---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And Pasquale forced himself to look away…"
description: "\"“And Pasquale forced himself to look away from her then. It was like prying a magnet off steel, but he did it: he turned forward in the boat, closed hi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/jess-walter-2228_young-man_and-pasquale-forced-himself-to-look-away_156706.jpg"
---

#  And Pasquale forced himself to look away from her then. It…

![“And Pasquale forced himself to look away from her then. It was like prying a magnet off steel, but he did it: he turned forward in the boat, closed his eyes, still seeing her standing there in his memory. He shook with the strain of not looking back until they rounded the breakwater into the open…” quote by Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/jess-walter-2228_young-man_and-pasquale-forced-himself-to-look-away_156706.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/jess-walter-2228_young-man_and-pasquale-forced-himself-to-look-away_156706.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/jess-walter-2228_young-man_and-pasquale-forced-himself-to-look-away_156706.jpg)

> ““And Pasquale forced himself to look away from her then. It was like prying a magnet off steel, but he did it: he turned forward in the boat, closed his eyes, still seeing her standing there in his memory. He shook with the strain of not looking back until they rounded the breakwater into the open sea and Pasquale exhaled, his head falling to his chest. "You are a strange young man," Tomasso the Communist said.””

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

## About This Quote

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

A man struggles to ignore a painful memory, feeling the effort like pulling a magnet from steel, until he finally releases it.

**In simple terms:** He fights to forget a painful image, finally letting go.

Key Takeaway

Allow yourself to release painful memories.

Themes

memory pain release inner conflict

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

literary emotional

When to use this quote

- relationship breakup
- traumatic memory
- personal growth
- mindfulness

Key Concepts

psychology attachment grief

Questions to Reflect On

- What memory are you holding onto?
- How can you gently let go?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may over‑dramatically simplify complex emotional processing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [“A dock worker from East Ham also spoke of freedom. "You'll never find the English going Communist" he said. "We don't like it. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-gellhorn/a-dock-worker-from-east-ham-also-spoke-of-freedom-you-ll-never-find/)

[Martha Gellhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-gellhorn/)

> [They have found absolutely nothing to connect us with the Communist Party of the United States. In regards to your question about whether I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-harvey-oswald/they-have-found-absolutely-nothing-to-connect-us-with-the-communist/)

[Lee Harvey Oswald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-harvey-oswald/)

> [I told you I'd never leave you, and you told me the same. But as your brown eyes walked away I couldn't help but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-told-you-i-d-never-leave-you-and-you-told-me-the-same-but-as-your/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Every crime like this needs someone like me to look away and say nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mccaughrean/every-crime-like-this-needs-someone-like-me-to-look-away-and-say/)

[Geraldine McCaughrean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mccaughrean/)

> [Sometimes...it's too hard to look away from you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-it-s-too-hard-to-look-away-from-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [This is love if it's not with you, a terrible fiery something that makes people look away, and it feels like a punch in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/this-is-love-if-it-s-not-with-you-a-terrible-fiery-something-that/)

[Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/)

> [“Somewhere in the depths of my subconscious, I knew what I was watching might be the final straw, might finally split a tenuous crack,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-wright/somewhere-in-the-depths-of-my-subconscious-i-knew-what-i-was-watching/)

[Melissa Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-wright/)

> [“And then some guy wandering as lost as you would all of a sudden be right before your eyes, his face bigger and clearer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-kesey/and-then-some-guy-wandering-as-lost-as-you-would-all-of-a-sudden-be/)

[Ken Kesey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-kesey/)

> [“Im looking at you 'cause i can't look away" -Finn”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/im-looking-at-you-cause-i-can-t-look-away-finn/)

[Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/)

> [“Whatever it is that’s making you cry, look away from it. It doesn’t have you. I do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-a-bartol/whatever-it-is-that-s-making-you-cry-look-away-from-it-it-doesn-t/)

[Amy A. Bartol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-a-bartol/)

