--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I didn’t have any time left, because he…" description: "\"“I didn’t have any time left, because he brought his lips to my mouth, a warm, conciliatory, I’ll-meet-you-halfway-but-no-further kiss till he realized..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34a/andre-aciman-459_gaze_i-didn-t-have-any-time-left-because-he-b_2474189.png" --- # I didn’t have any time left, because he brought his lips… ![“I didn’t have any time left, because he brought his lips to my mouth, a warm, conciliatory, I’ll-meet-you-halfway-but-no-further kiss till he realized how famished mine was. I wished I knew how to calibrate my kiss the way he did. But passion allows us to hide more, and at that moment on Monet’s…” quote by André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34a/andre-aciman-459_gaze_i-didn-t-have-any-time-left-because-he-b_2474189.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34a/andre-aciman-459_gaze_i-didn-t-have-any-time-left-because-he-b_2474189.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34a/andre-aciman-459_gaze_i-didn-t-have-any-time-left-because-he-b_2474189.png) > ““I didn’t have any time left, because he brought his lips to my mouth, a warm, conciliatory, I’ll-meet-you-halfway-but-no-further kiss till he realized how famished mine was. I wished I knew how to calibrate my kiss the way he did. But passion allows us to hide more, and at that moment on Monet’s berm, if I wished to hide everything about me in this kiss, I was also desperate to forget the kiss by losing myself in it.”” [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A lover’s intense kiss becomes a desperate attempt to both hide and erase personal longing, revealing how passion can mask deeper needs. **In simple terms:** A kiss hides and reveals deep longing. Key Takeaway Recognize when intimacy masks unmet needs. Themes love desire identity vulnerability self‑discovery Mood melancholic intense reflective Type literary emotional When to use this quote - romantic encounter - personal crisis - self‑exploration Key Concepts intimacy psychology desire self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - What does the kiss conceal about the speaker? - How can passion become a refuge from self‑knowledge? A Different Perspective Intimacy can conceal rather than resolve inner emptiness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Losing myself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/losing-myself/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Time left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-left/) ## Related quotes > [“I wish I knew how to calibrate my kiss the way he did but passion allows us to hide more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-wish-i-knew-how-to-calibrate-my-kiss-the-way-he-did-but-passion/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [He frames my face with his hands as he says, "Tess. Only you could be brave enough to die with me. But I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-gray/he-frames-my-face-with-his-hands-as-he-says-tess-only-you-could-be/) [Claudia Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-gray/) > [“I’m going to make it so hard for you to forget this first kiss that you don’t want anyone else kissing you ever again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-van-dyken/i-m-going-to-make-it-so-hard-for-you-to-forget-this-first-kiss-that/) [Rachel Van Dyken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-van-dyken/) > [Kiss me in a way I'll never forget. Kiss me in a way that will stay with me until see you again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/kiss-me-in-a-way-i-ll-never-forget-kiss-me-in-a-way-that-will-stay/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [You never forget your first kiss. And that's what makes it so hard to forgive my uncle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/you-never-forget-your-first-kiss-and-that-s-what-makes-it-so-hard-to/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [I dont ever want to forget out first kiss, or our last touch. or let a day go by without telling you how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hemantsmarty/i-dont-ever-want-to-forget-out-first-kiss-or-our-last-touch-or-let-a/) Hemantsmarty > [“You make me feel safe, Fern. You make me forget. And when I kiss you I just want to keep kissing you. Everything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/you-make-me-feel-safe-fern-you-make-me-forget-and-when-i-kiss-you-i/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) > [“Our first kiss was going to be the lasting kind. The kind she’d never forget. The kiss that erased all others from her past.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devney-perry/our-first-kiss-was-going-to-be-the-lasting-kind-the-kind-she-d-never/) [Devney Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devney-perry/) > [Thing I won't forget: Our first kiss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thing-i-won-t-forget-our-first-kiss/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He brought his lips to my ear. "I would have been gentle with you, though." I shuddered as I closed my eyes. Every inch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/he-brought-his-lips-to-my-ear-i-would-have-been-gentle-with-you/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [“Eve." He took both her hands, brought them to his lips. He wanted to gather her up, cover her in something soft, something beautiful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/eve-he-took-both-her-hands-brought-them-to-his-lips-he-wanted-to/) [J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/) > [“He brought his lips and hot breath close to her ear. “And once I have you bound and helpless, how should I take you?