--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Five minutes later, the girls stood at…" description: "\"“Five minutes later, the girls stood at the open kitchen door, blinking in the brilliant overcast light. The smell of lilacs, roses, sweet peas, and ho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/heather-dixon-8872_flowers_five-minutes-later-the-girls-stood-at-th_349162.jpg" --- # Five minutes later, the girls stood at the open kitchen… ![“Five minutes later, the girls stood at the open kitchen door, blinking in the brilliant overcast light. The smell of lilacs, roses, sweet peas, and honeysuckle mixed with the scent of crisp late summer leaves. None of them had been in the gradens for nine months, and the bright saturated greens…” quote by Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/heather-dixon-8872_flowers_five-minutes-later-the-girls-stood-at-th_349162.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/heather-dixon-8872_flowers_five-minutes-later-the-girls-stood-at-th_349162.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/heather-dixon-8872_flowers_five-minutes-later-the-girls-stood-at-th_349162.jpg) > ““Five minutes later, the girls stood at the open kitchen door, blinking in the brilliant overcast light. The smell of lilacs, roses, sweet peas, and honeysuckle mixed with the scent of crisp late summer leaves. None of them had been in the gradens for nine months, and the bright saturated greens, reds, and violets overwhelmed them. It reminded Azalea of Mother, beautiful and bright, thick with scents and excitement. And the King-he was like the palace behind them, all straights and grays, stiff and symmetrical and orderly. "It's really allowed?" said Flora, her eyes alight at the colors. "Allowed allowed?" said Goldenrod. "For the last time," said the King, pushing them gently out the kitchen door and onto the path. "It is Royal Business ! Go On. Get some color in your cheeks.”” [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid contrast between natural, vibrant life and rigid, colorless authority highlights the longing for freedom and joy. **In simple terms:** Nature versus control; desire for joy. Key Takeaway Seek color and joy despite constraints. Themes freedom joy nature authority creativity Mood hopeful reflective inspirational Type literary descriptive metaphorical When to use this quote - garden visits - personal growth - creative expression - overcoming oppression Key Concepts Romanticism psychology sensory detail Questions to Reflect On - How do you bring color into a constrained environment? - What does “royal business” symbolize in your life? A Different Perspective Authority may suppress but cannot extinguish innate desire for beauty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Azalea Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/azalea-mother-3228086/) [Flowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flowers/) [Honeysuckle Mixed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honeysuckle-mixed-3228089/) [Last time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-time/) [Late summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/late-summer/) [Nine months](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nine-months/) [Reminded Azalea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reminded-azalea-3228087/) [Smell Lilacs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell-lilacs-3228088/) [Stood Open](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stood-open-1267267/) ## Related quotes > [“The real question would have been, “Dear Claudia, what experience would you like on Christmas?” I could have spoken up, “I want to sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/the-real-question-would-have-been-dear-claudia-what-experience-would/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [“The cold stream of visual impressions failed him now as if the eye were a cup that overflowed and let the rest run down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-cold-stream-of-visual-impressions-failed-him-now-as-if-the-eye-2/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“The door, indeed, stood open as before; but the windows were still shuttered, the chimneys breathed no stain into the bright air, there sounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/the-door-indeed-stood-open-as-before-but-the-windows-were-still/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“Somehow the painted door now stood open. Blaise was following Livia through it, past Throgmorton's outstretched arm. Sunni shed her slippers and hurried after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-flavin/somehow-the-painted-door-now-stood-open-blaise-was-following-livia/) [Teresa Flavin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-flavin/) > [the smell of lilacs crept poignantly into the room like a remembered spring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-millar/the-smell-of-lilacs-crept-poignantly-into-the-room-like-a-remembered/) [Margaret Millar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-millar/) > [Budapest in late May is a city of lilacs. The sweet, languid, rather sleepy smell of lilacs wafts everywhere. And it is a city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/budapest-in-late-may-is-a-city-of-lilacs-the-sweet-languid-rather/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“Author’s Note Caroline is a marriage of fact and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s fiction. I have knowingly departed from Wilder’s version of events only where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-miller/author-s-note-caroline-is-a-marriage-of-fact-and-laura-ingalls-wilder/) [Sarah Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-miller/) > [It’s the place of the story, beginning here, in the meadow of late summer flowers, thriving before the Atlantic storms drive wet and winter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/it-s-the-place-of-the-story-beginning-here-in-the-meadow-of-late/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [“In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village that looked across the river and the plain to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/in-the-late-summer-of-that-year-we-lived-in-a-house-in-a-village-that/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“The