--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Varina was breathing hard through her…" description: "\"“Varina was breathing hard through her nose, her face pinched, not unlike a child’s. “You don’t know how mad you can make people,” she said. “I had ten..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/james-lee-burke-2289_children_varina-was-breathing-hard-through-her-no_1745034.jpg" --- # Varina was breathing hard through her nose, her face… ![“Varina was breathing hard through her nose, her face pinched, not unlike a child’s. “You don’t know how mad you can make people,” she said. “I had tender feelings for you once, whether you knew it or not. But you’re a shit, Dave Robicheaux.” quote by James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/james-lee-burke-2289_children_varina-was-breathing-hard-through-her-no_1745034.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/james-lee-burke-2289_children_varina-was-breathing-hard-through-her-no_1745034.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/james-lee-burke-2289_children_varina-was-breathing-hard-through-her-no_1745034.jpg) > ““Varina was breathing hard through her nose, her face pinched, not unlike a child’s. “You don’t know how mad you can make people,” she said. “I had tender feelings for you once, whether you knew it or not. But you’re a shit, Dave Robicheaux.”” [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character confronts anger, revealing hidden affection and betrayal, ending with harsh accusation. **In simple terms:** Anger reveals hidden feelings and betrayal. Key Takeaway Recognize and address underlying emotions. Themes anger betrayal love Mood dramatic intense Type literary psychological When to use this quote - personal relationships - conflict resolution - creative writing Key Concepts psychology character study Questions to Reflect On - What drives someone to lash out? - How can forgiveness be offered? A Different Perspective Harsh words can damage relationships beyond repair. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Tender feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tender-feelings/) ## Related quotes > [“Work hard, keep your nose clean, and just stick around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/work-hard-keep-your-nose-clean-and-just-stick-around/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [I'm sort of a hard-nose at times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-paycheck/i-m-sort-of-a-hard-nose-at-times/) [Johnny Paycheck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-paycheck/) > [Is it not enough that we are torn from our country and friends, to toil for your luxury and lust of gain? Must every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaudah-equiano/is-it-not-enough-that-we-are-torn-from-our-country-and-friends-to/) Olaudah Equiano > [Men may feel just disempowered by intimacy, by being close to a woman, and also by feeling the tender feelings that they're ashamed of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/men-may-feel-just-disempowered-by-intimacy-by-being-close-to-a-woman/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Have you ever stopped to consider the power of words? Through mere words, wars have started and ended. Tender feelings have been hurt and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-wright/have-you-ever-stopped-to-consider-the-power-of-words-through-mere/) [Randall Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-wright/) > [We love music for the buried hopes, the garnered memories, the tender feelings it can summon at a touch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-elizabeth-landon/we-love-music-for-the-buried-hopes-the-garnered-memories-the-tender/) [Letitia Elizabeth Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-elizabeth-landon/) > [The greatest barrier to own own healing is not the pain, sorrow or violence inflicted upon us as children. Our greatest hindrance is our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-muller/the-greatest-barrier-to-own-own-healing-is-not-the-pain-sorrow-or/) [Wayne Muller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-muller/) > [Art is the best possible introduction to the culture of the world. I love it for the buried hopes, the garnered memories, the tender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-is-the-best-possible-introduction-to-the-culture-of-the-world-i/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [If youre ever going to love me, love me now while I can know. All the sweet and tender feelings which from real affection…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-youre-ever-going-to-love-me-love-me-now-while-i-can-know-all-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I will not deny that my heart has long occupied itself with the most tender feelings for another. So strong were these impulses that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/galen-beckett/i-will-not-deny-that-my-heart-has-long-occupied-itself-with-the-most/) [Galen Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/galen-beckett/) > [“Stories begin when the last chapter says goodbye, when the last of tender feelings have seen their end, when two people release their saddest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayita-bhattacharjee/stories-begin-when-the-last-chapter-says-goodbye-when-the-last-of/) [Jayita Bhattacharjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayita-bhattacharjee/) > [We would liken music to Aladdin's lamp — worthless in itself, not so for the spirits which obey its call. We love it for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-elizabeth-landon/we-would-liken-music-to-aladdin-s-lamp-worthless-in-itself-not-so-for/) [Letitia Elizabeth Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-elizabeth-landon/) > [We have a society in which one of the greatest things you can do is a platform to see victim status, and one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-hume/we-have-a-society-in-which-one-of-the-greatest-things-you-can-do-is-a/) [Brit Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-hume/) > [“His pinched expression looks like he just smelled his own asshole.