--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As Ted sat, feeling the evolution of the…" description: "\"“As Ted sat, feeling the evolution of the afternoon, he found himself thinking of Susan. Not the slightly different version of Susan, but Susan herself..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/jennifer-egan-825_passage-of-time_as-ted-sat-feeling-the-evolution-of-the_238411.jpg" --- # As Ted sat, feeling the evolution of the afternoon, he… ![“As Ted sat, feeling the evolution of the afternoon, he found himself thinking of Susan. Not the slightly different version of Susan, but Susan herself — his wife — on a day many years ago, before Ted had begun folding up his desire into the tiny shape it had become. On a trip to New York, riding…” quote by Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/jennifer-egan-825_passage-of-time_as-ted-sat-feeling-the-evolution-of-the_238411.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/jennifer-egan-825_passage-of-time_as-ted-sat-feeling-the-evolution-of-the_238411.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c2f/jennifer-egan-825_passage-of-time_as-ted-sat-feeling-the-evolution-of-the_238411.jpg) > ““As Ted sat, feeling the evolution of the afternoon, he found himself thinking of Susan. Not the slightly different version of Susan, but Susan herself — his wife — on a day many years ago, before Ted had begun folding up his desire into the tiny shape it had become. On a trip to New York, riding the Staten Island Ferry for fun, because neither one of them had ever done it, Susan turned to him suddenly and said, "Let's make sure it's always like this." And so entwined were their thoughts at that point that Ted knew exactly why she'd said it: not because they'd made love that morning or drunk a bottle of Pouilly-Fuisse at lunch — because she'd felt the passage of time. And then Ted felt it, too, in the leaping brown water, the scudding boats and wind — motion, chaos everywhere — and he'd held Susan's hand and said, "Always. It will always be like this.”” [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) ## 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 cherishes a moment of timeless connection, recognizing love’s endurance despite life's chaos. **In simple terms:** Love can feel timeless in shared moments. Key Takeaway Cherish and protect those timeless moments. Themes love memory time connection Mood romantic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - marriage anniversaries - romantic trips - reflective conversations Key Concepts nostalgia ephemeral joy Questions to Reflect On - What moments make your relationships feel timeless? - How do you sustain that feeling? A Different Perspective Romantic idealism may overlook practical challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Entwined Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entwined-thoughts-2396820/) [Held Susan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/held-susan-2396823/) [Passage of time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passage-of-time/) [Susan Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/susan-wife-2396822/) [Thinking Susan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-susan-2396821/) [Time Ted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-ted-1604634/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) ## Related quotes > [I've been a Keanu Reeves fan for a very long time, since 'Bill and Ted' and 'Point Break' and stuff like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-middleditch/i-ve-been-a-keanu-reeves-fan-for-a-very-long-time-since-bill-and-ted/) [Thomas Middleditch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-middleditch/) > [I'm not sure if the passage of time affects our core identities so much as reveals them to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-m-not-sure-if-the-passage-of-time-affects-our-core-identities-so/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I love how close New York is to Europe; I love the seasons, and I don't think I could live without them. 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I know what’s going on because it’s the same thing that always happens: give me something nice, something I love or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/the-seconds-pass-i-know-what-s-going-on-because-it-s-the-same-thing/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I had this idea that I could hire myself out as a person to go on archeological digs and dig, without any training! I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-had-this-idea-that-i-could-hire-myself-out-as-a-person-to-go-on/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [At night, the house thick with sleep, she would peer out her bedroom window at the trees and sky and feel the presence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/at-night-the-house-thick-with-sleep-she-would-peer-out-her-bedroom/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I number my drafts, and by the time a book is done, I'll have 75 or 80 drafts of some sections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-number-my-drafts-and-by-the-time-a-book-is-done-i-ll-have-75-or-80/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Read at the level at which you want to write. 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Unlike their parents and grandparents, they grow up with very little sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-davies/young-people-have-to-learn-in-a-cocoon-filled-with-false-optimism/) [Norman Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-davies/) > [“The hardest thing to accept about the passage of time is that the people who mattered most to us are all wrapped up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/the-hardest-thing-to-accept-about-the-passage-of-time-is-that-the/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“But no, what interested him, psychologically speaking, was the sense of continuity itself, the mind's insistence that this was the same Regan he'd known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-risk-hallberg/but-no-what-interested-him-psychologically-speaking-was-the-sense-of/) [Garth Risk Hallberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-risk-hallberg/) > [“Books had always been a comfort to her. More than comfort. 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On a trip to New York, riding the Staten Island Ferry for fun, because neither one of them had ever done it, Susan turned to him suddenly and said, \"Let's make sure it's always like this.\" And so entwined were their thoughts at that point that Ted knew exactly why she'd said it: not because they'd made love that morning or drunk a bottle of Pouilly-Fuisse at lunch — because she'd felt the passage of time. And then Ted felt it, too, in the leaping brown water, the scudding boats and wind — motion, chaos everywhere — and he'd held Susan's hand and said, \"Always. 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