--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On she prattled, friendly as a parrot…" description: "\"“On she prattled, friendly as a parrot. But my loyalties were elsewhere. And the flavour of Pippa's kiss - bittersweet and strange - stayed with me all..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8af/donna-tartt-391_quote_on-she-prattled-friendly-as-a-parrot-but_1649365.jpg" --- # On she prattled, friendly as a parrot. But my loyalties… ![“On she prattled, friendly as a parrot. But my loyalties were elsewhere. And the flavour of Pippa's kiss - bittersweet and strange - stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as I sailed home on the bus, melting with sorrow and loveliness, a starry ache that lifted me up above the…” quote by Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8af/donna-tartt-391_quote_on-she-prattled-friendly-as-a-parrot-but_1649365.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8af/donna-tartt-391_quote_on-she-prattled-friendly-as-a-parrot-but_1649365.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8af/donna-tartt-391_quote_on-she-prattled-friendly-as-a-parrot-but_1649365.jpg) > ““On she prattled, friendly as a parrot. But my loyalties were elsewhere. And the flavour of Pippa's kiss - bittersweet and strange - stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as I sailed home on the bus, melting with sorrow and loveliness, a starry ache that lifted me up above the windswept city like a kite: my head in the rainclouds, my heart in the sky.”” [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A fleeting, bittersweet memory of love and loss lifts the narrator above urban gloom, blending sorrow with beauty. **In simple terms:** A kiss memory lifts you above sadness. Key Takeaway Hold onto bittersweet moments for emotional elevation. Themes memory love loss beauty Mood melancholic hopeful Type literary poetic When to use this quote - urban life - travel - personal growth Key Concepts romanticism psychological realism Questions to Reflect On - How do bittersweet memories shape your identity? - What helps you transform sorrow into beauty? A Different Perspective Romanticizing pain may prevent healing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bittersweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bittersweet/) [Bittersweet Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bittersweet-strange-402316/) [Pippa Kiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pippa-kiss-635377/) [Sorrow Loveliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow-loveliness-402319/) [Starry Ache](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starry-ache-402318/) ## Related quotes > [And the flavor of Pippa's kiss--bittersweet and strange--stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as I sailed home on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-the-flavor-of-pippa-s-kiss-bittersweet-and-strange-stayed-with-me/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“But my loyalties were elsewhere. And the flavor of Pippa’s kiss—bittersweet and strange—stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/but-my-loyalties-were-elsewhere-and-the-flavor-of-pippa-s-kiss/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“swaying and sleepy as I sailed home on the bus, melting with sorrow and loveliness, a starry ache that lifted me up above the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/swaying-and-sleepy-as-i-sailed-home-on-the-bus-melting-with-sorrow/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [Tale as old as time, tune as old as song. Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change, learning you were wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beauty-and-the-beast/tale-as-old-as-time-tune-as-old-as-song-bittersweet-and-strange/) [Beauty And The Beast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beauty-and-the-beast/) > [Throw in the intensity of emotions that come with that bittersweet summer sandwiched between high school graduation and the rest of your life...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/throw-in-the-intensity-of-emotions-that-come-with-that-bittersweet/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“The bittersweet side of appreciating life's most precious moments is the unbearable awareness that those moments are passing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-parent/the-bittersweet-side-of-appreciating-life-s-most-precious-moments-is/) [Marc Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-parent/) > [Having more exposure is kind of a bittersweet thing for me, honestly, because it's nice to have a little more job security in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/having-more-exposure-is-kind-of-a-bittersweet-thing-for-me-honestly/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [As a child, I remember my dad would sometimes drive me into town with him to play pinball machines together. It's a bittersweet memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-azalea/as-a-child-i-remember-my-dad-would-sometimes-drive-me-into-town-with/) [Iggy Azalea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-azalea/) > [“We share a bittersweet past and a roller-coaster present, but I have a good feeling that the future is going to be a smoother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/codi-gary/we-share-a-bittersweet-past-and-a-roller-coaster-present-but-i-have-a/) [Codi Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/codi-gary/) > [“I ain’t scared to lend a hand I ain’t scared to clench it either”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mie-hansson/i-ain-t-scared-to-lend-a-hand-i-ain-t-scared-to-clench-it-either/) [Mie Hansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mie-hansson/) > [The bird Gamayun was related to Alkonost and Sirin in some vague fashion-even the most casual observer would've noticed that all three of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/the-bird-gamayun-was-related-to-alkonost-and-sirin-in-some-vague/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [There is cruelty in divorce. There is cruelty in forced or unfortunate marriage. We will continue to cry at weddings because we know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-roiphe/there-is-cruelty-in-divorce-there-is-cruelty-in-forced-or-unfortunate/) [Anne Roiphe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-roiphe/) > [ \[I\]f the gentleness of your spirit needs a dash of vinegar, borrow a little from Our Lord's spirit. O Mademoiselle, how well He knew… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/i-f-the-gentleness-of-your-spirit-needs-a-dash-of-vinegar-borrow-a/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [“And the pomegranates,/ like memories, are bittersweet/ as we huddle together,/ remembering just how good/ life used to be”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guadalupe-garcia-mccall/and-the-pomegranates-like-memories-are-bittersweet-as-we-huddle/) [Guadalupe Garcia McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guadalupe-garcia-mccall/) > [Falling in love is rather bittersweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/falling-in-love-is-rather-bittersweet/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) ## More by Donna Tartt > [I hope we're all ready to leave the phenomenal world, and enter into the sublime?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/i-hope-we-re-all-ready-to-leave-the-phenomenal-world-and-enter-into/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [And I add my own love to the history of people who have loved beautiful things, and looked out for them, and pulled them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-i-add-my-own-love-to-the-history-of-people-who-have-loved/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [And the flavor of Pippa's kiss--bittersweet and strange--stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as I sailed home on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-the-flavor-of-pippa-s-kiss-bittersweet-and-strange-stayed-with-me/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“The world won't come to me...so I must go to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/the-world-won-t-come-to-me-so-i-must-go-to-it/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [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/) > [“A month or two before, I would have been appalled at the idea of any murder at all. But that Sunday afternoon, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/a-month-or-two-before-i-would-have-been-appalled-at-the-idea-of-any/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [Well, I think storytellers have always found murder a fascinating device.