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-scott/his-pinched-expression-looks-like-he-just-smelled-his-own-asshole/) [Victoria Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-scott/) > [“He pinched the remaining chapters’ pages delicately between his fingers and sighed. He always hated reaching the end of a good book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-e-zapanta/he-pinched-the-remaining-chapters-pages-delicately-between-his/) [David S.E. Zapanta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-e-zapanta/) ## More by James Lee Burke > [“Why don’t you try to make me feel bad?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/why-don-t-you-try-to-make-me-feel-bad/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [ But the participants \[in war\] never forgot the details of their experience, and like the Wandering Jew, they were condemned to remain their own… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/but-the-participants-in-war-never-forgot-the-details-of-their/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“A wet cigarette butt clung to my cheek like a mashed cockroach. I could smell whiskey and beer in my clothes and Gable’s blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/a-wet-cigarette-butt-clung-to-my-cheek-like-a-mashed-cockroach-i/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“And I suppose that what I have learned is a lesson that the years, or self-concern, had begun to hide from me, namely, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/and-i-suppose-that-what-i-have-learned-is-a-lesson-that-the-years-or/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“The Homeric Epic does not have to be discovered inside a book; it begins just west of Fort Worth and extends all the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/the-homeric-epic-does-not-have-to-be-discovered-inside-a-book-it/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“The best moments in life are not the kind many historians record.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/the-best-moments-in-life-are-not-the-kind-many-historians-record/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“I would almost forget about Ida Durbin. But a sin of omission, if indeed that's what it was, can be like the rusty head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/i-would-almost-forget-about-ida-durbin-but-a-sin-of-omission-if/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [The best thing about being a best-selling writer is being a best-selling writer. More seriously, today I can write full time and pay the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/the-best-thing-about-being-a-best-selling-writer-is-being-a-best/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [If there is any human tragedy, there is only one, and it occurs when we forget who we are and remain silent while a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/if-there-is-any-human-tragedy-there-is-only-one-and-it-occurs-when-we/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [I sometimes subscribe to the belief that all historical events occur simultaneously, like a dream in the mind of God. Perhaps it is only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/i-sometimes-subscribe-to-the-belief-that-all-historical-events-occur/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“If people stick together, they can always make do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/if-people-stick-together-they-can-always-make-do/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“When a man molests a woman or girl, he steals her identity. You don't know who you are anymore. You don't have an address…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/when-a-man-molests-a-woman-or-girl-he-steals-her-identity-you-don-t/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [writing is like being in love. You never get better at it or learn more about it. The day you think you do is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/writing-is-like-being-in-love-you-never-get-better-at-it-or-learn/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“beautiful street in the Western world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/beautiful-street-in-the-western-world/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [Using a first-person narrator is simply a matter of hearing the voice inside yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/using-a-first-person-narrator-is-simply-a-matter-of-hearing-the-voice/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) [Explore all 169 James Lee Burke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Varina was breathing hard through her nose, her face pinched, not unlike a child’s. “You don’t know how mad you can make people,” she said. “I had tender feelings for you once, whether you knew it or not. But you’re a shit, Dave Robicheaux.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Lee Burke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/varina-was-breathing-hard-through-her-nose-her-face-pinched-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/varina-was-breathing-hard-through-her-nose-her-face-pinched-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/james-lee-burke-2289_children_varina-was-breathing-hard-through-her-no_1745034.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/james-lee-burke-2289_children_varina-was-breathing-hard-through-her-no_1745034.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce8/james-lee-burke-2289_children_varina-was-breathing-hard-through-her-no_1745034.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Varina was breathing hard through her nose, her face pinched, not unlike a child’s. “You don’t know how mad…” — James Lee Burke", "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": "James Lee Burke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Varina was breathing hard through her...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/varina-was-breathing-hard-through-her-nose-her-face-pinched-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/varina-was-breathing-hard-through-her-nose-her-face-pinched-not/#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 } } ] } ```