--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even when I succeed in getting there we…" description: "\"“Even when I succeed in getting there we only have an hour. At ten o’clock the night-watch trumpet sounds and those who are out return to bed. What a b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d40/deborah-moggach-9536_night_even-when-i-succeed-in-getting-there-we_112166.jpg" --- # Even when I succeed in getting there we only have an hour… ![“Even when I succeed in getting there we only have an hour. At ten o’clock the night-watch trumpet sounds and those who are out return to bed. What a blameless, hardworking nation we are. In bed by ten, faithful husbands and faithful wives. It is no city for lovers, for those out late on the street…” quote by Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d40/deborah-moggach-9536_night_even-when-i-succeed-in-getting-there-we_112166.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d40/deborah-moggach-9536_night_even-when-i-succeed-in-getting-there-we_112166.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d40/deborah-moggach-9536_night_even-when-i-succeed-in-getting-there-we_112166.jpg) > ““Even when I succeed in getting there we only have an hour. At ten o’clock the night-watch trumpet sounds and those who are out return to bed. What a blameless, hardworking nation we are. In bed by ten, faithful husbands and faithful wives. It is no city for lovers, for those out late on the street are viewed with suspicion.”” [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A satirical portrait of a regimented society where strict schedules and moral expectations suppress romance and spontaneity. **In simple terms:** Rigid routines limit love and freedom. Key Takeaway Over‑regulation stifles personal intimacy. Themes societal norms time discipline morality love conformity Mood ironic somber Type satire social commentary When to use this quote - strict corporate cultures - military barracks - traditional households - authoritarian regimes Key Concepts social control cultural critique Practical Applications - balance structure with personal time - encourage flexible schedules Questions to Reflect On - What are the costs of extreme punctuality? - Can love survive under strict moral codes? A Different Perspective The passage idealizes order, overlooking benefits of spontaneity and emotional expression. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) ## Related quotes > [Faithful men. Faithful husbands. Faithful daddies. We need 'em.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophilus/faithful-men-faithful-husbands-faithful-daddies-we-need-em/) [Theophilus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophilus/) > [“There is bound to be variation in the population of males in their predisposition to be faithful husbands. If females could recognize such qualities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/there-is-bound-to-be-variation-in-the-population-of-males-in-their/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I do not think that there are any men who are faithful to their wives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-kennedy-onassis/i-do-not-think-that-there-are-any-men-who-are-faithful-to-their-wives/) [Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-kennedy-onassis/) > [Great artists are modest almost as seldom as they are faithful to their wives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/great-artists-are-modest-almost-as-seldom-as-they-are-faithful-to/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [I don't think there are any men who are faithful to their wives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-kennedy/i-don-t-think-there-are-any-men-who-are-faithful-to-their-wives/) [Jackie Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-kennedy/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [I don't like working all hours of the night and having an unreliable working pattern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-giacchino/i-don-t-like-working-all-hours-of-the-night-and-having-an-unreliable/) [Michael Giacchino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-giacchino/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [At the end of night, before you close your eyes, be content with what you've done and be proud of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-almond/at-the-end-of-night-before-you-close-your-eyes-be-content-with-what/) [Steve Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-almond/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [I don't drink much anymore, but when I traveled with Frank Sinatra, God rest his soul, I used to drink like I could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-drink-much-anymore-but-when-i-traveled-with-frank-sinatra-god/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) ## More by Deborah Moggach > [It's not a failure if a marriage or partnership ends after a certain number of years. I think, in general, we expect too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/it-s-not-a-failure-if-a-marriage-or-partnership-ends-after-a-certain/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [“Our task is not to solve enigmas, but to be aware of them, to bow our heads before them and also to prepare the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/our-task-is-not-to-solve-enigmas-but-to-be-aware-of-them-to-bow-our/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [It was very liberating, living in a foreign country, a place where everything was new and strange - the food, the customs, the climate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/it-was-very-liberating-living-in-a-foreign-country-a-place-where/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [“The world is chaotic. All artists know this, but they try to make sense of it. Sophia has made sense of it for him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/the-world-is-chaotic-all-artists-know-this-but-they-try-to-make-sense/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [Don't start writing your novel until you know your characters very, very well. What they'd do if they saw somebody shoplifting. What they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/don-t-start-writing-your-novel-until-you-know-your-characters-very/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [Everything will be alright in the end so if it is not alright it is not the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/everything-will-be-alright-in-the-end-so-if-it-is-not-alright-it-is/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [Living apart is hardly possible if people have children together. It can also be more expensive to maintain two homes. But then, it's expensive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/living-apart-is-hardly-possible-if-people-have-children-together-it/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [My first novel, 'You Must be Sisters,' was started in Pakistan. I've wrote several novels and a TV drama set or partly-set there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/my-first-novel-you-must-be-sisters-was-started-in-pakistan-i-ve-wrote/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [Writing a novel is a huge adventure; when it's going well it's more fun than fun. When it stutters to a halt put it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/writing-a-novel-is-a-huge-adventure-when-it-s-going-well-it-s-more/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [I like missing someone and being missed; I like looking forward to seeing him again. I like getting emails and texts with lots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/i-like-missing-someone-and-being-missed-i-like-looking-forward-to/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [The greatest artists know how to entertain, or else nobody would read them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/the-greatest-artists-know-how-to-entertain-or-else-nobody-would-read/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [I hate fussing about in the kitchen when I have people over to supper, so I make a rich beef stew cooked in wine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/i-hate-fussing-about-in-the-kitchen-when-i-have-people-over-to-supper/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [But it's also true that the person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing. All we know about the future is that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/but-it-s-also-true-that-the-person-who-risks-nothing-does-nothing-has/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [I do believe that we baby-boomers are reinventing ageing as we enter it. We're living longer and expecting more from life; the success of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/i-do-believe-that-we-baby-boomers-are-reinventing-ageing-as-we-enter/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [All I want is for people, when they read my books, to feel companioned, to feel they're not alone in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/all-i-want-is-for-people-when-they-read-my-books-to-feel-companioned/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) [Explore all 72 Deborah Moggach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) ## More Night quotes > [I don't drink much anymore, but when I traveled with Frank Sinatra, God rest his soul, I used to drink like I could do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-rickles/i-don-t-drink-much-anymore-but-when-i-traveled-with-frank-sinatra-god/) [Don Rickles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-rickles/) > [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [At the end of night, before you close your eyes, be content with what you've done and be proud of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-almond/at-the-end-of-night-before-you-close-your-eyes-be-content-with-what/) [Steve Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-almond/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't like working all hours of the night and having an unreliable working pattern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-giacchino/i-don-t-like-working-all-hours-of-the-night-and-having-an-unreliable/) [Michael Giacchino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-giacchino/) > [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“After nine nights must come ten and every desperate meeting only leaves you desperate for another. There is never enough to eat, never enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/after-nine-nights-must-come-ten-and-every-desperate-meeting-only/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [“We drive west the rest of the night, away from where the sun will come up, trying to outrace it, trying not to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-drive-west-the-rest-of-the-night-away-from-where-the-sun-will-come/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) [Browse all 17,282 Night quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Even when I succeed in getting there we only have an hour. At ten o’clock the night-watch trumpet sounds and those who are out return to bed. What a blameless, hardworking nation we are. In bed by ten, faithful husbands and faithful wives. 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