--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He pressed his face into the fabric and…" description: "\"He pressed his face into the fabric and breathed in slowly through his mouth and nose, hoping for the faintest smoke and mountain sage and salty sweet ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99d/annie-proulx-6713_brokeback-mountain_he-pressed-his-face-into-the-fabric-and_1476327.jpg" --- # He pressed his face into the fabric and breathed in slowly… ![“He pressed his face into the fabric and breathed in slowly through his mouth and nose, hoping for the faintest smoke and mountain sage and salty sweet stink of Jack but there was no real scent, only the memory of it, the imagined power of Brokeback Mountain of which nothing was left but what he…” quote by Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99d/annie-proulx-6713_brokeback-mountain_he-pressed-his-face-into-the-fabric-and_1476327.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99d/annie-proulx-6713_brokeback-mountain_he-pressed-his-face-into-the-fabric-and_1476327.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99d/annie-proulx-6713_brokeback-mountain_he-pressed-his-face-into-the-fabric-and_1476327.jpg) > “He pressed his face into the fabric and breathed in slowly through his mouth and nose, hoping for the faintest smoke and mountain sage and salty sweet stink of Jack but there was no real scent, only the memory of it, the imagined power of Brokeback Mountain of which nothing was left but what he held in his hands.” [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He seeks sensory memory of a place, but only the imagined essence remains. **In simple terms:** Memory of a place fades to imagination. Key Takeaway Embrace present sensations. Themes memory longing imagination Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - travel - creative writing - mindfulness - grief processing Key Concepts nostalgia sensory perception Questions to Reflect On - What scents anchor your memories? - How do you differentiate memory from imagination? A Different Perspective Imagined memories may replace real experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breathed/) [Breathed Slowly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breathed-slowly-2892149/) [Brokeback mountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brokeback-mountain/) [Fabric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fabric/) [Fabric Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fabric-breathed-5370292/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Mountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountain/) [Mouths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mouths/) [Noses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noses/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Sage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sage/) [Scent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scent/) [Slowly Mouth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slowly-mouth-4234675/) [Stink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stink/) [Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweet/) ## Related quotes > [“She breathed slowly, searching for words. "You've set me free, and I can't be caged again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-bacchi/she-breathed-slowly-searching-for-words-you-ve-set-me-free-and-i-can/) [Laura Bacchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-bacchi/) > [“If you ask me to leave now, I will.” Slowly his mouth curved into that heart-stopping smile. “And then you’ll miss what comes next.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-enoch/if-you-ask-me-to-leave-now-i-will-slowly-his-mouth-curved-into-that/) [Suzanne Enoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-enoch/) > [“The huge sadness of the northern plains rolled down on him and There was some open space between what he knew and what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/the-huge-sadness-of-the-northern-plains-rolled-down-on-him-and-there/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [I'm one of those gay people who's constantly reminded of how fortunate I am to live now and not to be Ennis and Jack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-m-one-of-those-gay-people-who-s-constantly-reminded-of-how/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > ['Brokeback Mountain' takes all your conceptions of America, and the Western, and cowboys, and sexuality, and love, and it stirs them all up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/brokeback-mountain-takes-all-your-conceptions-of-america-and-the/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [“Day leveled Ronowski with a stern glare. “Ronowski, you are gay, man. You’re tightly closeted. But you are indeed gay, ultra-gay. You’re fuckin’ Marvin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-e-via/day-leveled-ronowski-with-a-stern-glare-ronowski-you-are-gay-man-you/) [A.E. Via](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-e-via/) > [“Just don’t expect me to hug,” he said, pushing his chair back as he stood. “I like you, but this isn’t Brokeback Mountain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-french/just-don-t-expect-me-to-hug-he-said-pushing-his-chair-back-as-he/) [Kitty French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-french/) > [ When I was 19, I thought \[Brokeback Mountain\] was going to be the best movie ever made. And everyone was going to see it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/when-i-was-19-i-thought-brokeback-mountain-was-going-to-be-the-best/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [ I always say about that movie \[ Brokeback mountain\], which I think maybe over time is more understood, is that this is about two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/i-always-say-about-that-movie-brokeback-mountain-which-i-think-maybe/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [Annie and I had already had sex on film in Brokeback Mountain, so I wasnt too nervous. Theres something about the way Annie and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/annie-and-i-had-already-had-sex-on-film-in-brokeback-mountain-so-i/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [One of the jobs of art is to inspire discussion, and Brokeback Mountain certainly has done that. It's like a window and a mirror.