--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And I suddenly think, as I look across…" description: "\"And I suddenly think, as I look across the table at him, that these are the days as they will be. This is the future as we see it. The swerve and the s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/colum-mccann-902_confidence_and-i-suddenly-think-as-i-look-across-th_3200598.png" --- # And I suddenly think, as I look across the table at him… ![“And I suddenly think, as I look across the table at him, that these are the days as they will be. This is the future as we see it. The swerve and the static. The confidence and the doubt.” quote by Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/colum-mccann-902_confidence_and-i-suddenly-think-as-i-look-across-th_3200598.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/colum-mccann-902_confidence_and-i-suddenly-think-as-i-look-across-th_3200598.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fb/colum-mccann-902_confidence_and-i-suddenly-think-as-i-look-across-th_3200598.png) > “And I suddenly think, as I look across the table at him, that these are the days as they will be. This is the future as we see it. The swerve and the static. The confidence and the doubt.” [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The present moment contains both certainty and doubt, reflecting the unpredictable nature of the future. **In simple terms:** Life mixes confidence with uncertainty. Key Takeaway Accept ambiguity and move forward. Themes existential future uncertainty Mood thoughtful curious Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - relationships - creative projects - decision making Key Concepts temporal duality human experience Questions to Reflect On - What do you trust in the future? - How do you balance hope and fear? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on doubt can paralyze action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Swerve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swerve/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Suddenly, I think I might start screaming at him — I’m not even sure about what”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/suddenly-i-think-i-might-start-screaming-at-him-i-m-not-even-sure/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [And then, just when you think that you have experienced all the wonders that this world has to offer, you round a peak and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/and-then-just-when-you-think-that-you-have-experienced-all-the/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [Suddenly I think I always knew I had my share of mistakes Made quite a few Finally I know and that's for sure I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-cchan-2/suddenly-i-think-i-always-knew-i-had-my-share-of-mistakes-made-quite/) AaRon\_CcHan > [“The days of the future stand in fornt of us Like a line of candles all alight Golden and warm and lively little candles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cavafy/the-days-of-the-future-stand-in-fornt-of-us-like-a-line-of-candles/) Cavafy > [In terms of the 'X-Men: Days of Future Past' movie, Bryan Singer has been a part of the X-Men family from the first movie.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-claremont/in-terms-of-the-x-men-days-of-future-past-movie-bryan-singer-has-been/) [Chris Claremont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-claremont/) > [In the 'Days Of Future Past' comic, the aim is to go back in time to preserve peace for the lives of mutants in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-kinberg/in-the-days-of-future-past-comic-the-aim-is-to-go-back-in-time-to/) [Simon Kinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-kinberg/) > [The days of the future stand in front of us Like a line of candles all alight Golden and warm and lively little candles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-p-cavafy/the-days-of-the-future-stand-in-front-of-us-like-a-line-of-candles/) [C.P. Cavafy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-p-cavafy/) > [“One of these days the future will be here, and you won't be ready for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/one-of-these-days-the-future-will-be-here-and-you-won-t-be-ready-for/) [Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/) > [I was late to the franchise; 'Days of Future Past' was the first X-Men movie I saw.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tye-sheridan/i-was-late-to-the-franchise-days-of-future-past-was-the-first-x-men/) [Tye Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tye-sheridan/) > [“And suddenly I think: nothing is fine. It’s never fine. It’s always an illusion. Happy smiles, assurances, jokes, laughter—there’s no way to tell if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andra-brynn/and-suddenly-i-think-nothing-is-fine-it-s-never-fine-it-s-always-an/) [Andra Brynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andra-brynn/) > [I do think that people have moments of realisation in real life - even if it's on their death beds - when they suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-winklevoss/i-do-think-that-people-have-moments-of-realisation-in-real-life-even/) [Cameron Winklevoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-winklevoss/) > [Your hair isn't quite right and maybe you're a size bigger than you should be and on and on and on. I think there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/your-hair-isn-t-quite-right-and-maybe-you-re-a-size-bigger-than-you/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [You meet someone, and you don't really notice how special they are until suddenly they're all you think about..!! :D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-meet-someone-and-you-don-t-really-notice-how-special-they-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It never would have occurred to me in 'Days of Future Past' to cast Peter Dinklage as Bolivar Trask, and yet as soon as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-claremont/it-never-would-have-occurred-to-me-in-days-of-future-past-to-cast/) [Chris Claremont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-claremont/) > [Senseless is the breast and cold Which relenting love would fold; Bloodless are the veins and chill Which the pulse of pain did fill;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/senseless-is-the-breast-and-cold-which-relenting-love-would-fold/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) ## More by Colum McCann > [Give life long enough and it will solve all your problems, including the one of being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/give-life-long-enough-and-it-will-solve-all-your-problems-including/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [“There is something that happens to the mind in moments of terror. Perhaps we figure it's the last we'll ever have and we record…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/there-is-something-that-happens-to-the-mind-in-moments-of-terror/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [“The short sharp shock of three thousand mother two hundred mothers. The ones who picked through the supermarket debris for pieces of their dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/the-short-sharp-shock-of-three-thousand-mother-two-hundred-mothers/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [I'm not so sure that I can teach people how to, you know, write dialogue or create plot or anything like that. