--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They ate dinner in silence. Her husband…" description: "\"“They ate dinner in silence. Her husband did not look at her. her face annoyed him, he did not know why. She could be good-looking but there were times..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f44/james-salter-2584_awesome-metaphors_they-ate-dinner-in-silence-her-husband-d_3127572.jpg" --- # They ate dinner in silence. Her husband did not look at… ![“They ate dinner in silence. Her husband did not look at her. her face annoyed him, he did not know why. She could be good-looking but there were times when she was not. Her face was like a series of photographs, some of which ought to have been thrown away. Tonight it was like that.” quote by James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f44/james-salter-2584_awesome-metaphors_they-ate-dinner-in-silence-her-husband-d_3127572.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f44/james-salter-2584_awesome-metaphors_they-ate-dinner-in-silence-her-husband-d_3127572.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f44/james-salter-2584_awesome-metaphors_they-ate-dinner-in-silence-her-husband-d_3127572.jpg) > ““They ate dinner in silence. Her husband did not look at her. her face annoyed him, he did not know why. She could be good-looking but there were times when she was not. Her face was like a series of photographs, some of which ought to have been thrown away. Tonight it was like that.”” [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A couple’s dinner is marked by silence and unspoken tension, hinting at deeper emotional distance and unresolved feelings. **In simple terms:** Silent dinner shows hidden strain. Key Takeaway Notice unspoken signs. Themes relationships communication intimacy Mood melancholic reflective Type literary observational When to use this quote - marriage - dinner conversation - conflict resolution Key Concepts psychology emotional distance Questions to Reflect On - What unspoken feelings are present? - How can you address silent tension? A Different Perspective Silence may mask deeper issues that need dialogue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dinner/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) ## Related quotes > [“But the silence in her husband's ear was never more to be broken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-the-silence-in-her-husband-s-ear-was-never-more-to-be-broken/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Early on I set out to write the next Great American Novel, and then later on I set out the silverware and enjoyed my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/early-on-i-set-out-to-write-the-next-great-american-novel-and-then/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [In the past, the poverty they shared had a certain sweetness about it. When the end of the day came and they would eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/in-the-past-the-poverty-they-shared-had-a-certain-sweetness-about-it/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I'm from a very close-knit family, and there was something very... I guess you could say normal, about it, and I so appreciate that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-mcadams/i-m-from-a-very-close-knit-family-and-there-was-something-very-i/) [Rachel McAdams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-mcadams/) > [I had very few friends. We always ate dinner with our parents. We didn't want to go out. American adolescence was a lot wilder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-lin/i-had-very-few-friends-we-always-ate-dinner-with-our-parents-we-didn/) [Maya Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-lin/) > [“He whirled round and round in his rapid love; it pricked him on the breastbone like a needle. He wanted to be shut up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/he-whirled-round-and-round-in-his-rapid-love-it-pricked-him-on-the/) [Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) > [“Saku's figure before me looked like a morning glory drawn with one stroke of the brush. My only regret was that the drawing was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soseki-natsume/saku-s-figure-before-me-looked-like-a-morning-glory-drawn-with-one/) [Sōseki Natsume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soseki-natsume/) > [“He lit his cigar and sat back at peace with the world; I, too, was at peace in another world than his. We both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/he-lit-his-cigar-and-sat-back-at-peace-with-the-world-i-too-was-at/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [“Kiyo, what would you do if all of a sudden I weren't here any more?' Satoko asked, her words coming in a rushed whisper.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/kiyo-what-would-you-do-if-all-of-a-sudden-i-weren-t-here-any-more/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) > [“Alcoholism is...an incurable disease. You will have it for life. Just like you can't turn a pickle back into a cucumber.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideo-azuma/alcoholism-is-an-incurable-disease-you-will-have-it-for-life-just/) Hideo Azuma > [“In the leaping light, as the fresh wood blazed up, Frodo saw many grey shapes spring over the ring of stones. More and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/in-the-leaping-light-as-the-fresh-wood-blazed-up-frodo-saw-many-grey/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“Human beings, Isao realized, could descend to communicating their feelings like dogs barking in the distance on a cold night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/human-beings-isao-realized-could-descend-to-communicating-their/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) > [Teacher: You should know this!You learned it 3 years ago! Me:Bitch, I don't even remember what I ate for dinner last night!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/teacher-you-should-know-this-you-learned-it-3-years-ago-me-bitch-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Yes. I long to break you. It’s all I’ve been thinking about since we ate dinner last night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-wright/yes-i-long-to-break-you-it-s-all-i-ve-been-thinking-about-since-we/) [Kenya Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-wright/) > [“In the evenings, my father and I ate dinner quietly in front of the TV together. Wednesday night, Thursday. Frozen dinners I'd picked out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/in-the-evenings-my-father-and-i-ate-dinner-quietly-in-front-of-the-tv/) [Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/) ## More by James Salter > [It seems to me that literature is giving way a little bit to the immediacy of other diversions, other forms of entertainment. What will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/it-seems-to-me-that-literature-is-giving-way-a-little-bit-to-the/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Women fall in love when they get to know you. Men are just the opposite. When they finally know you they're ready to leave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/women-fall-in-love-when-they-get-to-know-you-men-are-just-the/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Not necessarily narrow so much as impatient, intense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/not-necessarily-narrow-so-much-as-impatient-intense/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [I write in longhand. I am accustomed to that proximity, that feel of writing. Then I sit down and type.