--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She praised his book and he embraced her…" description: "\"She praised his book and he embraced her from gratitude rather than lust, but she didn't let go. Neither did he. She kissed his cheek, his earlobe. For..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81f/anthony-marra-7171_affection_she-praised-his-book-and-he-embraced-her_2489041.png" --- # She praised his book and he embraced her from gratitude… ![“She praised his book and he embraced her from gratitude rather than lust, but she didn't let go. Neither did he. She kissed his cheek, his earlobe. For months they'd run their fingers around the hem of their affection without once acknowledging the fabric. The circumference of the world tightened…” quote by Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81f/anthony-marra-7171_affection_she-praised-his-book-and-he-embraced-her_2489041.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81f/anthony-marra-7171_affection_she-praised-his-book-and-he-embraced-her_2489041.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81f/anthony-marra-7171_affection_she-praised-his-book-and-he-embraced-her_2489041.png) > “She praised his book and he embraced her from gratitude rather than lust, but she didn't let go. Neither did he. She kissed his cheek, his earlobe. For months they'd run their fingers around the hem of their affection without once acknowledging the fabric. The circumference of the world tightened to what their arms encompassed. She sat on the desk, between the columns of read and unread manuscript, and pulled him toward her by his index fingers.” [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. Unspoken affection can bind people tightly, yet lack of acknowledgment leaves love unfulfilled. **In simple terms:** Love can be silent and limiting. Key Takeaway Communicate feelings openly. Themes love communication longing Mood melancholic intimate Type literary romantic When to use this quote - relationships - creative writing - conflict resolution Key Concepts intimacy silence Questions to Reflect On - What holds you back from expressing love? - How can you create space for honest dialogue? A Different Perspective Silence may cause misunderstanding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) [Affection Acknowledging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection-acknowledging-944884/) [Arms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arms/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Embraced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-embraced-944883/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Columns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/columns/) [Desks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desks/) [Embraced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embraced/) [Fabric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fabric/) [Fingers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fingers/) [Gaze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaze/) [Gratitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratitude/) [Hem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hem/) [Hem Affection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hem-affection-944885/) [Letting go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-go/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Lust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lust/) [Months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/months/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Sat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sat/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“For months they'd run their fingers around the hem of their affection without once acknowledging the fabric.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/for-months-they-d-run-their-fingers-around-the-hem-of-their-affection/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) > [I cast my heart into my rhymes, That you, in the dim coming times, May know how my heart went with them After the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/i-cast-my-heart-into-my-rhymes-that-you-in-the-dim-coming-times-may/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [Weigh down your curtains with a proper 5-inch hem. It makes them much more proportioned and professional-looking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-henderson/weigh-down-your-curtains-with-a-proper-5-inch-hem-it-makes-them-much/) [Emily Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-henderson/) > [She thought of death like the seam of a hem: each time you lose someone close, it unraveled a little. You could still go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/she-thought-of-death-like-the-seam-of-a-hem-each-time-you-lose/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The things that mount the rostrum with a skip, And then skip down again, pronounce a text, Cry hem; and reading what they never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/the-things-that-mount-the-rostrum-with-a-skip-and-then-skip-down/) [William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/) > [XXVIII "Truth," said a traveller, "Is a rock, a mighty fortress; "Often have I been to it, "Even to its highest tower, "From whence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-crane/xxviii-truth-said-a-traveller-is-a-rock-a-mighty-fortress-often-have/) [Stephen Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-crane/) > [I wondered about Mrs. Winterbottom and what she meant about living a tiny life. If she didn't like all that baking and cleaning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-creech/i-wondered-about-mrs-winterbottom-and-what-she-meant-about-living-a/) [Sharon Creech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-creech/) > [After seventy years of expository preaching, I have yet to touch the hem of His garment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-a-criswell/after-seventy-years-of-expository-preaching-i-have-yet-to-touch-the/) [W. A. Criswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-a-criswell/) > [She was a beautiful woman dragging a crippled foot and I was that foot. I was bricks sewn into the hem of her clothes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/she-was-a-beautiful-woman-dragging-a-crippled-foot-and-i-was-that/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-chaucer/whan-that-aprill-with-his-shoures-soote-the-droghte-of-march-hath/) [Geoffrey Chaucer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-chaucer/) > [Eastward the dawn rose, ridge behind ridge into the morning, and vanished out of eyesight into guess; it was no more than a glimmer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/eastward-the-dawn-rose-ridge-behind-ridge-into-the-morning-and/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [The one thing I would like to get across about my whole feeling regarding high school is how I was when I was fifteen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/the-one-thing-i-would-like-to-get-across-about-my-whole-feeling/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [All knowledge is of itself of some value. There is nothing so minute or inconsiderable, that I would not rather know it than not.