When I get lonely these days, I think… is about making loneliness your teacher instead of your enemy. It’s a radical shift from running from discomfort to sitting with it and learning its lessons. This is the foundation of real emotional resilience.
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Meaning
The core message is about radical acceptance. Instead of fighting a negative feeling, you accept its presence and decide to learn from it, transforming a moment of pain into a moment of growth.
Explanation
Look, we’re all wired to avoid pain, right? Loneliness, boredom, anxiety—we scroll, we snack, we call someone, anything to make it stop. But what Gilbert is proposing here is a complete game-changer. It’s the emotional equivalent of leaning into the skid. You stop treating loneliness like a house fire you have to escape and start treating it like a room in your own internal house. You learn where the furniture is. You sit in the quiet. And in doing that, you realize it can’t actually destroy you. You build a tolerance. And that tolerance? That’s power. It’s the power of not being at the mercy of your every passing feeling.
Quote Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Category | Emotion (177) |
| Topics | growth (413), loneliness (8) |
| Literary Style | narrative (32) |
| Emotion / Mood | healing (4), introspective (55), vulnerable (4) |
| Overall Quote Score | 86 (262) |
Origin & Factcheck
This comes straight from Elizabeth Gilbert’s mega-bestseller Eat, Pray, Love, published in 2006. It’s her internal monologue during her time in Italy. You sometimes see it floating around unattributed on social media, but it’s 100% hers from that specific journey of self-discovery.
Attribution Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Author | Elizabeth Gilbert (39) |
| Source Type | Book (4032) |
| Source/Book Name | Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia (39) |
| Origin Timeperiod | 21st Century (1892) |
| Original Language | English (3668) |
| Authenticity | Verified (4032) |
Author Bio
Elizabeth Gilbert writes with clarity and heart about creativity, love, and self-discovery. After starting in magazines like GQ and The New York Times Magazine, she published Pilgrims, then broke out with Eat Pray Love, followed by Committed, The Signature of All Things, Big Magic, and City of Girls. Her 2009 TED Talk on creativity went viral and continues to inspire makers worldwide. She splits time between writing, speaking, and mentoring creative communities. For a full view of her work, see the
| Official Website | Facebook | X| Instagram
Where is this quotation located?
| Quotation | When I get lonely these days, I think: So be lonely, Liz. Learn your way around loneliness |
| Book Details | Publication Year/Date: 2006; ISBN: 978-0-670-03471-0; Last edition: Penguin Books, 2010; Number of pages: 334. |
| Where is it? | Chapter 48, India section, Approximate page 172 from 2010 edition |