Anticipation Quote by Anna Burns
““It was strange though, that after that whole build-up, after the last bastion of "mustn't get in his vehicles", of being warned, not just by myself but by longest friend from primary school, "that whatever you do, no matter what, friend, do not get in his vehicles", once I did step over that threshold, I would have imagined - two months earlier certainly I would have imagined - that doing so would have produced much more tumult and emotion than this. There was no tumult. No emotion. Here was this thing that happened for always I knew it was going to happen, for it had been telling me for ages that it was coming and that it was going to happen. And now it was beginning.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: Milkman by Anna Burns, 2018
The narrator describes a long‑standing warning about a vehicle, expecting drama, but instead experiences a calm, inevitable event that was always foreseen.
In simple terms: A warning felt dramatic but turned out to be a calm, expected occurrence.
Key Takeaway
Accept that some outcomes are inevitable and quiet.
Themes
anticipation
inevitability
calm
foreknowledge
Mood
reflective
quiet
thoughtful
Type
narrative
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal relationships
- life decisions
- coming of age
- narrative tension
Key Concepts
psychology
determinism
expectation
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you react when a feared outcome is less dramatic than imagined?
- Do warnings shape reality or just perception?
A Different Perspective
The quote may overstate the certainty of foreknowledge, ignoring chance.
![“[It is hard to know what is good luck and what isn't and therefore whether we should be happy or sad about it. Only time will tell. For example...] The Talmud relates a story about two people who wanted to travel by boat. One broke his foot and was unable to make the trip, while his friend got on…” quote by Zelig Pliskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/68d/zelig-pliskin-22951_anticipation_it-is-hard-to-know-what-is-good-luck-and_34545.jpg)
![“The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with [women] they think I am suddenly going to throw them over a table or twist them all around. All I want to do is one-two, one-two-three - a simple fox trot. But they're shaking with anticipation at the thought that I'm about to whip them around…” quote by Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/073/gene-kelly-11878_anticipation_the-only-thing-is-that-ordinarily-when-i_44100.jpg)
