The writer is the person who stands outside society, independent of affiliation and independent of influence.
Don DelilloRead
Eye contact was a delicate matter. A quarter second of a shared glance was a violation of agreements that made the city operational.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the significance of eye contact in social interactions and the unspoken rules governing personal boundaries in urban life.
In this quote, Don Delillo emphasizes how eye contact can serve as a powerful yet risky form of communication in a bustling city. The fleeting moment of a shared glance represents a break from the implicit agreements that individuals have established to maintain a sense of privacy and order in their crowded lives. It suggests that even brief interactions carry weight in a society where personal space is often respected and preserved.
Themes
Eye ContactRelationshipsSocial NormsCommunicationUrban Life
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about non-verbal communication, this quote can illustrate the complexities of human interactions.
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All quotes →War is the form nostalgia takes when men are hard-pressed to say something good about their country.
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I used to think it was possible for an artist to alter the inner life of the culture. Now bomb-makers and gunmen have taken that territory.
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[I]n the American soul there is a lonely individual standing in a vast landscape. He is either on a horse or driving a car, depending, and either way he’s carrying a gun. This is one of the essential images in American mythology.
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