--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Naturally Shirley had known, as they slid…" description: "\"Naturally Shirley had known, as they slid stock words and phrases back and forth between them like beads on an abacus, that Howard must be as brimful o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/anonymous-1_abacus_naturally-shirley-had-known-as-they-slid_1595427.jpg" --- # Naturally Shirley had known, as they slid stock words and… ![“Naturally Shirley had known, as they slid stock words and phrases back and forth between them like beads on an abacus, that Howard must be as brimful of ecstasy as she was; but to express these feelings out loud, when the news of death was still fresh in the air, would have been tantamount to…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/anonymous-1_abacus_naturally-shirley-had-known-as-they-slid_1595427.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/anonymous-1_abacus_naturally-shirley-had-known-as-they-slid_1595427.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/anonymous-1_abacus_naturally-shirley-had-known-as-they-slid_1595427.jpg) > “Naturally Shirley had known, as they slid stock words and phrases back and forth between them like beads on an abacus, that Howard must be as brimful of ecstasy as she was; but to express these feelings out loud, when the news of death was still fresh in the air, would have been tantamount to dancing naked and shrieking obscenities, and Howard and Shirley were clothed, always, in an invisible layer of decorum that they never laid aside.” [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. The passage describes two characters who hide intense emotions behind strict social decorum, especially in the face of grief. **In simple terms:** They conceal deep feelings with polite behavior. Key Takeaway Recognize when decorum blocks authentic expression. Themes emotions decorum grief communication Mood somber reflective Type literary descriptive When to use this quote - personal loss - friendship - conflict resolution - emotional intelligence Key Concepts psychology social norms coping mechanisms Questions to Reflect On - How does maintaining decorum affect grieving? - When is it appropriate to reveal true feelings? A Different Perspective The need for decorum may prevent necessary emotional processing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abacus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abacus/) [Dancing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancing/) [Decorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decorum/) [Ecstasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ecstasy/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) [Obscenity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obscenity/) ## Related quotes > [Howard and Shirley were clothed, always, in an invisible layer of decorum that they never laid aside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/howard-and-shirley-were-clothed-always-in-an-invisible-layer-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [...dark furrow lines grid the snow, punctuated by orange abacus beads of pumpkins - now the crows own the field...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dark-furrow-lines-grid-the-snow-punctuated-by-orange-abacus-beads-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I didnt have a computer until I was 19 - but I did have an abacus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/i-didnt-have-a-computer-until-i-was-19-but-i-did-have-an-abacus/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [We dwell amid pinheaded weasels who know only timid, the generic and the abacus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-baker/we-dwell-amid-pinheaded-weasels-who-know-only-timid-the-generic-and/) [Danny Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-baker/) > [I didn't have a computer until I was 19 - but I did have an abacus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/i-didn-t-have-a-computer-until-i-was-19-but-i-did-have-an-abacus/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [The force that makes the winter grow Its feathered hexagons of snow , and drives the bee to match at home Their calculated honeycomb,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-force-that-makes-the-winter-grow-its-feathered-hexagons-of-snow/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [I have an abacus at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/i-have-an-abacus-at-home/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [“is an assemblage of organic algorithms shaped by natural selection over millions of years of evolution. 2. Algorithmic calculations are not affected by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/is-an-assemblage-of-organic-algorithms-shaped-by-natural-selection/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Sociologists are those academic accountants who think that truth can be shaken from an abacus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-prescott/sociologists-are-those-academic-accountants-who-think-that-truth-can/) [Peter S. Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-prescott/) > [Here is the door of my mom's house, well-remembered childhood portal. Here is the yard, and a set of wires that runs from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/here-is-the-door-of-my-mom-s-house-well-remembered-childhood-portal/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [“Well, what we called a computer in 1977 was really a kind of electric abacus, but…” “Oh, now, don’t underestimate the abacus,” said Reg.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/well-what-we-called-a-computer-in-1977-was-really-a-kind-of-electric/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) ## 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 Abacus quotes > [“Well, what we called a computer in 1977 was really a kind of electric abacus, but…” “Oh, now, don’t underestimate the abacus,” said Reg.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/well-what-we-called-a-computer-in-1977-was-really-a-kind-of-electric/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Here is the door of my mom's house, well-remembered childhood portal. Here is the yard, and a set of wires that runs from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-chaon/here-is-the-door-of-my-mom-s-house-well-remembered-childhood-portal/) [Dan Chaon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-chaon/) > [Sociologists are those academic accountants who think that truth can be shaken from an abacus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-prescott/sociologists-are-those-academic-accountants-who-think-that-truth-can/) [Peter S. Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-prescott/) > [“is an assemblage of organic algorithms shaped by natural selection over millions of years of evolution. 2. Algorithmic calculations are not affected by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/is-an-assemblage-of-organic-algorithms-shaped-by-natural-selection/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [I have an abacus at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/i-have-an-abacus-at-home/) [Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/) > [The force that makes the winter grow Its feathered hexagons of snow , and drives the bee to match at home Their calculated honeycomb,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/the-force-that-makes-the-winter-grow-its-feathered-hexagons-of-snow/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) > [I didn't have a computer until I was 19 - but I did have an abacus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/i-didn-t-have-a-computer-until-i-was-19-but-i-did-have-an-abacus/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [We dwell amid pinheaded weasels who know only timid, the generic and the abacus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-baker/we-dwell-amid-pinheaded-weasels-who-know-only-timid-the-generic-and/) [Danny Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-baker/) > [I didnt have a computer until I was 19 - but I did have an abacus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-koum/i-didnt-have-a-computer-until-i-was-19-but-i-did-have-an-abacus/) [Jan Koum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-koum/) > [...dark furrow lines grid the snow, punctuated by orange abacus beads of pumpkins - now the crows own the field...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dark-furrow-lines-grid-the-snow-punctuated-by-orange-abacus-beads-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 11 Abacus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abacus/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Naturally Shirley had known, as they slid stock words and phrases back and forth between them like beads on an abacus, that Howard must be as brimful of ecstasy as she was; but to express these feelings out loud, when the news of death was still fresh in the air, would have been tantamount to dancing naked and shrieking obscenities, and Howard and Shirley were clothed, always, in an invisible layer of decorum that they never laid aside.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/naturally-shirley-had-known-as-they-slid-stock-words-and-phrases-back/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abacus" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/naturally-shirley-had-known-as-they-slid-stock-words-and-phrases-back/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/anonymous-1_abacus_naturally-shirley-had-known-as-they-slid_1595427.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/anonymous-1_abacus_naturally-shirley-had-known-as-they-slid_1595427.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/anonymous-1_abacus_naturally-shirley-had-known-as-they-slid_1595427.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Naturally Shirley had known, as they slid stock words and phrases back and forth between them like beads on…” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Naturally Shirley had known, as they...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/naturally-shirley-had-known-as-they-slid-stock-words-and-phrases-back/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/naturally-shirley-had-known-as-they-slid-stock-words-and-phrases-back/#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 } } ] } ```