--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Together they flew, in all their bright…" description: "\"“Together they flew, in all their bright colors, streaming toward the inevitable cliff: leaping like deer. Their stride broke, almost at the edge. And ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/catherine-chung-60771_bright-colors_together-they-flew-in-all-their-bright-c_2605343.jpg" --- # Together they flew, in all their bright colors, streaming… ![“Together they flew, in all their bright colors, streaming toward the inevitable cliff: leaping like deer. Their stride broke, almost at the edge. And then in a rush they strained against their clothes, against their own bodies, and broke free into flight. They burst into the air as silently as the…” quote by Catherine Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/catherine-chung-60771_bright-colors_together-they-flew-in-all-their-bright-c_2605343.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/catherine-chung-60771_bright-colors_together-they-flew-in-all-their-bright-c_2605343.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a17/catherine-chung-60771_bright-colors_together-they-flew-in-all-their-bright-c_2605343.jpg) > ““Together they flew, in all their bright colors, streaming toward the inevitable cliff: leaping like deer. Their stride broke, almost at the edge. And then in a rush they strained against their clothes, against their own bodies, and broke free into flight. They burst into the air as silently as the beating of wings, like so many scattered leaves: each falling maiden with her skirts blossoming through the rush of air, opening like a fan as she flew toward the ocean below. Together they fell like a downpour of brightly colored rain, each petal suspended in air before drifting down to the crashing of the sea.”” [Catherine Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-chung/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid metaphor of collective struggle and liberation, where individuals break free from constraints and soar together, yet ultimately return to the inevitable end. **In simple terms:** People unite, break limits, rise, then return to fate. Key Takeaway Embrace freedom, but accept impermanence. Themes freedom collective transience beauty struggle Mood hopeful melancholic inspirational Type poetic literary metaphorical When to use this quote - protest movements - artistic collaborations - team projects - personal growth - environmental activism Key Concepts metaphor symbolism human condition Questions to Reflect On - What constraints are you ready to break? - How do you balance collective hope with personal limits? A Different Perspective The imagery may romanticize hardship, overlooking real consequences of risk. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bright colors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bright-colors/) [Crashing Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crashing-sea-1980678/) [Falling Maiden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-maiden-1980677/) [Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flew/) [Flew Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flew-ocean-1630873/) [Leaves Falling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaves-falling/) [Rain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rain/) ## Related quotes > [I saw the world. I learnt of new cultures. I flew across an ocean. I wore women's clothing. Made a friend. Fell in love.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/i-saw-the-world-i-learnt-of-new-cultures-i-flew-across-an-ocean-i/) [Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/) > [“It was odd how Aritomo's life seemed to glance off mine; we were like two leaves falling from a tree, touching each other now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-twan-eng/it-was-odd-how-aritomo-s-life-seemed-to-glance-off-mine-we-were-like/) [Tan Twan Eng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-twan-eng/) > [“Suffering has brought clarity into my life. Maybe the things that have happened to me are punishment for what I did in a previous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-see/suffering-has-brought-clarity-into-my-life-maybe-the-things-that-have/) [Lisa See](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-see/) > [“I don't know how long I've been sitting on this park bench. The light is almost all gone, but when there was light I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/i-don-t-know-how-long-i-ve-been-sitting-on-this-park-bench-the-light/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [In the fall, you don't grieve because the leaves are falling and dying. You say, "Isn't it beautiful!" Well, we're the same way. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/in-the-fall-you-don-t-grieve-because-the-leaves-are-falling-and-dying/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [“After 50 years together as a couple: "Look how fast the leaves are falling now," Alan says. "The trees will be bare in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-sunshine/after-50-years-together-as-a-couple-look-how-fast-the-leaves-are/) [Norman Sunshine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-sunshine/) > [“So many leaves have fallen on my life. Some settled nicely to rest, but most fell, withered to bitter cold and drifted on. But,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-many-leaves-have-fallen-on-my-life-some-settled-nicely-to-rest-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wish I understood the beauty in leaves falling. To whom are we beautiful as we go?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ignatow/i-wish-i-understood-the-beauty-in-leaves-falling-to-whom-are-we/) [David Ignatow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ignatow/) > [The leaves are falling, falling as if from far up,as if orchards were dying high in space.Each leaf falls as if it were motioning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/the-leaves-are-falling-falling-as-if-from-far-up-as-if-orchards-were/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [Now the leaves are falling fast, Nurse's flowers will not last; Nurses to their graves are gone, And the prams go rolling on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/now-the-leaves-are-falling-fast-nurse-s-flowers-will-not-last-nurses-2/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [A moral character is attached to autumnal scenes; the leaves falling like our years, the flowers fading like our hours, the clouds fleeting like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-ois-ren-de-chateaubriand/a-moral-character-is-attached-to-autumnal-scenes-the-leaves-falling/) [François-René de Chateaubriand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-ois-ren-de-chateaubriand/) > [Now the leaves are falling fast, Nurse’s flowers will not last, Nurses to their graves are gone, But the prams go rolling on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/now-the-leaves-are-falling-fast-nurse-s-flowers-will-not-last-nurses/) [W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/) > [“Watch the beauty of your life tree old leaves falling and allowing new ones to sprout !”