---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember noticing for the first time…"
description: "\"“I remember noticing for the first time how loud she was, her voice hard with silly aggressiveness. Connie with her whines and feints, the grating laug..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/emma-cline-11898_first-time_i-remember-noticing-for-the-first-time-h_2477811.jpg"
---

#  I remember noticing for the first time how loud she was…

![“I remember noticing for the first time how loud she was, her voice hard with silly aggressiveness. Connie with her whines and feints, the grating laugh that sounded, and was, practiced. A space opened up between us as soon as I started to notice these things, to catalog her shortcomings the way a…” quote by Emma Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/emma-cline-11898_first-time_i-remember-noticing-for-the-first-time-h_2477811.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/emma-cline-11898_first-time_i-remember-noticing-for-the-first-time-h_2477811.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/emma-cline-11898_first-time_i-remember-noticing-for-the-first-time-h_2477811.jpg)

> ““I remember noticing for the first time how loud she was, her voice hard with silly aggressiveness. Connie with her whines and feints, the grating laugh that sounded, and was, practiced. A space opened up between us as soon as I started to notice these things, to catalog her shortcomings the way a boy would. I regret how ungenerous I was. As if by putting distance between us, I could cure myself of the same disease.””

[Emma Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Observing and judging others creates distance and erodes empathy.

**In simple terms:** Judgment isolates.

Key Takeaway

Practice empathy.

Themes

relationships self-awareness growth

Mood

introspective empathetic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- friendships
- family dynamics
- workplace interactions

Key Concepts

bias emotional intelligence

Questions to Reflect On

- How does judgment affect your connections?
- What steps can you take to see others more kindly?

A Different Perspective

Self-critique may be harsh.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Most of us have very clear memories of the self-critical internal conversation running on in our heads while we were playing poorly, and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-green/most-of-us-have-very-clear-memories-of-the-self-critical-internal/)

Barry Green

> [“Hey,” I said before he could say anything else that would make the mood even weirder or break it entirely. “You wanna grab some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-rowland/hey-i-said-before-he-could-say-anything-else-that-would-make-the-mood/)

[Diana Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-rowland/)

> [I let out a laugh that sounded more like the yip of a startled poodle. "Superp-powers? I wish. My powers aren't winning me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/i-let-out-a-laugh-that-sounded-more-like-the-yip-of-a-startled-poodle/)

[Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/)

> [“Shoving aside fear and self-doubt, I met his eyes, aiming for absolute confidence in both my stance and my voice. “My father taught me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/shoving-aside-fear-and-self-doubt-i-met-his-eyes-aiming-for-absolute/)

[Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/)

> [“Whenever you see the words 'hee hee hee' in a book, or 'ha ha ha,' or 'har har har,' or 'heh heh heh,' or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/whenever-you-see-the-words-hee-hee-hee-in-a-book-or-ha-ha-ha-or-har/)

[Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/)

> [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/)

Mennah al refaey

> [When my kids were in the school play for the first time, I decided I had to make the costumes from scratch and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-alexander/when-my-kids-were-in-the-school-play-for-the-first-time-i-decided-i/)

[Sarah Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-alexander/)

> [When I was in my twenties and just so sexually prolific, the first time I went to Machu Picchu, this guy, a spiritual teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-and-just-so-sexually-prolific-the-first/)

[Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/)

> [Life is like a parachute jump: you have to get it right the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-is-like-a-parachute-jump-you-have-to-get-it-right-the-first-time/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [“I won’t break your heart. For the first time in my life, I’ve found something worth fighting for, someone more important than me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelle-bliss/i-won-t-break-your-heart-for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-ve-found/)

[Chelle Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelle-bliss/)

> [“Treat every natural beauty you met as if you see them for the first and last time!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/treat-every-natural-beauty-you-met-as-if-you-see-them-for-the-first/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“I’m waiting for you,” he murmured, smiling a slow, familiar grin that seemed to hint at a secret between them. And for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/i-m-waiting-for-you-he-murmured-smiling-a-slow-familiar-grin-that/)

[Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/)

> [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/)

[Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/)

> [“I’m so stressed that a weird Olympic-style commentary starts up in my head. And here we have Zelah Green, the fourteen-year-old champion of rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-curtis/i-m-so-stressed-that-a-weird-olympic-style-commentary-starts-up-in-my/)

Vanessa Curtis

> [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

## More by Emma Cline

> [“Let's just give her a ride into town," Suzanne said. She spoke briskly, like I was a mess that needed to be cleaned up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/let-s-just-give-her-a-ride-into-town-suzanne-said-she-spoke-briskly/)

[Emma Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/)

> [“None of this was rare. Things like this happened hundreds of times. Maybe more. The hatred that vibrated beneath the surface of my girl’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/none-of-this-was-rare-things-like-this-happened-hundreds-of-times/)

[Emma Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/)

> [“Money is ego, and people won't give it up. Just want to protect themselves, hold onto it like a blanket. They don't realize it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/money-is-ego-and-people-won-t-give-it-up-just-want-to-protect/)

[Emma Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/)

> [“There are survivors of disasters whose accounts never begin with the tornado warning or the captain announcing engine failure, but always much earlier in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/there-are-survivors-of-disasters-whose-accounts-never-begin-with-the/)

[Emma Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/)

> [“The possibility of judgment being passed on me supplanted any worries or questions I might have about Russell. At that age, I was, first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/the-possibility-of-judgment-being-passed-on-me-supplanted-any-worries/)

[Emma Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/)

> [“Mislila sam da ljubav koju prema nekom osjećaš djeluje kao zaštitna mjera, pa će ta osoba razumjeti raspon i snagu tvojih osjećaja i onda…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/mislila-sam-da-ljubav-koju-prema-nekom-osje-a-djeluje-kao-za-titna/)

