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 →The 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
Similar quotes
I’m not like the rest of you; I never made any plans about what I’d do when I grew up; I never thought of being married, as you did. I couldn’t seem to imagine myself anything but stupid little Beth, trotting about at home, of no use anywhere but there. I never wanted to go away, and the hard part now is leaving you all. I’m not afraid, but it seems as if I should be homesick for you even in heaven.
Louisa May AlcottRead
We shall be free only together, black and white. We shall survive only together, black and white. We can be human only together, black and white.
Desmond TutuRead
We are seeing healing among the stolen generations, and initiatives which are enabling Indigenous people to make their distinctive contribution to our national life.
Malcolm FraserRead
We spoke about our dreams and how we always felt safe in them, no matter how bad everthing else seemed. He told me it was one of the best days of his life and then he took out his gun. A .22 rifle. And he leaned forward and whispered, "Forgive me, Taylor Markham." Before I could ask how he knew my name and what I was to forgive him for he said, "Take care of my little girl." And then he told me to close my eyes. And I've been frightened to do just that ever since.
Melina MarchettaRead
Goodnight, my darlings, I'll see you tomorrow.
Noel CowardRead
I always had an affinity for older people. I had a job delivering newspapers, and one place I had to go was an old people's home. Some people would introduce you to their neighbors as if you were a nephew or grandson. They didn't get many visitors, so they acted like you were coming to see them. And that stuck with me for a long time.
John PrineRead