---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Carrying that lumber the forty meters…"
description: "\"“Carrying that lumber the forty meters from the forest had left his knuckles blistered, his underarms sopping, but now a few hours of flames had lifted..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/300/anthony-marra-7171_fire_carrying-that-lumber-the-forty-meters-fr_2367.png"
---

#  Carrying that lumber the forty meters from the forest had…

![“Carrying that lumber the forty meters from the forest had left his knuckles blistered, his underarms sopping, but now a few hours of flames had lifted what had taken him months to design, weeks to carry, days to build, all but the nails and rivets, all but the hinges and bolts, all into the sky.” quote by Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/300/anthony-marra-7171_fire_carrying-that-lumber-the-forty-meters-fr_2367.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/300/anthony-marra-7171_fire_carrying-that-lumber-the-forty-meters-fr_2367.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/300/anthony-marra-7171_fire_carrying-that-lumber-the-forty-meters-fr_2367.png)

> ““Carrying that lumber the forty meters from the forest had left his knuckles blistered, his underarms sopping, but now a few hours of flames had lifted what had taken him months to design, weeks to carry, days to build, all but the nails and rivets, all but the hinges and bolts, all into the sky.””

[Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

After arduous labor building a structure, fire transforms the effort into an elevated, almost transcendent creation.

**In simple terms:** Labor turned to ethereal achievement

Key Takeaway

Hard work can culminate in sublime results

Themes

perseverance transformation craftsmanship fire elevation

Mood

awe determined exhilarated

Type

descriptive metaphorical

When to use this quote

- builder completing a bridge
- artist finishing a sculpture
- engineer testing a prototype

Key Concepts

manual labor metaphor of creation

Practical Applications

- Highlight the role of fire in symbolic renewal
- Design training that frames physical toil as artistic expression

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the fire symbolize in the creative process?
- How does physical exhaustion affect appreciation of the final product?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/)

## Related quotes

> [“It had taken months to get that hurtful word out of her head. It had taken only one terrible night to bring it back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-holtz/it-had-taken-months-to-get-that-hurtful-word-out-of-her-head-it-had/)

Brian Holtz

> [I've taken off two months, three months at a time, and, by the end, I get really squirrelly. My night life, my dream life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-ve-taken-off-two-months-three-months-at-a-time-and-by-the-end-i-get/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [“It had taken him a few months to figure out that they were right for each other, but now that conclusion seemed inarguable. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chessela-helm/it-had-taken-him-a-few-months-to-figure-out-that-they-were-right-for/)

[Chessela Helm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chessela-helm/)

> [“But you must admit,it's taking up an inordinate amount of your time. Why it's taken us six months to have dinner together." "Is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/but-you-must-admit-it-s-taking-up-an-inordinate-amount-of-your-time/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [Like all photographers, I depend on serendipity, and when you're photographing children there's often an abundance of it. I would have an idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-mann/like-all-photographers-i-depend-on-serendipity-and-when-you-re/)

[Sally Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-mann/)

> [I have no doubt that they lived pretty much the same sort of life in the Homeric age, for men have always thought more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-have-no-doubt-that-they-lived-pretty-much-the-same-sort-of-life-in/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [The only really good place to buy lumber is at a store where the lumber has already been cut and attached together in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/the-only-really-good-place-to-buy-lumber-is-at-a-store-where-the/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [Maine's lumber and forest products industry is key to our state's economy and supports thousands of jobs across the state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gideon/maine-s-lumber-and-forest-products-industry-is-key-to-our-state-s/)

[Sara Gideon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gideon/)

> [“Throw the lumber over, man!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/throw-the-lumber-over-man/)

[Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/)

> [The problem with our churches today is that the lead pastor is some sissy boy who wears cardigan sweaters, has The Carpenters dialed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/the-problem-with-our-churches-today-is-that-the-lead-pastor-is-some/)

[Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/)

> [People in suburbia see trees differently than foresters do. They cherish every one. It is useless to speak of the probability that a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-swain/people-in-suburbia-see-trees-differently-than-foresters-do-they/)

Roger Swain

> [Strange that so few ever come to the woods to see how the pine lives and grows and spires, lifting its evergreen arms to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/strange-that-so-few-ever-come-to-the-woods-to-see-how-the-pine-lives/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [My father was a logger. He cut timber and hauled it out of the woods and had a sawmill. They sawed it into lumber.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-stanley/my-father-was-a-logger-he-cut-timber-and-hauled-it-out-of-the-woods/)

[Ralph Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-stanley/)

> [Processing the human raw material is naturally more complicated than processing lumber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxim-gorky/processing-the-human-raw-material-is-naturally-more-complicated-than/)

[Maxim Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxim-gorky/)

> [This softwood lumber dispute is a very old dispute that almost follows a dynamic entirely of its own that is actually somewhat independent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/this-softwood-lumber-dispute-is-a-very-old-dispute-that-almost/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

## More by Anthony Marra

> [“The previous night, for the first time in a long time, he had felt whole, and his eyes returned to the rearview, where his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/the-previous-night-for-the-first-time-in-a-long-time-he-had-felt/)

[Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

> [“At the kitchen table she examined the glass of ice. Each cube was rounded by room temperature, dissolving in its own remains, and belatedly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/at-the-kitchen-table-she-examined-the-glass-of-ice-each-cube-was/)

[Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

> [“There was no one left to say whom you could love. p.294”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/there-was-no-one-left-to-say-whom-you-could-love-p-294/)

[Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

> [We twist our souls around each other’s miseries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/we-twist-our-souls-around-each-other-s-miseries/)

[Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

> [“The television dramas we grew up on, stories of star-crossed lovers, stories of love overcoming all obstacles, well, they’re all fairy tales, obviously, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/the-television-dramas-we-grew-up-on-stories-of-star-crossed-lovers/)

[Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

> [“He had always tried to treat Havaa as a child and she always went along with it, as though childhood and innocence were fantastical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/he-had-always-tried-to-treat-havaa-as-a-child-and-she-always-went/)

[Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

> [“He asked them to close their eyes, and hoped their mouths would follow suit.” p. 137”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/he-asked-them-to-close-their-eyes-and-hoped-their-mouths-would-follow/)

[Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

> [“Don't insult me. Everyone knows a turtle is a crustacean on its mother's side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/don-t-insult-me-everyone-knows-a-turtle-is-a-crustacean-on-its-mother/)

[Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

> [“Those smooth, spit-cleaned cheeks gave no indication of the dreams crowding her skull. Should she make it to adulthood, the girl would arrive with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/those-smooth-spit-cleaned-cheeks-gave-no-indication-of-the-dreams/)

[anthony marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

> [“In all likelihood, Sonja had more academic journal subscriptions than friends. She could explain advanced calculus to her fifth-form algebra teacher but couldn't tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/in-all-likelihood-sonja-had-more-academic-journal-subscriptions-than/)

[Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

> [“Even after Sonja graduated secondary school at the top of her class and matriculated to the city university biology department, their parents found more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/even-after-sonja-graduated-secondary-school-at-the-top-of-her-class/)

[Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

> [“He was losing her incrementally...As a web is no more than holes woven together, they were bonded by what was no longer there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/he-was-losing-her-incrementally-as-a-web-is-no-more-than-holes-woven/)

[Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

> [“Too young to explain in words, the girl's face was old enough to show the loss that was that name.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/too-young-to-explain-in-words-the-girl-s-face-was-old-enough-to-show/)

[Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

> [“A lizard fucks a crab and nine months later a turtle pops out. It's called evolution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/a-lizard-fucks-a-crab-and-nine-months-later-a-turtle-pops-out-it-s/)

[Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

> [From personal experience, I completely agree that it is often easier to go for monotone sadness. When I was starting out, I wrote a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/from-personal-experience-i-completely-agree-that-it-is-often-easier/)

[Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

[Explore all 94 Anthony Marra quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/)

## More Fire quotes

> [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. I made it so hot that I had to get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-crandall/i-locked-the-door-and-turned-on-the-water-to-fill-the-tub-i-made-it/)

[Susan Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-crandall/)

> [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/)

[Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/)

> [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/)

[St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [“Nothing is ever lost nor can be lost; the body aged, sluggish,cold… the embers left from earlier fires shall dully flame again”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/nothing-is-ever-lost-nor-can-be-lost-the-body-aged-sluggish-cold-the/)

[Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/)

> [Tonight I feel like a prisoner on fire, waiting desperately... denied, sentenced forever more. Only your love can set me free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bolton/tonight-i-feel-like-a-prisoner-on-fire-waiting-desperately-denied/)

[Michael Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bolton/)

> [There are different kinds of fire; there is false fire. No one knows this better than we do, but we are not such fools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-booth/there-are-different-kinds-of-fire-there-is-false-fire-no-one-knows/)

[William Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-booth/)

> [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [War is like a fire. One man may start it, but it will spread all over. It is not about one thing in particular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/war-is-like-a-fire-one-man-may-start-it-but-it-will-spread-all-over/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [May nothing entice me till I happily make my way to Jesus Christ! Fire, cross, struggles with wild beasts, wrenching of bones, mangling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-antioch/may-nothing-entice-me-till-i-happily-make-my-way-to-jesus-christ-fire/)

[Ignatius of Antioch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-antioch/)

> [AHHHHHH! Goyle has set the bloody place on fire! -Ron Weasley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/ahhhhhh-goyle-has-set-the-bloody-place-on-fire-ron-weasley/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“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/)

[Browse all 8,652 Fire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Carrying that lumber the forty meters from the forest had left his knuckles blistered, his underarms sopping, but now a few hours of flames had lifted what had taken him months to design, weeks to carry, days to build, all but the nails and rivets, all but the hinges and bolts, all into the sky.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anthony Marra"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/carrying-that-lumber-the-forty-meters-from-the-forest-had-left-his/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fire"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/carrying-that-lumber-the-forty-meters-from-the-forest-had-left-his/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/300/anthony-marra-7171_fire_carrying-that-lumber-the-forty-meters-fr_2367.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/300/anthony-marra-7171_fire_carrying-that-lumber-the-forty-meters-fr_2367.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/300/anthony-marra-7171_fire_carrying-that-lumber-the-forty-meters-fr_2367.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Carrying that lumber the forty meters from the forest had left his knuckles blistered, his underarms…” — Anthony Marra",
                "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": "Anthony Marra",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Carrying that lumber the forty meters...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/carrying-that-lumber-the-forty-meters-from-the-forest-had-left-his/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/carrying-that-lumber-the-forty-meters-from-the-forest-had-left-his/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
