---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Two or three times it occurred to Gjorg…"
description: "\"“Two or three times it occurred to Gjorg that all these men had killed, and that each had his story. But those stories were locked deep within them. It..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d62/ismail-kadar-13224_three-times_two-or-three-times-it-occurred-to-gjorg_2952389.jpg"
---

#  Two or three times it occurred to Gjorg that all these men…

![“Two or three times it occurred to Gjorg that all these men had killed, and that each had his story. But those stories were locked deep within them. It was not just chance that in the glow of the fire their mouths, and even more their jaws, looked as if they had the shape of certain antique locks.” quote by Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d62/ismail-kadar-13224_three-times_two-or-three-times-it-occurred-to-gjorg_2952389.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d62/ismail-kadar-13224_three-times_two-or-three-times-it-occurred-to-gjorg_2952389.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d62/ismail-kadar-13224_three-times_two-or-three-times-it-occurred-to-gjorg_2952389.jpg)

> ““Two or three times it occurred to Gjorg that all these men had killed, and that each had his story. But those stories were locked deep within them. It was not just chance that in the glow of the fire their mouths, and even more their jaws, looked as if they had the shape of certain antique locks.””

[Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

## About This Quote

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

Describes men whose locked stories are hidden, likened to antique locks in firelight.

**In simple terms:** Men’s hidden stories are like locked antique locks.

Key Takeaway

Seek deeper narratives beyond appearances.

Themes

memory trauma history

Mood

poetic reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- historical research
- psychotherapy
- storytelling

Key Concepts

psychology literary symbolism

Questions to Reflect On

- What do the locked stories symbolize?
- How does firelight affect perception?

A Different Perspective

Complex metaphor may be obscure.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

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

## Related quotes

> [“was emotionally true because I had already grown to feel that there existed men against whom I was powerless, men who could violate my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wright/was-emotionally-true-because-i-had-already-grown-to-feel-that-there/)

[Richard Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wright/)

> [“When we keep our stories locked up inside of us, darkness wins. We must share what we’ve lived, what we’ve learned, and how we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-gagnon/when-we-keep-our-stories-locked-up-inside-of-us-darkness-wins-we-must/)

Laura Gagnon

> [“Four men killed that day. The phrase sat up in Willie's head like a rat and made a nest for itself there”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-barry/four-men-killed-that-day-the-phrase-sat-up-in-willie-s-head-like-a/)

[Sebastian Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-barry/)

> [“Exactly how many men have you killed here?” Apollo said. “We’re like the police,” Cal said. “We don’t track those numbers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-lavalle/exactly-how-many-men-have-you-killed-here-apollo-said-we-re-like-the/)

[Victor LaValle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-lavalle/)

> [As men are killed by fighting, the truth is lost in disputing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-vaughan/as-men-are-killed-by-fighting-the-truth-is-lost-in-disputing/)

[Henry Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-vaughan/)

> [“To put your trust in men is to get yourself killed a little.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/to-put-your-trust-in-men-is-to-get-yourself-killed-a-little/)

[Louis-Ferdinand Céline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/)

> [The young bloods of the South: sons of planters, lawyers about towns, good billiard-players and sportsmen, men who never did any work and never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-tecumseh-sherman/the-young-bloods-of-the-south-sons-of-planters-lawyers-about-towns-2/)

[William Tecumseh Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-tecumseh-sherman/)

> [“Carnegie: And who are you? Eli: Nobody. Carnegie: Oh, I doubt that. The men you killed in my bar, now they were nobody.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/book-of-eli-movie/carnegie-and-who-are-you-eli-nobody-carnegie-oh-i-doubt-that-the-men/)

Book of Eli Movie

> [On reaching the place where the Indians had surprised us, we found the bodies of the three men whom they had killed and scalped,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buffalo-bill/on-reaching-the-place-where-the-indians-had-surprised-us-we-found-the/)

[Buffalo Bill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buffalo-bill/)

> [Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/men-killed-and-died-because-they-were-embarrassed-not-to/)

[Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/)

> [“We'd be the safest country in the world if the world knew we didn't have a gun. Men are not killed because they get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-rankin/we-d-be-the-safest-country-in-the-world-if-the-world-knew-we-didn-t/)

[Jeannette Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-rankin/)