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/well-i-think-storytellers-have-always-found-murder-a-fascinating/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [Always remember, the person we’re really working for is the person who’s restoring the piece a hundred years from now. He’s the one we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/always-remember-the-person-we-re-really-working-for-is-the-person-who/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“The silence between us was happy and strange, connected by the cord and the icy voices thinly echoing. “You don’t have to talk,” she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/the-silence-between-us-was-happy-and-strange-connected-by-the-cord/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“It is a terrible thing to learn as a child that one is a being separate from all the world, that no one and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/it-is-a-terrible-thing-to-learn-as-a-child-that-one-is-a-being/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“You didn’t meet many people who moved freely through the world with such a vigorous contempt for it and at the same time such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/you-didn-t-meet-many-people-who-moved-freely-through-the-world-with/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“maybe that’s what’s waiting for us at the end of the journey, a majesty unimaginable until the very moment we find ourselves walking through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/maybe-that-s-what-s-waiting-for-us-at-the-end-of-the-journey-a/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“lights and moods and seasons was to see it a thousand different ways and to keep it shut in the dark—a thing made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/lights-and-moods-and-seasons-was-to-see-it-a-thousand-different-ways/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [A great sorrow, and one that I am only beginning to understand: we don’t get to choose our own hearts. We can’t make ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/a-great-sorrow-and-one-that-i-am-only-beginning-to-understand-we-don/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“Upon meeting Julian Morrow, one has the impression that he is a man of extraordinary sympathy and warmth. But what you call his 'Asiatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/upon-meeting-julian-morrow-one-has-the-impression-that-he-is-a-man-of/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) [Explore all 590 Donna Tartt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) ## More Bittersweet quotes > [And the flavor of Pippa's kiss--bittersweet and strange--stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as I sailed home on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-the-flavor-of-pippa-s-kiss-bittersweet-and-strange-stayed-with-me/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“The bittersweet side of appreciating life's most precious moments is the unbearable awareness that those moments are passing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-parent/the-bittersweet-side-of-appreciating-life-s-most-precious-moments-is/) [Marc Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-parent/) > [Having more exposure is kind of a bittersweet thing for me, honestly, because it's nice to have a little more job security in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ani-difranco/having-more-exposure-is-kind-of-a-bittersweet-thing-for-me-honestly/) [Ani DiFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ani-difranco/) > [There is cruelty in divorce. There is cruelty in forced or unfortunate marriage. We will continue to cry at weddings because we know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-roiphe/there-is-cruelty-in-divorce-there-is-cruelty-in-forced-or-unfortunate/) [Anne Roiphe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-roiphe/) > [Throw in the intensity of emotions that come with that bittersweet summer sandwiched between high school graduation and the rest of your life...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/throw-in-the-intensity-of-emotions-that-come-with-that-bittersweet/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“And the pomegranates,/ like memories, are bittersweet/ as we huddle together,/ remembering just how good/ life used to be”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guadalupe-garcia-mccall/and-the-pomegranates-like-memories-are-bittersweet-as-we-huddle/) [Guadalupe Garcia McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guadalupe-garcia-mccall/) > [ \[I\]f the gentleness of your spirit needs a dash of vinegar, borrow a little from Our Lord's spirit. O Mademoiselle, how well He knew… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/i-f-the-gentleness-of-your-spirit-needs-a-dash-of-vinegar-borrow-a/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [Falling in love is rather bittersweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghib-clitso/falling-in-love-is-rather-bittersweet/) [Raghib Clitso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghib-clitso/) > [The bird Gamayun was related to Alkonost and Sirin in some vague fashion-even the most casual observer would've noticed that all three of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekaterina-sedia/the-bird-gamayun-was-related-to-alkonost-and-sirin-in-some-vague/) [Ekaterina Sedia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ekaterina-sedia/) > [“I ain’t scared to lend a hand I ain’t scared to clench it either”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mie-hansson/i-ain-t-scared-to-lend-a-hand-i-ain-t-scared-to-clench-it-either/) [Mie Hansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mie-hansson/) > [“We share a bittersweet past and a roller-coaster present, but I have a good feeling that the future is going to be a smoother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/codi-gary/we-share-a-bittersweet-past-and-a-roller-coaster-present-but-i-have-a/) [Codi Gary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/codi-gary/) > [As a child, I remember my dad would sometimes drive me into town with him to play pinball machines together. It's a bittersweet memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-azalea/as-a-child-i-remember-my-dad-would-sometimes-drive-me-into-town-with/) [Iggy Azalea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-azalea/) > [“Reaching the summit of K2 was an incredible experience, but I would trade it in a heartbeat to have Dan back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-oakey-baker/reaching-the-summit-of-k2-was-an-incredible-experience-but-i-would/) [Susan Oakey-Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-oakey-baker/) > [“But my loyalties were elsewhere. And the flavor of Pippa’s kiss—bittersweet and strange—stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/but-my-loyalties-were-elsewhere-and-the-flavor-of-pippa-s-kiss/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“You'ld think I'ld be used to saying good bye to you by now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/you-ld-think-i-ld-be-used-to-saying-good-bye-to-you-by-now/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) [Browse all 224 Bittersweet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bittersweet/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“On she prattled, friendly as a parrot. But my loyalties were elsewhere. 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