After I won the Newbery Medal for 'From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,' children all over the world let me know that they liked books that take them to unusual places where they meet unusual people.
E. L. KonigsburgRead
I waited for her to catch up, and when I did, she slowed down, and I missed seeing the light in her hair. I never told Nadia how much I liked seeing the halo the sunlight made of her hair. Sometimes silence is a habit that hurts.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the consequences of unspoken feelings and the pain of missed opportunities in relationships.
In this quote, E. L. Konigsburg conveys a poignant moment of connection and loss, illustrating how silence and hesitation can lead to missed opportunities for expressing love and appreciation. The speaker regrets not communicating their feelings, which resulted in a fleeting moment of beauty being overlooked, symbolizing how silence can sometimes become a burden in relationships, preventing genuine connections from being strengthened.
Themes
SilenceFeelingsRelationshipsMissed OpportunitiesCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the importance of communication in relationships, this quote serves as a reminder of what happens when we hold back our feelings.
More from E. L. Konigsburg
All quotes βThe essential problems remain the same... The kids I write about are asking for the same things I wanted. They want two contradictory things. They want to be the same as everyone else, and they want to be different from everyone else. They want acceptance for both.
E. L. KonigsburgRead
I'm not sure that love and like aren't like cats and dogs: One can't grow up to be the other, but they can be taught to live under the same roof.
E. L. KonigsburgRead
I think most of us are outsiders. And I think that's good because it makes you question things.
E. L. KonigsburgRead
Art comes from a visceral need and is usually generated by something I have seen; writing comes from something that happens in my head and my heart.
E. L. KonigsburgRead
Every now and then, a person must do something simply because he wants to, because it seems to him worth doing. And that does not make it worthless or a waste of time.
E. L. KonigsburgRead
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