--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Opening her handbag, she took out a small…" description: "\"“Opening her handbag, she took out a small bottle of perfume and touched the stopper behind her ears. Its cool, glassy edge felt like her only point of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/eileen-chang-60052_calm_opening-her-handbag-she-took-out-a-small_162108.png" --- # Opening her handbag, she took out a small bottle of… ![“Opening her handbag, she took out a small bottle of perfume and touched the stopper behind her ears. Its cool, glassy edge felt like her only point of contact with tangible reality.” quote by Eileen Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/eileen-chang-60052_calm_opening-her-handbag-she-took-out-a-small_162108.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/eileen-chang-60052_calm_opening-her-handbag-she-took-out-a-small_162108.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca4/eileen-chang-60052_calm_opening-her-handbag-she-took-out-a-small_162108.png) > ““Opening her handbag, she took out a small bottle of perfume and touched the stopper behind her ears. Its cool, glassy edge felt like her only point of contact with tangible reality.”” [Eileen Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-chang/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A woman uses a perfume bottle as a tangible anchor to reality amid emotional detachment. **In simple terms:** She clings to a physical object for grounding. Key Takeaway Seek sensory anchors when feeling disconnected. Themes sensory grounding loneliness materiality Mood introspective nostalgic Type literary descriptive When to use this quote - stressful moments - travel - personal rituals - creative writing Key Concepts object attachment sensory grounding emotional coping Questions to Reflect On - What sensory objects help you feel grounded? - How can you cultivate internal grounding without objects? A Different Perspective Relying on objects may not address underlying emotional needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Calm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calm/) [China](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/china/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/) ## Related quotes > [“I got this delicious bottle of perfume called Fabreze”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-colfer/i-got-this-delicious-bottle-of-perfume-called-fabreze/) [Chris Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-colfer/) > [Once I was done making my album 'Cry Baby,' I knew I wanted to make a vintage-inspired baby bottle perfume.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-martinez/once-i-was-done-making-my-album-cry-baby-i-knew-i-wanted-to-make-a/) [Melanie Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-martinez/) > [I'm always concerned about marketing or commercial philosophies. I can't feel good about having my name on a bottle of perfume that comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelly-furtado/i-m-always-concerned-about-marketing-or-commercial-philosophies-i-can/) [Nelly Furtado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelly-furtado/) > [“I stand and grab a hefty bottle of perfume from the bathroom shelf and return to the bedroom door. It’s not much of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-alexander/i-stand-and-grab-a-hefty-bottle-of-perfume-from-the-bathroom-shelf/) [Nick Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-alexander/) > [My mom used to wear the fragrance Poison when I was younger, and I remember that scent and the purple bottle. That was my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-slattery/my-mom-used-to-wear-the-fragrance-poison-when-i-was-younger-and-i/) [John Slattery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-slattery/) > [Granny Ditto always referred to perfume as 'smell good' and for me it's an essential. I have a sweetheart who's extremely allergic to most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/granny-ditto-always-referred-to-perfume-as-smell-good-and-for-me-it-s/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [If you're buying tomatoes pick them up and smell them-they should have a lovely perfume. They need to be kept at fifty degrees or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/if-you-re-buying-tomatoes-pick-them-up-and-smell-them-they-should/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [Zippers are primal and modern at the very same time. On the one hand, your zipper is primitive and reptilian, on the other, mechanical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/zippers-are-primal-and-modern-at-the-very-same-time-on-the-one-hand/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [When I eat cilantro, it's like someone sprayed perfume down my throat. It closes up my throat, even if there's only a little piece.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-rose/when-i-eat-cilantro-it-s-like-someone-sprayed-perfume-down-my-throat/) [Amber Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-rose/) > [“The scent of book leather and lemons enveloped him, and his head went light. Books and clean woman. Had God ever divined a more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-callihan/the-scent-of-book-leather-and-lemons-enveloped-him-and-his-head-went/) [Kristen Callihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-callihan/) > [I say, 'You the bestest.' Lean in for a big kiss. Put his favorite perfume on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-del-rey/i-say-you-the-bestest-lean-in-for-a-big-kiss-put-his-favorite-perfume/) [Lana Del Rey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-del-rey/) > [Don't you hate it when you get on a elevator and someone smells like they took a bath in perfume or cologne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jreyes/don-t-you-hate-it-when-you-get-on-a-elevator-and-someone-smells-like/) JREYES > [I don't wear perfume, and I rarely wear jewelry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-wear-perfume-and-i-rarely-wear-jewelry/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I always gravitate to perfume with rose. My mom's maiden name is Rose, and the scent of my childhood was always rose. Le Sirenuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alana-haim/i-always-gravitate-to-perfume-with-rose-my-mom-s-maiden-name-is-rose/) [Alana Haim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alana-haim/) > [Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou ow'st the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-man-no-more-than-this-consider-him-well-thou-ow-st-the-worm-no/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by Eileen Chang > [Life is an extravagant gown, riddled with lice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-chang/life-is-an-extravagant-gown-riddled-with-lice/) [Eileen Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-chang/) > [Between memory and reality there are awkward discrepancies...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-chang/between-memory-and-reality-there-are-awkward-discrepancies/) [Eileen Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-chang/) > [“She wasn’t a bird in a cage. A bird in a cage, when the cage is opened, can still fly away. She was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-chang/she-wasn-t-a-bird-in-a-cage-a-bird-in-a-cage-when-the-cage-is-opened/) [Eileen Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-chang/) > [“In that little pocket-size world of his, he was the absolute master.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eileen-chang/in-that-little-pocket-size-world-of-his-he-was-the-absolute-master/) [Eileen Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-chang/) [Explore all 5 Eileen Chang quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eileen-chang/) ## More Calm quotes > [Grandma, please. It’s okay. Dad’s doing a great job. I give him kudos for at least being calm and rational, and not losing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/grandma-please-it-s-okay-dad-s-doing-a-great-job-i-give-him-kudos-for/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/) [Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/) > [The goal of the operation is to send Gaza back to the Middle Ages, only then will Israel be calm for the next 40 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ben-ari/the-goal-of-the-operation-is-to-send-gaza-back-to-the-middle-ages/) Michael Ben-Ari > [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [When I was a child I truly loved: Unthinking love as calm and deep As the North Sea. 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With this creed, revenge never worries my heart, degradation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/life-appears-to-me-too-short-to-be-spent-in-nursing-animosity-or/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Religious work is one of the best ways to keep from facing your reality if you are Christian, if you are using it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-miller/religious-work-is-one-of-the-best-ways-to-keep-from-facing-your/) [Keith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-miller/) [Browse all 3,074 Calm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calm/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Opening her handbag, she took out a small bottle of perfume and touched the stopper behind her ears. 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