> [“When you are facing down a man, look him in the eye until he looks away. Most cowards and bullies will look away first,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-are-facing-down-a-man-look-him-in-the-eye-until-he-looks/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It hurts me so much to look you in the eyes now knowing that I used no never want to look away from them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tailaskie/it-hurts-me-so-much-to-look-you-in-the-eyes-now-knowing-that-i-used/)

Tailaskie

> [“The dumbest dog can sit and watch. What takes brains is knowing when to look away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/the-dumbest-dog-can-sit-and-watch-what-takes-brains-is-knowing-when/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [Every time you look at me, I look away Every time you look away, I look at you ^^](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan/every-time-you-look-at-me-i-look-away-every-time-you-look-away-i-look/)

[Karan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan/)

> [She smiled for the first time, and he almost had to look away, as if something that nice didn’t belong in such a glum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dashner/she-smiled-for-the-first-time-and-he-almost-had-to-look-away-as-if/)

[James Dashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dashner/)

## More by Jess Walter

> [For many people it's Facebook, or sports on TV, whatever it is. I have my own demons that I battle. But whatever they are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/for-many-people-it-s-facebook-or-sports-on-tv-whatever-it-is-i-have/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

> [Without sounding overly sentimental about the process, I'd say trying to describe how you tend to conceive of a book is like describing how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/without-sounding-overly-sentimental-about-the-process-i-d-say-trying/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

> [“What person who has enjoyed life could possibly think one is enough?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/what-person-who-has-enjoyed-life-could-possibly-think-one-is-enough/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

> [For me, movies and television are interesting because they are the dominant storytelling form of our time. My first love will always be fiction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/for-me-movies-and-television-are-interesting-because-they-are-the/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

> [In seventh grade, with some vague sense that I wanted to be a writer, I crouched in the junior high school library stacks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/in-seventh-grade-with-some-vague-sense-that-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer-i/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

> [“There would seem to be nothing more obvious, more tangible and palpable than the present moment. And yet it eludes us completely. All the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/there-would-seem-to-be-nothing-more-obvious-more-tangible-and/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

> [People sometimes ask who I would cast in my books and I never have any idea. I don't think I could ever write a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/people-sometimes-ask-who-i-would-cast-in-my-books-and-i-never-have/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

> [“A writer needs four things to achieve greatness, Pasquale: desire, disappointment, and the sea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/a-writer-needs-four-things-to-achieve-greatness-pasquale-desire/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

> [Life, he thought, is a blatant act of imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/life-he-thought-is-a-blatant-act-of-imagination/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

> [I've been simultaneously drawn to and repelled from Hollywood for years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/i-ve-been-simultaneously-drawn-to-and-repelled-from-hollywood-for/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

> [I cling to the idea that Herman Melville had to work at the end of his career watching ships in a dock, as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/i-cling-to-the-idea-that-herman-melville-had-to-work-at-the-end-of/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

> [I come from a newspaper background, so maybe I'm attuned to current events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/i-come-from-a-newspaper-background-so-maybe-i-m-attuned-to-current/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

> [Maybe every couple lived in the gaps between conversations, unable to say the important things for fear they had already been said, or couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/maybe-every-couple-lived-in-the-gaps-between-conversations-unable-to/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

> [“How do you think it should end?” Young Pasquale considered the question. “Well, instead of going back to America during the war, he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/how-do-you-think-it-should-end-young-pasquale-considered-the-question/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

> [“I guess I forgot we were going out tonight." "We always go out on Fridays." "It's Thursday, Alvis." "You are so tied to routine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/i-guess-i-forgot-we-were-going-out-tonight-we-always-go-out-on/)

[Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

[Explore all 177 Jess Walter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/)

## More Young man quotes

> [“She knew how to play him so very well. He slipped his hand around hers. "Friends," he repeated roughly. Her smile was bright enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-smith/she-knew-how-to-play-him-so-very-well-he-slipped-his-hand-around-hers/)