> [“And with returning awareness, he saw as if for the first time the bodies of the men that he had killed to get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-pacat/and-with-returning-awareness-he-saw-as-if-for-the-first-time-the/)

[C.S. Pacat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-pacat/)

> [“The men who killed your monsters weren’t heroes. They were even more frightening.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-henry/the-men-who-killed-your-monsters-weren-t-heroes-they-were-even-more/)

[Lisa Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-henry/)

> [“Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/men-killed-and-died-because-they-were-embarrassed-not-to-it-was-what/)

[Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/)

> [The young bloods of the South; sons of planters, lawyers about towns, good billiard players and sportsmen, men who never did any work and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-tecumseh-sherman/the-young-bloods-of-the-south-sons-of-planters-lawyers-about-towns/)

[William Tecumseh Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-tecumseh-sherman/)

## More by Ismail Kadaré

> [And everything would be different, different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/and-everything-would-be-different-different/)

[Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

> [“This is how things come to pass in the world,' one of the princes is supposed to have said. 'Blood flows one way in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/this-is-how-things-come-to-pass-in-the-world-one-of-the-princes-is/)

[Ismail Kadare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

> [“Thick smoke like a herd of black horses was rising over the massive building and being blown around by the wind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/thick-smoke-like-a-herd-of-black-horses-was-rising-over-the-massive/)

[Ismail Kadare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

> [“Divizije, pukovnije, batoljoni, čete, jedinice svih vrsta pomiješat će se u gomili lijesova. Potom će ih ukrcati u veliki brod koji će tromo isploviti…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/divizije-pukovnije-batoljoni-ete-jedinice-svih-vrsta-pomije-at-e-se-u/)

[Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

> [“At street corners, where walls join, I thought I could see some familiar features, like outlines of human faces, the shadows of cheekbones and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/at-street-corners-where-walls-join-i-thought-i-could-see-some/)

[Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

> [“E ke menduar se po te largohesh kaq shume nga jeta njerezore, nga ajo qe ti me perbuzje e quan "malli i jetes", mund…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/e-ke-menduar-se-po-te-largohesh-kaq-shume-nga-jeta-njerezore-nga-ajo/)

[Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

> [“The pyramid is the pillar that holds power aloft. If it wavers,everything collapses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/the-pyramid-is-the-pillar-that-holds-power-aloft-if-it-wavers/)

[Ismail Kadare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

> [“My streets, my cistern. My old house. Its beams, floorboards and staircase creaked slightly, almost imperceptibly, with a dry, uniform, almost constant cracking sound.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/my-streets-my-cistern-my-old-house-its-beams-floorboards-and/)

[Ismail Kadare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

> [“Some people,” the Vizier went on, “think it’s the world of anxieties and dreams – your world, in short – that governs this one.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/some-people-the-vizier-went-on-think-it-s-the-world-of-anxieties-and/)

[Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

> [Who in the world has not yearned for a loved one, has never said, If only he or she could come back just once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/who-in-the-world-has-not-yearned-for-a-loved-one-has-never-said-if/)

[Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

> [“Who can say it’s not what we see with our eyes open that is distorted, and that what’s described here isn’t the true essence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/who-can-say-it-s-not-what-we-see-with-our-eyes-open-that-is-distorted/)

[Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

> [“Sunday had spread all over the city. It looked as if the sun had smacked into the earth and broken into pieces and chunks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/sunday-had-spread-all-over-the-city-it-looked-as-if-the-sun-had/)

[Ismail Kadare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

> [Dictatorship and authentic literature are incompatible... The writer is the natural enemy of dictatorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/dictatorship-and-authentic-literature-are-incompatible-the-writer-is/)

[Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

> [I could not understand how people could not like something as beautiful as the aerodrome. But I had lately become convinced that in general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/i-could-not-understand-how-people-could-not-like-something-as/)

[Ismail Kadaré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

> [“I couldn't get to sleep. The book lay nearby. A thin object on the divan. So strange. Between two cardboard covers were noises, doors,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/i-couldn-t-get-to-sleep-the-book-lay-nearby-a-thin-object-on-the/)

[Ismail Kadare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

[Explore all 43 Ismail Kadaré quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/)

## More Three times quotes

> [I mean, we never ever really did it like that, really. I mean, you know, we loosely did it like that, but we never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/medeski-martin-and-wood/i-mean-we-never-ever-really-did-it-like-that-really-i-mean-you-know/)

