--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When the music stopped, it could have…" description: "\"When the music stopped, it could have been forever since we'd begun. My grandfather took a step back, and the light grew yellow at his back. 'I'm going..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/alice-sebold-999_disappear_when-the-music-stopped-it-could-have-bee_2015926.jpg" --- # When the music stopped, it could have been forever since… ![“When the music stopped, it could have been forever since we'd begun. My grandfather took a step back, and the light grew yellow at his back. 'I'm going,' he said. 'Where?' I asked. 'Don't worry, sweetheart. You're so close.' He turned and walked away, disappearing rapidly into spots and dust…” quote by Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/alice-sebold-999_disappear_when-the-music-stopped-it-could-have-bee_2015926.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/alice-sebold-999_disappear_when-the-music-stopped-it-could-have-bee_2015926.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/alice-sebold-999_disappear_when-the-music-stopped-it-could-have-bee_2015926.jpg) > “When the music stopped, it could have been forever since we'd begun. My grandfather took a step back, and the light grew yellow at his back. 'I'm going,' he said. 'Where?' I asked. 'Don't worry, sweetheart. You're so close.' He turned and walked away, disappearing rapidly into spots and dust. Infinity.” [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. A fleeting moment of music ends, symbolizing impermanence and the endless journey toward an unknown future. **In simple terms:** Music ends, life continues toward unknown. Key Takeaway Embrace change and keep moving forward. Themes transience journey hope memory Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - grieving - creative writing - personal reflection - life transitions Key Concepts impermanence infinite possibilities personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What does the music represent for you? - How do you find meaning in fleeting moments? A Different Perspective Focusing on hope may minimize grief’s depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disappear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappear/) [Disappearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappearing/) [Dust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dust/) [Forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever/) [Grandfather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandfather/) [Grew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew/) [Infinity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinity/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music Stopped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-stopped-479385/) [My grandfather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-grandfather/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Spots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spots/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) [Stopped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stopped/) [Stopped Forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stopped-forever-3624421/) [Sweetheart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweetheart/) [Walked away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walked-away/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) [Yellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yellow/) ## Related quotes > [“She wasn't actually speaking to me, she was singing a kind of lullaby of talk. But, eventually, the music stopped. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/she-wasn-t-actually-speaking-to-me-she-was-singing-a-kind-of-lullaby/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [The artists in country music who stopped having hits are the ones who were led into something that wasn't them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conway-twitty/the-artists-in-country-music-who-stopped-having-hits-are-the-ones-who/) [Conway Twitty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conway-twitty/) > [I've been in situations like in Tokyo where people sang my song word for word and then when the music stopped, they couldn't speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-jackson/i-ve-been-in-situations-like-in-tokyo-where-people-sang-my-song-word/) [Curtis Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-jackson/) > [The music may have stopped but my heart beats to another tune, this rhythm called love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ac-van-cherub/the-music-may-have-stopped-but-my-heart-beats-to-another-tune-this/) [AC Van Cherub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ac-van-cherub/) > [It's not like I listened to music and then stopped. I still don't have a real appreciation for music because I didn't really start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kumail-nanjiani/it-s-not-like-i-listened-to-music-and-then-stopped-i-still-don-t-have/) [Kumail Nanjiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kumail-nanjiani/) > [You can't say that people don't love music anymore because they do. If we say that all the music stopped, if music stops now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warryn-campbell/you-can-t-say-that-people-don-t-love-music-anymore-because-they-do-if/) [Warryn Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warryn-campbell/) > [Recently I was tenderly hugging one of our precious little five-year-old granddaughters and said to her, "I love you, sweetheart." She responded rather blandly:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-m-nelson/recently-i-was-tenderly-hugging-one-of-our-precious-little-five-year/) [Russell M. Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-m-nelson/) > [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/) > [“If some essential part of me was already disappearing as my children moved into increasingly wider orbits, well then, I wanted to rech out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kenison/if-some-essential-part-of-me-was-already-disappearing-as-my-children/) [Katrina Kenison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kenison/) > [“Life is a race against disappearing time”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/life-is-a-race-against-disappearing-time/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Those moments aren't ours any more. They're shut up in a box, buried at the back of a cupboard, out of reach. They're frozen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delphine-de-vigan/those-moments-aren-t-ours-any-more-they-re-shut-up-in-a-box-buried-at/) [Delphine de Vigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delphine-de-vigan/) > [We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/we-live-in-a-moment-of-history-where-change-is-so-speeded-up-that-we/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [When I heard that the bees were in trouble, the fact that they're disappearing and not coming back to the hive, which is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-schwartzberg/when-i-heard-that-the-bees-were-in-trouble-the-fact-that-they-re/) [Louie Schwartzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-schwartzberg/) > [“I am disappearing, maybe I'm already gone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/i-am-disappearing-maybe-i-m-already-gone/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [“I felt like I was sort of disappearing. It was that kind of a crazy afternoon, terrifically cold, and no sun out or anything,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-i-was-sort-of-disappearing-it-was-that-kind-of-a-crazy/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) ## 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 Disappear quotes > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [I'm at the edge of the world, Where do I go from here? Do I disappear? Edge of the world, Should I sink or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bring-me-the-horizon/i-m-at-the-edge-of-the-world-where-do-i-go-from-here-do-i-disappear/) [Bring Me The Horizon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bring-me-the-horizon/) > [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/) [Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/) > [I even see the cinema itself as a woman, with its alternation of light and darkness, of appearing and disappearing images](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-fellini/i-even-see-the-cinema-itself-as-a-woman-with-its-alternation-of-light/) [Federico Fellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-fellini/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Pain results from a judgment you have made about a thing. Remove the judgment and the pain disappears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/pain-results-from-a-judgment-you-have-made-about-a-thing-remove-the/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [“I am disappearing, maybe I'm already gone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/i-am-disappearing-maybe-i-m-already-gone/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [“Must a people disappear for us to know they exist? Mano Dayak”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mano-dayak/must-a-people-disappear-for-us-to-know-they-exist-mano-dayak/) [Mano Dayak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mano-dayak/) > [When I step into the batters box. The fans, the noise, the cheers, they all disappear. For that moment, the world is just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/when-i-step-into-the-batters-box-the-fans-the-noise-the-cheers-they/) [Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/) > [I am sympathetic to developing countries’ concerns: because of our emissions it’s their crops that will disappear; because of our inaction, it’s their fields…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/i-am-sympathetic-to-developing-countries-concerns-because-of-our/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [Although I don't have anything against people from other countries, the higher the influx into England the more the British identity disappears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/although-i-don-t-have-anything-against-people-from-other-countries/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't like magic - but I have been known to make guys disappear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-t/i-don-t-like-magic-but-i-have-been-known-to-make-guys-disappear/) [Mr. T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-t/) > [It is almost impossible to overestimate the value of true humility and its power in the spiritual life. For the beginning of humility is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/it-is-almost-impossible-to-overestimate-the-value-of-true-humility/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The pace of global warming is accelerating and the scale of the impact is devastating. The time for action is limited - we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-spitzer/the-pace-of-global-warming-is-accelerating-and-the-scale-of-the/) [Eliot Spitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-spitzer/) > [I definitely have a different perspective on music in general. But once I actually have a guitar in my hands, I think I disappear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-orcutt/i-definitely-have-a-different-perspective-on-music-in-general-but/) [Bill Orcutt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-orcutt/) [Browse all 2,209 Disappear quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disappear/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When the music stopped, it could have been forever since we'd begun. My grandfather took a step back, and the light grew yellow at his back. 'I'm going,' he said. 'Where?' I asked. 'Don't worry, sweetheart. You're so close.' He turned and walked away, disappearing rapidly into spots and dust. Infinity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alice Sebold" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/when-the-music-stopped-it-could-have-been-forever-since-we-d-begun-my/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Disappear" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/when-the-music-stopped-it-could-have-been-forever-since-we-d-begun-my/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/alice-sebold-999_disappear_when-the-music-stopped-it-could-have-bee_2015926.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/alice-sebold-999_disappear_when-the-music-stopped-it-could-have-bee_2015926.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24b/alice-sebold-999_disappear_when-the-music-stopped-it-could-have-bee_2015926.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When the music stopped, it could have been forever since we'd begun. My grandfather took a step back, and…” — Alice Sebold", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alice Sebold", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When the music stopped, it could...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/when-the-music-stopped-it-could-have-been-forever-since-we-d-begun-my/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/when-the-music-stopped-it-could-have-been-forever-since-we-d-begun-my/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```