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I looked silently at her lips. All women are lips, nothing…

“I looked silently at her lips. All women are lips, nothing but lips. Some are pink, supple, round-a right, a tender shield against the whole world. And then these: A second ago they didn't exist, and now suddenly, made by a knife, the sweet blood still dripping...” quote by Yevgeny Zamyatin
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““I looked silently at her lips. All women are lips, nothing but lips. Some are pink, supple, round-a right, a tender shield against the whole world. And then these: A second ago they didn't exist, and now suddenly, made by a knife, the sweet blood still dripping...””

Yevgeny Zamyatin

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The passage portrays a sudden, violent transformation of a woman's lips into a wound, symbolizing fragile beauty and the abrupt intrusion of violence into intimacy.

In simple terms: Lips become a wound, showing beauty turned violent.

Key Takeaway

Recognize how violence can corrupt tenderness.

Themes

beauty violence transformation intimacy

Mood

haunting reflective

Type

literary poetic

When to use this quote

  • personal relationships
  • artistic description
  • literary analysis

Key Concepts

symbolism human fragility psychological shock

Questions to Reflect On

  • What does the sudden change reveal about perception?
  • How does language shape our view of violence?
A Different Perspective

The metaphor may romanticize violence, obscuring real harm.

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