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/i-write-in-longhand-i-am-accustomed-to-that-proximity-that-feel-of/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [A writer writes a book. People read it. You don't know what they're reading, really. You read a review and think, "That is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/a-writer-writes-a-book-people-read-it-you-don-t-know-what-they-re/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“Strauss’s, for instance, which begins in the heavens. The artist doesn’t ascend to glory, he appears in it, he already has it and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/strauss-s-for-instance-which-begins-in-the-heavens-the-artist-doesn-t/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Normally, what you’re envious of is a book, not a writer: standards, ideas, levels … almost nonexistent things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/normally-what-you-re-envious-of-is-a-book-not-a-writer-standards/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Sometimes I write with a particular person in mind. I think it's fair to say that I write for a perceptive reader. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/sometimes-i-write-with-a-particular-person-in-mind-i-think-it-s-fair/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [Lots of scripts are written and not made, even scripts that people want to make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/lots-of-scripts-are-written-and-not-made-even-scripts-that-people/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [I'd given up everything to be a writer, and if I didn't then go on to do that - to write - then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/i-d-given-up-everything-to-be-a-writer-and-if-i-didn-t-then-go-on-to/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“One should not believe too easily in a life which can easily vanish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/one-should-not-believe-too-easily-in-a-life-which-can-easily-vanish/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“Life is separated by scars, like the rings in the inside of a tree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/life-is-separated-by-scars-like-the-rings-in-the-inside-of-a-tree/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [“Dean is still asleep. His clothes are strewn about. The shutters are closed. He never dreams. He’s like a dead musician, like a spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/dean-is-still-asleep-his-clothes-are-strewn-about-the-shutters-are/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [The dreams are the skeleton of all reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/the-dreams-are-the-skeleton-of-all-reality/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [There came a time when I felt I was not going to be satisfied with life unless I could write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/there-came-a-time-when-i-felt-i-was-not-going-to-be-satisfied-with/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) [Explore all 156 James Salter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) ## More Awesome-metaphors quotes > [“In the leaping light, as the fresh wood blazed up, Frodo saw many grey shapes spring over the ring of stones. More and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/in-the-leaping-light-as-the-fresh-wood-blazed-up-frodo-saw-many-grey/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“Alcoholism is...an incurable disease. You will have it for life. Just like you can't turn a pickle back into a cucumber.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideo-azuma/alcoholism-is-an-incurable-disease-you-will-have-it-for-life-just/) Hideo Azuma > [“Kiyo, what would you do if all of a sudden I weren't here any more?' Satoko asked, her words coming in a rushed whisper.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/kiyo-what-would-you-do-if-all-of-a-sudden-i-weren-t-here-any-more/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) > [“He lit his cigar and sat back at peace with the world; I, too, was at peace in another world than his. We both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/he-lit-his-cigar-and-sat-back-at-peace-with-the-world-i-too-was-at/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [“Saku's figure before me looked like a morning glory drawn with one stroke of the brush. My only regret was that the drawing was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soseki-natsume/saku-s-figure-before-me-looked-like-a-morning-glory-drawn-with-one/) [Sōseki Natsume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soseki-natsume/) > [“He whirled round and round in his rapid love; it pricked him on the breastbone like a needle. He wanted to be shut up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-stafford/he-whirled-round-and-round-in-his-rapid-love-it-pricked-him-on-the/) [Jean Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-stafford/) > [“Human beings, Isao realized, could descend to communicating their feelings like dogs barking in the distance on a cold night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/human-beings-isao-realized-could-descend-to-communicating-their/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) Browse all 8 Awesome-metaphors quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They ate dinner in silence. Her husband did not look at her. her face annoyed him, he did not know why. She could be good-looking but there were times when she was not. Her face was like a series of photographs, some of which ought to have been thrown away. Tonight it was like that.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Salter" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/they-ate-dinner-in-silence-her-husband-did-not-look-at-her-her-face/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Awesome-metaphors" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/they-ate-dinner-in-silence-her-husband-did-not-look-at-her-her-face/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f44/james-salter-2584_awesome-metaphors_they-ate-dinner-in-silence-her-husband-d_3127572.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f44/james-salter-2584_awesome-metaphors_they-ate-dinner-in-silence-her-husband-d_3127572.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f44/james-salter-2584_awesome-metaphors_they-ate-dinner-in-silence-her-husband-d_3127572.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They ate dinner in silence. Her husband did not look at her. her face annoyed him, he did not know why. She…” — James Salter", "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 Salter", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“They ate dinner in silence. Her...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/they-ate-dinner-in-silence-her-husband-did-not-look-at-her-her-face/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/they-ate-dinner-in-silence-her-husband-did-not-look-at-her-her-face/#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 } } ] } ```