--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: History could hover, like a faint perfume…" description: "\"History could hover, like a faint perfume or a memory stamped on the back of one's eyelids.\" — Jodi Picoult" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84c/jodi-picoult-45_eyelids_history-could-hover-like-a-faint-perfume_357972.jpg" --- # History could hover, like a faint perfume or a memory… ![“History could hover, like a faint perfume or a memory stamped on the back of one's eyelids.” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84c/jodi-picoult-45_eyelids_history-could-hover-like-a-faint-perfume_357972.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84c/jodi-picoult-45_eyelids_history-could-hover-like-a-faint-perfume_357972.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84c/jodi-picoult-45_eyelids_history-could-hover-like-a-faint-perfume_357972.jpg) > “History could hover, like a faint perfume or a memory stamped on the back of one's eyelids.” [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Memory can linger like a subtle scent, shaping perception without being obvious. **In simple terms:** History lingers like a faint scent. Key Takeaway Notice subtle influences. Themes memory perception history Mood reflective poetic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - historical analysis - creative writing Key Concepts subjectivity nostalgia ephemerality Questions to Reflect On - How does subtle memory affect decisions? - What scents trigger personal histories? A Different Perspective Memory can be distorted by bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eyelids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyelids/) [Faint Perfume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faint-perfume-2221524/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [History Hover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-hover-3293176/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Memory Stamped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory-stamped-3293177/) [Perfume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfume/) [Perfume Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfume-memory-3017746/) ## Related quotes > [Memory can glean, but can never renew. It brings us joys faint as is the perfume of the flowers, faded and dried, of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/memory-can-glean-but-can-never-renew-it-brings-us-joys-faint-as-is/) [Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/) > [This book, when I am dead, will be A little faint perfume of me. People who knew me well will say, She really used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/this-book-when-i-am-dead-will-be-a-little-faint-perfume-of-me-people/) [Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/) > [My mom used to wear the fragrance Poison when I was younger, and I remember that scent and the purple bottle. That was my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-slattery/my-mom-used-to-wear-the-fragrance-poison-when-i-was-younger-and-i/) [John Slattery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-slattery/) > [“…a negligée of robin's-egg blue laid out upon the bed diffused a faint perfume, elusive and familiar. On a chair were a pair of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/a-neglig-e-of-robin-s-egg-blue-laid-out-upon-the-bed-diffused-a-faint/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“The mist was like a faint perfume.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/the-mist-was-like-a-faint-perfume/) [Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/) > [After all, how many of us had tried to forget something traumatic...only to find it printed on the back of our eyelids, tattooed on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/after-all-how-many-of-us-had-tried-to-forget-something-traumatic-only/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Watoto hupenda vitu vinavyong’aa ambavyo havijatulia na vilivyopangiliwa vizuri. Hivyo ndivyo macho ya binadamu yalivyo: yana unyevu na yanaakisi mwanga, hayajatulia, na yana rangi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/watoto-hupenda-vitu-vinavyong-aa-ambavyo-havijatulia-na/) [Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/) > [You'd have thought we planned it," says Peeta, giving me just the hint of a smile. "Didn't you?" asks Portia. Her fingers press her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/you-d-have-thought-we-planned-it-says-peeta-giving-me-just-the-hint/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [And loneliness. I should say something of loneliness. The panic, the sweeping hysteria that comes not when you are without others, but when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/and-loneliness-i-should-say-something-of-loneliness-the-panic-the/) [Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/) > [“He also had a condition that was referred to as granulated eyelids and it caused him to blink more than usual, as if he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-hansen/he-also-had-a-condition-that-was-referred-to-as-granulated-eyelids/) [Ron Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-hansen/) > [“We have eyelids but not earlids, for the ears are the portals of learning, and Nature wanted to keep them wide open.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/we-have-eyelids-but-not-earlids-for-the-ears-are-the-portals-of/) [Baltasar Gracián](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/) > [O sleep, O gentle sleep, Nature's soft nurse, how have I frightened thee, 1710. That thou no more will weigh my eyelids down, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-sleep-o-gentle-sleep-nature-s-soft-nurse-how-have-i-frightened-thee/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Onscreen, Foaly rubbed his eyelids with his index fingers. "Yeah, yeah. Here we go. Captain Short goes rogue once more. Hands up who's surprised.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/onscreen-foaly-rubbed-his-eyelids-with-his-index-fingers-yeah-yeah/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [What e'er you are That in this desert inaccessible, Under the shade of melancholy boughs, Lose and neglect the creeping hours of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/what-e-er-you-are-that-in-this-desert-inaccessible-under-the-shade-of/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) ## More by Jodi Picoult > [You get through it, you just never get over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-get-through-it-you-just-never-get-over-it/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Let me guess," Eric says, "You never meant for it to happen." "Hell, yes, I did. I've wanted her since you two started dating."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/let-me-guess-eric-says-you-never-meant-for-it-to-happen-hell-yes-i/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“It’s the difference between dancing along the eggshell crust of acquaintance and diving into the messy center of a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-s-the-difference-between-dancing-along-the-eggshell-crust-of/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Because hate's just the flip side of love. Like heads and tails on a dime. If you don't know what it feels like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/because-hate-s-just-the-flip-side-of-love-like-heads-and-tails-on-a/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. 