---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were moments when she wasn't…"
description: "\"There were moments when she wasn't talking so much as fading into time, dropping back into some funnelled stretch of recent past.\" — Don DeLillo"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/don-delillo-294_dropping_there-were-moments-when-she-wasn-t-talki_3132267.jpg"
---

#  There were moments when she wasn't talking so much as…

![“There were moments when she wasn't talking so much as fading into time, dropping back into some funnelled stretch of recent past.” quote by Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/don-delillo-294_dropping_there-were-moments-when-she-wasn-t-talki_3132267.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/don-delillo-294_dropping_there-were-moments-when-she-wasn-t-talki_3132267.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/don-delillo-294_dropping_there-were-moments-when-she-wasn-t-talki_3132267.jpg)

> “There were moments when she wasn't talking so much as fading into time, dropping back into some funnelled stretch of recent past.”

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A character drifts into memory, feeling detached from the present as time seems to blur.

**In simple terms:** She feels lost in past memories.

Key Takeaway

Recognize when you’re living in the past.

Themes

memory detachment time reflection

Mood

melancholic contemplative

Type

literary reflective

When to use this quote

- personal introspection
- creative writing
- film analysis
- therapy
- mindfulness

Key Concepts

existentialism nostalgia psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How does nostalgia affect your decisions?
- What anchors you in the present?

A Different Perspective

The quote may romanticize disengagement, ignoring the need for present engagement.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dropping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dropping/) [Fading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fading/) [Fading Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fading-time-5355903/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Recent past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recent-past/) [Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking/) [Talking Fading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking-fading-2567653/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [The shallow relationships are like colors, Fading out by time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-monem/the-shallow-relationships-are-like-colors-fading-out-by-time/)

[Mo Monem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-monem/)

> [“She wanted to stay focused, one thing following sensibly upon another. There were moments when she wasn't talking so much as fading into time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo-falling-man/she-wanted-to-stay-focused-one-thing-following-sensibly-upon-another/)

[Don DeLillo Falling Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo-falling-man/)

> [In the immediate postwar era, financial crises in advanced countries were rare events, and before 1970 did not happen at all. Since then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-m-taylor/in-the-immediate-postwar-era-financial-crises-in-advanced-countries/)

[Alan M. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-m-taylor/)

> [The unhistorical are usually, without knowing it, enslaved to a fairly recent past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-unhistorical-are-usually-without-knowing-it-enslaved-to-a-fairly/)

[C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/)

> [ \[Our goal\] is to help revive America's traditional values: faith, family, neighborhood, work and freedom. Government has no business enforcing these values but neither… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/our-goal-is-to-help-revive-america-s-traditional-values-faith-family/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [A truly global economy, as opposed to the multinational economy of the recent past, will require concessions of national power ... that seemed impossible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wriston/a-truly-global-economy-as-opposed-to-the-multinational-economy-of-the/)

[Walter Wriston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wriston/)

> [I felt like, in the recent past, people have been apologizing for Superman, a little bit, for his costume, for his origins, and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zack-snyder/i-felt-like-in-the-recent-past-people-have-been-apologizing-for/)

[Zack Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zack-snyder/)

> [It's human nature to extrapolate the recent past into the future, but it's terrible that managements go along with this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/it-s-human-nature-to-extrapolate-the-recent-past-into-the-future-but/)

[Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/)

> [I found my way to make my peace with the recent past by turning it into WORD.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bartlett-johnson/i-found-my-way-to-make-my-peace-with-the-recent-past-by-turning-it/)

[Charles Bartlett Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bartlett-johnson/)

> [I valued the experience of making the recordings, and I value the performances contained therein, and I value so much of what they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-oldham/i-valued-the-experience-of-making-the-recordings-and-i-value-the/)

[Will Oldham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-oldham/)

> [Almost the first thing Obama did in the White House was to return the bust of Winston Churchill to the British embassy. That suggests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/almost-the-first-thing-obama-did-in-the-white-house-was-to-return-the/)

[Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/)

> [I guess I can call myself a pragmatist with a conservative perspective. It would be hard for me to explain this, but I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/i-guess-i-can-call-myself-a-pragmatist-with-a-conservative/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [“the past is now barely present in my thoughts. I believe the main reason for that is our children, since life with them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/the-past-is-now-barely-present-in-my-thoughts-i-believe-the-main/)

[Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/)

> [Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-b-smedes/forgiving-does-not-erase-the-bitter-past-a-healed-memory-is-not-a-2/)

[Lewis B. Smedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-b-smedes/)

> [The recent past always presents itself as if destroyed by catastrophes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/the-recent-past-always-presents-itself-as-if-destroyed-by-catastrophes/)

[Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/)