[Emma Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/)

> [“A rock, I thought crazily. He'll pick up a rock. He'll break open my skull, my brain leaking onto the sand. He'll tighten his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/a-rock-i-thought-crazily-he-ll-pick-up-a-rock-he-ll-break-open-my/)

[Emma Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/)

> [“The built-in preventative of another person meant I couldn’t indulge the animal feelings, couldn’t leave orange peels in the kitchen sink. I dressed right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/the-built-in-preventative-of-another-person-meant-i-couldn-t-indulge/)

[Emma Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/)

> [“I was already starting to understand that other people's admiration asked something of you. That you had to shape yourself around it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/i-was-already-starting-to-understand-that-other-people-s-admiration/)

[Emma Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/)

> [“Mitch studied me with a questioning, smug smile. Men did it so easily, that immediate parceling of value. And how they seemed to want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/mitch-studied-me-with-a-questioning-smug-smile-men-did-it-so-easily/)

[Emma Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/)

> [“No-one had ever looked at me before Suzanne, not really, so she had become my definition. Her gaze softening my centre so easily that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/no-one-had-ever-looked-at-me-before-suzanne-not-really-so-she-had/)

[Emma Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/)

> [“How drugs patchworked simple, banal thoughts into phrases that seemed filled with importance. My glitchy adolescent brain was desperate for causalities, for conspiracies that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/how-drugs-patchworked-simple-banal-thoughts-into-phrases-that-seemed/)

[Emma Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/)

> [“But I could not fully admit it, even then. The way Suzanne's face looked as she watched him - I wanted to be with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/but-i-could-not-fully-admit-it-even-then-the-way-suzanne-s-face/)

[Emma Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/)

> [“She clung to him like a burr.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/she-clung-to-him-like-a-burr/)

[Emma Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/)

> [“I took her beauty personally.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/i-took-her-beauty-personally/)

[Emma Cline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/)

[Explore all 53 Emma Cline quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/)

## More First time quotes

> [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [“I’m so stressed that a weird Olympic-style commentary starts up in my head. And here we have Zelah Green, the fourteen-year-old champion of rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-curtis/i-m-so-stressed-that-a-weird-olympic-style-commentary-starts-up-in-my/)

Vanessa Curtis

> [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/)

[Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/)

> [“I’m waiting for you,” he murmured, smiling a slow, familiar grin that seemed to hint at a secret between them. And for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/i-m-waiting-for-you-he-murmured-smiling-a-slow-familiar-grin-that/)

[Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/)

> [“Treat every natural beauty you met as if you see them for the first and last time!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/treat-every-natural-beauty-you-met-as-if-you-see-them-for-the-first/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“I won’t break your heart. For the first time in my life, I’ve found something worth fighting for, someone more important than me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelle-bliss/i-won-t-break-your-heart-for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-ve-found/)

[Chelle Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelle-bliss/)

> [Life is like a parachute jump: you have to get it right the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-is-like-a-parachute-jump-you-have-to-get-it-right-the-first-time/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [When I was in my twenties and just so sexually prolific, the first time I went to Machu Picchu, this guy, a spiritual teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-and-just-so-sexually-prolific-the-first/)

[Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/)

> [When my kids were in the school play for the first time, I decided I had to make the costumes from scratch and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-alexander/when-my-kids-were-in-the-school-play-for-the-first-time-i-decided-i/)

[Sarah Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-alexander/)

> [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/)

Mennah al refaey

> [“Or maybe your magic isn't that destructive after all. The rain of Doritos, the bed thing,this...Maybe it's just that you create too big, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/or-maybe-your-magic-isn-t-that-destructive-after-all-the-rain-of/)

[Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/)

> [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/)

[Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/)

> [I don't know why, but everybody thinks that I'm short. When they see me for the first time, women are always surprised to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariah-carey/i-don-t-know-why-but-everybody-thinks-that-i-m-short-when-they-see-me/)

[Mariah Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariah-carey/)

> [“I met Suffering on a quiet road, just as the sun was setting behind me. Its presence was heavy, like an old coat I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/i-met-suffering-on-a-quiet-road-just-as-the-sun-was-setting-behind-me/)

[Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/)

> [“You never talk to the pitcher when…” He shook his head. “You just never talk to the pitcher when--” “I just wanted to congratulate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/you-never-talk-to-the-pitcher-when-he-shook-his-head-you-just-never/)

[Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/)

Browse all 9,309 First time quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I remember noticing for the first time how loud she was, her voice hard with silly aggressiveness. Connie with her whines and feints, the grating laugh that sounded, and was, practiced. A space opened up between us as soon as I started to notice these things, to catalog her shortcomings the way a boy would. I regret how ungenerous I was. As if by putting distance between us, I could cure myself of the same disease.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Emma Cline"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/i-remember-noticing-for-the-first-time-how-loud-she-was-her-voice/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "First time"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/i-remember-noticing-for-the-first-time-how-loud-she-was-her-voice/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/emma-cline-11898_first-time_i-remember-noticing-for-the-first-time-h_2477811.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/emma-cline-11898_first-time_i-remember-noticing-for-the-first-time-h_2477811.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c6/emma-cline-11898_first-time_i-remember-noticing-for-the-first-time-h_2477811.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I remember noticing for the first time how loud she was, her voice hard with silly aggressiveness. Connie…” — Emma Cline",
                "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": "Emma Cline",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-cline/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I remember noticing for the first...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/i-remember-noticing-for-the-first-time-how-loud-she-was-her-voice/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-cline/i-remember-noticing-for-the-first-time-how-loud-she-was-her-voice/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
