. An odd complex.

“You can have anything you want in life, you just can’t have everything you want.” — Unknown

11. Self-love is key.

“Baby, love yourself like you’re not waiting for someone else to do it.” — Unknown

12. Want brings denial.

“Can’t deny that I want you, but I’ll lie if I have to.” — Unknown

13. So close, yet so far.

“The worst way to miss someone is to be sitting right beside them knowing you can’t have them.” — Unknown

14. It's hard to necessarily declare a winner when it comes to feelings.

“Every thought is a battle, every breath is a war, and I don’t think I’m winning anymore.” — Unknown

15. It doesn't mean I don't.

“My heart tells me this is the best and greatest feeling I have ever had, but my mind knows the difference between wanting what you can’t have and wanting what you shouldn’t want. And I shouldn’t want you.” — Unknown

16. If he really cares enough, he'll put in the effort.

“If he misses you, he’ll call. If he wants you, he’ll say it. If he cares, he’ll show it. And if not, he can’t be worth your time.” — Unknown

17. Proving your love for someone is like nothing else.

“I want to show him that he has not been loved before. I want him to feel, with one kiss, how I can make love to his soul for eternity.” — Unknown

18. Heartbreak - is it worth all the trouble?

“Desire leaves us heartbroken; it wears us out. But as tough as wanting something can be, the ones who suffer the most are those who don’t know what they want.” – Unknown

19. Want for nothing more than a great family.

“Having a sister is like having a best friend you can’t get rid of. You know whatever you do, they’ll still be there.” — Unknown

20. They won't actually get tired of you if they love you.

“You’ll never be too much for someone who can’t get enough of you.” — Unknown

21. Accept it and move on.

“Take life day by day and be grateful for the little things don’t get caught up in what you can’t control, accept it and make the best of it.” — Unknown

22. That's a lot of thought and want.

“If every time I thought of you, a star fell, well, the sky would be empty.” — Unknown

23. Unconditional love.

“In an endless garden of flowers, I will always pick you.” — A.J. Lawless

24. Holding onto that hope.

“Even though I miss you right now, know that you will come back to me.” — Unknown

25. Someone will someday.

“Sometimes I sit alone under the stars and think of the galaxies inside my heart and truly wonder if anyone will ever want to make sense of all that I am.” — Unknown

26. Desire can have more negative effects than positive.

“Too often, the thing you want most is the one thing you can’t have. Desire leaves us heartbroken; it wears us out. Desire can wreck your life. But as tough as wanting something can be, the people who suffer the most are those who don’t know what they want.” — Unknown

27. You have to be willing to put in the effort.

“You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need.” — The Rolling Stones

28. Money can't buy everything.

“You may be rich, but there is one thing you can’t afford – that is, if you are a good sort – you can’t afford to spend money on your own luxuries while there are people around you wanting the necessities of life.” — Robert Baden-Powell

29. Wanting isn't always positive.

“Something is wanting, and something must be done, or we shall be involved in all the horror of failure, and civil war without a prospect of its termination.” — Henry Knox

30. You need to put in the effort.

“Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way.” — Les Brown

31. Boredom isn't worth it.

“I’m considered wise, and sometimes I see myself as knowing. Most of the time, I see myself as wanting to know. And I see myself as a very interested person. I’ve never been bored in my life.” — Maya Angelou

32. Passion drives a lot of things in life.

“It seems like when I was growing up there was more compromise, wanting to work with each other, and I think all of them – all the lawmakers – have hearts to do what’s right, and they all are passionate about it.” — Joel Osteen

33. It's hard to hold things inside.

“I’m hiding what I’m feeling but I’m tired of holding this inside my head.” — Unknown

34. Secret love makes it more exciting.

“I think we’re just gonna have to be secretly in love with each other and leave it at that.” — Unknown

35. Now you don't have to pray anymore.

“I still remember the days I prayed for the thing I have now.” — Unknown

36. There has to be a give and take.

“If you ignore me, I will ignore you. If you don’t start the conversation, we won’t talk. If you don’t put in the effort, why should I?” — Unknown

37. Either way, you'll get your answers.

“Sometimes you just need to distance yourself from people. If they care, they’ll notice. If they don’t, you know where you stand.” — Unknown

38. Laughter always changes the mood.

“The most wanted of all days is one without laughter.” — E.E. Cummings

39. Be your own role model.

“I never had a role model. I ended up wanting to be the best version of myself.” — Kubra Sait

40. It is never easy.

“Honest feelings and bad timing make the most painful combination.” — Unknown

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Hayley Small is a writer who focuses on pop culture, religion and relationship topics.