--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But she was waiting patiently. She no…" description: "\"But she was waiting patiently. She no longer believed in talk. It never rescued anything. At seventy she had come to believe in time alone. ~pg 254\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/alice-sebold-999_alone-time_but-she-was-waiting-patiently-she-no-lon_1365786.jpg" --- # But she was waiting patiently. She no longer believed in… ![“But she was waiting patiently. She no longer believed in talk. It never rescued anything. At seventy she had come to believe in time alone. ~pg 254” quote by Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/alice-sebold-999_alone-time_but-she-was-waiting-patiently-she-no-lon_1365786.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/alice-sebold-999_alone-time_but-she-was-waiting-patiently-she-no-lon_1365786.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6a/alice-sebold-999_alone-time_but-she-was-waiting-patiently-she-no-lon_1365786.jpg) > “But she was waiting patiently. She no longer believed in talk. It never rescued anything. At seventy she had come to believe in time alone. ~pg 254” [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She learns that waiting and trusting time is more reliable than empty words. **In simple terms:** Patience and time are more trustworthy than talk. Key Takeaway Trust time, not empty promises. Themes patience trust loneliness Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - grief counseling - long‑term planning - personal healing Key Concepts existentialism resilience Questions to Reflect On - How does patience help in grief? - When is waiting insufficient? A Different Perspective Time alone cannot solve all problems; action may be needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alone time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone-time/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-alone/) [Waiting Patiently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting-patiently/) ## Related quotes > [“About Grandma Lynn: She was waiting patiently. She no longer believed in talk. At seventy, she had come to believe in time alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/about-grandma-lynn-she-was-waiting-patiently-she-no-longer-believed/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [Working hard and waiting patiently is a wise man's secret..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/working-hard-and-waiting-patiently-is-a-wise-man-s-secret/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [And the most unfair thing is to see me here still waiting, patiently, in love with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-the-most-unfair-thing-is-to-see-me-here-still-waiting-patiently/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything that you will ever need to accomplish any goal that you will ever set is sitting & waiting patiently inside of you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/everything-that-you-will-ever-need-to-accomplish-any-goal-that-you/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) > [I haven't found him but I'm pretty sure his right there waiting for me so patiently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchelle-suico/i-haven-t-found-him-but-i-m-pretty-sure-his-right-there-waiting-for/) [Mitchelle Suico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchelle-suico/) > [Boy you are my heart You are my love and I knew from the start You'd be the one and Still I'm waiting Here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/treasureprincess/boy-you-are-my-heart-you-are-my-love-and-i-knew-from-the-start-you-d/) [TreasurePrincess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/treasureprincess/) > [Good things come to people who wait and are patient.. So, I'll keep waiting patiently...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/good-things-come-to-people-who-wait-and-are-patient-so-i-ll-keep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's a very weird job to have as a musician, because you spend long periods of time alone and then you have to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-deradoorian/it-s-a-very-weird-job-to-have-as-a-musician-because-you-spend-long/) Angel Deradoorian > [only grieving can heal grief; the passage of time will lessen the acuteness, but time alone, without the direct experience of grief, will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/only-grieving-can-heal-grief-the-passage-of-time-will-lessen-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I was very inventive. I lived in my own world - my dad said I was a loner. Not lonely, just happy in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-titchmarsh/i-was-very-inventive-i-lived-in-my-own-world-my-dad-said-i-was-a/) [Alan Titchmarsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-titchmarsh/) > [There is no doubt that solitude is a challenge and to maintain balance within it a precarious business. But I must not forget that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/there-is-no-doubt-that-solitude-is-a-challenge-and-to-maintain/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [For Ragamuffins, God's name is Mercy. We see our darkness as a prized possession because it drives us into the heart of God. Without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/for-ragamuffins-god-s-name-is-mercy-we-see-our-darkness-as-a-prized/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [I always feel more grounded and stable when I have balance in my life; I'm a Libra! I'm most often surrounded by people, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-always-feel-more-grounded-and-stable-when-i-have-balance-in-my-life/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [Spending a lot of time alone, gave me a lot of time to think. A lot of time to think gave me the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/spending-a-lot-of-time-alone-gave-me-a-lot-of-time-to-think-a-lot-of/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Well, it's true that I've never been solitary, although I spend a lot of time alone. I've never felt lonely or been shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-e-grant/well-it-s-true-that-i-ve-never-been-solitary-although-i-spend-a-lot/) [Richard E. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-e-grant/) ## More by Alice Sebold > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [I left my mark on that man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/i-left-my-mark-on-that-man/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [These things, she felt, were not to be passed around like disingenuous party favors. She kept an honor code with her journals and her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/these-things-she-felt-were-not-to-be-passed-around-like-disingenuous/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [I don't think ignorance is a way that you gain distance on something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/i-don-t-think-ignorance-is-a-way-that-you-gain-distance-on-something/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [I was like I was in science class: I was curious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/i-was-like-i-was-in-science-class-i-was-curious/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“There are secret rooms inside us,” I had said to my therapist. “A relatively benign construct,” he said, and so I did not bother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/there-are-secret-rooms-inside-us-i-had-said-to-my-therapist-a/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“This is just a temporary hell, not a permanent one”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/this-is-just-a-temporary-hell-not-a-permanent-one/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“And a soul would run by a living being, touch them softly on the shoulder or cheek, and continue on its way to heaven.