--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I fell into shame like a suicide throws…" description: "\"I fell into shame like a suicide throws herself into a river. (253)\" — Dorothy Allison" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acb/dorothy-allison-2041_rivers_i-fell-into-shame-like-a-suicide-throws_2989068.png" --- # I fell into shame like a suicide throws herself into a… ![“I fell into shame like a suicide throws herself into a river. (253)” quote by Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acb/dorothy-allison-2041_rivers_i-fell-into-shame-like-a-suicide-throws_2989068.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acb/dorothy-allison-2041_rivers_i-fell-into-shame-like-a-suicide-throws_2989068.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acb/dorothy-allison-2041_rivers_i-fell-into-shame-like-a-suicide-throws_2989068.png) > “I fell into shame like a suicide throws herself into a river. (253)” [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The metaphor compares falling into shame to a suicide’s desperate plunge, emphasizing overwhelming, self‑destructive emotion. **In simple terms:** Shame feels overwhelming. Key Takeaway Recognize and address shame. Themes shame despair mental health Mood somber introspective Type personal therapeutic When to use this quote - therapy - support groups - personal journaling Key Concepts psychology emotions self‑esteem Questions to Reflect On - What triggers your shame? - How can you seek help? A Different Perspective Shame can be managed with support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fell Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fell-shame-4687297/) [Like Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-suicide-917607/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) [Shame Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame-like-621381/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) [Suicide Throws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide-throws-4687298/) ## Related quotes > [“I wouldn’t want to try to take this guy out with anything less than a scoped rifle. Which is something that’s hard to confuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/i-wouldn-t-want-to-try-to-take-this-guy-out-with-anything-less-than-a/) [Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/) > [The way love feels is always only approximate. I would like to be without shame. I would like to be shameless. I would like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-way-love-feels-is-always-only-approximate-i-would-like-to-be/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“She took no pleasure from the very things I loved, from her size, her amplitude, her luscious, zaftig heft. As many times as I told her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-weiner/she-took-no-pleasure-from-the-very-things-i-loved-from-her-size-her/) [Jennifer Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-weiner/) > [Shame, like beauty, is often in the eye of the beholder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-burchill/shame-like-beauty-is-often-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder/) [Julie Burchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-burchill/) > [“couldn’t sleep off shame like one could a hangover.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-n-joy/couldn-t-sleep-off-shame-like-one-could-a-hangover/) [E.N. Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-n-joy/) > [“Shame is like melting. You can actually feel your muscles sag and drop, as if your body is preparing you to crawl, or possibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/shame-is-like-melting-you-can-actually-feel-your-muscles-sag-and-drop/) [Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/) > [“Feelings of shame like that cannot coexist with the fact that God made us in His image.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-thurman/feelings-of-shame-like-that-cannot-coexist-with-the-fact-that-god/) [Chris Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-thurman/) > [“I have learned that for me, shame is like kryptonite. It was utterly destructive, a boot on my neck for most of my life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-parrott-perry/i-have-learned-that-for-me-shame-is-like-kryptonite-it-was-utterly/) [Laura Parrott Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-parrott-perry/) > [“There is no other shame like senseless sin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/there-is-no-other-shame-like-senseless-sin/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [There is no shame like poor shame. It can make you warm and charming, bitter and resentful, all at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/there-is-no-shame-like-poor-shame-it-can-make-you-warm-and-charming/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [“But shame is like a wound that is never exposed and therefore never heals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andreas-eschbach/but-shame-is-like-a-wound-that-is-never-exposed-and-therefore-never/) [Andreas Eschbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andreas-eschbach/) > [“With shame, like horseshoes, proximity counts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/with-shame-like-horseshoes-proximity-counts/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“But shame is like everything else; live with it for long enough and it becomes part of the furniture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/but-shame-is-like-everything-else-live-with-it-for-long-enough-and-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Nothing spells shame like living what feels like a double life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-grant/nothing-spells-shame-like-living-what-feels-like-a-double-life/) [Angel Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angel-grant/) > [Shame is like the weaver's thread; if it breaks in the net, it is wholly imperfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/shame-is-like-the-weaver-s-thread-if-it-breaks-in-the-net-it-is/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) ## More by Dorothy Allison > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Simple answers, reductionist politics, are the most prone to compromise, to saying we’re addressing the essential issue and all that other stuff can slide.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/simple-answers-reductionist-politics-are-the-most-prone-to-compromise/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [People don't do right because of the fear of God or love of him. You do right because the world doesn't make sense if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/people-don-t-do-right-because-of-the-fear-of-god-or-love-of-him-you/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“I had to say to her that it isn’t just men, and it isn’t just men “like that.” I had to talk to her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-had-to-say-to-her-that-it-isn-t-just-men-and-it-isn-t-just-men-like/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Entitlement, I have told them, is a matter of feeling like we rather than they.