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-lima/watch-the-beauty-of-your-life-tree-old-leaves-falling-and-allowing/) [Joy Lima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-lima/) > [Autumn is the hardest season. The leaves are all falling, and they're falling like they're falling in love with the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-gibson/autumn-is-the-hardest-season-the-leaves-are-all-falling-and-they-re/) [Andrea Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-gibson/) > [And now, my poor old woman, why are you crying so bitterly? It is autumn. The leaves are falling from the trees like burning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mervyn-peake/and-now-my-poor-old-woman-why-are-you-crying-so-bitterly-it-is-autumn/) [Mervyn Peake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mervyn-peake/) ## More by Catherine Chung > [“My mother did not want to go to America: this much I knew. I knew it by the way she became distracted and impatient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-chung/my-mother-did-not-want-to-go-to-america-this-much-i-knew-i-knew-it-by/) [Catherine Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-chung/) > [“Each life contains as much meaning as all of history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-chung/each-life-contains-as-much-meaning-as-all-of-history/) [Catherine Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-chung/) > [“My father told his acquaintances about that for years, even though both Hannah and I had given up on wormholes and the Child Genius…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-chung/my-father-told-his-acquaintances-about-that-for-years-even-though/) [Catherine Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-chung/) > [“It was just regular growing up, of course, the kind everyone does - but it still hurt him, I know, like the memory I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-chung/it-was-just-regular-growing-up-of-course-the-kind-everyone-does-but/) [Catherine Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-chung/) [Explore all 5 Catherine Chung quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-chung/) ## More Bright colors quotes > [“Well…there’s only one glove. Right away, I wonder, where’s the other glove? How did it become separated from its mate? Does it feel lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-kage/well-there-s-only-one-glove-right-away-i-wonder-where-s-the-other/) [Linda Kage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-kage/) > [“You see life in bright colors. Alas, ours is a world of darker shades.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-fielding/you-see-life-in-bright-colors-alas-ours-is-a-world-of-darker-shades/) [Hannah Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-fielding/) > [“There was a strange exciting smell in the air - the smell of wine, cigar smoke, and perfume, mingled with the scent of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-was-a-strange-exciting-smell-in-the-air-the-smell-of-wine-cigar/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The sun of Sunday morning up out of the sleepless sea from black Liverpool. Sitting on the rocks over the water with a jug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-p-donleavy/the-sun-of-sunday-morning-up-out-of-the-sleepless-sea-from-black/) [J.P. Donleavy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-p-donleavy/) > [“They like bright colors," she said. He smiled at her, those dark tameless eyes, half-bold and half-shy. "They like beautiful things," he said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-todd/they-like-bright-colors-she-said-he-smiled-at-her-those-dark-tameless/) [Pamela Todd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-todd/) > [We think the Puritans always dressed in black and white, which they didn't. They loved very bright colors. And there were other differences in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlisle-floyd/we-think-the-puritans-always-dressed-in-black-and-white-which-they/) [Carlisle Floyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlisle-floyd/) > [“I wear loud clothes. They aren’t bright colors, but I do have speakers sewn into my shirts. What can I say, I’ve grown out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-wear-loud-clothes-they-aren-t-bright-colors-but-i-do-have-speakers/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [I love to walk through the streets of Jesus Maria and Pueblo Libre. The Spanish colonial buildings are in bright colors, two stories high,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/i-love-to-walk-through-the-streets-of-jesus-maria-and-pueblo-libre/) [Daniel Alarcon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/) > [My mom has accepted my style. My dad is a little suspect with all the bright colors and loud stuff. He's a khakis and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chandler-parsons/my-mom-has-accepted-my-style-my-dad-is-a-little-suspect-with-all-the/) [Chandler Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chandler-parsons/) > [“The following “Rules for Female Teachers” were posted by the school board of one town in Massachusetts: Do not get married. Do not leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/the-following-rules-for-female-teachers-were-posted-by-the-school/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [I was a teenager with braces and into sporty dresses with bright colors and cut-outs. For awhile, I really experimented with what I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venus-williams/i-was-a-teenager-with-braces-and-into-sporty-dresses-with-bright/) [Venus Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venus-williams/) > [Much is missed if we have eyes only for the bright colors. Nature should be viewed without distinction... She makes no choice herself; everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-porter/much-is-missed-if-we-have-eyes-only-for-the-bright-colors-nature/) [Eliot Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-porter/) > [“Designing for children carries a social responsibility beyond bright colors and scaled-down furnishings that only perceptive and informed grown-ups can understand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-exley/designing-for-children-carries-a-social-responsibility-beyond-bright/) [Sharon Exley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-exley/) > [“She looked at me for a long time and then pulled an old envelope out of the trash and drew a pear on it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/she-looked-at-me-for-a-long-time-and-then-pulled-an-old-envelope-out/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [I've been to hundreds of conventions in my career. Sometimes I'm afraid I may get jaded by them. But then, I see a figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-perez/i-ve-been-to-hundreds-of-conventions-in-my-career-sometimes-i-m/) [George Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-perez/) [Browse all 103 Bright colors quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bright-colors/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Together they flew, in all their bright colors, streaming toward the inevitable cliff: leaping like deer. Their stride broke, almost at the edge. And then in a rush they strained against their clothes, against their own bodies, and broke free into flight. They burst into the air as silently as the beating of wings, like so many scattered leaves: each falling maiden with her skirts blossoming through the rush of air, opening like a fan as she flew toward the ocean below. 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