---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Alone, Roarke took the gray fabric button…"
description: "\"“Alone, Roarke took the gray fabric button from his pocket, the one he’d found on the floor of his limo. The one that had fallen from the jacket of tha..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae9/j-d-robb-662_first-time_alone-roarke-took-the-gray-fabric-button_2052867.jpg"
---

#  Alone, Roarke took the gray fabric button from his pocket…

![“Alone, Roarke took the gray fabric button from his pocket, the one he’d found on the floor of his limo. The one that had fallen from the jacket of that drab gray suit she’d worn the first time he’d seen her. Studying it, knowing he had no intention of giving it back to her, he felt like a fool.” quote by J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae9/j-d-robb-662_first-time_alone-roarke-took-the-gray-fabric-button_2052867.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae9/j-d-robb-662_first-time_alone-roarke-took-the-gray-fabric-button_2052867.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae9/j-d-robb-662_first-time_alone-roarke-took-the-gray-fabric-button_2052867.jpg)

> ““Alone, Roarke took the gray fabric button from his pocket, the one he’d found on the floor of his limo. The one that had fallen from the jacket of that drab gray suit she’d worn the first time he’d seen her. Studying it, knowing he had no intention of giving it back to her, he felt like a fool.””

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

## About This Quote

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

He feels foolish because he keeps a token from a woman he never intends to return, highlighting his lingering attachment and self‑deception.

**In simple terms:** He keeps a keeps, feeling foolish.

Key Takeaway

Recognize when clinging to symbols hurts.

Themes

love self‑deception attachment pride

Mood

conflicted melancholic

Type

literary character study

When to use this quote

- breakup reflection
- personal growth
- self‑awareness

Key Concepts

psychology symbolic objects emotional conflict

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the button represent for him?
- How does holding onto it affect his actions?

A Different Perspective

He may be avoiding confronting his true feelings.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fallen Jacket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fallen-jacket-3877414/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Gray Suit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gray-suit-1515910/) [Limo Fallen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limo-fallen-3877413/) [Roarke Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roarke-took-3877412/) [Took Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/took-gray-3877415/)

## Related quotes

> [“He was dressed in a dark gray suit handcrafted by his favorite tailor in Milan.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-battles/he-was-dressed-in-a-dark-gray-suit-handcrafted-by-his-favorite-tailor/)

[Brett Battles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-battles/)

> [The boy in the pearl gray suit could have been Jane's twin. His hair was darker, and his lips were not as full, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/the-boy-in-the-pearl-gray-suit-could-have-been-jane-s-twin-his-hair/)

[Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/)

> [“Stories have changed, my dear boy," the man in the gray suit says, his voice almost imperceptibly sad. "There are no more battles between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/stories-have-changed-my-dear-boy-the-man-in-the-gray-suit-says-his/)

[Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/)

> [“Dressed in an expensive-looking dark gray suit, the man was in his early sixties and had the air of one accustomed to giving orders,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwei-quartey/dressed-in-an-expensive-looking-dark-gray-suit-the-man-was-in-his/)

[Kwei Quartey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwei-quartey/)

> [If you saw me every day, you would actually think I am wearing the exact same gray suit,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-browne/if-you-saw-me-every-day-you-would-actually-think-i-am-wearing-the/)

[Thom Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-browne/)

> [“Standing on the deck of a San Francisco ferryboat, in a gray suit so precisely the same colour as the fog that he seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sean-greer/standing-on-the-deck-of-a-san-francisco-ferryboat-in-a-gray-suit-so/)

[Andrew Sean Greer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sean-greer/)

> [When my kids were in the school play for the first time, I decided I had to make the costumes from scratch and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-alexander/when-my-kids-were-in-the-school-play-for-the-first-time-i-decided-i/)

[Sarah Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-alexander/)

> [When I was in my twenties and just so sexually prolific, the first time I went to Machu Picchu, this guy, a spiritual teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-and-just-so-sexually-prolific-the-first/)

[Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/)

> [Life is like a parachute jump: you have to get it right the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-is-like-a-parachute-jump-you-have-to-get-it-right-the-first-time/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [“I won’t break your heart. For the first time in my life, I’ve found something worth fighting for, someone more important than me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelle-bliss/i-won-t-break-your-heart-for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-ve-found/)

[Chelle Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelle-bliss/)

> [“Treat every natural beauty you met as if you see them for the first and last time!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/treat-every-natural-beauty-you-met-as-if-you-see-them-for-the-first/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“I’m waiting for you,” he murmured, smiling a slow, familiar grin that seemed to hint at a secret between them. And for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/i-m-waiting-for-you-he-murmured-smiling-a-slow-familiar-grin-that/)

[Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/)

> [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/)

[Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/)

> [“I’m so stressed that a weird Olympic-style commentary starts up in my head. And here we have Zelah Green, the fourteen-year-old champion of rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-curtis/i-m-so-stressed-that-a-weird-olympic-style-commentary-starts-up-in-my/)

[Vanessa Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-curtis/)

> [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

## More by J.D. Robb

> [“The man could stop her heart, then send it into full gallop. Just a look at him. They’d been married more than two years,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/the-man-could-stop-her-heart-then-send-it-into-full-gallop-just-a/)

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

> [“When his mouth was on hers, when he could feel her about to shatter yet again, he plunged into her, knocking her over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/when-his-mouth-was-on-hers-when-he-could-feel-her-about-to-shatter/)

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

> [“So he found her. Most people would have said she was relaxed. But then, Roarke thought, most people didn’t really know and certainly didn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/so-he-found-her-most-people-would-have-said-she-was-relaxed-but-then/)

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

> [“Why is that? Why do we love each other?” “Because we are what we are, and we’re both okay with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/why-is-that-why-do-we-love-each-other-because-we-are-what-we-are-and/)

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

> [“People, she thought, could be unbelievably stupid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/people-she-thought-could-be-unbelievably-stupid/)

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

> [“Eve: “If you ended up naked and dead with another woman, I'd do the Rumba on your corpse.” Roarke: “You can't do the Rumba.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/eve-if-you-ended-up-naked-and-dead-with-another-woman-i-d-do-the/)

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

> [“Santa exists in the hearts of all true believers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/santa-exists-in-the-hearts-of-all-true-believers/)

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

> [“You'll stay in the surveillance vehicle and assist McNab. Any arguments from you, Detective?" she said, looking at McNab. "No. No, sir, Lieutenant." He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/you-ll-stay-in-the-surveillance-vehicle-and-assist-mcnab-any/)

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

> [“Eve woke, violently aroused. It was Roarke’s hands on her. She knew their texture, their rhythm. Her heart tripped against her ribs, then bounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/eve-woke-violently-aroused-it-was-roarke-s-hands-on-her-she-knew/)

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

> [“She took his mouth, gave it a nice little bite as she ground against him. "There you are," she murmured. "Well, you've left me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/she-took-his-mouth-gave-it-a-nice-little-bite-as-she-ground-against/)

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

> [“He watched, somewhat fascinated as she swished a slice of bacon through the pool of syrup. His steely-minded cop had the appetite of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/he-watched-somewhat-fascinated-as-she-swished-a-slice-of-bacon/)

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

> [“Eve: "Keep your mind off sex" Roake: "Why? It's so happy there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/eve-keep-your-mind-off-sex-roake-why-it-s-so-happy-there/)

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

> [“How can I love you and not be afraid? You’re my life, Eve, my heart. You’re asking, you’re wondering if I ever worry, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/how-can-i-love-you-and-not-be-afraid-you-re-my-life-eve-my-heart-you/)

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

> [“I will give you more pain than you can imagine. Your brains will leak out of your ears, and your bowels out of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/i-will-give-you-more-pain-than-you-can-imagine-your-brains-will-leak/)

