QuoteProject
The town has a sense, not of history, but of time, and the telephone poles seem to know this. If you lay your hand against one, you can feel the vibration from the wires deep within the wood, as if souls had been imprisoned in there and were struggling to get out.
Stephen King
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote reflects on the connection between the physical structures in a town and the passage of time, suggesting a deeper awareness of existence.

In this quote, Stephen King evokes a profound connection to the essence of time through the imagery of telephone poles. He suggests that these everyday objects are not just passive structures but are infused with a sense of history and emotion, embodying the stories and souls of those who might have existed in their presence. This perspective invites readers to consider how our surroundings are intertwined with the temporal experiences of humanity, revealing a haunting yet beautiful resonance of life within inanimate objects.

Themes

TimeHistoryExistenceEmotionsVibrationsTelephone Poles

In practice

Example use cases

In a discussion about the significance of history in our lives, one might quote this to illustrate the unseen connections we share with our environments.

More from Stephen King

Try any goddam thing you like, no matter how boringly normal or outrageous. If it works, fine. If it doesn't, toss it. Toss it even if you love it.
Stephen KingRead
Eddie discovered one of his childhood's great truths. Grownups are the real monsters, he thought.
Stephen KingRead
Hairstyles change, and skirt lengths, and slang, but high school administrations? Never.
Stephen KingRead
Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.
Stephen KingRead
That's the day's business. Thinking. Thinking and isolation, because it doesn't matter if you pass the time of day with someone or not; in the end, you're alone. He seemed to have put in as many miles in his brain as he had with his feet. The thoughts kept coming and there was no way to deny them.
Stephen KingRead
Late last night and the night before, tommyknockers, tommyknockers knocking on my door. I wanna go out, don't know if I can 'cuz I'm so afraid of the tommyknocker man.
Stephen KingRead

Similar quotes

The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.
Oswald ChambersRead
So the universe is not quite as you thought it was. You'd better rearrange your beliefs, then. Because you certainly can't rearrange the universe.
Isaac AsimovRead
We think we receive all that we perceive, but in fact, we actually give the sky its colour.
James TurrellRead
The essence of neo-colonialism is that the State which is subject to it is, in theory, independent and has all the outward trappings of international sovereignty. In reality its economic system and thus its political policy is directed from outside.
Kwame NkrumahRead
DUEL, n. A formal ceremony preliminary to reconciliation of two enemies. Great skill is necessary to its satisfactory observance; if awkwardly performed . . . deplorable consequences sometimes ensue. A long time ago a man lost his life.
Ambrose BierceRead
In the war of magic and religion, is magic ultimately the victor? Perhaps priest and magician were once one, but the priest, learning humility in the face of God, discarded the spell for prayer.
Patti SmithRead

A little wisdom, now and then

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