--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They had never kissed, nor even touched…" description: "\"“They had never kissed, nor even touched, only passed by each other closely as they went into his office, a tiny cubicle off the library - they avoided..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/elizabeth-strout-1799_kissed_they-had-never-kissed-nor-even-touched-o_1935426.png" --- # They had never kissed, nor even touched, only passed by… ![“They had never kissed, nor even touched, only passed by each other closely as they went into his office, a tiny cubicle off the library - they avoided the teachers' room. But after he said that that day, she lived with a kind of terror, and a longing that felt at times unendurable. But people…” quote by Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/elizabeth-strout-1799_kissed_they-had-never-kissed-nor-even-touched-o_1935426.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/elizabeth-strout-1799_kissed_they-had-never-kissed-nor-even-touched-o_1935426.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/elizabeth-strout-1799_kissed_they-had-never-kissed-nor-even-touched-o_1935426.png) > ““They had never kissed, nor even touched, only passed by each other closely as they went into his office, a tiny cubicle off the library - they avoided the teachers' room. But after he said that that day, she lived with a kind of terror, and a longing that felt at times unendurable. But people endure things.”” [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A brief encounter triggers deep, lingering fear and yearning, showing how people endure intense emotions. **In simple terms:** A small moment can cause lasting emotional impact. Key Takeaway Recognize and process lingering emotional effects. Themes fear longing endurance relationships Mood melancholic intense Type narrative emotional When to use this quote - workplace dynamics - personal relationships - therapy sessions - creative writing Key Concepts psychological trauma emotional resilience Questions to Reflect On - What unresolved feelings linger from brief encounters? - How can one support someone enduring hidden terror? A Different Perspective May overstate intensity without context. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Avoided Teachers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoided-teachers-3052448/) [Kissed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kissed/) [People Endure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-endure-2116111/) [Room Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/room-said-245792/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Unendurable People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unendurable-people-3052449/) ## Related quotes > [People cannot endure inexplicable worthlessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/people-cannot-endure-inexplicable-worthlessness/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [We are all prisoners at one time or another in our lives, prisoners to ourselves or to the expectations of those around us. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-a-salvatore-2/we-are-all-prisoners-at-one-time-or-another-in-our-lives-prisoners-to/) [R. A. Salvatore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-a-salvatore-2/) > [“People can endure almost anything but there's one thing they can't survive. Man is an animal that can't stand boredom”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-suzuki/people-can-endure-almost-anything-but-there-s-one-thing-they-can-t/) [Koji Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-suzuki/) > [The perseverance and the strength and the determination and the sacrifice that so many millions of people have had to endure to form this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-dubuc/the-perseverance-and-the-strength-and-the-determination-and-the/) [Nancy Dubuc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-dubuc/) > [...the majority of people cannot endure the bareness and futility of their lives unless they have some ardent dedication, or some passionate pursuit in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-majority-of-people-cannot-endure-the-bareness-and-futility-of/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Men are born for each other's sake, so either teach people or endure them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/men-are-born-for-each-other-s-sake-so-either-teach-people-or-endure/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [People endure what they endure and they deal with it. It may corrupt them. It may lead them into all sorts of compensatory excesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/people-endure-what-they-endure-and-they-deal-with-it-it-may-corrupt/) [Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/) > [People will endure their tyrants for years, but they tear their deliverers to pieces if a millennium is not created immediately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/people-will-endure-their-tyrants-for-years-but-they-tear-their/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [“The girl looked about her. “’ Tis a pretty room,” she said without thinking, and then wondered how that could be, when it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george-speare/the-girl-looked-about-her-tis-a-pretty-room-she-said-without-thinking/) [Elizabeth George Speare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george-speare/) > [“Knowing what Dan’s face had looked like in Kabul, the night they’d spent in the hotel room. What he’d said. My light, my life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-voinov/knowing-what-dan-s-face-had-looked-like-in-kabul-the-night-they-d/) [Aleksandr Voinov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-voinov/) > [“But Lily pushed on. “Why do you think that is, that you love these people you don’t know?” Adri shook her head. “I don’t.