--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At five in the afternoon. It was exactly…" description: "\"At five in the afternoon. It was exactly five in the afternoon. A boy brought the white sheet at five in the afternoon. A frail of lime ready prepared ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/554/anonymous-1_afternoon_at-five-in-the-afternoon-it-was-exactly_33884.jpg" --- # At five in the afternoon. It was exactly five in the… ![“At five in the afternoon. It was exactly five in the afternoon. A boy brought the white sheet at five in the afternoon. A frail of lime ready prepared at five in the afternoon. The rest was death, and death alone” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/554/anonymous-1_afternoon_at-five-in-the-afternoon-it-was-exactly_33884.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/554/anonymous-1_afternoon_at-five-in-the-afternoon-it-was-exactly_33884.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/554/anonymous-1_afternoon_at-five-in-the-afternoon-it-was-exactly_33884.jpg) > “At five in the afternoon. It was exactly five in the afternoon. A boy brought the white sheet at five in the afternoon. A frail of lime ready prepared at five in the afternoon. The rest was death, and death alone” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A surreal depiction of a moment where mundane actions converge with an ominous, inevitable end, highlighting the thin line between routine and mortality. **In simple terms:** Routine meets inevitable death. Key Takeaway Even ordinary moments can mask looming finality. Themes mortality routine surrealism inevitability contrast Mood haunting reflective eerie Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - a day ending - a child's innocent act - a kitchen preparation - a funeral setting Key Concepts time symbolism existential dread Practical Applications - literary analysis - creative writing prompts Questions to Reflect On - What does the precise timing suggest about fate? - How does the juxtaposition of innocence and death affect the tone? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ## Related quotes > [When life hands you lemons, you squirt them in the eye, than yell that you wanted limes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-day/when-life-hands-you-lemons-you-squirt-them-in-the-eye-than-yell-that/) [Amanda Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-day/) > [What is sublime? / the artist said. / I haven't time / to be well read. / To be sub lime / I'll place,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-darby-bannard/what-is-sublime-the-artist-said-i-haven-t-time-to-be-well-read-to-be/) [Walter Darby Bannard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-darby-bannard/) > [In Hong Kong, Dallas, or at home —and regardless of whether or not I have been to bed — breakfast is a personal ritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/in-hong-kong-dallas-or-at-home-and-regardless-of-whether-or-not-i/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [If thou lookest on the lime-leaf, Thou a heart's form will discover; Therefore are the lindens ever Chosen seats of each fond lover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/if-thou-lookest-on-the-lime-leaf-thou-a-heart-s-form-will-discover/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [Look at the limes in this drink, how they float. That's good news. Next time I'm on a boat, and it capsizes, I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/look-at-the-limes-in-this-drink-how-they-float-that-s-good-news-next/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [For tea she went down to see Misses Spink and Forcible. She had three digestive biscuits, a glass of limeade, and a cup of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/for-tea-she-went-down-to-see-misses-spink-and-forcible-she-had-three/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Well apparently nothing as of December 13, 1978. There was 20 trained police officers came to the house, with a warrant..searched the house, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne-gacy/well-apparently-nothing-as-of-december-13-1978-there-was-20-trained/) [John Wayne Gacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne-gacy/) > [In our large cities, the population is godless, materialized,--no bond, no fellow-feeling, no enthusiasm. These are not men, but hungers, thirsts, fevers, and appetites…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-our-large-cities-the-population-is-godless-materialized-no-bond-no/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Oh, sir, the loftiest hopes on earth Draw lots with meaner hopes: heroic breasts, Breathing bad air, run risk of pestilence; Or, lacking lime-juice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/oh-sir-the-loftiest-hopes-on-earth-draw-lots-with-meaner-hopes-heroic/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [I'm not afraid of anything. My two favorite colors are lime green and hot pink. I mean, I really like pink. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubba-watson/i-m-not-afraid-of-anything-my-two-favorite-colors-are-lime-green-and/) [Bubba Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubba-watson/) > [You know what they say: 'Why sit at a table that doesn't have key lime pie on it if you don't have to?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/you-know-what-they-say-why-sit-at-a-table-that-doesn-t-have-key-lime/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [You hear, Eugene?' said Lightwood over his shoulder. 'You are deeply interested in lime.' 