--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He rests his head against the mirror and…" description: "\"“He rests his head against the mirror and exhales. In the years he was with Emma he sometimes wondered idly what it would be like if she weren't around..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfd/david-nichollss-152592_middle-aged_he-rests-his-head-against-the-mirror-and_2045087.jpg" --- # He rests his head against the mirror and exhales. In the… ![“He rests his head against the mirror and exhales. In the years he was with Emma he sometimes wondered idly what it would be like if she weren't around; not in a morbid way, just pragmatically, speculatively, because don't all lovers do this? Wonder how he would be without her? Now the answer is in…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfd/david-nichollss-152592_middle-aged_he-rests-his-head-against-the-mirror-and_2045087.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfd/david-nichollss-152592_middle-aged_he-rests-his-head-against-the-mirror-and_2045087.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfd/david-nichollss-152592_middle-aged_he-rests-his-head-against-the-mirror-and_2045087.jpg) > ““He rests his head against the mirror and exhales. In the years he was with Emma he sometimes wondered idly what it would be like if she weren't around; not in a morbid way, just pragmatically, speculatively, because don't all lovers do this? Wonder how he would be without her? Now the answer is in the mirror. Loss has endowed him stupid and banal. Without her he is without merit or virtue or purpose a shabby, lonely, middle aged drunk, poisoned with regret and shame.”” [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 man reflects on his identity and emptiness after a lover's absence, realizing he feels lost and ashamed without her. **In simple terms:** He feels worthless and regretful after a breakup. Key Takeaway Acknowledge loss, seek self-worth beyond relationships. Themes loneliness regret identity loss selfworth Mood melancholic reflective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - midlife crisis - relationship breakup - personal reflection Key Concepts existential crisis dependency self-perception Questions to Reflect On - How can one rebuild purpose after loss? - What steps foster self-compassion? A Different Perspective The narrative may romanticize self-pity, overlooking growth opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lovers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lovers/) [Middle aged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-aged/) [Mirror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mirror/) ## Related quotes > [“reflection and his reflection stares back at him. For a moment, he no longer knows which is which. He needs to know. With huge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-daws/reflection-and-his-reflection-stares-back-at-him-for-a-moment-he-no/) Robert Daws > [“As he talked, I watched Emma and wondered what is to become of her. She is of an age to be married but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-grange/as-he-talked-i-watched-emma-and-wondered-what-is-to-become-of-her-she/) [Amanda Grange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-grange/) > [There is a thing called knowledge of the world, which people do not have until they are middle-aged. It is something which cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-a-thing-called-knowledge-of-the-world-which-people-do-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Middle-aged people can balance between believing in God and breaking all the commandments without difficulty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/middle-aged-people-can-balance-between-believing-in-god-and-breaking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To every soul you encounter, be a mirror, which reflects only their beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-every-soul-you-encounter-be-a-mirror-which-reflects-only-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You see yourselves 5 times more attractive in the mirror than you really are, thanks to your brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-see-yourselves-5-times-more-attractive-in-the-mirror-than-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You know you are drunk if you swerve to miss a tree than realize it is the air freshener hanging from your mirror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-you-are-drunk-if-you-swerve-to-miss-a-tree-than-realize-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The biggest troublemaker youll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-biggest-troublemaker-youll-probably-ever-have-to-deal-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Trust is like a mirror once u break it ull never look at it the same again](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/trust-is-like-a-mirror-once-u-break-it-ull-never-look-at-it-the-same/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [HATERS do hate you because you are a mirror to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/haters-do-hate-you-because-you-are-a-mirror-to-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You will regret that cell-phone self-portrait in the bathroom mirror one day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-will-regret-that-cell-phone-self-portrait-in-the-bathroom-mirror/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you long for peace, act in peace and harmony. If you want the world to change, start with the person in the mirror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-long-for-peace-act-in-peace-and-harmony-if-you-want-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Mirror, mirror, here I stand. Who is the fairest in the land?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mirror-mirror-here-i-stand-who-is-the-fairest-in-the-land/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When people look in the mirror, sometimes they see are their shells in the mirror, nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-look-in-the-mirror-sometimes-they-see-are-their-shells-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Think of me as a mirror. How you treat me is how I will treat you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/think-of-me-as-a-mirror-how-you-treat-me-is-how-i-will-treat-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 Lovers quotes > [You smile upon your friend to-day, To-day his ills are over; You hearken to the lover's say, And happy is the lover. 'Tis late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-smile-upon-your-friend-to-day-to-day-his-ills-are-over-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If someone really loves you, no matter how many other people they meet, their feelings for you wouldn't change. A real lover cant be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-someone-really-loves-you-no-matter-how-many-other-people-they-meet/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There is a little Juliet inside me, hoping I will lock eyes with my Romeo on the other side of a fish tank or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-thompson/there-is-a-little-juliet-inside-me-hoping-i-will-lock-eyes-with-my/) [Jessica Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-thompson/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [It ain't because lovers are so sensitive that they quarrel so often; it is because there is so much fun n the making up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/it-ain-t-because-lovers-are-so-sensitive-that-they-quarrel-so-often/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [While husbands and lovers in the stories are of all kinds, ranging from sympathetic to disgusting, women are invariably deceivers: inconstant, unscrupulous, quarrelsome, querulous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-tuchman/while-husbands-and-lovers-in-the-stories-are-of-all-kinds-ranging/) [Barbara Tuchman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-tuchman/) > [If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/if-you-can-believe-it-hollywood-wanted-to-change-my-birthdate-i-was/) [Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/) > [Look at her like she's the only one you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewshy/look-at-her-like-she-s-the-only-one-you-see/) Ewshy > [“Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs; Being purg'd, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes; Being vex'd, a sea nourish'd with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-is-a-smoke-made-with-the-fume-of-sighs-being-purg-d-a-fire/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > ['These people who contributed to who I am, they are with me wherever I go and as history gets re-written in small ways with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/these-people-who-contributed-to-who-i-am-they-are-with-me-wherever-i/) [Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/) > [“Stop that.” “Stop what?” “You’re thinking too hard. I can see it on your face. Just be here. Right now. With me.” And how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-j-klune/stop-that-stop-what-you-re-thinking-too-hard-i-can-see-it-on-your/) [T.J. Klune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-j-klune/) > [It's woman's spirit and mood a man has to stimulate in order to make sex interesting. The real lover is the man who can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-woman-s-spirit-and-mood-a-man-has-to-stimulate-in-order-to-make/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I don't want to break my memories with you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arzum-uzun/i-don-t-want-to-break-my-memories-with-you/) [Arzum Uzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arzum-uzun/) > [“I’ve always seen this in you, ever since you were a little girl — this hunger to love other people into their highest selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/i-ve-always-seen-this-in-you-ever-since-you-were-a-little-girl-this/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) [Browse all 4,629 Lovers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lovers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He rests his head against the mirror and exhales. 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