--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He has always had a dread of crossing…" description: "\"“He has always had a dread of crossing borders, he doesn't like to leave what's known and safe for the blank space beyond in which anything can happen...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/813/damon-galgut-32445_blank-space_he-has-always-had-a-dread-of-crossing-bo_1238256.png" --- # He has always had a dread of crossing borders, he doesn't… ![“He has always had a dread of crossing borders, he doesn't like to leave what's known and safe for the blank space beyond in which anything can happen. Everything at times of transition takes on a symbolic weight and power. But this too is why he travels. The world you're moving through flows into…” quote by Damon Galgut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/813/damon-galgut-32445_blank-space_he-has-always-had-a-dread-of-crossing-bo_1238256.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/813/damon-galgut-32445_blank-space_he-has-always-had-a-dread-of-crossing-bo_1238256.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/813/damon-galgut-32445_blank-space_he-has-always-had-a-dread-of-crossing-bo_1238256.png) > ““He has always had a dread of crossing borders, he doesn't like to leave what's known and safe for the blank space beyond in which anything can happen. Everything at times of transition takes on a symbolic weight and power. But this too is why he travels. The world you're moving through flows into another one inside, nothing stays divided any more, this stands for that, weather for mood, landscape for feeling, for every object there is a corresponding inner gesture, everything turns into metaphor. The border line on a map, but also drawn inside himself somewhere.”” [Damon Galgut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-galgut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Transition feels like crossing a border, blending external change with internal transformation, turning reality into metaphor. **In simple terms:** Change blends outer and inner worlds. Key Takeaway Embrace change as inner growth. Themes change identity metaphor travel psychology Mood reflective introspective poetic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - moving to a new city - starting a new job - personal crisis - creative projects Key Concepts symbolic borders inner gestures transformation Questions to Reflect On - How do you notice inner changes during external transitions? - What metaphors help you understand personal growth? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex emotions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blank space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blank-space/) [Border](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/border/) [Border Line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/border-line-1604689/) [Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Crossing Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crossing-borders-1554150/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Metaphor Border](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/metaphor-border-3857269/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Our border now is no line between two hills, but the line our planet makes in circling the Sun.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/our-border-now-is-no-line-between-two-hills-but-the-line-our-planet/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [No border controls anywhere in the world are able to prevent determined criminals from crossing borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keir-starmer/no-border-controls-anywhere-in-the-world-are-able-to-prevent/) [Keir Starmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keir-starmer/) > [I love crossing borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olga-tokarczuk/i-love-crossing-borders/) [Olga Tokarczuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olga-tokarczuk/) > [“People die crossing borders, and sometimes just being near them. The lucky ones are reborn on the other side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapka-kassabova/people-die-crossing-borders-and-sometimes-just-being-near-them-the/) [Kapka Kassabova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapka-kassabova/) > [Our actors are crossing borders and now so are our stories. And that is what I saw in 'Bachaana.' The film is light and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanam-saeed/our-actors-are-crossing-borders-and-now-so-are-our-stories-and-that/) [Sanam Saeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanam-saeed/) > [Americans are rightly concerned about the security and the integrity of the nation's borders because the system is broken. Some are concerned about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cannon/americans-are-rightly-concerned-about-the-security-and-the-integrity/) [Chris Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cannon/) > [When crossing someone's borders you have to be prepared to engage in a war that is far more brutal than if it were to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/when-crossing-someone-s-borders-you-have-to-be-prepared-to-engage-in/) [Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/) > [“No one is going to hurt you on my watch. -Tristan, Crossing Borders”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/z-a-maxfield/no-one-is-going-to-hurt-you-on-my-watch-tristan-crossing-borders/) [Z.A. Maxfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/z-a-maxfield/) > [I don't know what any individual should do about crossing her own borders. I only know that I live a happier, more