--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first kiss plummeted him down a hole…" description: "\"The first kiss plummeted him down a hole and popped him out into a world he thought he could get along in—as if he’d been pulling hard the wrong way an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b4/denis-johnson-2135_first-kiss_the-first-kiss-plummeted-him-down-a-hole_3043345.png" --- # The first kiss plummeted him down a hole and popped him… ![“The first kiss plummeted him down a hole and popped him out into a world he thought he could get along in—as if he’d been pulling hard the wrong way and was now turned around headed downstream.” quote by Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b4/denis-johnson-2135_first-kiss_the-first-kiss-plummeted-him-down-a-hole_3043345.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b4/denis-johnson-2135_first-kiss_the-first-kiss-plummeted-him-down-a-hole_3043345.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b4/denis-johnson-2135_first-kiss_the-first-kiss-plummeted-him-down-a-hole_3043345.png) > “The first kiss plummeted him down a hole and popped him out into a world he thought he could get along in—as if he’d been pulling hard the wrong way and was now turned around headed downstream.” [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A sudden, disorienting experience forces the protagonist into an unexpected reality, challenging his sense of control. **In simple terms:** A shocking event throws him into a new world. Key Takeaway Embrace change, even when it feels unsettling. Themes identity disorientation growth control reality Mood confused hopeful reflective Type narrative philosophical When to use this quote - relationship breakup - career upheaval - relocation - personal loss Key Concepts existential crisis self‑discovery narrative shift Questions to Reflect On - How do you respond when life feels upside‑down? - What can you learn from unexpected changes? A Different Perspective The metaphor may over‑dramatize ordinary setbacks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [First kiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-kiss/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Holes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holes/) [Kiss Plummeted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kiss-plummeted-5027767/) [Kissing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kissing/) [Plummeted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plummeted-545059/) [Plummeted Hole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plummeted-hole-5027769/) [Turned Headed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turned-headed-5027768/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Way Turned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-turned-1709478/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Wrong way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrong-way/) ## Related quotes > [At first I hated the way I was turned into a pretty boy, as if that was all that was expected of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/at-first-i-hated-the-way-i-was-turned-into-a-pretty-boy-as-if-that/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [“reverently that I knew it was a part of him in a way, it turned out, I could never be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-benjamin/reverently-that-i-knew-it-was-a-part-of-him-in-a-way-it-turned-out-i/) [Melanie Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-benjamin/) > [I was in a maze. No matter which way I turned, it was the wrong way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-was-in-a-maze-no-matter-which-way-i-turned-it-was-the-wrong-way/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [“You made me this way, you turned my skies to gray”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hinder/you-made-me-this-way-you-turned-my-skies-to-gray/) [Hinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hinder/) > [The only way to be turned off to being famous is to be famous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/the-only-way-to-be-turned-off-to-being-famous-is-to-be-famous/) [Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/) > [“Really, it was incredible that they had achieved any successes at all. 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They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-nersesian/nowadays-the-standards-had-plummeted-so-far-that-i-failed-even-at/) [Arthur Nersesian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-nersesian/) > [Palin seems to have forgotten that her poll ratings have plummeted since the summer of 2011.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-fournier/palin-seems-to-have-forgotten-that-her-poll-ratings-have-plummeted/) [Ron Fournier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-fournier/) > [“leaped off the side of the cliff, and plummeted straight down. And we all died.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/leaped-off-the-side-of-the-cliff-and-plummeted-straight-down-and-we/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“All she knew was that whatever and whoever climbed out of that abyss of despair and grief would not be the same person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/all-she-knew-was-that-whatever-and-whoever-climbed-out-of-that-abyss/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [“AHHHHHHHH!” Helle, who was not hella good at listening, slipped off the ram’s back and plummeted to her death. “Darn it!” said Chrysomallos. “I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/ahhhhhhhh-helle-who-was-not-hella-good-at-listening-slipped-off-the/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) ## More by Denis Johnson > [“You’ve never felt good. Your suffering protects you. Pain is the ransom you have gladly paid not to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/you-ve-never-felt-good-your-suffering-protects-you-pain-is-the-ransom/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“He had laid his head back until his scalp had contacted his spine, that far back, and opened his throat, and a sound rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/he-had-laid-his-head-back-until-his-scalp-had-contacted-his-spine/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [“Everything is arranged," John Robertson told me. Thank God." I forgot to mention that we appear to have one small problem," he said. Okay..."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/everything-is-arranged-john-robertson-told-me-thank-god-i-forgot-to/) [Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/) > [Before this moment I'd lived as a mind. Body, heart, soul, intellect, so we care ourselves into parts. 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