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/and-a-soul-would-run-by-a-living-being-touch-them-softly-on-the/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [As if in the other side of his kiss there could ve a new life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/as-if-in-the-other-side-of-his-kiss-there-could-ve-a-new-life/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“My little brother's greatest fear was that the one person who meant so much to him would go away. He loved Lindsey and Grandma…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/my-little-brother-s-greatest-fear-was-that-the-one-person-who-meant/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“She listened for the pain in my words, not to the narrative itself. She was intuiting what it meant to me, what was most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/she-listened-for-the-pain-in-my-words-not-to-the-narrative-itself-she/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [The relationship with the words someone uses is more intimate and integrated than just a quick read and a blurb can ever be. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/the-relationship-with-the-words-someone-uses-is-more-intimate-and/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [Ruth hadn't talked to my sister since before my death, and then it was only to excuse herself in the hallway at school. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/ruth-hadn-t-talked-to-my-sister-since-before-my-death-and-then-it-was/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [Since then I've always thought that under rape in the dictionary it should tell the truth. It is not just forcible intercourse; rape means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/since-then-i-ve-always-thought-that-under-rape-in-the-dictionary-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [I live in a world where two truths coexist: where both hell and hope lie in the palm of my hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/i-live-in-a-world-where-two-truths-coexist-where-both-hell-and-hope/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) [Explore all 302 Alice Sebold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) ## More Alone time quotes > [“Truth is, I’m generally happiest when it’s just me. It’s okay to be madly in love with yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/truth-is-i-m-generally-happiest-when-it-s-just-me-it-s-okay-to-be/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [Well, it's true that I've never been solitary, although I spend a lot of time alone. I've never felt lonely or been shy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-e-grant/well-it-s-true-that-i-ve-never-been-solitary-although-i-spend-a-lot/) [Richard E. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-e-grant/) > [“Solitude doesn’t kill a person; it grants peace to the soul and mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayoub-imilouane/solitude-doesn-t-kill-a-person-it-grants-peace-to-the-soul-and-mind/) [Ayoub Imilouane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayoub-imilouane/) > [Spending a lot of time alone, gave me a lot of time to think. A lot of time to think gave me the time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/spending-a-lot-of-time-alone-gave-me-a-lot-of-time-to-think-a-lot-of/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Having a baby on my own is a dream come true, but in my world, there's no sheepish spouse on his way home from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-simmons/having-a-baby-on-my-own-is-a-dream-come-true-but-in-my-world-there-s/) [Rachel Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-simmons/) > [I always feel more grounded and stable when I have balance in my life; I'm a Libra! I'm most often surrounded by people, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-always-feel-more-grounded-and-stable-when-i-have-balance-in-my-life/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [I've never just been able to be alone, and I'm obsessed with being alone and hearing my thoughts. I'm trying to take this alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/i-ve-never-just-been-able-to-be-alone-and-i-m-obsessed-with-being/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [“There are dark and alone times when you move forward to pursue your own journey, but the beauty in the light at the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dc-allen/there-are-dark-and-alone-times-when-you-move-forward-to-pursue-your/) [DC Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dc-allen/) > [For Ragamuffins, God's name is Mercy. We see our darkness as a prized possession because it drives us into the heart of God. Without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/for-ragamuffins-god-s-name-is-mercy-we-see-our-darkness-as-a-prized/) [Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/) > [“The world’s refusal to leave me out of its activities made me consider its destruction. Bring on the wave. Please, the asteroid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-nevill/the-world-s-refusal-to-leave-me-out-of-its-activities-made-me/) [Adam Nevill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-nevill/) > [There is no doubt that solitude is a challenge and to maintain balance within it a precarious business. But I must not forget that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/there-is-no-doubt-that-solitude-is-a-challenge-and-to-maintain/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [I was very inventive. I lived in my own world - my dad said I was a loner. Not lonely, just happy in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-titchmarsh/i-was-very-inventive-i-lived-in-my-own-world-my-dad-said-i-was-a/) [Alan Titchmarsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-titchmarsh/) > [only grieving can heal grief; the passage of time will lessen the acuteness, but time alone, without the direct experience of grief, will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/only-grieving-can-heal-grief-the-passage-of-time-will-lessen-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Use your ALONE time to better yourself for you and your future mate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/use-your-alone-time-to-better-yourself-for-you-and-your-future-mate/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [It's a very weird job to have as a musician, because you spend long periods of time alone and then you have to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-deradoorian/it-s-a-very-weird-job-to-have-as-a-musician-because-you-spend-long/) Angel Deradoorian [Browse all 164 Alone time quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone-time/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But she was waiting patiently. 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