And enough for me that when my hand touched your shoulder, you leaned on me; and when you felt me slip away, you called my name.
Orson Scott CardRead
Dona Crista laughed a bit. "Oh, Pip, I'd be glad for you to try. But do believe me, my dear friend, touching her heart is like bathing in ice." I imagine. I imagine it feels like bathing in ice to the person touching her. But how does it feel to her? Cold as she is, it must surely burn like fire.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote illustrates the emotional barrier one may face when trying to connect with a person who is cold or unresponsive.
In this quote, Dona Crista uses a metaphor to convey the difficulty of reaching out to someone who has built emotional defenses. While the act of trying to connect may feel painful and cold ('like bathing in ice') for the person attempting to touch that heart, it's suggested that the recipient of that attempt might experience an intense emotional reaction, akin to the burning sensation one gets from extreme cold. This highlights the complexity of human emotions in relationships, where vulnerability can provoke strong reactions on both sides.
Themes
RelationshipsEmotionsVulnerabilityColdFire
In practice
Example use cases
During a discussion about emotional barriers in relationships, one might say this quote to illustrate the pain of unrequited love.
More from Orson Scott Card
All quotes →The world is always a democracy in times of flux, and the man with the best voice will win.
Orson Scott CardRead
Never mind that the story had turned out to be lies and foolishness—there was always folks stupid enough to say, Where there's smoke there's fire, when the saying should have been, Where there's scandalous lies there's always malicious believers and spreaders-around, regardless of evidence.
Orson Scott CardRead
The lives of all people flow through time, and, regardless of how brutal one moment may be, how filled with grief or pain or fear, time flows through all lives equally.
Orson Scott CardRead
You take a step, then another. That's the journey. But to take a step with your eyes open is not a journey at all, it's a remaking of your own mind.
Orson Scott CardRead
I've had your tears with mine, and you've had mine with yours. I think that's more intimate even than a kiss.
Orson Scott CardRead
Similar quotes
For listening to the stories of others ... is a kind of water that breaks the fever of our isolation. If we listen closely enough, we are soothed into remembering our common name.
Mark NepoRead
A woman is the only thing I am afraid of that I know will not hurt me.
Abraham LincolnRead
Be kind to one another. Bye, bye.
Ellen DegeneresRead
I’ve found that festivals are a relatively painless way to meet people and make a few points that need making, without having to hit them over the head with too many speeches.
Pete SeegerRead
As NVC replaces our old patterns of defending, withdrawing or attacking in the face of judgment and criticism. We come to perceive ourselves and others, as well as our intentions and relationships, in a new light. Resistance, defensiveness, and violent reactions are minimized.
Marshall B. RosenbergRead
This multicultural approach, saying that we simply live side by side and live happily with each other has failed. Utterly failed.
Angela MerkelRead