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/i-m-not-so-sure-that-i-can-teach-people-how-to-you-know-write/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [“Once we had filled each other with desire, not remembrance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/once-we-had-filled-each-other-with-desire-not-remembrance/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [“How long ago it was and how strange, but all dead friends come to life again sometimes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/how-long-ago-it-was-and-how-strange-but-all-dead-friends-come-to-life/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [“She would want, instead, to recall him in the air, between layers of cloud. To give him back that ancient dignity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/she-would-want-instead-to-recall-him-in-the-air-between-layers-of/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [Novels are more difficult simply because they are longer and require more juggling, but short stories are closer to perfection, if you can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/novels-are-more-difficult-simply-because-they-are-longer-and-require/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [It was a silence that heard itself, awful and beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/it-was-a-silence-that-heard-itself-awful-and-beautiful/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [I think one of the biggest political failures, and the biggest social failures, over the past few years has been the failure of empathy;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/i-think-one-of-the-biggest-political-failures-and-the-biggest-social/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [“Bits of it floating in the air, he said. "It's like dust. You walk about and don't see it, don't notice it, but it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/bits-of-it-floating-in-the-air-he-said-it-s-like-dust-you-walk-about/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [“He has read whole volumes on the philosophy of nonviolence. How peace had to be understood in all its moral dimensions. The proper coexistence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/he-has-read-whole-volumes-on-the-philosophy-of-nonviolence-how-peace/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [“She’s always thought that one of the beauties of New York is that you can be from anywhere and within moments of landing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/she-s-always-thought-that-one-of-the-beauties-of-new-york-is-that-you/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [I'm of the opinion that the real is imagined and the imagined is quite real. The real is imagined, in the sense that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/i-m-of-the-opinion-that-the-real-is-imagined-and-the-imagined-is/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) > [“She had that emigrant’s sadness—she would never go back to her old country—it was gone in more senses than one—but she was forever gazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/she-had-that-emigrant-s-sadness-she-would-never-go-back-to-her-old/) [Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) [Explore all 333 Colum McCann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/) ## More Confidence quotes > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [I was just confident my work was good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bunny-yeager/i-was-just-confident-my-work-was-good/) [Bunny Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bunny-yeager/) > [I am confident when I take the penalty otherwise I would pass for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-fernandes/i-am-confident-when-i-take-the-penalty-otherwise-i-would-pass-for/) [Bruno Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-fernandes/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [My friend made me a leather dress for the MTV awards. It gives you confidence, wearing something you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-deeley/my-friend-made-me-a-leather-dress-for-the-mtv-awards-it-gives-you/) [Cat Deeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-deeley/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-ball/i-would-rather-regret-the-things-that-i-have-done-than-the-things/) [Lucille Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-ball/) > [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/) [Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/) > [Get to know yourself well enough to not only expect, but also control, your response to the unexpected challenges in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/get-to-know-yourself-well-enough-to-not-only-expect-but-also-control/) Senoraroy > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I look for someone who has confidence. Also someone whose energetic, cause I'm NOT that energetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-jonas/i-look-for-someone-who-has-confidence-also-someone-whose-energetic/) [Nick Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-jonas/) > [Why shouldn't I be confident? I'm well educated, I can deliver a line, and I have more than three expressions. That's good right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonakshi-sinha/why-shouldn-t-i-be-confident-i-m-well-educated-i-can-deliver-a-line/) [Sonakshi Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonakshi-sinha/) > [I was very confident on the stage, and I stood out in a red gown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-johnson/i-was-very-confident-on-the-stage-and-i-stood-out-in-a-red-gown/) [Nicole Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-johnson/) > [If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-go-to-any-nunnery-and-ask-them-what-the-main-obstacle-is-they/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) [Browse all 11,290 Confidence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "And I suddenly think, as I look across the table at him, that these are the days as they will be. This is the future as we see it. The swerve and the static. 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