---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Colonel Aureliano Buendia smiled at her…"
description: "\"“Colonel Aureliano Buendia smiled at her the same way as when he had first seen her with the bandage on that remote morning when he had come back to Ma..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_death_colonel-aureliano-buendia-smiled-at-her_634542.jpg"
---

#  Colonel Aureliano Buendia smiled at her the same way as…

![“Colonel Aureliano Buendia smiled at her the same way as when he had first seen her with the bandage on that remote morning when he had come back to Macondo condemned to death. &quot;How awful,&quot; he said, &quot;the way time passes!” quote by Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_death_colonel-aureliano-buendia-smiled-at-her_634542.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_death_colonel-aureliano-buendia-smiled-at-her_634542.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_death_colonel-aureliano-buendia-smiled-at-her_634542.jpg)

> ““Colonel Aureliano Buendia smiled at her the same way as when he had first seen her with the bandage on that remote morning when he had come back to Macondo condemned to death. "How awful," he said, "the way time passes!””

[Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

## About This Quote

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

The character reflects on how time can feel both beautiful and terrible, especially when recalling past moments.

**In simple terms:** Time can feel both beautiful and terrible.

Key Takeaway

Cherish moments, accept time’s flow.

Themes

memory time nostalgia

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- family gatherings
- personal reflection
- historical contemplation

Key Concepts

existentialism literary reflection

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you perceive time’s impact on your life?
- What memories make time feel heavy?

A Different Perspective

Time’s passage can’t be changed, only perceived.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Buendia Smiled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buendia-smiled-5107675/) [Colonel Aureliano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colonel-aureliano-2291358/) [Come Macondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-macondo-5107677/) [Condemned Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/condemned-death-598505/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Macondo Condemned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/macondo-condemned-5107676/) [Time Pass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-pass/) [Time passes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-passes/)

## Related quotes

> [“Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel Aureliano Buendía was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/many-years-later-as-he-faced-the-firing-squad-colonel-aureliano-buend/)

[Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [Many years later, in front of the firing squad, colonel Aureliano Buendía would remember that distant afternoon his father took him to see ice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/many-years-later-in-front-of-the-firing-squad-colonel-aureliano-buend/)

[Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [“Where is it.. where is it I have read that someone condemned to death says or thinks, an hour before his death, that if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/where-is-it-where-is-it-i-have-read-that-someone-condemned-to-death/)

[Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/)

> [“Let us imagine a number of men in fetters, and all condemned to death, some of whom are executed each day in the sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/balise-pascal/let-us-imagine-a-number-of-men-in-fetters-and-all-condemned-to-death/)

[Balise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/balise-pascal/)

> [“The trial of Jesus of Nazareth, the trial and rehabilitation of Joan of Arc, any one of the witchcraft trials in Salem during 1691,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/the-trial-of-jesus-of-nazareth-the-trial-and-rehabilitation-of-joan/)

[Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/)

> [“He went up to his room like a man who has been condemned to death. His mind was completely empty, and he was quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-went-up-to-his-room-like-a-man-who-has-been-condemned-to-death-his/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Where was it that I read about a man condemned to death saying or thinking, an hour before his death, that if he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/where-was-it-that-i-read-about-a-man-condemned-to-death-saying-or/)

[Fyodor Dostoyevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoyevsky/)

> [If a man could understand all the horror of the lives of ordinary people who are turning around in a circle of insignificant interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-i-gurdjieff/if-a-man-could-understand-all-the-horror-of-the-lives-of-ordinary/)

[G. I. Gurdjieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-i-gurdjieff/)

> [“So there was no excuse; nothing whatever the matter, except the sin for which human nature had condemned him to death; that he did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/so-there-was-no-excuse-nothing-whatever-the-matter-except-the-sin-for/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [But this is not difficult, O Athenians! to escape death; but it is much more difficult to avoid depravity, for it runs swifter than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/but-this-is-not-difficult-o-athenians-to-escape-death-but-it-is-much/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [Let us imagine a number of men in chains and all condemned to death, where some are killed each day in the sight of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/let-us-imagine-a-number-of-men-in-chains-and-all-condemned-to-death/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [“It is said that men condemned to death are subject to sudden moments of elation; as if, like moths in the fire, their destruction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/it-is-said-that-men-condemned-to-death-are-subject-to-sudden-moments/)

[John le Carré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/)

> [Where is it I've read that someone condemned to death says or thinks, an hour before his death, that if he had to live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/where-is-it-i-ve-read-that-someone-condemned-to-death-says-or-thinks/)

[Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/)

> [“Robert was found guilty of her murder, condemned to death and ‘chased out of the realm of France’ as Froissart puts it; there were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-seward/robert-was-found-guilty-of-her-murder-condemned-to-death-and-chased/)

