--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He had had a habit throughout the…" description: "\"“He had had a habit throughout the twenty-seven years of making a narrow remark which, like a plumber’s snake, could work its way through the ear down ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/699/grace-paley-3243_choking_he-had-had-a-habit-throughout-the-twenty_2779606.png" --- # He had had a habit throughout the twenty-seven years of… ![“He had had a habit throughout the twenty-seven years of making a narrow remark which, like a plumber’s snake, could work its way through the ear down the throat, halfway to my heart. He would then disappear, leaving me choking with equipment. What I mean is, I sat down on the library steps and he…” quote by Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/699/grace-paley-3243_choking_he-had-had-a-habit-throughout-the-twenty_2779606.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/699/grace-paley-3243_choking_he-had-had-a-habit-throughout-the-twenty_2779606.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/699/grace-paley-3243_choking_he-had-had-a-habit-throughout-the-twenty_2779606.png) > ““He had had a habit throughout the twenty-seven years of making a narrow remark which, like a plumber’s snake, could work its way through the ear down the throat, halfway to my heart. He would then disappear, leaving me choking with equipment. What I mean is, I sat down on the library steps and he went away.”” [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A persistent, invasive thought can choke and, leaving one breathless and unsettled. **In simple terms:** Intrusive thoughts can overwhelm. Key Takeaway Recognize and release mental clutter. Themes mental health communication intimacy vulnerability Mood introspective melancholic Type literary psychological When to use this quote - stressful work - personal relationships - therapy sessions Key Concepts psychology literary metaphor Questions to Reflect On - What thoughts are choking you? - How can you transform them? A Different Perspective Not all thoughts are harmful; some can be useful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) ## Related quotes > [“Look!” piped Korbal Broach. Bauchelain paused. “I see.” Tucking the mangled head under an arm, Korbal Broach walked to the steps, and up he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-erikson/look-piped-korbal-broach-bauchelain-paused-i-see-tucking-the-mangled/) [Steven Erikson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-erikson/) > [Iggy: "I'll grab a zebra; Gaz, you fill all the bubbles with your trademark scent. so people are choking and gagging; and let's throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/iggy-i-ll-grab-a-zebra-gaz-you-fill-all-the-bubbles-with-your/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [“No! He tried to shout out but the water surged into his mouth and lungs choking his cry. Then darkness. And nothingness. Always the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-rubart/no-he-tried-to-shout-out-but-the-water-surged-into-his-mouth-and/) [James L. Rubart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-rubart/) > [If you want to dry hump someone you don't know, just act like they were choking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/if-you-want-to-dry-hump-someone-you-don-t-know-just-act-like-they/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [When your rage is choking you, it is best to say nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-your-rage-is-choking-you-it-is-best-to-say-nothing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If a man was choking, what would I do? Well, I’d remove my penis from his throat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/if-a-man-was-choking-what-would-i-do-well-i-d-remove-my-penis-from/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [The truth is always hard to swallow if you're choking on your pride. Love the one you've got, and appreciate who you have, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/the-truth-is-always-hard-to-swallow-if-you-re-choking-on-your-pride/) [Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/) > [CONGRATULATIONS! You've won a lifetime supply of air: Not valid under water, in space, when dead, or while choking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/congratulations-you-ve-won-a-lifetime-supply-of-air-not-valid-under/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Today coming to work, I saw one of those only in New York scenes. It was a rat who had passed out after choking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/today-coming-to-work-i-saw-one-of-those-only-in-new-york-scenes-it/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [The truth is hard to swallow when you're choking on your pride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-hard-to-swallow-when-you-re-choking-on-your-pride/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I need to learn how to start saying no. Like when someone says ‘please stop choking me.’](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-need-to-learn-how-to-start-saying-no-like-when-someone-says-please/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [I sit on a man's back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-sit-on-a-man-s-back-choking-him-and-making-him-carry-me-and-yet/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [“I don't think we choked this time. We never played well enough to choke.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-matthews/i-don-t-think-we-choked-this-time-we-never-played-well-enough-to-choke/) Craig Matthews > [“Nora-leggo it's choking me!! ow!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazunari-kakei/nora-leggo-it-s-choking-me-ow/) Kazunari Kakei > [“Joe!” he groaned, attempting to speak clearly. “Joe! Good ol’ Joe!” “Captain, you’re drunk!” Lofflin said, stating the obvious while trying to keep his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-engela/joe-he-groaned-attempting-to-speak-clearly-joe-good-ol-joe-captain/) [Christina Engela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-engela/) ## More by Grace Paley > [The only recognizable feature of hope is action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/the-only-recognizable-feature-of-hope-is-action/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [“Near home I ran through our park, where I had aired my children on weekends and late-summer afternoons. I stopped at the northeast playground,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/near-home-i-ran-through-our-park-where-i-had-aired-my-children-on/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [Old age is not a good thing. It can be really hard, and those of us who have it a little easier should keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/old-age-is-not-a-good-thing-it-can-be-really-hard-and-those-of-us-who/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [Well, by now you must know yourself, honey, whatever you do, life don't stop. It only sits a minute and dreams a dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/well-by-now-you-must-know-yourself-honey-whatever-you-do-life-don-t/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [“Who cares?' said Judy, who didn't care.