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-safleur/he-brought-his-lips-and-hot-breath-close-to-her-ear-and-once-i-have/) [Elizabeth SaFleur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-safleur/) > [“What a woman you are,” he murmured, and she heard the emotion in it, the way the Irish thickened just a bit in his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/what-a-woman-you-are-he-murmured-and-she-heard-the-emotion-in-it-the/) [J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/) > [“He gently pried my hand off his arm. "I have to," he said softly. He went to turn away, and then stopped, like maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/he-gently-pried-my-hand-off-his-arm-i-have-to-he-said-softly-he-went/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [“I didn't think you would be able to find me.I was so frightened..." He took hold of her hand, brought it to his lips.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-martin/i-didn-t-think-you-would-be-able-to-find-me-i-was-so-frightened-he/) [Kat Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-martin/) ## More by André Aciman > [Don't all writers have a hidden nerve, call it a secret chamber, something irreducibly theirs, which stirs their prose and makes it tick and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/don-t-all-writers-have-a-hidden-nerve-call-it-a-secret-chamber/) [Andre Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [“I wanted him to remember the morning on Monet's berm when I'd kissed him not the first but the second time and given him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-wanted-him-to-remember-the-morning-on-monet-s-berm-when-i-d-kissed/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [Rituals are how we step into our private field of dreams, a small Elysium all our own. Rituals are made not just for us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/rituals-are-how-we-step-into-our-private-field-of-dreams-a-small/) [Andre Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [“I desperately wanted to give him something. By contrast, taking seemed so bland, so facile, so mechanical.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-desperately-wanted-to-give-him-something-by-contrast-taking-seemed/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [“The man who'll lay the last stone here isn't even born yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/the-man-who-ll-lay-the-last-stone-here-isn-t-even-born-yet/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [Proust is interested in minutiae because life, as he sees it, is seldom ever about things but about our impression of things, not about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/proust-is-interested-in-minutiae-because-life-as-he-sees-it-is-seldom/) [Andre Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [“Well, since you're not going to do anything with me—can you at least read me a story? I'd settle for that. I wanted him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/well-since-you-re-not-going-to-do-anything-with-me-can-you-at-least/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [“This is heaven.” And I wouldn’t hear him say another word for at least an hour. There was nothing I loved more in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/this-is-heaven-and-i-wouldn-t-hear-him-say-another-word-for-at-least/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [“He loved the sticky taste. What had I done? I told him and pointed to the bruised evidence sitting on my desk. “Let me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/he-loved-the-sticky-taste-what-had-i-done-i-told-him-and-pointed-to/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [“When had they separated us, you and me, Oliver? And why did I know it, and why didn't you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/when-had-they-separated-us-you-and-me-oliver-and-why-did-i-know-it/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [“As we were swimming back, he asked as though it were an afterthought, “Are you going to hold last night against me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/as-we-were-swimming-back-he-asked-as-though-it-were-an-afterthought/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [“To be with you. To be with you, Oliver. With or without my bathing suit. To be with you on my bed. In your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/to-be-with-you-to-be-with-you-oliver-with-or-without-my-bathing-suit/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [“I thought I could ever want another living soul, gently, softly, and, with the kindness one Jew extends to another, work his way into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-thought-i-could-ever-want-another-living-soul-gently-softly-and/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [“Oliver: But there's the catch: you're still twenty years younger than those gathered around you, which is why I can be twenty-four in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/oliver-but-there-s-the-catch-you-re-still-twenty-years-younger-than/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [I cannot write if there is a sense of plenitude. I have to hypothesize that there is a loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-cannot-write-if-there-is-a-sense-of-plenitude-i-have-to-hypothesize/) [Andre Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) [Explore all 527 André Aciman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) ## More Gaze quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [“Taylor said a prayer for the man, and apologized out loud. Knowing there was nothing left to do, she turned to leave. As she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-ellison/taylor-said-a-prayer-for-the-man-and-apologized-out-loud-knowing/) [J.T. Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-ellison/) > [“If it makes you feel any better, he’s been all sad doll lately too.” “What are you talking about, Chels?” Chelsea stopped walking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-derting/if-it-makes-you-feel-any-better-he-s-been-all-sad-doll-lately-too/) [Kimberly Derting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-derting/) > [“Rodrigo tried to draw a deep breath, but his chest was too filled with anguish, rage and guilt. He kissed his ash-coated fingers. “I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-valdez/rodrigo-tried-to-draw-a-deep-breath-but-his-chest-was-too-filled-with/) [Lisa Valdez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-valdez/) > [“still feel the same way? Could he have changed this much on the inside too? Struggling for the right words, I opened my mouth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-wild/still-feel-the-same-way-could-he-have-changed-this-much-on-the-inside/) [Meredith Wild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-wild/) > [“Being held by him, kissed and mastered, taken under and swept away, enthralled her in a way she—an independent woman if nothing else in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-sumner/being-held-by-him-kissed-and-mastered-taken-under-and-swept-away/) [Tracy Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-sumner/) > [“Don’t you remember how hot we were together, Lane? God.” He takes a quick breath through clenched teeth and runs his hand down my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-a-valentine/don-t-you-remember-how-hot-we-were-together-lane-god-he-takes-a-quick/) [Michelle A. Valentine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-a-valentine/) > [“She knew how to play him so very well. He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/) [Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/) > [“Damn.” Phineas turned the Big Boy off, then noticed he’d left the box on the bed. Damn, had Zoltan seen it? He stuffed the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerrelyn-sparks/damn-phineas-turned-the-big-boy-off-then-noticed-he-d-left-the-box-on/) [Kerrelyn Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerrelyn-sparks/) > [“Now you," Grandma barks at him. "Yes, you, the invisible truck driver," she added, giving me a wicked grin. "Go stand next to Rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/now-you-grandma-barks-at-him-yes-you-the-invisible-truck-driver-she/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [His fingertips slid down from my face, lightly stroking the line of my neck, down toward my shoulder. Everywhere he touched, a trail of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/his-fingertips-slid-down-from-my-face-lightly-stroking-the-line-of-my/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [“from THE DEVIL YOU KNOW : She wanted him too. He could see it in the rapid rise of her breasts. He could smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emery-lee/from-the-devil-you-know-she-wanted-him-too-he-could-see-it-in-the/) [Emery Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emery-lee/) > [“You know when I said I didn't need you?" I asked. He lifted one brow. "I was so wrong.I can't find words to express…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/you-know-when-i-said-i-didn-t-need-you-i-asked-he-lifted-one-brow-i/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [“I didn’t say it just to get you to jump. I’m in love with you, Zane,” he admitted in a calm, clear voice. “I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-urban/i-didn-t-say-it-just-to-get-you-to-jump-i-m-in-love-with-you-zane-he/) [Madeleine Urban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-urban/) > [“This explains so much," she said, clucking her tongue in mother-hen fashion. "You're compensating for this withered appendage." Withered appendage? What the devil was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/this-explains-so-much-she-said-clucking-her-tongue-in-mother-hen/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) Browse all 15,087 Gaze quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I didn’t have any time left, because he brought his lips to my mouth, a warm, conciliatory, I’ll-meet-you-halfway-but-no-further kiss till he realized how famished mine was. I wished I knew how to calibrate my kiss the way he did. But passion allows us to hide more, and at that moment on Monet’s berm, if I wished to hide everything about me in this kiss, I was also desperate to forget the kiss by losing myself in it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "André Aciman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-didn-t-have-any-time-left-because-he-brought-his-lips-to-my-mouth-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gaze" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-didn-t-have-any-time-left-because-he-brought-his-lips-to-my-mouth-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34a/andre-aciman-459_gaze_i-didn-t-have-any-time-left-because-he-b_2474189.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34a/andre-aciman-459_gaze_i-didn-t-have-any-time-left-because-he-b_2474189.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34a/andre-aciman-459_gaze_i-didn-t-have-any-time-left-because-he-b_2474189.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I didn’t have any time left, because he brought his lips to my mouth, a warm, conciliatory…” — André Aciman", "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": "André Aciman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I didn’t have any time left,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-didn-t-have-any-time-left-because-he-brought-his-lips-to-my-mouth-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-didn-t-have-any-time-left-because-he-brought-his-lips-to-my-mouth-a/#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 } } ] } ```