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-lynn-anderson/but-lily-pushed-on-why-do-you-think-that-is-that-you-love-these/) [Jodi Lynn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-lynn-anderson/) > [“He’ll never know. What stays in the VIP room happens in the VIP room,” she slurs. “Don’t you mean what happens in the VIP…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-leighton/he-ll-never-know-what-stays-in-the-vip-room-happens-in-the-vip-room/) [M. Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-leighton/) > [“Martin Scorcese, the film director, was once asked the secret to a good scene. “Put three people in a room,” he said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-euchner/martin-scorcese-the-film-director-was-once-asked-the-secret-to-a-good/) [Charles Euchner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-euchner/) > [“He expelled a long breath, smiled slightly as if in memory. “I heard them in their room. She said she was a bit tired,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meljean-brook/he-expelled-a-long-breath-smiled-slightly-as-if-in-memory-i-heard/) [Meljean Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meljean-brook/) > [“Either her dream had taken a very odd turn or else - or else Mary had really rushed into the room and had said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/either-her-dream-had-taken-a-very-odd-turn-or-else-or-else-mary-had/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) ## More by Elizabeth Strout > [By the time they were pulling into the parking lot of the A&P, the mood was fading, the moment gone. Amy could feel it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/by-the-time-they-were-pulling-into-the-parking-lot-of-the-a-p-the/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [“what young people did not know. They did not know that lumpy, aged, and wrinkled bodies were as needy as their own young, firm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/what-young-people-did-not-know-they-did-not-know-that-lumpy-aged-and/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [“I said on the phone to my mother, “I think I’m going to write the story of the Burgess kids.” “It’s a good one,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-said-on-the-phone-to-my-mother-i-think-i-m-going-to-write-the-story/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [“And she learned - freshly, scorchingly - of the privacy of sorrow. It was as though she had been escorted through a door into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/and-she-learned-freshly-scorchingly-of-the-privacy-of-sorrow-it-was/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [“He looked at the books, and she wanted to say, 'Stop that,' as though he were reading her diary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/he-looked-at-the-books-and-she-wanted-to-say-stop-that-as-though-he/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [“The year that followed - was it the happiest year of his own life? He often thought so, even knowing that such a thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/the-year-that-followed-was-it-the-happiest-year-of-his-own-life-he/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [I have to pay attention to what I have felt and observed, then push these responses to an extreme while keeping the story within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-have-to-pay-attention-to-what-i-have-felt-and-observed-then-push/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [“She could hear in the darkness of her car how his breathing was quicker now; and her own was, too. She wanted to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/she-could-hear-in-the-darkness-of-her-car-how-his-breathing-was/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [“Abdikarim shook his head in his darkened room, sweat coming from his face down onto his neck. “No, he cuts my heart. You didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/abdikarim-shook-his-head-in-his-darkened-room-sweat-coming-from-his/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [“she’d have been throwing out clamshells, most likely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/she-d-have-been-throwing-out-clamshells-most-likely/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [I like people a lot, but I am not comfortable in literary New York situations. There is deep anxiety and tension around success here.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-like-people-a-lot-but-i-am-not-comfortable-in-literary-new-york/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [The fact of the matter is I always have a really high sense of responsibility to the reader, whether it's a few readers that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/the-fact-of-the-matter-is-i-always-have-a-really-high-sense-of/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [“Why do you need everyone married?" Christopher has said to him angrily, when Henry has asked about his son's life. "Why can't you just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/why-do-you-need-everyone-married-christopher-has-said-to-him-angrily/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [“one of those things about getting older was knowing that so many moments weren’t just moments, they were gifts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/one-of-those-things-about-getting-older-was-knowing-that-so-many/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [I don't think of myself as a fast reader. I just read a lot. When someone else might think, 'I might do the dishes,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-fast-reader-i-just-read-a-lot-when/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) [Explore all 205 Elizabeth Strout quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) ## More Kissed quotes > [The way we sparked, I felt like love can conqor any limmits and still have a smile on your face. I still love the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlynn-theirl/the-way-we-sparked-i-felt-like-love-can-conqor-any-limmits-and-still/) [Kaitlynn Theirl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaitlynn-theirl/) > [“Rodrigo