[Medeski Martin And Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/medeski-martin-and-wood/)

> [“Please could I say one word?" was the question three times repeated before a rough head boobed out from the grotto of books in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/please-could-i-say-one-word-was-the-question-three-times-repeated/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I am one of the people who just doesn't enjoy watching myself. I wish I could! I've seen 'Deadpool' three times; the third time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brianna-hildebrand/i-am-one-of-the-people-who-just-doesn-t-enjoy-watching-myself-i-wish/)

[Brianna Hildebrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brianna-hildebrand/)

> [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [There's a place in Botswana where there are 100,000 elephants living in a single population. Think of the amount of space they need. Remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-bergin/there-s-a-place-in-botswana-where-there-are-100-000-elephants-living/)

[Patrick Bergin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-bergin/)

> [I don't practise it that much, maybe two or three times a week. It's a natural skill that I have, to hit long balls,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ederson/i-don-t-practise-it-that-much-maybe-two-or-three-times-a-week-it-s-a/)

[Ederson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ederson/)

> [I have always been a firm believer in participation so there were no cuts. We practiced three times a week but if a student…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-brown/i-have-always-been-a-firm-believer-in-participation-so-there-were-no/)

Tony Brown

> [Letters crossing in the post, unfamiliar tunes heard three times in one day, the way that blows of fate descend upon the same bowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/letters-crossing-in-the-post-unfamiliar-tunes-heard-three-times-in/)

[Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/)

> [“It must be the top drawer," he reflected. "So she carries the keys in a pocket on the right. All in one bunch on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoyevsky/it-must-be-the-top-drawer-he-reflected-so-she-carries-the-keys-in-a/)

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

> [I loved 'Celebrity Fit Club,' working out six days a week, running a mile and a half three times a week, and doing 1,000…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralphie-may/i-loved-celebrity-fit-club-working-out-six-days-a-week-running-a-mile/)

[Ralphie May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralphie-may/)

> [It's easier for me to get three times the amount of money I really want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-forsyth/it-s-easier-for-me-to-get-three-times-the-amount-of-money-i-really/)

[Bill Forsyth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-forsyth/)

> [I'm bonkers about juicing. I got into it when I lived in L.A. - I'd juice three times a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poppy-delevingne/i-m-bonkers-about-juicing-i-got-into-it-when-i-lived-in-l-a-i-d-juice/)

[Poppy Delevingne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poppy-delevingne/)

> [I have only put my reputation on the line three times with people, Cesaro being one of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/i-have-only-put-my-reputation-on-the-line-three-times-with-people/)

[William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/)

> [“I wonder what God would do for our nations if all Christians would worship God—truly worship Him as Daniel did three times a day.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-malz/i-wonder-what-god-would-do-for-our-nations-if-all-christians-would/)

[Betty Malz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-malz/)

> [I think white women need to wake up and say, 'Not all women are white,' three times in front of the mirror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/i-think-white-women-need-to-wake-up-and-say-not-all-women-are-white/)

[Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/)

Browse all 1,419 Three times quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Two or three times it occurred to Gjorg that all these men had killed, and that each had his story. But those stories were locked deep within them. It was not just chance that in the glow of the fire their mouths, and even more their jaws, looked as if they had the shape of certain antique locks.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ismail Kadaré"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/two-or-three-times-it-occurred-to-gjorg-that-all-these-men-had-killed/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Three times"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/two-or-three-times-it-occurred-to-gjorg-that-all-these-men-had-killed/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d62/ismail-kadar-13224_three-times_two-or-three-times-it-occurred-to-gjorg_2952389.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d62/ismail-kadar-13224_three-times_two-or-three-times-it-occurred-to-gjorg_2952389.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d62/ismail-kadar-13224_three-times_two-or-three-times-it-occurred-to-gjorg_2952389.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Two or three times it occurred to Gjorg that all these men had killed, and that each had his story. But…” — Ismail Kadaré",
                "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": "Ismail Kadaré",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismail-kadar/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Two or three times it occurred...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/two-or-three-times-it-occurred-to-gjorg-that-all-these-men-had-killed/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismail-kadar/two-or-three-times-it-occurred-to-gjorg-that-all-these-men-had-killed/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