[Desmond Seward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-seward/)

> [Imagine yourself acclaimed, a decorated national hero, an idol to millions of desperate people, then within six months, condemned to death by hanging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joachim-peiper/imagine-yourself-acclaimed-a-decorated-national-hero-an-idol-to/)

[Joachim Peiper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joachim-peiper/)

## More by Gabriel García Márquez

> [“The Captain looked at Fermina Daza and saw on her eyelashes the first glimmer of wintry frost. Then he looked at Florentino Ariza, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/the-captain-looked-at-fermina-daza-and-saw-on-her-eyelashes-the-first/)

[Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [“Courage did not come from the need to survive, or from a brute indifference inherited from someone else, but from a driving need for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/courage-did-not-come-from-the-need-to-survive-or-from-a-brute/)

[Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [“He aprendido que un hombre sólo tiene derecho a mirar a otro hacia abajo cuando ha de ayudarle a levantarse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-aprendido-que-un-hombre-s-lo-tiene-derecho-a-mirar-a-otro-hacia/)

[Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [From the moment I wrote 'Leaf Storm' I realized I wanted to be a writer and that nobody could stop me and that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/from-the-moment-i-wrote-leaf-storm-i-realized-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer/)

[Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [He sank into the rocking chair, the same one in which Rebecca had sat during the early days of the house to give embroidery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-sank-into-the-rocking-chair-the-same-one-in-which-rebecca-had-sat/)

[Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [“Berhentilah sepi, hidup ini pendek.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/berhentilah-sepi-hidup-ini-pendek/)

[Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [“They were people whose lives were slow, who did not see themselves growing old, or falling sick, or dying, but who disappeared little by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/they-were-people-whose-lives-were-slow-who-did-not-see-themselves/)

[Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [“I didn't do any of what they told me,' she said, 'because the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-didn-t-do-any-of-what-they-told-me-she-said-because-the-more-i/)

[Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [He thought about his people without sentimentalily, with a strick closing of his accounts with life, beginning to understand how much he really loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-thought-about-his-people-without-sentimentalily-with-a-strick/)

[Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [Why were you so old when we met? I answered with the truth: Age isn't how old you are but how old you feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/why-were-you-so-old-when-we-met-i-answered-with-the-truth-age-isn-t/)

[Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [Between the covers of the books that no one had ever read again, in the old parchments damaged by dampness, a livid flower had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/between-the-covers-of-the-books-that-no-one-had-ever-read-again-in/)

[Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [I was asked the other day if I would be interested in the Nobel Prize, but I think that for me it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-was-asked-the-other-day-if-i-would-be-interested-in-the-nobel-prize/)

[Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [“Fear had absorbed her completely and remained there, fixed, tenacious, almost corporeal, as if it were some invisible person who had made up his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/fear-had-absorbed-her-completely-and-remained-there-fixed-tenacious/)

[Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [“Today I know I was right. The adolescents of my generation, greedy for life, forgot in body and soul about their hopes for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/today-i-know-i-was-right-the-adolescents-of-my-generation-greedy-for/)

[Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [“...It was then, for the first time, that she understood above all her virtues what was in command was the vanity of a metaphysical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/it-was-then-for-the-first-time-that-she-understood-above-all-her/)

[Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

[Explore all 872 Gabriel García Márquez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

## More Death quotes

> [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/)

[Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/)

> [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/)

[Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/)

> [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/)

[J. Anthony Torino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anthony-torino/)

> [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/)

[Alan W. Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-powers/)

> [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/)

[Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/)

> [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/)

[Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/)

> [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/)

[Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/)

[Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Colonel Aureliano Buendia smiled at her the same way as when he had first seen her with the bandage on that remote morning when he had come back to Macondo condemned to death. \"How awful,\" he said, \"the way time passes!”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gabriel García Márquez"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/colonel-aureliano-buendia-smiled-at-her-the-same-way-as-when-he-had/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/colonel-aureliano-buendia-smiled-at-her-the-same-way-as-when-he-had/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_death_colonel-aureliano-buendia-smiled-at-her_634542.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_death_colonel-aureliano-buendia-smiled-at-her_634542.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/71c/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_death_colonel-aureliano-buendia-smiled-at-her_634542.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Colonel Aureliano Buendia smiled at her the same way as when he had first seen her with the bandage on that…” — Gabriel García Márquez",
                "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": "Gabriel García Márquez",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Colonel Aureliano Buendia smiled at her...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/colonel-aureliano-buendia-smiled-at-her-the-same-way-as-when-he-had/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/colonel-aureliano-buendia-smiled-at-her-the-same-way-as-when-he-had/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