tried to draw a deep breath, but his chest was too filled with anguish, rage and guilt. He kissed his ash-coated fingers. “I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-valdez/rodrigo-tried-to-draw-a-deep-breath-but-his-chest-was-too-filled-with/) [Lisa Valdez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-valdez/) > [“Being held by him, kissed and mastered, taken under and swept away, enthralled her in a way she—an independent woman if nothing else in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-sumner/being-held-by-him-kissed-and-mastered-taken-under-and-swept-away/) [Tracy Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-sumner/) > [Kiss From A Rose There used to be a graying tower alone on the sea. You became the light on the dark side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seal/kiss-from-a-rose-there-used-to-be-a-graying-tower-alone-on-the-sea/) [Seal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seal/) > [“While Emma pressed the unlock button on her key fob, Aidan started walking away, but then he stopped. He turned back and shook his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-ashley/while-emma-pressed-the-unlock-button-on-her-key-fob-aidan-started/) [Katie Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-ashley/) > [“You are my everything,” Julie said. “You are challenging, and difficult, and guarded. I love those things about you. You are fascinating, and complex,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-park/you-are-my-everything-julie-said-you-are-challenging-and-difficult/) [Jessica Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-park/) > [“He kissed like he was drowning and I was air. It was passionate, and desperate, and like nothing I had ever experienced before. This”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/he-kissed-like-he-was-drowning-and-i-was-air-it-was-passionate-and/) [Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/) > [The first time I kissed you my knees went weak I literally lost my breath!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/the-first-time-i-kissed-you-my-knees-went-weak-i-literally-lost-my/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her full on the mouth. His skin was wet with rain. When she didn't pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/he-put-his-hands-on-her-shoulders-and-kissed-her-full-on-the-mouth/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“How can you love me if you don’t even know me?” He lifted my arms around his neck and placed his hands on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denyse-cohen/how-can-you-love-me-if-you-don-t-even-know-me-he-lifted-my-arms/) [Denyse Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denyse-cohen/) > [“Best surprise ever.” I whispered in his face. Then I leaned in and kissed him hard and deep like it was the last kiss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-larsen/best-surprise-ever-i-whispered-in-his-face-then-i-leaned-in-and/) [K. Larsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-larsen/) > [“Taking Mike home is a great idea," Donny said. "See you tomorrow. Thanks for your help." Gabe kissed her hand. "I'll be back in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-hayes/taking-mike-home-is-a-great-idea-donny-said-see-you-tomorrow-thanks/) [Gwen Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-hayes/) > [“He dipped his head and kissed along my jaw. 'I promise, nothing about being inside you will disappoint me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-r-martin/he-dipped-his-head-and-kissed-along-my-jaw-i-promise-nothing-about/) [Kelley R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-r-martin/) > [He decided then that he would love her forever no matter what came to pass. It was not so much a matter of deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/he-decided-then-that-he-would-love-her-forever-no-matter-what-came-to/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [He kissed me, though not in a sexy way. Gentle. Tender.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-kissed-me-though-not-in-a-sexy-way-gentle-tender/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) [Browse all 2,545 Kissed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kissed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They had never kissed, nor even touched, only passed by each other closely as they went into his office, a tiny cubicle off the library - they avoided the teachers' room. But after he said that that day, she lived with a kind of terror, and a longing that felt at times unendurable. But people endure things.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Elizabeth Strout" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/they-had-never-kissed-nor-even-touched-only-passed-by-each-other/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Kissed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/they-had-never-kissed-nor-even-touched-only-passed-by-each-other/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/elizabeth-strout-1799_kissed_they-had-never-kissed-nor-even-touched-o_1935426.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/elizabeth-strout-1799_kissed_they-had-never-kissed-nor-even-touched-o_1935426.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/elizabeth-strout-1799_kissed_they-had-never-kissed-nor-even-touched-o_1935426.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They had never kissed, nor even touched, only passed by each other closely as they went into his office, a…” — Elizabeth Strout", "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": "Elizabeth Strout", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“They had never kissed, nor even...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/they-had-never-kissed-nor-even-touched-only-passed-by-each-other/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/they-had-never-kissed-nor-even-touched-only-passed-by-each-other/#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 } } ] } ```