Hanging around Quote by Donna Tartt
““It seemed my whole life was composed of these disjointed fractions of time, hanging around in one public place and then another, as if I were waiting for trains that never came. And, like one of those ghosts who are said to linger around depots late at night, asking passersby for the timetable of the Midnight Express that derailed twenty years before, I wandered from light to light until that dreaded hour when all the doors closed and, stepping from the world of warmth and people and conversation overheard, I felt the old familiar cold twist through my bones again and then it was all forgotten, the warmth, the lights; I had never been warm in my life, ever.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Secret History by Donna Tartt, 1992
A feeling of perpetual displacement and longing, moving through fleeting moments without ever finding lasting warmth.
In simple terms: Life feels like a series of fleeting, cold moments.
Key Takeaway
Seek deeper connections and lasting warmth.
Themes
alienation
memory
time
longing
Mood
melancholic
reflective
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- college life
- personal reflection
- nighttime thoughts
Key Concepts
existentialism
psychological realism
Questions to Reflect On
- What moments have you felt truly warm?
- How can you create lasting connections?
A Different Perspective
The narrative may romanticize melancholy over action.
