--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He turns and walks away, moving so…" description: "\"He turns and walks away, moving so quickly that the candle flames shiver with the motion of the air. “I miss you,” Isobel says as he leaves, but the se..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/erin-morgenstern-806_air_he-turns-and-walks-away-moving-so-quickl_249682.png" --- # He turns and walks away, moving so quickly that the candle… ![“He turns and walks away, moving so quickly that the candle flames shiver with the motion of the air. “I miss you,” Isobel says as he leaves, but the sentiment is crushed by the clatter of the beaded curtain falling closed behind him.” quote by Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/erin-morgenstern-806_air_he-turns-and-walks-away-moving-so-quickl_249682.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/erin-morgenstern-806_air_he-turns-and-walks-away-moving-so-quickl_249682.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/erin-morgenstern-806_air_he-turns-and-walks-away-moving-so-quickl_249682.png) > “He turns and walks away, moving so quickly that the candle flames shiver with the motion of the air. “I miss you,” Isobel says as he leaves, but the sentiment is crushed by the clatter of the beaded curtain falling closed behind him.” [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A swift departure intensifies longing, as the lover's absence is felt more than words can express. **In simple terms:** Leaving intensifies yearning. Key Takeaway Cherish moments before goodbye. Themes longing departure silence Mood melancholic reflective Type poetic emotional When to use this quote - farewells - missed opportunities - emotional tension Key Concepts transient connection unspoken emotion Questions to Reflect On - How do you cope with sudden goodbyes? - What does silence reveal about love? A Different Perspective Speed may prevent resolution of feelings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) [Away Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away-moving-643025/) [Behinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) [Candle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candle/) [Candle Flames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/candle-flames-2217774/) [Crushed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crushed/) [Curtain Falling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curtain-falling-2083010/) [Curtains](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curtains/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Flames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flames/) [Flames Shiver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flames-shiver-2487394/) [Missing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose/) [Sentiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentiments/) [Shiver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shiver/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) [Walks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walks/) [Walks Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walks-away/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not running away, I'm moving on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-m-not-running-away-i-m-moving-on/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [Going to another country doesn’t make any difference. I’ve tried all that. You can’t get away from yourself by moving from one place to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/going-to-another-country-doesn-t-make-any-difference-i-ve-tried-all/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [you can't get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/you-can-t-get-away-from-yourself-by-moving-from-one-place-to-another/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Because that's what you do when the curtain is falling, you say the line the audience wants to hear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/because-that-s-what-you-do-when-the-curtain-is-falling-you-say-the/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“Everything's going to be okay', because that's what I wanted him to say and it's what he wanted to say and that's what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancy/everything-s-going-to-be-okay-because-that-s-what-i-wanted-him-to-say/) [Rick Yancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancy/) > [“And then, there is nothing. Not a goddamn thing. This happens to me sometimes. A curtain falling in the middle of the act, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-hepola/and-then-there-is-nothing-not-a-goddamn-thing-this-happens-to-me/) [Sarah Hepola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-hepola/) > [That's what you do when the curtain is falling--you give the line that the audience wants to hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/that-s-what-you-do-when-the-curtain-is-falling-you-give-the-line-that/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“Every eye in the crowded ballroom turns in their direction. And then he releases her and walks away. By the time Marco leaves the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/every-eye-in-the-crowded-ballroom-turns-in-their-direction-and-then/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [So," he said, "we ourselves will be the candle flames." He put his hands on his chest. "Feel your hearts, how warm they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/so-he-said-we-ourselves-will-be-the-candle-flames-he-put-his-hands-on/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [I believe it was Shakespeare, or possibly Howard Cosell, who first observed that marriage is very much like a birthday candle, in that 'the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/i-believe-it-was-shakespeare-or-possibly-howard-cosell-who-first/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Those candle flames were like the lives of men. So fragile. So deadly. Left alone, they lit and warmed. Let run rampant, they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/those-candle-flames-were-like-the-lives-of-men-so-fragile-so-deadly/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“He loved the desert because there the wind blew out one's footsteps like candle flames.