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/entitlement-i-have-told-them-is-a-matter-of-feeling-like-we-rather/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Love was something I would not have to worry about - the whole mystery of love, heartbreak songs, and family legends. Women who pined,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/love-was-something-i-would-not-have-to-worry-about-the-whole-mystery/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“Behind the story I tell is the one I don't. Behind the story you hear is the one I wish I could make you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/behind-the-story-i-tell-is-the-one-i-don-t-behind-the-story-you-hear/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Hunger makes you restless. you dream about food - not just any food, but perfect food, the best food, magical meals, famous and awe-inspiring,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/hunger-makes-you-restless-you-dream-about-food-not-just-any-food-but/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I think I would have died if there hadn't been the women's movement. It gave me a vision that I could do something different,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-think-i-would-have-died-if-there-hadn-t-been-the-women-s-movement/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [People begin to write in order to create what they have not found and, a little bit, to give something back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/people-begin-to-write-in-order-to-create-what-they-have-not-found-and/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [The hardest thing to teach young writers is that it's wonderful to tell your truth. And that's what you should do. But it damn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/the-hardest-thing-to-teach-young-writers-is-that-it-s-wonderful-to/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“The horror of class stratification, racism, and prejudice is that some people begin to believe that the security of their families and communities depends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/the-horror-of-class-stratification-racism-and-prejudice-is-that-some/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I did not begin with craft, I began with strong feelings and worked toward craft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-did-not-begin-with-craft-i-began-with-strong-feelings-and-worked/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [I think I would have died if there hadn't been the women's movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-think-i-would-have-died-if-there-hadn-t-been-the-women-s-movement-2/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [When I was growing up, I always read horror books, while my sister read romance novels. My sister became unmarried and pregnant during high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/when-i-was-growing-up-i-always-read-horror-books-while-my-sister-read/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) [Explore all 189 Dorothy Allison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) ## More Rivers quotes > [Fly-fishing for wild trout on quiet waters must be one of the toughest and craziest ways to catch fish ever invented by man, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-voelker/fly-fishing-for-wild-trout-on-quiet-waters-must-be-one-of-the/) [John D. Voelker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-voelker/) > [Somehow the river is louder when you cover your ears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-williams/somehow-the-river-is-louder-when-you-cover-your-ears/) [Niall Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-williams/) > [The crisis of our diminishing water resources is just as severe (if less obviously immediate) as any wartime crisis we have ever faced. Our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-wright/the-crisis-of-our-diminishing-water-resources-is-just-as-severe-if/) [Jim Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-wright/) > [She watched the prairies the rivers, the towns slipping past at an untouchable distance below - and she noted that the sense of detachment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/she-watched-the-prairies-the-rivers-the-towns-slipping-past-at-an/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [We live in a state with a wonderful climate and plenty of natural beauty, from the shores of Cumberland Island to the Chattahoochee River…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-barnes/we-live-in-a-state-with-a-wonderful-climate-and-plenty-of-natural/) [Roy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-barnes/) > [I always like to look for adventure when I go away. I have gone on several horse adventures with my wife - from Guangxi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/i-always-like-to-look-for-adventure-when-i-go-away-i-have-gone-on/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [Fortunately, like most children, I had learned what is most valuable, most indispensable for life before school years began, taught by apple trees, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/fortunately-like-most-children-i-had-learned-what-is-most-valuable/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Men and women, empires and cities, thrones, principalities, and powers, mountains, rivers, and unfathomed seas, worlds, spaces, and universes, all have their day, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/men-and-women-empires-and-cities-thrones-principalities-and-powers/) [H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/) > [The trees reflected in the river - they are unconscious of a spiritual world so near to them. So are we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-trees-reflected-in-the-river-they-are-unconscious-of-a-spiritual/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) > [The trouble is, you can't properly present something you don't believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mcguane/the-trouble-is-you-can-t-properly-present-something-you-don-t-believe/) [Thomas McGuane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mcguane/) > [When I run in Ethiopia, I look out and see eucalyptus trees and rivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haile-gebrselassie/when-i-run-in-ethiopia-i-look-out-and-see-eucalyptus-trees-and-rivers/) [Haile Gebrselassie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haile-gebrselassie/) > [There's a lot of dancing in football. You can see Victor Cruz doing a little bit of a cha-cha or samba move in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmitt-smith/there-s-a-lot-of-dancing-in-football-you-can-see-victor-cruz-doing-a/) [Emmitt Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmitt-smith/) > [When you mention to people growing up in Cleveland they bring up the river catching on fire, or LeBron James leaving, they have these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/when-you-mention-to-people-growing-up-in-cleveland-they-bring-up-the/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) [Browse all 2,953 Rivers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I fell into shame like a suicide throws herself into a river. (253)", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dorothy Allison" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-fell-into-shame-like-a-suicide-throws-herself-into-a-river-253/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Rivers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-fell-into-shame-like-a-suicide-throws-herself-into-a-river-253/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acb/dorothy-allison-2041_rivers_i-fell-into-shame-like-a-suicide-throws_2989068.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acb/dorothy-allison-2041_rivers_i-fell-into-shame-like-a-suicide-throws_2989068.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/acb/dorothy-allison-2041_rivers_i-fell-into-shame-like-a-suicide-throws_2989068.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I fell into shame like a suicide throws herself into a river. (253)” — Dorothy Allison", "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": "Dorothy Allison", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I fell into shame like a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-fell-into-shame-like-a-suicide-throws-herself-into-a-river-253/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-fell-into-shame-like-a-suicide-throws-herself-into-a-river-253/#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 } } ] } ```