## More by Don DeLillo

> [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [Everything is barely weeks. Everything is days. We have minutes to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/everything-is-barely-weeks-everything-is-days-we-have-minutes-to-live/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [The novel is the dream release, the suspension of reality that history needs to escape its own brutal confinements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-novel-is-the-dream-release-the-suspension-of-reality-that-history/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“As I listened I thought a featureless baggy man was striking me in slow motion with a well-polished stone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/as-i-listened-i-thought-a-featureless-baggy-man-was-striking-me-in/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“Murray said, 'I don't trust anybody's nostalgia but my own. Nostalgia is a product of dissatisfaction and rage. It´s a settling of grievances between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/murray-said-i-don-t-trust-anybody-s-nostalgia-but-my-own-nostalgia-is/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“She is beginning to think it is possible that all creation is a spurt of blank matter that chances to make an emerald planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/she-is-beginning-to-think-it-is-possible-that-all-creation-is-a-spurt/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“Those who have abandoned belief must still believe in us. They are sure that they are right not to believe but they know belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/those-who-have-abandoned-belief-must-still-believe-in-us-they-are/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“The plane had lost power in all three engines, dropped from thirty-four thousand feet to twelve thousand feet. Something like four miles. When the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-plane-had-lost-power-in-all-three-engines-dropped-from-thirty/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“Grass: I live in a great steel tower that reflects the blazing sun. People catch fire just walking by. The more bodies that pile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/grass-i-live-in-a-great-steel-tower-that-reflects-the-blazing-sun/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“What people discard could make a nation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/what-people-discard-could-make-a-nation/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“Marriage is something we make from available materials. In this sense it’s improvised, it’s almost offhand. Maybe this is why we know so little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/marriage-is-something-we-make-from-available-materials-in-this-sense/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [The true life is not reducible to words spoken or written, not by anyone, ever. The true life takes place when we're alone, thinking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-true-life-is-not-reducible-to-words-spoken-or-written-not-by/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [I've come to think of Europe as a hardcover book, America as the paperback version.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/i-ve-come-to-think-of-europe-as-a-hardcover-book-america-as-the/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [There is a set of balances and rhythms to a novel that we can't experience in real life. So I think there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-is-a-set-of-balances-and-rhythms-to-a-novel-that-we-can-t/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“There is no lie in war or preparation of war that can't be defended. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-is-no-lie-in-war-or-preparation-of-war-that-can-t-be-defended/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

[Explore all 699 Don DeLillo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

## More Dropping quotes

> [I did not know that the planning for biological and chemical warfare was so widespread in England, and even in France before France fell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-did-not-know-that-the-planning-for-biological-and-chemical-warfare/)

[Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/)

> [Everything I write is highly personal, but put in such a way that it's not dropping everything in someone's lap. Although sometimes I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-siberry/everything-i-write-is-highly-personal-but-put-in-such-a-way-that-it-s/)

[Jane Siberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-siberry/)

> [The first track is the end of a string. At the far end, a being is moving; a mystery, dropping a hint about itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brown-jr/the-first-track-is-the-end-of-a-string-at-the-far-end-a-being-is/)

[Tom Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brown-jr/)

> [He groaned slightly and winced like Prometheus watching his vulture dropping in for lunch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-groaned-slightly-and-winced-like-prometheus-watching-his-vulture/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When you really need help, people will respond. Sincerity means dropping the image facade and showing a willingness to be vulnerable. Tell it the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/when-you-really-need-help-people-will-respond-sincerity-means/)

[Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/)

> [Wait for those unguarded moments. Relax the mood and, like the child dropping off to sleep, the subject often reveals his truest self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-walters/wait-for-those-unguarded-moments-relax-the-mood-and-like-the-child/)

[Barbara Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-walters/)

> [In visions of the night, like dropping rain, Descend the many memories of pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/in-visions-of-the-night-like-dropping-rain-descend-the-many-memories/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [Clary screamed out loud as he fell like a stone- And landed lightly on his feet just in front of her. Clary stared with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clary-screamed-out-loud-as-he-fell-like-a-stone-and-landed-lightly-on/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [“Forgiveness is the process of dropping off your emotional baggage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-fargo/forgiveness-is-the-process-of-dropping-off-your-emotional-baggage/)

[Tim Fargo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-fargo/)

> [Hold tenderly that which you cherish, for it is precious and a tight grip may crush it. Do not let the fear of dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-alberti/hold-tenderly-that-which-you-cherish-for-it-is-precious-and-a-tight/)

[Bob Alberti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-alberti/)

> [There's an expectation these days that novels - like any other consumer product - should be made on a production line, with one dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/there-s-an-expectation-these-days-that-novels-like-any-other-consumer/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [What I love is dropping into someone else's life and exploring it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-mcadams/what-i-love-is-dropping-into-someone-else-s-life-and-exploring-it/)

[Rachel McAdams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-mcadams/)

> [It's a question of dropping the armor and getting up and doing the work you want to do. And film at first is frightening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-dowd/it-s-a-question-of-dropping-the-armor-and-getting-up-and-doing-the/)

[Ann Dowd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-dowd/)

> [She thinks I’m a drug dealer. (Chris) ‘The most “illegal” thing the boy had ever done was to walk past a Salvation Army Santa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/she-thinks-i-m-a-drug-dealer-chris-the-most-illegal-thing-the-boy-had/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [When you conceal inner reality, this pressure builds. You often don't expose yourself until it reaches extremity, a breaking point, and what emerges is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-febos/when-you-conceal-inner-reality-this-pressure-builds-you-often-don-t/)

[Melissa Febos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-febos/)

[Browse all 469 Dropping quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dropping/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There were moments when she wasn't talking so much as fading into time, dropping back into some funnelled stretch of recent past.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Don DeLillo"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-were-moments-when-she-wasn-t-talking-so-much-as-fading-into/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dropping"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-were-moments-when-she-wasn-t-talking-so-much-as-fading-into/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/don-delillo-294_dropping_there-were-moments-when-she-wasn-t-talki_3132267.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/don-delillo-294_dropping_there-were-moments-when-she-wasn-t-talki_3132267.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/don-delillo-294_dropping_there-were-moments-when-she-wasn-t-talki_3132267.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There were moments when she wasn't talking so much as fading into time, dropping back into some funnelled…” — Don DeLillo",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Don DeLillo",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There were moments when she wasn't...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-were-moments-when-she-wasn-t-talking-so-much-as-fading-into/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-were-moments-when-she-wasn-t-talking-so-much-as-fading-into/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