'Without lime,' returned that unmoved barrister at law, 'my existence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/you-hear-eugene-said-lightwood-over-his-shoulder-you-are-deeply/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [I like to see the difference between good and evil as kind of like the foul line at a baseball game. It's very thin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/i-like-to-see-the-difference-between-good-and-evil-as-kind-of-like/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [Laws are not made like lime-twigs or nets, to catch everything that toucheth them; but rather like sea-marks, to guide from shipwreck the ignorant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-sidney/laws-are-not-made-like-lime-twigs-or-nets-to-catch-everything-that/) [Philip Sidney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-sidney/) > [The Law is not in fault, but our evil and wicked nature; even as a heap of lime is still and quiet until water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/the-law-is-not-in-fault-but-our-evil-and-wicked-nature-even-as-a-heap/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Afternoon quotes > [I didn't grow up thinking of movies as film, or art, but as movies, something to do on a Saturday afternoon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/i-didn-t-grow-up-thinking-of-movies-as-film-or-art-but-as-movies/) [Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/) > [My dental hygienist is cute. Every time I visit, I eat a whole package of Oreo cookies while waiting in the lobby. Sometimes she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/my-dental-hygienist-is-cute-every-time-i-visit-i-eat-a-whole-package/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [Honestly, I'm living my fantasy. It's being with my family, preferably on a snowy afternoon with a fire going, cuddled up in blankets, playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-vieira/honestly-i-m-living-my-fantasy-it-s-being-with-my-family-preferably/) [Meredith Vieira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-vieira/) > [It was a very intense and stressful situation. There was playing in the Johnny-pump (an opened fire hydrant) and the ice-cream man coming around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z/it-was-a-very-intense-and-stressful-situation-there-was-playing-in/) [Jay-Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z/) > [Sunday afternoon is for papers and writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-haslam/sunday-afternoon-is-for-papers-and-writing/) [Nicholas Haslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-haslam/) > [I think that if most guys in America could somehow get their fave-rave poster girl in bed and have total license to do whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-bangs/i-think-that-if-most-guys-in-america-could-somehow-get-their-fave/) [Lester Bangs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-bangs/) > [“If you come at four in the afternoon, I'll begin to be happy by three.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-come-at-four-in-the-afternoon-i-ll-begin-to-be-happy-by-three/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [The shadows in the early morning don't tell much. The shadows rest at that time. So it's useless to gaze very early in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/the-shadows-in-the-early-morning-don-t-tell-much-the-shadows-rest-at/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [“I discovered windows one afternoon and after that, nothing was ever the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-spollen/i-discovered-windows-one-afternoon-and-after-that-nothing-was-ever/) [Anne Spollen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-spollen/) > [Look, science is hard, it has a reputation of being hard, and the facts are, it is hard, and that's the result of 400…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/look-science-is-hard-it-has-a-reputation-of-being-hard-and-the-facts/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [What'll we do with ourselves this afternoon? And the day after that, and the next thirty years?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/what-ll-we-do-with-ourselves-this-afternoon-and-the-day-after-that/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Imagine you are walking down a leafy path…The sun is receding, and you are walking alone, caressed by the breezy light of the late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/imagine-you-are-walking-down-a-leafy-path-the-sun-is-receding-and-you/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [A good umpire is the umpire you don't even notice. He's there all afternoon but when the game is over, you don't even remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ban-johnson/a-good-umpire-is-the-umpire-you-don-t-even-notice-he-s-there-all/) Ban Johnson > [Sometimes in the afternoon sky the moon would pass white as a cloud, furtive, lusterless, like an actress who does not have to perform…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/sometimes-in-the-afternoon-sky-the-moon-would-pass-white-as-a-cloud/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Near the end of his life, my father proved to be, at his core, a very polite, chivalrous man. He walked the halls of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-knox/near-the-end-of-his-life-my-father-proved-to-be-at-his-core-a-very/) Jennifer L. Knox Browse all 1,085 Afternoon quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "At five in the afternoon. It was exactly five in the afternoon. 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