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I love the fact that at least sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-love-feeling-loved-i-don-t-love-knowing-that-i-will-always-come-in/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Music is the language of memory”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/music-is-the-language-of-memory/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [But there is a different between mending someone who's broken and finding someone who makes you complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-there-is-a-different-between-mending-someone-who-s-broken-and/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“sometimes words are not big enough to contain all the feelings you are trying to pour into them. My”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/sometimes-words-are-not-big-enough-to-contain-all-the-feelings-you/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“The age wasn't as important as the milestones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-age-wasn-t-as-important-as-the-milestones/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The night is falling down around us. Meteors rain like fireworks, quick rips in the seam of the dark... Every second, another streak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-night-is-falling-down-around-us-meteors-rain-like-fireworks-quick/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“When she had packed all the artifacts that made up their personal history into liquor store boxes, the house became strictly a feminine place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-she-had-packed-all-the-artifacts-that-made-up-their-personal/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Here's what I hadn't realized : the mother you haven't seen for almost 36 years isn't your mother. She is a stranger. Sharing DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/here-s-what-i-hadn-t-realized-the-mother-you-haven-t-seen-for-almost/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [My brother believed in all sorts of mythical creatures: pixies, dragons, werewolves, honest men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/my-brother-believed-in-all-sorts-of-mythical-creatures-pixies-dragons/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) [Explore all 2,062 Jodi Picoult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More Eyelids quotes > [He caught her, she fell, he caught her in his arms, he held her tightly unconscious of what he was doing. He held her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-caught-her-she-fell-he-caught-her-in-his-arms-he-held-her-tightly/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [What e'er you are That in this desert inaccessible, Under the shade of melancholy boughs, Lose and neglect the creeping hours of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/what-e-er-you-are-that-in-this-desert-inaccessible-under-the-shade-of/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Onscreen, Foaly rubbed his eyelids with his index fingers. "Yeah, yeah. Here we go. Captain Short goes rogue once more. Hands up who's surprised.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/onscreen-foaly-rubbed-his-eyelids-with-his-index-fingers-yeah-yeah/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [O sleep, O gentle sleep, Nature's soft nurse, how have I frightened thee, 1710. That thou no more will weigh my eyelids down, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-sleep-o-gentle-sleep-nature-s-soft-nurse-how-have-i-frightened-thee/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“We have eyelids but not earlids, for the ears are the portals of learning, and Nature wanted to keep them wide open.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/we-have-eyelids-but-not-earlids-for-the-ears-are-the-portals-of/) [Baltasar Gracián](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/) > [“He also had a condition that was referred to as granulated eyelids and it caused him to blink more than usual, as if he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-hansen/he-also-had-a-condition-that-was-referred-to-as-granulated-eyelids/) [Ron Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-hansen/) > [And loneliness. I should say something of loneliness. The panic, the sweeping hysteria that comes not when you are without others, but when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-thayer-hamann/and-loneliness-i-should-say-something-of-loneliness-the-panic-the/) [Hilary Thayer Hamann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-thayer-hamann/) > [You'd have thought we planned it," says Peeta, giving me just the hint of a smile. "Didn't you?" asks Portia. Her fingers press her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/you-d-have-thought-we-planned-it-says-peeta-giving-me-just-the-hint/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“Watoto hupenda vitu vinavyong’aa ambavyo havijatulia na vilivyopangiliwa vizuri. Hivyo ndivyo macho ya binadamu yalivyo: yana unyevu na yanaakisi mwanga, hayajatulia, na yana rangi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/watoto-hupenda-vitu-vinavyong-aa-ambavyo-havijatulia-na/) [Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/) > [There's a certain cruelty to being on a big screen as your eyelids start to sag and your hair falls out and turns gray…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/there-s-a-certain-cruelty-to-being-on-a-big-screen-as-your-eyelids/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [I quite clearly remember driving home at 9 a.m., after shooting all day, in a bathrobe, with bodypaint all over my face, and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotye/i-quite-clearly-remember-driving-home-at-9-a-m-after-shooting-all-day/) [Gotye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotye/) > [Light That's how I feel- like the winter-fringed breeze might scoop me up into its wings, fly away with me trapped in its feathered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/light-that-s-how-i-feel-like-the-winter-fringed-breeze-might-scoop-me/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [We are violets blue, For our sweetness found Careless in the mossy shades, Looking on the ground. Love's dropp'd eyelids and a kiss,-- Such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-hunt/we-are-violets-blue-for-our-sweetness-found-careless-in-the-mossy/) [Leigh Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-hunt/) > [In clear weather the laziest may look across the Bay as far as Plymouth at a glance, or over the Atlantic as far as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-clear-weather-the-laziest-may-look-across-the-bay-as-far-as/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The weight that hangs upon our eyelids - is of lead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-boykin-chesnut/the-weight-that-hangs-upon-our-eyelids-is-of-lead/) [Mary Boykin Chesnut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-boykin-chesnut/) [Browse all 138 Eyelids quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyelids/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "History could hover, like a faint perfume or a memory stamped on the back of one's eyelids.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jodi Picoult" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/history-could-hover-like-a-faint-perfume-or-a-memory-stamped-on-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Eyelids" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/history-could-hover-like-a-faint-perfume-or-a-memory-stamped-on-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84c/jodi-picoult-45_eyelids_history-could-hover-like-a-faint-perfume_357972.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84c/jodi-picoult-45_eyelids_history-could-hover-like-a-faint-perfume_357972.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84c/jodi-picoult-45_eyelids_history-could-hover-like-a-faint-perfume_357972.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“History could hover, like a faint perfume or a memory stamped on the back of one's eyelids.” — Jodi Picoult", "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": "Jodi Picoult", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "History could hover, like a faint...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/history-could-hover-like-a-faint-perfume-or-a-memory-stamped-on-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/history-could-hover-like-a-faint-perfume-or-a-memory-stamped-on-the/#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 } } ] } ```