--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I start the engine and shoot a glance…" description: "\"“I start the engine and shoot a glance through the tinted window, figuring if anyone is still watching, they can no longer see past my silhouette. Gray..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/anne-eliot-4912_long-time_i-start-the-engine-and-shoot-a-glance-th_661393.jpg" --- # I start the engine and shoot a glance through the tinted… ![“I start the engine and shoot a glance through the tinted window, figuring if anyone is still watching, they can no longer see past my silhouette. Gray seems to have been waiting for a movement like this. He's waving like a dork and swinging my long forgotten pink hoodie high in the air so I can…” quote by Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/anne-eliot-4912_long-time_i-start-the-engine-and-shoot-a-glance-th_661393.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/anne-eliot-4912_long-time_i-start-the-engine-and-shoot-a-glance-th_661393.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/anne-eliot-4912_long-time_i-start-the-engine-and-shoot-a-glance-th_661393.jpg) > ““I start the engine and shoot a glance through the tinted window, figuring if anyone is still watching, they can no longer see past my silhouette. Gray seems to have been waiting for a movement like this. He's waving like a dork and swinging my long forgotten pink hoodie high in the air so I can see it. He's yelling, “Bye Jess!” He flips my hoodie onto his shoulders and ties it around his neck until it looks like a ridiculous scarf—as though he means to wear it like that for a long time.”” [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid scene of a fleeting, nostalgic encounter where a hoodie becomes a symbolic gesture of connection and departure. **In simple terms:** A brief, nostalgic moment with a hoodie. Key Takeaway Cherish spontaneous, meaningful gestures. Themes nostalgia connection symbolism departure Mood bittersweet reflective nostalgic Type narrative descriptive emotional When to use this quote - high school reunion - farewell party - unexpected reunion - street encounter Key Concepts identity memory ritual friendship Questions to Reflect On - What does the hoodie symbolize for each person? - How do brief encounters shape lasting memories? A Different Perspective The scene may romanticize fleeting moments, overlooking deeper emotional complexities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Flips Hoodie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flips-hoodie-5270557/) [Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gray/) [Gray Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gray-waiting-3153999/) [Hoodie Shoulders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hoodie-shoulders-5270558/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Ties Neck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ties-neck-5270559/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [My father Time is weak and gray With waiting for a better day; See how idiot-like he stands, Fumbling with his palsied hands!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/my-father-time-is-weak-and-gray-with-waiting-for-a-better-day-see-how/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [“I do have rough, manly, and mannish, man hands. So glad you noticed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/i-do-have-rough-manly-and-mannish-man-hands-so-glad-you-noticed/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [“I grab my bag and open the door, trying to ignore him. But ignoring Gray Porter is like ignoring an elephant in a tutu.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/i-grab-my-bag-and-open-the-door-trying-to-ignore-him-but-ignoring/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [“She's trapped me on the front side of the counter. Way. Too. Close. To. Her. LIP-GLOSS.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/she-s-trapped-me-on-the-front-side-of-the-counter-way-too-close-to/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [“I hop onto the stage and joke-sing: “The Phaaaanntom of the Opera is there, innnnnside your mind.” I attack the curtain with a flourish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/i-hop-onto-the-stage-and-joke-sing-the-phaaaanntom-of-the-opera-is/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [The barman sidled toward them out of a back room. He was a grump-looking old man with a great deal of a long gray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-barman-sidled-toward-them-out-of-a-back-room-he-was-a-grump/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything is not black-and-white . I'm really interested in the gray area - not justifying it, not glorifying it, not condoning it, but at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-washington/everything-is-not-black-and-white-i-m-really-interested-in-the-gray/) [Isaiah Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-washington/) > [The discrepancy between what actually happened and the version of what happened provided by sources is an enormous gray area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/the-discrepancy-between-what-actually-happened-and-the-version-of/) [Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/) > [Age shakes Athena's tower, but spares gray Marathon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/age-shakes-athena-s-tower-but-spares-gray-marathon/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [Teenage girls are extremists who see the world in black-and- white terms, missing shades of gray. Life is either marvelous or notworth living. School…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pipher/teenage-girls-are-extremists-who-see-the-world-in-black-and-white/) [Mary