adventurous life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/i-don-t-know-what-any-individual-should-do-about-crossing-her-own/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [We've opened our borders wide open to be flooded with illegal aliens coming into our country. This is the precedent that has been, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-taylor-greene/we-ve-opened-our-borders-wide-open-to-be-flooded-with-illegal-aliens/) [Marjorie Taylor Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjorie-taylor-greene/) > [If we want to boost border security, we have to help law enforcement agencies beef up their resources to meet this demand. We cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cuellar/if-we-want-to-boost-border-security-we-have-to-help-law-enforcement/) [Henry Cuellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cuellar/) > [There are important questions about protecting and securing the border, but we don't need to build a wall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/there-are-important-questions-about-protecting-and-securing-the/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [Amnesty is a disaster, we need strong borders. We have no country if we have no border. In New Hampshire, the biggest complaint is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/amnesty-is-a-disaster-we-need-strong-borders-we-have-no-country-if-we/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [ I'm not an expert on the ways of Washington \[but\] it makes no sense to me that we're not funding control of our border. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/i-m-not-an-expert-on-the-ways-of-washington-but-it-makes-no-sense-to/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/) [Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/) ## More by Damon Galgut > [“He is wearing he same black pants from yesterday, but no shirt, his body is brown and hard, perfectly proportioned. He knows that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-galgut/he-is-wearing-he-same-black-pants-from-yesterday-but-no-shirt-his/) [damon galgut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-galgut/) > [The only way you can be universal is to be sure you are very specifically local.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-galgut/the-only-way-you-can-be-universal-is-to-be-sure-you-are-very/) [Damon Galgut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-galgut/) > [“As a result, he is hardly ever happy in the place where he is, something in him is already moving forward to the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-galgut/as-a-result-he-is-hardly-ever-happy-in-the-place-where-he-is/) [Damon Galgut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-galgut/) > [Things happen once only and are never repeated, never return. Except in memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-galgut/things-happen-once-only-and-are-never-repeated-never-return-except-in/) [Damon Galgut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-galgut/) > [If I had done this, if I had said that, in the end you are always more tormented by what you didn't do than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-galgut/if-i-had-done-this-if-i-had-said-that-in-the-end-you-are-always-more/) [Damon Galgut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-galgut/) > [Poetry was syllable and rhythm. Poetry was the measurement of breath. Poetry was time make audible. Poetry evoked the present moment; poetry was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-galgut/poetry-was-syllable-and-rhythm-poetry-was-the-measurement-of-breath/) [Damon Galgut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-galgut/) > [“Past a certain point, maybe, a person's character defines itself and stays fixed in your mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-galgut/past-a-certain-point-maybe-a-person-s-character-defines-itself-and/) [Damon Galgut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-galgut/) > [“Memory is fiction . . . All memory is a way of reconstructing the past. . . The act of narrating a memory is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-galgut/memory-is-fiction-all-memory-is-a-way-of-reconstructing-the-past-the/) [Damon Galgut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-galgut/) > [“...if you are names without a nature, it's not because I don't remember, no, the opposite is true, you are remembered in me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-galgut/if-you-are-names-without-a-nature-it-s-not-because-i-don-t-remember/) [Damon Galgut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-galgut/) > [A journey is a gesture inscribed in space, it vanishes even as it's made. You go from one place to another place, and on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-galgut/a-journey-is-a-gesture-inscribed-in-space-it-vanishes-even-as-it-s/) [Damon Galgut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-galgut/) > [There's no theme, no moral to be learned, except for the knowledge that lightning can strike from a clear blue sky one morning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-galgut/there-s-no-theme-no-moral-to-be-learned-except-for-the-knowledge-that/) [Damon Galgut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-galgut/) > [“Forgive me my friend, I tried to hold on, but you fell, you fell”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-galgut/forgive-me-my-friend-i-tried-to-hold-on-but-you-fell-you-fell/) [Damon Galgut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-galgut/) > [In his clearest moments he thinks he has lost the ability to love, people or places or things, most of all