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/who-cares-said-judy-who-didn-t-care/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [The women's movement was coming, but I didn't know it in 1956-1957, when I began to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/the-women-s-movement-was-coming-but-i-didn-t-know-it-in-1956-1957/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [A joke is necessary at this time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/a-joke-is-necessary-at-this-time/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [Sometimes, walking with a friend, I forget the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/sometimes-walking-with-a-friend-i-forget-the-world/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [It wasn't until I lived in the countryside that I began to understand the life of the countryside and the people in it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/it-wasn-t-until-i-lived-in-the-countryside-that-i-began-to-understand/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [I've started many novels, and they all ended on page seven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/i-ve-started-many-novels-and-they-all-ended-on-page-seven/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > […I go through a story for lies. I might discover the lie of trying to show off. Sometimes they’re lies of character. Sometimes they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/i-go-through-a-story-for-lies-i-might-discover-the-lie-of-trying-to/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [I didn't intend. The word "intend" is the wrong word for what I do. It's just that it's something you do, and you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/i-didn-t-intend-the-word-intend-is-the-wrong-word-for-what-i-do-it-s/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [“... plot, the absolute line between two points which I've always despised. Not for literary reasons, but because it takes all hope away. Everyone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/plot-the-absolute-line-between-two-points-which-i-ve-always-despised/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [You come to doing what you do by not being able to do something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/you-come-to-doing-what-you-do-by-not-being-able-to-do-something/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [When I was about twenty-one, I published a few poems. Maybe I wrote a couple of stories before, but I really began to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/when-i-was-about-twenty-one-i-published-a-few-poems-maybe-i-wrote-a/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) [Explore all 135 Grace Paley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) ## More Choking quotes > [“Joe!” he groaned, attempting to speak clearly. “Joe! Good ol’ Joe!” “Captain, you’re drunk!” Lofflin said, stating the obvious while trying to keep his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-engela/joe-he-groaned-attempting-to-speak-clearly-joe-good-ol-joe-captain/) [Christina Engela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-engela/) > [“Nora-leggo it's choking me!! ow!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazunari-kakei/nora-leggo-it-s-choking-me-ow/) Kazunari Kakei > [“I don't think we choked this time. We never played well enough to choke.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-matthews/i-don-t-think-we-choked-this-time-we-never-played-well-enough-to-choke/) Craig Matthews > [I sit on a man's back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-sit-on-a-man-s-back-choking-him-and-making-him-carry-me-and-yet/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [I need to learn how to start saying no. Like when someone says ‘please stop choking me.’](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-need-to-learn-how-to-start-saying-no-like-when-someone-says-please/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [The truth is hard to swallow when you're choking on your pride.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-hard-to-swallow-when-you-re-choking-on-your-pride/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Today coming to work, I saw one of those only in New York scenes. It was a rat who had passed out after choking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/today-coming-to-work-i-saw-one-of-those-only-in-new-york-scenes-it/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [CONGRATULATIONS! You've won a lifetime supply of air: Not valid under water, in space, when dead, or while choking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/congratulations-you-ve-won-a-lifetime-supply-of-air-not-valid-under/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is always hard to swallow if you're choking on your pride. Love the one you've got, and appreciate who you have, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/the-truth-is-always-hard-to-swallow-if-you-re-choking-on-your-pride/) [Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/) > [“If a man was choking, what would I do? Well, I’d remove my penis from his throat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/if-a-man-was-choking-what-would-i-do-well-i-d-remove-my-penis-from/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [When your rage is choking you, it is best to say nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-your-rage-is-choking-you-it-is-best-to-say-nothing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you want to dry hump someone you don't know, just act like they were choking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/if-you-want-to-dry-hump-someone-you-don-t-know-just-act-like-they/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [“No! He tried to shout out but the water surged into his mouth and lungs choking his cry. Then darkness. And nothingness. Always the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-rubart/no-he-tried-to-shout-out-but-the-water-surged-into-his-mouth-and/) [James L. Rubart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-rubart/) > [Iggy: "I'll grab a zebra; Gaz, you fill all the bubbles with your trademark scent. so people are choking and gagging; and let's throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/iggy-i-ll-grab-a-zebra-gaz-you-fill-all-the-bubbles-with-your/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [“These Cro-Magnon people were identical to us: they had the same physique, the same brain, the same looks. And, unlike all previous hominids who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/these-cro-magnon-people-were-identical-to-us-they-had-the-same/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) Browse all 91 Choking quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He had had a habit throughout the twenty-seven years of making a narrow remark which, like a plumber’s snake, could work its way through the ear down the throat, halfway to my heart. He would then disappear, leaving me choking with equipment. 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