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/he-loved-the-desert-because-there-the-wind-blew-out-one-s-footsteps/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“He even considered the idea that the shock might extinguish them and they’d simply whiff out like candle flames in a strong gust of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/he-even-considered-the-idea-that-the-shock-might-extinguish-them-and/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“A dozen candles burned themselves to death on the shelf before me. Each of my breaths made them tremble. To them, I was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/a-dozen-candles-burned-themselves-to-death-on-the-shelf-before-me/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Those candle flames were like the lives of men. So fragile. So deadly. Left alone, they lit and warmed. Let run rampant, they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/those-candle-flames-were-like-the-lives-of-men-so-fragile-so-deadly-2/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## More by Erin Morgenstern > [They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent. They seek each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-are-enthusiasts-devotees-addicts-something-about-the-circus/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“The Burgess sisters arrive together. Tara and Lainie do a little bit of everything. Sometimes dancers, sometimes actresses. Once they were librarians, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/the-burgess-sisters-arrive-together-tara-and-lainie-do-a-little-bit/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“Bedtime stories Eventide Rhapsodies Anthologies of Memory Please enter cautiously and feel free to open what is closed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/bedtime-stories-eventide-rhapsodies-anthologies-of-memory-please/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“When all of this is over, no matter which one of us wins, I will not let you go so easily. Agreed?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/when-all-of-this-is-over-no-matter-which-one-of-us-wins-i-will-not/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“Even the ground beneath his feet feels unsatisfying to his boots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/even-the-ground-beneath-his-feet-feels-unsatisfying-to-his-boots/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“Why haven’t you asked me how I do my tricks?” Celia asks, once they have reached the point where she is certain he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/why-haven-t-you-asked-me-how-i-do-my-tricks-celia-asks-once-they-have/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [And there are really never endings, happy or otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/and-there-are-really-never-endings-happy-or-otherwise/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [I binge write. I think it's because I started seriously writing by participating in National Novel Writing Month, an online-based challenge to write 50,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/i-binge-write-i-think-it-s-because-i-started-seriously-writing-by/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [I have absurdly vivid dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/i-have-absurdly-vivid-dreams/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [I made a wish on this tree years ago," Marco says. "What did you wish for?" Bailey asks. Marco leans forward and whispers in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/i-made-a-wish-on-this-tree-years-ago-marco-says-what-did-you-wish-for/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“He reads histories and mythologies and fairy tales, wondering why it seems that only girls are ever swept away from their mundane lives on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/he-reads-histories-and-mythologies-and-fairy-tales-wondering-why-it/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“Behind him, the sheep, left to their own devices, decide to wander through the open gate into the field beyond.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/behind-him-the-sheep-left-to-their-own-devices-decide-to-wander/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [Marco moves to close the distance between them, kissing away her tears before catching her lip with his own. As he kisses her, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/marco-moves-to-close-the-distance-between-them-kissing-away-her-tears/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“«Importa más ser que parecer.»”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/importa-m-s-ser-que-parecer/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [And before he can tell her to tell Widget goodbye for him if need be, she leans forward and kisses him, not on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/and-before-he-can-tell-her-to-tell-widget-goodbye-for-him-if-need-be/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) [Explore all 339 Erin Morgenstern quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) ## More Air quotes > [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/) [Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) [Browse all 6,278 Air quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He turns and walks away, moving so quickly that the candle flames shiver with the motion of the air. “I miss you,” Isobel says as he leaves, but the sentiment is crushed by the clatter of the beaded curtain falling closed behind him.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Erin Morgenstern" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/he-turns-and-walks-away-moving-so-quickly-that-the-candle-flames/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Air" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/he-turns-and-walks-away-moving-so-quickly-that-the-candle-flames/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/erin-morgenstern-806_air_he-turns-and-walks-away-moving-so-quickl_249682.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/erin-morgenstern-806_air_he-turns-and-walks-away-moving-so-quickl_249682.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/erin-morgenstern-806_air_he-turns-and-walks-away-moving-so-quickl_249682.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He turns and walks away, moving so quickly that the candle flames shiver with the motion of the air. “I miss…” — Erin Morgenstern", "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": "Erin Morgenstern", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He turns and walks away, moving...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/he-turns-and-walks-away-moving-so-quickly-that-the-candle-flames/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/he-turns-and-walks-away-moving-so-quickly-that-the-candle-flames/#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 } } ] } ```