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-ossana/one-of-the-jobs-of-art-is-to-inspire-discussion-and-brokeback/) [Diana Ossana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-ossana/) > [There’s going to be a lesbian Brokeback Mountain and it’s going to star Beyonce and Eva Longoria,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-mcdaniel/there-s-going-to-be-a-lesbian-brokeback-mountain-and-it-s-going-to/) [Chris McDaniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-mcdaniel/) > [I felt 'Brokeback Mountain' re-imbued the love story with an authentic and unquestionable series of obstacles that these men faced. I think that's certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-haynes/i-felt-brokeback-mountain-re-imbued-the-love-story-with-an-authentic/) [Todd Haynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-haynes/) > [I absolutely believed Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger loved each other in 'Brokeback Mountain.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-gavaris/i-absolutely-believed-jake-gyllenhaal-and-heath-ledger-loved-each/) [Jordan Gavaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-gavaris/) > ["Equestrian", by the by, is the gayest word in the English language. In fact, I thought Brokeback Mountain should have been called Two Equestrians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/equestrian-by-the-by-is-the-gayest-word-in-the-english-language-in/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) ## More by Annie Proulx > [Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/writing-comes-from-reading-and-reading-is-the-finest-teacher-of-how/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“A kind of joyous hysteria moved into the room, everything flying before the wind, vehicles outside getting dented to hell, the crowd sweaty and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/a-kind-of-joyous-hysteria-moved-into-the-room-everything-flying/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“By January it had always been winter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/by-january-it-had-always-been-winter/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“.. that old, cold time on the mountain when they owned the world and nothing seemed wrong ..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/that-old-cold-time-on-the-mountain-when-they-owned-the-world-and/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“The mountain pine beetle is a tiny creature that chews through a lodgepole’s bark, gouges out a hollow in the wood and lays its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/the-mountain-pine-beetle-is-a-tiny-creature-that-chews-through-a/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“It was as if his eye were an ear and a crackle went through it each time he shot a look at the accordion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/it-was-as-if-his-eye-were-an-ear-and-a-crackle-went-through-it-each/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“On the stairs an image came to him. Was love then like a bag of assorted sweets passed around from which one might choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/on-the-stairs-an-image-came-to-him-was-love-then-like-a-bag-of/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“The only cities were of ice, bergs with cores of beryl, blue gems within white gems, that some said gave off an odor of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/the-only-cities-were-of-ice-bergs-with-cores-of-beryl-blue-gems/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“They say that doing ten sums a day prevents you from becoming senile. But by that argument bankers should be geniuses. That's not right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/they-say-that-doing-ten-sums-a-day-prevents-you-from-becoming-senile/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [It's easier to die if others around you are dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/it-s-easier-to-die-if-others-around-you-are-dying/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“You stand there, braced. Cloud shadows race over the buff rock stacks as a projected film, casting a queasy, mottled ground rash. The air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/you-stand-there-braced-cloud-shadows-race-over-the-buff-rock-stacks/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“Thirty-six years old and this was the first time anybody ever said he'd done it right. Fog against the window like milk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/thirty-six-years-old-and-this-was-the-first-time-anybody-ever-said-he/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“There was a month of fiery happiness. Then six kinked years of suffering.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/there-was-a-month-of-fiery-happiness-then-six-kinked-years-of/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [It is my feeling that a story is not finished until it is read, and that the reader finishes it through his or her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/it-is-my-feeling-that-a-story-is-not-finished-until-it-is-read-and/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) > [“One of the tragedies of real life is that there is no background music.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/one-of-the-tragedies-of-real-life-is-that-there-is-no-background-music/) [Annie Proulx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) [Explore all 97 Annie Proulx quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/) ## More Breathed quotes > [My mother 'gave teas' the way other mothers breathed. Her own mother 'gave teas.' All of their friends 'gave teas,' each involving butter cookies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/my-mother-gave-teas-the-way-other-mothers-breathed-her-own-mother/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“You haven't failed me. You've breathed so much life into my existence. Don't ever be sorry for that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-leighton/you-haven-t-failed-me-you-ve-breathed-so-much-life-into-my-existence/) [M. Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-leighton/) > [“At night, Toby breathed herself in. Her new self. Her skin smelled like honey and salt. And earth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/at-night-toby-breathed-herself-in-her-new-self-her-skin-smelled-like/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [All roads for me lead back to Mozart. In his tragically short life, he breathed new life, fire and meaning into every form of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hazlewood/all-roads-for-me-lead-back-to-mozart-in-his-tragically-short-life-he/) [Charles Hazlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hazlewood/) > [“The night air moved up towards the Downs, washing over sea and orchard. I breathed it in, and thought that henceforth, loneliness would smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-r-king/the-night-air-moved-up-towards-the-downs-washing-over-sea-and-orchard/) [Laurie R. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-r-king/) > [“This is perfect." I breathed. "Please tell me it won't end. Promise me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-kobishop/this-is-perfect-i-breathed-please-tell-me-it-won-t-end-promise-me/) [Alicia Kobishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-kobishop/) > [“I felt I hadn't breathed since early morning, that my heart had not beat-and only now for the first time I took a breath,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/i-felt-i-hadn-t-breathed-since-early-morning-that-my-heart-had-not/) [Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/) > [“In this reality, they breathed together, chests nearly touching on their inhalations, lips slightly parted like they could taste the sweetness of each other’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roan-parrish/in-this-reality-they-breathed-together-chests-nearly-touching-on/) [Roan Parrish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roan-parrish/) > [I read the Koran and it appealed to me. At the time I was agnostic and it really breathed spiritually back into me. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/q-tip/i-read-the-koran-and-it-appealed-to-me-at-the-time-i-was-agnostic-and/) [Q-Tip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/q-tip/) > [I'm so sorry for not being there for you.. When you needed someone, the most. At your last time, your breathed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-so-sorry-for-not-being-there-for-you-when-you-needed-someone-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being alive was all right then: he had not breathed like that for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/being-alive-was-all-right-then-he-had-not-breathed-like-that-for-a/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [There's an interesting contrast between born Catholics and converts. Converts are often much more rule-directed. Catholicism isn't something that they breathed in from their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-wills/there-s-an-interesting-contrast-between-born-catholics-and-converts/) [Garry Wills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-wills/) > [I missed you so much, she breathed. I tilted my head back and put my hands on her shoulders. I could hardly believe this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-missed-you-so-much-she-breathed-i-tilted-my-head-back-and-put-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Beauty isn't perfect. It's something to be felt and something to be breathed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-jaden/beauty-isn-t-perfect-it-s-something-to-be-felt-and-something-to-be/) [Denise Jaden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-jaden/) > [Nothing is wrong with me, Dan. Whats wrong with you? she said in the same eerily quiet voice, dark eyes fixated on Dan, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-hopkins/nothing-is-wrong-with-me-dan-whats-wrong-with-you-she-said-in-the/) [Martin Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-hopkins/) [Browse all 130 Breathed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breathed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He pressed his face into the fabric and breathed in slowly through his mouth and nose, hoping for the faintest smoke and mountain sage and salty sweet stink of Jack but there was no real scent, only the memory of it, the imagined power of Brokeback Mountain of which nothing was left but what he held in his hands.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annie Proulx" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/he-pressed-his-face-into-the-fabric-and-breathed-in-slowly-through/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Breathed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/he-pressed-his-face-into-the-fabric-and-breathed-in-slowly-through/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99d/annie-proulx-6713_brokeback-mountain_he-pressed-his-face-into-the-fabric-and_1476327.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99d/annie-proulx-6713_brokeback-mountain_he-pressed-his-face-into-the-fabric-and_1476327.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99d/annie-proulx-6713_brokeback-mountain_he-pressed-his-face-into-the-fabric-and_1476327.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He pressed his face into the fabric and breathed in slowly through his mouth and nose, hoping for the…” — Annie Proulx", "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": "Annie Proulx", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-proulx/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He pressed his face into the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/he-pressed-his-face-into-the-fabric-and-breathed-in-slowly-through/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-proulx/he-pressed-his-face-into-the-fabric-and-breathed-in-slowly-through/#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 } } ] } ```