Czechs are downright crazy about mushrooms! In late summer and autumn, a foreigner might even get the impression that the number of sponge-hunting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terje-b-englund/the-czechs-are-downright-crazy-about-mushrooms-in-late-summer-and/) [Terje B. Englund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terje-b-englund/) > [“Mrs. Miniver suddenly understood why she was enjoying the forties so much better than she had enjoyed the thirties: it was the difference between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/mrs-miniver-suddenly-understood-why-she-was-enjoying-the-forties-so/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [“It was one of those late summer days trying its best to convince everyone that winter would never seep through and ravage the earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-waines/it-was-one-of-those-late-summer-days-trying-its-best-to-convince/) [A.J. Waines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-waines/) > [At a meeting in her office in the late summer of 2002, months before the war in Iraq, prisoner abuse at Guantanamo is discussed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-hersh/at-a-meeting-in-her-office-in-the-late-summer-of-2002-months-before/) [Seymour Hersh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-hersh/) > [“she can remember everyone admiring a rare kind of evening they spoke of as something they ought to save from oblivion to describe to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/she-can-remember-everyone-admiring-a-rare-kind-of-evening-they-spoke/) [Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/) > [“Mr. Grote shows me how he grows wild rice in the stream and collects the seeds. The rice is nutty and brown. He plants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/mr-grote-shows-me-how-he-grows-wild-rice-in-the-stream-and-collects/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) ## More by Heather Dixon > [“The simultaneous scream sounded from teh twins. Borth clasped their hands over their mouths, their eyes wide with horror. Azalea followed their gaze. There,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/the-simultaneous-scream-sounded-from-teh-twins-borth-clasped-their/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) > [“I will tell you about the lady I loved." The girls settled together on the entrance steps, not even breathing, for fear it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/i-will-tell-you-about-the-lady-i-loved-the-girls-settled-together-on/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) > [“Try it alone now," he said. "I taught you when you were six. You were a fine little rider then. Do you remember?" "No!"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/try-it-alone-now-he-said-i-taught-you-when-you-were-six-you-were-a/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) > [“Royal Business; Strictly For The Young Gentleman Who Meets the Criteria- A Riddle To Solve: Where the Twelve Princesses of Eathesbury Dance At Night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/royal-business-strictly-for-the-young-gentleman-who-meets-the/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) > [“It had ended with a battle; Azalea raked the front page, and then the one's after, searching for any familiar names among the wounded.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/it-had-ended-with-a-battle-azalea-raked-the-front-page-and-then-the/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) > [“Honestly, we don't kick or bite or throw potatoes at all our guests." A crooked smile touched Lord Bradford's lips. "Your family has spirit,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/honestly-we-don-t-kick-or-bite-or-throw-potatoes-at-all-our-guests-a/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) > [“What a rotten shilling punter!" said Bramble, tearing her bread to bits. "I can't believe he stole our things! Especially the watch! We stole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/what-a-rotten-shilling-punter-said-bramble-tearing-her-bread-to-bits/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) > [“Then to everyone's shock, she pressed her lips full on his. "Oh...my," said Clover. No one seemed more surprised than Lord Teddie, who stumbled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/then-to-everyone-s-shock-she-pressed-her-lips-full-on-his-oh-my-said/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) > [“So suppose Azalea finds the sugar teeth after all," said Bramble, taking Azalea by the shoulders and spinning her. Azalea rolled her eyes but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/so-suppose-azalea-finds-the-sugar-teeth-after-all-said-bramble-taking/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) > [“Inside her chest, a warm, billowing, something swept through her, to the tips of her fingers, the bottoms of her feet, shining like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/inside-her-chest-a-warm-billowing-something-swept-through-her-to-the/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) > [“Before anything," he said as he brought her around to face him, "I want to give you this." Fumbling in his suitcoat, he produced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/before-anything-he-said-as-he-brought-her-around-to-face-him-i-want/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) > [“I'm so sorry we've kept this for such a long time," she said, pulling the watch from her skirt pocket. She unfolded Mother's handkerchief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/i-m-so-sorry-we-ve-kept-this-for-such-a-long-time-she-said-pulling/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) > [“Ah, Azalea," said the King. "He's not going to be the one proposing." The springs in Azalea's feet went poioioing . "Sorry?" she said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/ah-azalea-said-the-king-he-s-not-going-to-be-the-one-proposing-the/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) > [“You cannot dance up there," he said, quietly. "I can see you are in mourning. But you are welcome to dance here, among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/you-cannot-dance-up-there-he-said-quietly-i-can-see-you-are-in/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) > [“Ah,Azalea," said