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

> [“Lust dazzles, sure, at least for the short term. But love clears the vision. You see better, sharper, because you feel more than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/lust-dazzles-sure-at-least-for-the-short-term-but-love-clears-the/)

[J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

[Explore all 413 J.D. Robb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/)

## More First time quotes

> [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/)

[Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/)

> [“I’m so stressed that a weird Olympic-style commentary starts up in my head. And here we have Zelah Green, the fourteen-year-old champion of rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-curtis/i-m-so-stressed-that-a-weird-olympic-style-commentary-starts-up-in-my/)

[Vanessa Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-curtis/)

> [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/)

[Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/)

> [“I’m waiting for you,” he murmured, smiling a slow, familiar grin that seemed to hint at a secret between them. And for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/i-m-waiting-for-you-he-murmured-smiling-a-slow-familiar-grin-that/)

[Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/)

> [“Treat every natural beauty you met as if you see them for the first and last time!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/treat-every-natural-beauty-you-met-as-if-you-see-them-for-the-first/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“I won’t break your heart. For the first time in my life, I’ve found something worth fighting for, someone more important than me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelle-bliss/i-won-t-break-your-heart-for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-ve-found/)

[Chelle Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelle-bliss/)

> [Life is like a parachute jump: you have to get it right the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-is-like-a-parachute-jump-you-have-to-get-it-right-the-first-time/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [When I was in my twenties and just so sexually prolific, the first time I went to Machu Picchu, this guy, a spiritual teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-and-just-so-sexually-prolific-the-first/)

[Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/)

> [When my kids were in the school play for the first time, I decided I had to make the costumes from scratch and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-alexander/when-my-kids-were-in-the-school-play-for-the-first-time-i-decided-i/)

[Sarah Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-alexander/)

> [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/)

[Mennah al refaey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mennah-al-refaey/)

> [“Or maybe your magic isn't that destructive after all. The rain of Doritos, the bed thing,this...Maybe it's just that you create too big, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/or-maybe-your-magic-isn-t-that-destructive-after-all-the-rain-of/)

[Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/)

> [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/)

[Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/)

> [I don't know why, but everybody thinks that I'm short. When they see me for the first time, women are always surprised to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariah-carey/i-don-t-know-why-but-everybody-thinks-that-i-m-short-when-they-see-me/)

[Mariah Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariah-carey/)

> [“I met Suffering on a quiet road, just as the sun was setting behind me. Its presence was heavy, like an old coat I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/i-met-suffering-on-a-quiet-road-just-as-the-sun-was-setting-behind-me/)

[Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/)

> [“You never talk to the pitcher when…” He shook his head. “You just never talk to the pitcher when--” “I just wanted to congratulate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/you-never-talk-to-the-pitcher-when-he-shook-his-head-you-just-never/)

[Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/)

[Browse all 9,309 First time quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Alone, Roarke took the gray fabric button from his pocket, the one he’d found on the floor of his limo. The one that had fallen from the jacket of that drab gray suit she’d worn the first time he’d seen her. Studying it, knowing he had no intention of giving it back to her, he felt like a fool.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "J.D. Robb"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/alone-roarke-took-the-gray-fabric-button-from-his-pocket-the-one-he-d/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "First time"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/alone-roarke-took-the-gray-fabric-button-from-his-pocket-the-one-he-d/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae9/j-d-robb-662_first-time_alone-roarke-took-the-gray-fabric-button_2052867.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae9/j-d-robb-662_first-time_alone-roarke-took-the-gray-fabric-button_2052867.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae9/j-d-robb-662_first-time_alone-roarke-took-the-gray-fabric-button_2052867.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Alone, Roarke took the gray fabric button from his pocket, the one he’d found on the floor of his limo. The…” — J.D. Robb",
                "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": "J.D. Robb",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Alone, Roarke took the gray fabric...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/alone-roarke-took-the-gray-fabric-button-from-his-pocket-the-one-he-d/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/alone-roarke-took-the-gray-fabric-button-from-his-pocket-the-one-he-d/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
