When exposed to the quote 'out of sight, out of mind' it made me question whether this could actually be true. What does this quote actually mean?

If this quote was to be true, would the concept of missing someone ever be real? If we were not to see the one we love, it's hard to get to grips with the fact that we won't be thinking of them... because that's what all those cheesy lines are made up from 'thinking of you...' 'can't stop thinking of you' 'miss you'... I think this quote depends on the person who is out of sight, how do you feel towards them? Depend on them? Need them? If the answers to those three questions is very little then I believe someone can be pushed out of your mind if you never see them, by occupying yourself with other aspects of your life that you feel is valuable.

But the reason this quote brings such questions is because when someone is out of sight, it doesn't mean we can't think of them. With every person we have reminders of them, maybe a restaurant that we have been to with that person, or a saying they had, or a certain smell. It is these small things that we fail to get rid of, so no matter how long we have been without seeing them, as long as we have these reminders I don't think they can be out of mind.

The quote 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' I believe, is a better fit for long distance relationships. This encorporates the idea of missing someone and wanting them there. When you have to part with someone that you are so used to seeing nearly every day, it is a shock to the system and that diverse contrast is what makes your heart grow fonder, because you know what you are missing. All the small reminders are still there. It's the length of this absence that tests your heart and how long it can cope.

These quotes, which are commonly known are used, must have been written by two different individuals with very different concepts on what they believed distance could do to a relationship, or a friendship. Personally, I think the second quote has got it spot on.