Pipher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pipher/) > [Slow buds the pink dawn like a rose From out night's gray and cloudy sheath; Softly and still it grows and grows, Petal by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-chauncey-woolsey/slow-buds-the-pink-dawn-like-a-rose-from-out-night-s-gray-and-cloudy/) [Sarah Chauncey Woolsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-chauncey-woolsey/) > [“The world isn't always black and white. sometimes, it's gray, and sometimes that gray explodes into colors you never knew existed before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/the-world-isn-t-always-black-and-white-sometimes-it-s-gray-and/) [J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/) > [The world doesn't see a lot of gray. The world sees black and white, and then it understands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/the-world-doesn-t-see-a-lot-of-gray-the-world-sees-black-and-white/) [George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) ## More by Anne Eliot > [“won’t be able to live with myself if I don’t at least try to convince you of my feelings. Not after that kiss. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/won-t-be-able-to-live-with-myself-if-i-don-t-at-least-try-to-convince/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [“Let the contract state that I want the Mr Darcy accent once a week!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/let-the-contract-state-that-i-want-the-mr-darcy-accent-once-a-week/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [“Tatooine, huh? So awesome you know Star Wars facts,” he adds nodding. “Do you ever watch the animated stuff?” Grin. Grin. Grin. I'm seriously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/tatooine-huh-so-awesome-you-know-star-wars-facts-he-adds-nodding-do/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [“He shrugged happily. “Let’s make plaid, canvas and compasses my absolute trademarks. Dustin McHugh. All plaid. All canvas. All the time. And I’m never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/he-shrugged-happily-let-s-make-plaid-canvas-and-compasses-my-absolute/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [“He’s so good at his job, that I’ve fallen for him, the mirage of him being my boyfriend, all of it. Like everyone else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/he-s-so-good-at-his-job-that-i-ve-fallen-for-him-the-mirage-of-him/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [“I hop onto the stage and joke-sing: “The Phaaaanntom of the Opera is there, innnnnside your mind.” I attack the curtain with a flourish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/i-hop-onto-the-stage-and-joke-sing-the-phaaaanntom-of-the-opera-is/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [“My heart races and I look away. “Well I care. So, write it down. For nine weekends and eight thousand dollars, what's yours is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/my-heart-races-and-i-look-away-well-i-care-so-write-it-down-for-nine/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [“Everyone has scars, they just aren’t as visible as yours”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/everyone-has-scars-they-just-aren-t-as-visible-as-yours/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [“I pass off a few more résumés and jet away from her and that cinnamon smell, reserving the last paper in my hand so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/i-pass-off-a-few-more-r-sum-s-and-jet-away-from-her-and-that-cinnamon/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [“I’m living in fiction. It’s perfectly okay to be in love with any and all fictional boyfriends, even if they aren’t yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/i-m-living-in-fiction-it-s-perfectly-okay-to-be-in-love-with-any-and/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [“look back. She's crossed her arms and is tapping her ugly shoe on the carpet. “You're doing it again,” she says. “What?” “You're turning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/look-back-she-s-crossed-her-arms-and-is-tapping-her-ugly-shoe-on-the/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [“She's trapped me on the front side of the counter. Way. Too. Close. To. Her. LIP-GLOSS.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/she-s-trapped-me-on-the-front-side-of-the-counter-way-too-close-to/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [“I'd rather be in Forks? I shop the HOB? What do these even mean?!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/i-d-rather-be-in-forks-i-shop-the-hob-what-do-these-even-mean/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [“Jenna turned and shot her another worried look. Her tone was ultra soothing. “Yeah. I hear you. And I’m head over heels with Harry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/jenna-turned-and-shot-her-another-worried-look-her-tone-was-ultra/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) > [“Relentlessly, I read on: “Number one: Make at least two friends your own age. Number two: Go places besides your room. Number three: Get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/relentlessly-i-read-on-number-one-make-at-least-two-friends-your-own/) [Anne Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) [Explore all 99 Anne Eliot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/) ## More Gray quotes > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [The world doesn't see a lot of gray. The world sees black and white, and then it understands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-wolfe/the-world-doesn-t-see-a-lot-of-gray-the-world-sees-black-and-white/) [George C. Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-wolfe/) > [“The world isn't always black and white. sometimes, it's gray, and sometimes that gray explodes into colors you never knew existed before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/the-world-isn-t-always-black-and-white-sometimes-it-s-gray-and/) [J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/) > [Slow buds the pink dawn like a rose From out night's gray and cloudy sheath; Softly and still it grows and grows, Petal by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-chauncey-woolsey/slow-buds-the-pink-dawn-like-a-rose-from-out-night-s-gray-and-cloudy/) [Sarah Chauncey Woolsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-chauncey-woolsey/) > [Teenage girls are extremists who see the world in black-and- white terms, missing shades of gray. Life is either marvelous or notworth living. School…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-pipher/teenage-girls-are-extremists-who-see-the-world-in-black-and-white/) [Mary Pipher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-pipher/) > [Age shakes Athena's tower, but spares gray Marathon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/age-shakes-athena-s-tower-but-spares-gray-marathon/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [The discrepancy between what actually happened and the version of what happened provided by sources is an enormous gray area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/the-discrepancy-between-what-actually-happened-and-the-version-of/) [Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/) > [Everything is not black-and-white . I'm really interested in the gray area - not justifying it, not glorifying it, not condoning it, but at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaiah-washington/everything-is-not-black-and-white-i-m-really-interested-in-the-gray/) [Isaiah Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaiah-washington/) > [The barman sidled toward them out of a back room. He was a grump-looking old man with a great deal of a long gray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-barman-sidled-toward-them-out-of-a-back-room-he-was-a-grump/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Calvin: The more you know, the harder it is to take decisive action. Once you are informed, you start seeing complexities and shades of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/calvin-the-more-you-know-the-harder-it-is-to-take-decisive-action/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [England that little gray island in the clouds where governments don't fall overnight and children don't sell themselves in the street and my money…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caryl-churchill/england-that-little-gray-island-in-the-clouds-where-governments-don-t/) [Caryl Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caryl-churchill/) > [Life is a wretched gray Saturday, but it has to be lived through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/life-is-a-wretched-gray-saturday-but-it-has-to-be-lived-through/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [People know I'm smart. And people know that, whether it's SNL or Jimmy Kimmel, it's a trend to take the piss out of celebrity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/people-know-i-m-smart-and-people-know-that-whether-it-s-snl-or-jimmy/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [So we and our elaborately evolving computers may meet each other halfway. Someday a human being, named perhaps Fred White, may shoot a robot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/so-we-and-our-elaborately-evolving-computers-may-meet-each-other/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) [Browse all 1,051 Gray quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gray/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I start the engine and shoot a glance through the tinted window, figuring if anyone is still watching, they can no longer see past my silhouette. Gray seems to have been waiting for a movement like this. He's waving like a dork and swinging my long forgotten pink hoodie high in the air so I can see it. He's yelling, “Bye Jess!” He flips my hoodie onto his shoulders and ties it around his neck until it looks like a ridiculous scarf—as though he means to wear it like that for a long time.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anne Eliot" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/i-start-the-engine-and-shoot-a-glance-through-the-tinted-window/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gray" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/i-start-the-engine-and-shoot-a-glance-through-the-tinted-window/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/anne-eliot-4912_long-time_i-start-the-engine-and-shoot-a-glance-th_661393.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/anne-eliot-4912_long-time_i-start-the-engine-and-shoot-a-glance-th_661393.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/551/anne-eliot-4912_long-time_i-start-the-engine-and-shoot-a-glance-th_661393.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I start the engine and shoot a glance through the tinted window, figuring if anyone is still watching, they…” — Anne Eliot", "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": "Anne Eliot", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-eliot/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I start the engine and shoot...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/i-start-the-engine-and-shoot-a-glance-through-the-tinted-window/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-eliot/i-start-the-engine-and-shoot-a-glance-through-the-tinted-window/#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 } } ] } ```