the person and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-galgut/in-his-clearest-moments-he-thinks-he-has-lost-the-ability-to-love/) [Damon Galgut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-galgut/) > [“The funny thing is, I don't care too much. You think you love something so badly, but when it's gone you find out you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-galgut/the-funny-thing-is-i-don-t-care-too-much-you-think-you-love-something/) [Damon Galgut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-galgut/) [Explore all 15 Damon Galgut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-galgut/) ## More Blank space quotes > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [History is full of blank spaces, but good stories, invariably, are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/history-is-full-of-blank-spaces-but-good-stories-invariably-are-not/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“The social organization of Heart of Darkness – captured in the corporate culture of the ‘Company’ – is a metonym for modernity. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ross/the-social-organization-of-heart-of-darkness-captured-in-the/) [Stephen Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ross/) > [Feel lucky for what you have when you have it. Isn't that the point? Happily ever after doesn't mean happy forever. The ever after,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/feel-lucky-for-what-you-have-when-you-have-it-isn-t-that-the-point/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“A chair, a table, a lamp. Above, on the white ceiling, a relief ornament in the shape of a wreath, and in the center…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/a-chair-a-table-a-lamp-above-on-the-white-ceiling-a-relief-ornament/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [There's been a huge blank space in publishing - business books and books by founders are almost always by men. There are so few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendra-scott/there-s-been-a-huge-blank-space-in-publishing-business-books-and/) [Kendra Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendra-scott/) > [A certain something, I felt, had managed to work its way in through a tiny opening and was trying to fill a blank space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/a-certain-something-i-felt-had-managed-to-work-its-way-in-through-a/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I like making things. I enjoy putting words and images on a blank space. There should be joy in the writing itself because parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/min-jin-lee/i-like-making-things-i-enjoy-putting-words-and-images-on-a-blank/) [Min Jin Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/min-jin-lee/) > [So it's gonna be forever Or it's gonna go down in flames You can tell me when it's over If the high was worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/so-it-s-gonna-be-forever-or-it-s-gonna-go-down-in-flames-you-can-tell-2/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [I like '1989,' the whole album. 'Welcome to New York,' 'Blank Space,' 'Bad Blood' - all of it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-lillard/i-like-1989-the-whole-album-welcome-to-new-york-blank-space-bad-blood/) [Damian Lillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-lillard/) > [“They want a woman who is a canvas, white and empty. Standing still, existing for no other purpose than to serve as a mute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-milan/they-want-a-woman-who-is-a-canvas-white-and-empty-standing-still/) [Courtney Milan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-milan/) > [Sometimes when you're doing fantasy, that's the most important thing, is to be a blank space, because the last thing you want to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-bentley/sometimes-when-you-re-doing-fantasy-that-s-the-most-important-thing/) [Wes Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-bentley/) > [Venues are all the same, all feel the same, these generic blank spaces. I like artists like Lightning Bolt-bands that go in and kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-oldham/venues-are-all-the-same-all-feel-the-same-these-generic-blank-spaces/) [Will Oldham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-oldham/) > [“the map they are using does not indicate the village of Orce, how very inconsiderate on the part of the cartographers, I’ll bet they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/the-map-they-are-using-does-not-indicate-the-village-of-orce-how-very/) [jose saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“A blank space on a form, the missing page, a void, a hole in your knowledge of someone--it's still some real thing . It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/a-blank-space-on-a-form-the-missing-page-a-void-a-hole-in-your/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) [Browse all 51 Blank space quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blank-space/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He has always had a dread of crossing borders, he doesn't like to leave what's known and safe for the blank space beyond in which anything can happen. Everything at times of transition takes on a symbolic weight and power. But this too is why he travels. The world you're moving through flows into another one inside, nothing stays divided any more, this stands for that, weather for mood, landscape for feeling, for every object there is a corresponding inner gesture, everything turns into metaphor. 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