[Kathryn Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-smith/)

> [“Love them all," said Renoir. "That is the secret, young man. Love them all." The painter let go of his arm and shrugged. "Then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/love-them-all-said-renoir-that-is-the-secret-young-man-love-them-all/)

[Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/)

> [ The young man \[Turgot\] destined for an ecclesiastical career was placed within walls carefully designed to keep out all currents of new thought; his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dickson-white/the-young-man-turgot-destined-for-an-ecclesiastical-career-was-placed/)

[Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dickson-white/)

> ['Melanin Man' was inspired by the words of an Uber driver in L.A. Before I got out of the car he said, 'They're scared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masego/melanin-man-was-inspired-by-the-words-of-an-uber-driver-in-l-a-before/)

[Masego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masego/)

> [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [“He’d parted reluctantly from Amily, thinking again with envy of Lena and Bear. One thing that they hadn’t been forced to deal with during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercedes-lackey/he-d-parted-reluctantly-from-amily-thinking-again-with-envy-of-lena/)

[Mercedes Lackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercedes-lackey/)

> [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/)

[Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/)

> [“He wants to dream like a young man with the wisdom of a old man, he wants his home and securities, he wants to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-seger/he-wants-to-dream-like-a-young-man-with-the-wisdom-of-a-old-man-he/)

[Bob Seger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-seger/)

> [ \[D\]on't grow old. With age comes caution, which is another name for cowardice… Whatever else you do in life, don't cultivate a conscience. Without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesketh-pearson/d-on-t-grow-old-with-age-comes-caution-which-is-another-name-for/)

[Hesketh Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesketh-pearson/)

> [“As a successful young man, I have developed myself to a level where physiological needs, safety and security needs, social needs and ego needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/as-a-successful-young-man-i-have-developed-myself-to-a-level-where/)

Anyaele Sam Chiyson

> [“Not to mention that I have finally arrived at that age where a woman starts to question whether the wisest way to get over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/not-to-mention-that-i-have-finally-arrived-at-that-age-where-a-woman/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [“Sorry, bad wing." When Theo kissed him, surprise and pleasure flustered him. He couldn't remember the last time this boy, this young man, had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/sorry-bad-wing-when-theo-kissed-him-surprise-and-pleasure-flustered/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“Risking a glance at the dignified young man beside her- what was his name?- Mr. Arthurson, Arterton?- Pandora decided to try her hand at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/risking-a-glance-at-the-dignified-young-man-beside-her-what-was-his/)

[Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/)

> [“But if you will not take this Counsel, and persist in thinking a Commerce with the Sex inevitable, then I repeat my former Advice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/but-if-you-will-not-take-this-counsel-and-persist-in-thinking-a/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

Browse all 2,387 Young man quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“And Pasquale forced himself to look away from her then. It was like prying a magnet off steel, but he did it: he turned forward in the boat, closed his eyes, still seeing her standing there in his memory. He shook with the strain of not looking back until they rounded the breakwater into the open sea and Pasquale exhaled, his head falling to his chest. \"You are a strange young man,\" Tomasso the Communist said.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jess Walter"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/and-pasquale-forced-himself-to-look-away-from-her-then-it-was-like/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Young man"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/and-pasquale-forced-himself-to-look-away-from-her-then-it-was-like/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/jess-walter-2228_young-man_and-pasquale-forced-himself-to-look-away_156706.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/jess-walter-2228_young-man_and-pasquale-forced-himself-to-look-away_156706.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e62/jess-walter-2228_young-man_and-pasquale-forced-himself-to-look-away_156706.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“And Pasquale forced himself to look away from her then. It was like prying a magnet off steel, but he did…” — Jess Walter",
                "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": "Jess Walter",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“And Pasquale forced himself to look...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/and-pasquale-forced-himself-to-look-away-from-her-then-it-was-like/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/and-pasquale-forced-himself-to-look-away-from-her-then-it-was-like/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