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-knowledge-is-of-itself-of-some-value-there-is-nothing-so-minute/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [What change has made the pastures sweet And reached the daisies at my feet, And cloud that wears a golden hem? This lovely world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ingelow/what-change-has-made-the-pastures-sweet-and-reached-the-daisies-at-my/) [Jean Ingelow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ingelow/) > [It is ... through the world of the imagination which takes us beyond the restrictions of provable fact, that we touch the hem of truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-l-engle/it-is-through-the-world-of-the-imagination-which-takes-us-beyond-the/) [Madeleine L'Engle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-l-engle/) ## More by Anthony Marra > [“Carrying that lumber the forty meters from the forest had left his knuckles blistered, his underarms sopping, but now a few hours of flames…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/carrying-that-lumber-the-forty-meters-from-the-forest-had-left-his/) [Anthony Marra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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/) [Explore all 94 Anthony Marra quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-marra/) ## More Affection quotes > [My team and I have reunited two elements that coexist with diffiulty: respect and affection, because when they love you they don't respect you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakira/my-team-and-i-have-reunited-two-elements-that-coexist-with-diffiulty/) [Shakira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakira/) > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [“It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/it-is-to-build-a-house-with-affection-even-as-if-your-beloved-were-to/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [In this choice of inheritance we have given to our frame of polity the image of a relation in blood; binding up the constitution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/in-this-choice-of-inheritance-we-have-given-to-our-frame-of-polity/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [I, measuring his affections by my own, Which then most sought where most might not be found, Being one too many by my weary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-measuring-his-affections-by-my-own-which-then-most-sought-where/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [A lost love. Deny it who will, ridicule it, treat it as mere imagination and sentiment, the thing is and will be; and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/a-lost-love-deny-it-who-will-ridicule-it-treat-it-as-mere-imagination/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [Affection! Affection is false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/affection-affection-is-false/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [We are a spectacular, splendid manifestation of life. We have language. . . . We have affection. We have genes for usefulness, and usefulness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/we-are-a-spectacular-splendid-manifestation-of-life-we-have-language/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [The still affection of the heart Became an outward breathing type, That into stillness past again, And left a want unknown before; Although the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/the-still-affection-of-the-heart-became-an-outward-breathing-type/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [I am persuaded that there is no affection of the human heart more exquisitely pure, than that which is felt by a grateful son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/i-am-persuaded-that-there-is-no-affection-of-the-human-heart-more/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [If you live in a material universe where acquiring things is very important to you, then family is an absolute deterrent to maintaining that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor-gatto/if-you-live-in-a-material-universe-where-acquiring-things-is-very/) [John Taylor Gatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor-gatto/) > [Our sweetest experiences of affection are meant to be suggestions of that realm which is the home of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/our-sweetest-experiences-of-affection-are-meant-to-be-suggestions-of/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [“Georgia O’Keeffe moved to rural New Mexico, from which she would sign her letters to the people she loved, “from the faraway nearby.” It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/georgia-o-keeffe-moved-to-rural-new-mexico-from-which-she-would-sign/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) [Browse all 2,465 Affection quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affection/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "She praised his book and he embraced her from gratitude rather than lust, but she didn't let go. Neither did he. She kissed his cheek, his earlobe. For months they'd run their fingers around the hem of their affection without once acknowledging the fabric. The circumference of the world tightened to what their arms encompassed. She sat on the desk, between the columns of read and unread manuscript, and pulled him toward her by his index fingers.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anthony Marra" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/she-praised-his-book-and-he-embraced-her-from-gratitude-rather-than/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affection" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/she-praised-his-book-and-he-embraced-her-from-gratitude-rather-than/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81f/anthony-marra-7171_affection_she-praised-his-book-and-he-embraced-her_2489041.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81f/anthony-marra-7171_affection_she-praised-his-book-and-he-embraced-her_2489041.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/81f/anthony-marra-7171_affection_she-praised-his-book-and-he-embraced-her_2489041.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“She praised his book and he embraced her from gratitude rather than lust, but she didn't let go. Neither did…” — 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": "She praised his book and he...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/she-praised-his-book-and-he-embraced-her-from-gratitude-rather-than/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-marra/she-praised-his-book-and-he-embraced-her-from-gratitude-rather-than/#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 } } ] } ```