the King. "He's not going to be the one proposing." The springs in Azalea's feet went poioioing . "Sorry?" she said. "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/ah-azalea-said-the-king-he-s-not-going-to-be-the-one-proposing-the-2/) [Heather Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) [Explore all 77 Heather Dixon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/) ## More Flowers quotes > [“On the third day, she smelled the fruit as soon as she came in. She followed the scent to the kitchen, and the peach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/on-the-third-day-she-smelled-the-fruit-as-soon-as-she-came-in-she/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Most girls get flowers or candy. I get a declaration of martial law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-shearin/most-girls-get-flowers-or-candy-i-get-a-declaration-of-martial-law/) [Lisa Shearin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-shearin/) > [I do whatever entertains me. If it entertains me to throw flowers halfway across the room, then that's what I'll do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-owens/i-do-whatever-entertains-me-if-it-entertains-me-to-throw-flowers/) [Kevin Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-owens/) > [ROSES ARE RED VIOLETS ARE BLUE YOU DID ME WRONG SO GUESS WAT BABE??FUKK YU](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica/roses-are-red-violets-are-blue-you-did-me-wrong-so-guess-wat-babe/) [JESSICA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica/) > [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/my-days-the-blossom-of-my-youth-and-the-flower-of-my-manhood-have/) [Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/) > [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/) > [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [“Rose is like a woman love;when love odorous but gets offended when bony..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonnaville/rose-is-like-a-woman-love-when-love-odorous-but-gets-offended-when/) [Jonnaville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonnaville/) > [“They basked in the sweet-scented breeze, and felt the sunshine warming their bare heads. Petals drifted from the gnarled apple and cherry trees, creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/they-basked-in-the-sweet-scented-breeze-and-felt-the-sunshine-warming/) [Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/) > [Now that the lilacs are in bloom She has a bowl of lilacs in her room](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/now-that-the-lilacs-are-in-bloom-she-has-a-bowl-of-lilacs-in-her-room/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The sun, a red wheel, was sinking slowly in the west. Besides being spectacularly beautiful, the early-summer sunset was exceedingly soft and gentle: black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-yan/the-sun-a-red-wheel-was-sinking-slowly-in-the-west-besides-being/) [Mo Yan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-yan/) > [“She stroked one of the geranium's petals, inhaling its particular bitter fragrance, which she admired for its bold air of unapology.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-airgood/she-stroked-one-of-the-geranium-s-petals-inhaling-its-particular/) [Ellen Airgood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-airgood/) > [I write the way you might arrange flowers. Not every try works, but each one launches another. Every constraint, even dullness, frees up a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/i-write-the-way-you-might-arrange-flowers-not-every-try-works-but/) [Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/) > [There is sweet music here that softer falls Than petals from blown roses on the grass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/there-is-sweet-music-here-that-softer-falls-than-petals-from-blown/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) [Browse all 4,100 Flowers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flowers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Five minutes later, the girls stood at the open kitchen door, blinking in the brilliant overcast light. The smell of lilacs, roses, sweet peas, and honeysuckle mixed with the scent of crisp late summer leaves. None of them had been in the gradens for nine months, and the bright saturated greens, reds, and violets overwhelmed them. It reminded Azalea of Mother, beautiful and bright, thick with scents and excitement. And the King-he was like the palace behind them, all straights and grays, stiff and symmetrical and orderly. \"It's really allowed?\" said Flora, her eyes alight at the colors. \"Allowed allowed?\" said Goldenrod. \"For the last time,\" said the King, pushing them gently out the kitchen door and onto the path. \"It is Royal Business ! Go On. Get some color in your cheeks.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Heather Dixon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/five-minutes-later-the-girls-stood-at-the-open-kitchen-door-blinking/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Flowers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/five-minutes-later-the-girls-stood-at-the-open-kitchen-door-blinking/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/heather-dixon-8872_flowers_five-minutes-later-the-girls-stood-at-th_349162.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/heather-dixon-8872_flowers_five-minutes-later-the-girls-stood-at-th_349162.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8c/heather-dixon-8872_flowers_five-minutes-later-the-girls-stood-at-th_349162.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Five minutes later, the girls stood at the open kitchen door, blinking in the brilliant overcast light. The…” — Heather Dixon", "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": "Heather Dixon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-dixon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Five minutes later, the girls stood...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/five-minutes-later-the-girls-stood-at-the-open-kitchen-door-blinking/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-dixon/five-minutes-later-the-girls-stood-at-the-open-kitchen-door-blinking/#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 } } ] } ```