--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She has gone back to Brooklyn,' her…" description: "\"“She has gone back to Brooklyn,' her mother would say. And, as the train rolled past Macmire Bridge on its way towards Wexford, Eilis imagined the year..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/colm-toibin-3377_decision-making_she-has-gone-back-to-brooklyn-her-mother_3050959.jpg" --- # She has gone back to Brooklyn,' her mother would say. And… ![“She has gone back to Brooklyn,' her mother would say. And, as the train rolled past Macmire Bridge on its way towards Wexford, Eilis imagined the years already when these words would come to mean less and less to the man who heard them and would come to mean more and more to herself. She almost…” quote by Colm Toibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/colm-toibin-3377_decision-making_she-has-gone-back-to-brooklyn-her-mother_3050959.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/colm-toibin-3377_decision-making_she-has-gone-back-to-brooklyn-her-mother_3050959.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/colm-toibin-3377_decision-making_she-has-gone-back-to-brooklyn-her-mother_3050959.jpg) > ““She has gone back to Brooklyn,' her mother would say. And, as the train rolled past Macmire Bridge on its way towards Wexford, Eilis imagined the years already when these words would come to mean less and less to the man who heard them and would come to mean more and more to herself. She almost smiled at the thought of it, then closed her eyes and tried to imagine nothing more.”” [Colm Toibín](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colm-toibin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator reflects on how words change meaning over time, shifting from external expectations to personal understanding. **In simple terms:** Words lose external weight, gain personal meaning. Key Takeaway Recognize how meanings evolve with experience. Themes identity memory language change Mood melancholic reflective Type literary contemplative When to use this quote - reading literature - personal reflection - travel - family conversations Key Concepts nostalgia subjective perception temporal shift Questions to Reflect On - How do you notice words changing meaning in your life? - What personal experiences reshape your interpretation of familiar phrases? A Different Perspective The passage assumes a linear emotional progression, which may not apply to all readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brooklyn Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooklyn-mother-5074032/) [Decision making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decision-making/) [Decisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decisions/) [Eilis Imagined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eilis-imagined-5074031/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Imagined Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagined-years-2243580/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-say/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [“At that moment when John Lennon settled his voice on the back of a dove and released it to the world, could he have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-turpin-myers/at-that-moment-when-john-lennon-settled-his-voice-on-the-back-of-a/) [Janet Turpin Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-turpin-myers/) > [“Writing my own novels in the '90s...I never imagined that in ten years, science and rationality would require explanation and defense in a world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-doria-russell/writing-my-own-novels-in-the-90s-i-never-imagined-that-in-ten-years/) [Mary Doria Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-doria-russell/) > [“I know there’s something troubling you. 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