--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I swallowed, feeling my pulse race, and…" description: "\"“I swallowed, feeling my pulse race, and gave silent thanks that there were no eyewitnesses to my blushing, which could have set a cigar alight even a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_silent_i-swallowed-feeling-my-pulse-race-and-ga_753993.jpg" --- # I swallowed, feeling my pulse race, and gave silent thanks… ![“I swallowed, feeling my pulse race, and gave silent thanks that there were no eyewitnesses to my blushing, which could have set a cigar alight even a foot away.” quote by Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_silent_i-swallowed-feeling-my-pulse-race-and-ga_753993.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_silent_i-swallowed-feeling-my-pulse-race-and-ga_753993.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_silent_i-swallowed-feeling-my-pulse-race-and-ga_753993.jpg) > ““I swallowed, feeling my pulse race, and gave silent thanks that there were no eyewitnesses to my blushing, which could have set a cigar alight even a foot away.”” [Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Relief at escaping embarrassment, fearing that a blush could ignite a fire, metaphorically expressing intense anxiety. **In simple terms:** Relief from fear of embarrassment. Key Takeaway Control your anxiety. Themes anxiety embarrassment metaphor self‑awareness Mood anxious relieved Type reflective literary Key Concepts social anxiety public speaking personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How do you manage social anxiety? - What triggers your embarrassment? A Different Perspective Metaphors can obscure practical solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eyewitnesses Blushing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyewitnesses-blushing-5859538/) [Feeling Pulse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-pulse-2159207/) [Gave Silent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-silent-5859537/) [Silent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silent/) [Swallowed Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swallowed-feeling-3304176/) ## Related quotes > [“Marry me,” he said, searching her eyes for some sign, some indication of how to proceed. Her gaze held his. His heart beat in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-brockway/marry-me-he-said-searching-her-eyes-for-some-sign-some-indication-of/) [Connie Brockway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-brockway/) > [“Taking her tiny hand into both of mine, I lift it to my chest, placing it right over my racing heart. “You feel that?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-m-orgeron/taking-her-tiny-hand-into-both-of-mine-i-lift-it-to-my-chest-placing/) [Heather M. Orgeron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-m-orgeron/) > [We must not concentrate overmuch upon our feelings. Do not spend too much time feeling your own pulse taking your own spiritual temperature, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martyn/we-must-not-concentrate-overmuch-upon-our-feelings-do-not-spend-too/) [Martyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martyn/) > [Convulsive anger storms at large; or pale And silent, settles into full revenge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tillotson/convulsive-anger-storms-at-large-or-pale-and-silent-settles-into-full/) [John Tillotson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tillotson/) > [The world is hard and cruel. We are here none knows why, and we go none knows whither. We must be very humble. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-world-is-hard-and-cruel-we-are-here-none-knows-why-and-we-go-none/) [W. 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I see cities as organisms, as living creatures. To me, Madrid is a man and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/the-haunting-of-history-is-ever-present-in-barcelona-i-see-cities-as/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Waiting is the rust of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/waiting-is-the-rust-of-the-soul/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“The main pillar of organized religion, with few exceptions, is the subjugation, repression, even the annulment of women in the group. 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No it means you should probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/if-in-the-middle-of-an-argument-i-suddenly-fall-silent-it-does-not/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [It is moonlight. 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Christ-like love applauds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/when-we-look-at-the-love-of-christ-we-make-a-wonderful-discovery-love/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) [Browse all 3,097 Silent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silent/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I swallowed, feeling my pulse race, and gave silent thanks that there were no eyewitnesses to my blushing, which could have set a cigar alight even a foot away.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Carlos Ruiz Zafón" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/i-swallowed-feeling-my-pulse-race-and-gave-silent-thanks-that-there/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Silent" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/i-swallowed-feeling-my-pulse-race-and-gave-silent-thanks-that-there/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_silent_i-swallowed-feeling-my-pulse-race-and-ga_753993.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_silent_i-swallowed-feeling-my-pulse-race-and-ga_753993.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/321/carlos-ruiz-zafon-126_silent_i-swallowed-feeling-my-pulse-race-and-ga_753993.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I swallowed, feeling my pulse race, and gave silent thanks that there were no eyewitnesses to my blushing…” — Carlos Ruiz Zafón", "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": "Carlos Ruiz Zafón", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I swallowed, feeling my pulse race,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/i-swallowed-feeling-my-pulse-race-and-gave-silent-thanks-that-there/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/i-swallowed-feeling-my-pulse-race-and-gave-silent-thanks-that-there/#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 } } ] } ```