QuoteProject
Then there were things-- epic, terrible things-- that he didn't tell her but skirted around, like caressing the edges of a wound, hesitant, testing for pain.
Laini Taylor
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote reflects the complexity of emotional experiences and the difficulty of fully expressing painful truths in relationships.

In this quote, Laini Taylor conveys the idea that some emotions and experiences are too intense or painful to openly discuss. Instead, individuals may approach these topics delicately, gauging the emotional response of the other person, much like one might lightly touch a sore spot to see if it hurts. It highlights the nuanced communication in relationships where deep feelings and traumas are often left unspoken, emphasizing vulnerability and the care one must take when navigating such sensitive matters.

Themes

PainRelationshipsEmotionsCommunicationVulnerability

In practice

Example use cases

In a therapy session when discussing how to approach difficult topics with a partner.

More from Laini Taylor

It’s like losing gravity and falling into space – the moment of pitching headlong when the endlessness of space asserts itself and there is no more down, only an eternity of up, and you realize you can fall forever and never run out of stars.
Laini TaylorRead
Kizzy wanted it all so bad her soul leaned half out of her body hungering after it, and that was what drove the goblins wild, her soul hanging out there like an untucked shirt.
Laini TaylorRead
Never sit staring at a blank page or screen. If you find yourself stuck, write. Write about the scene you're trying to write. Writing about is easier than writing, and chances are, it will give you your way in.
Laini TaylorRead
When I turned to writing fantasy, and writing for young people, it was joyous. It was like discovering an underground lake of ideas that went on forever.
Laini TaylorRead
Dialogue is the place that books are most alive and forge the most direct connection with readers. It is also where we as writers discover our characters and allow them to become real.
Laini TaylorRead
Happiness. It was the place where passion, with all its dazzle and drumbeat, met something softer: homecoming and safety and pure sunbeam comfort. It was all those things, intertwined with the heat and the thrill, and it was as bright within her as a swallowed star.
Laini TaylorRead

Similar quotes

Some 70% to 80% of all who join the military will return to the civilian workforce. They'll return to communities, and one of the things I've worried about is the increasing disconnect between the American people and our men and women in uniform. We come from fewer and fewer places. We're less than 1% of the population.
Michael MullenRead
It's okay to send flowers, but don't let the flowers do all the talking. Flowers have a limited vocabulary. About the best flowers can say is that you remembered. But your words tell the rest.
Jim RohnRead
Like Jesus, we can decide, daily or instantly, to give no heed to temptation (see D&C 20:22). We can respond to irritation with a smile instead of scowl, or by giving warm praise instead of icy indifference. By our being understanding instead of abrupt, others, in turn, may decide to hold on a little longer rather than to give way. Love, patience, and meekness can be just as contagious as rudeness and crudeness.
Neal A. MaxwellRead
Our rewards in life will always be in exact proportion to the amount of consideration we show toward others.
Earl NightingaleRead
If you close your eyes and think about where you feel the most safe, you're probably not going to tell me it's in a room full of police. You feel safe where you're around people that love you, when you have food and shelter, when you're being pushed to be your best self and learn.
Deray MckessonRead
It was strange to see someone you have only known alone begin interacting with other people, for that somebody known to you disappears and is replaced by a different, more complex, person. You watch him revolve in this new company, revealing new facets, and there is nothing you can do but hope you like these other sides as much as you like the side that seemed whole when it faced only you.
Peter CameronRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.