--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Talking, talking, spinning like a spell…" description: "\"“Talking, talking, spinning like a spell, pale skin of words that closes me in like a coffin.”\" — John Gardner" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ca/john-gardner-3092_coffin_talking-talking-spinning-like-a-spell-pa_2230203.png" --- # Talking, talking, spinning like a spell, pale skin of… ![“Talking, talking, spinning like a spell, pale skin of words that closes me in like a coffin.” quote by John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ca/john-gardner-3092_coffin_talking-talking-spinning-like-a-spell-pa_2230203.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ca/john-gardner-3092_coffin_talking-talking-spinning-like-a-spell-pa_2230203.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ca/john-gardner-3092_coffin_talking-talking-spinning-like-a-spell-pa_2230203.png) > ““Talking, talking, spinning like a spell, pale skin of words that closes me in like a coffin.”” [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels trapped by words, which become a suffocating coffin, reflecting on language's oppressive power. **In simple terms:** Words can imprison the speaker like a coffin. Key Takeaway Recognize when language feels limiting and seek freedom. Themes language constraint expression isolation Mood melancholic introspective Type literary poetic When to use this quote - writing therapy - creative workshops - mindful speaking Key Concepts poetic metaphor psychological confinement Questions to Reflect On - When have words empowered you? - How can you break free from linguistic cages? A Different Perspective May overlook the liberating potential of language. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) ## Related quotes > [Marriage is like a coffin and each kid is like another nail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-simpson/marriage-is-like-a-coffin-and-each-kid-is-like-another-nail/) [Homer Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-simpson/) > [“But they had remained closed, like a coffin on his heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-rice/but-they-had-remained-closed-like-a-coffin-on-his-heart/) [Morgan Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-rice/) > [“You see, Marriage is like a Coffin, and each Kid is another Nail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-groening/you-see-marriage-is-like-a-coffin-and-each-kid-is-another-nail/) [Matt Groening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-groening/) > [“Locked in darkness that surrounded me like a coffin, I had nothing to distract me from my memories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-v-snyder/locked-in-darkness-that-surrounded-me-like-a-coffin-i-had-nothing-to/) [Maria V. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-v-snyder/) > [I'd like my coffin to be a camera obscura so I can see what's going on outside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-jay/i-d-like-my-coffin-to-be-a-camera-obscura-so-i-can-see-what-s-going/) [Bill Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-jay/) > [Childhood is long and narrow like a coffin, and you can't get out of it on your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-ditlevsen/childhood-is-long-and-narrow-like-a-coffin-and-you-can-t-get-out-of/) [Tove Ditlevsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-ditlevsen/) > [I have vertigo. Vertigo makes it feel like the floor is pitching up and down. Things seem to be spinning. It's like standing on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hillenbrand/i-have-vertigo-vertigo-makes-it-feel-like-the-floor-is-pitching-up/) [Laura Hillenbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-hillenbrand/) > [Boo, Forever Spinning like a ghost on the bottom of a top, I'm haunted by all the space that I will live without you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/boo-forever-spinning-like-a-ghost-on-the-bottom-of-a-top-i-m-haunted/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [“She left my world spinning like windmills on the plains of la Mancha.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-brooke/she-left-my-world-spinning-like-windmills-on-the-plains-of-la-mancha/) Stephen Brooke > [Yeah, racist people look at me like I'm a martian, Check the card, yeah my money lookin dark skinned, Tell the bank teller the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chamillionaire/yeah-racist-people-look-at-me-like-i-m-a-martian-check-the-card-yeah/) [Chamillionaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chamillionaire/) > [I'm not 'Grace.' 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But I have lived, And now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/when-i-was-a-child-i-truly-loved-unthinking-love-as-calm-and-deep-as/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [“They only think they think. 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(For some writers, this advice I'm giving may apply best to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/in-writing-short-stories-as-in-writing-novels-take-one-thing-at-a/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) > [All order, I've come to understand, is theoretical, unreal, a harmless, sensible, smiling mask men slide between the two great, dark realities, the self…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/all-order-i-ve-come-to-understand-is-theoretical-unreal-a-harmless/) [John Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) [Explore all 138 John Gardner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/) ## More Coffin quotes > [“I decided to get my butt up out of the coffin, just like Jesus Christ, and come and chitchat with all my beautiful and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-o-neill/i-decided-to-get-my-butt-up-out-of-the-coffin-just-like-jesus-christ/) [Heather O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-o-neill/) > [Marriage is like a coffin and each kid is like another nail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-simpson/marriage-is-like-a-coffin-and-each-kid-is-like-another-nail/) [Homer Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-simpson/) > [“Like King, we need to put on our cemetery clothes and be coffin-ready for the next great democratic battle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/like-king-we-need-to-put-on-our-cemetery-clothes-and-be-coffin-ready/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“Lies made it arduous to find a coffin that fit”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carl-evans/lies-made-it-arduous-to-find-a-coffin-that-fit/) Richard Carl Evans > [His smile is like the silver plate on a coffin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-philpot-curran/his-smile-is-like-the-silver-plate-on-a-coffin/) [John Philpot Curran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-philpot-curran/) > [At my funeral, if one said, 'Nick was a generous person,' trust me I won't be doing cartwheels in my coffin. Recognition from people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-vujicic/at-my-funeral-if-one-said-nick-was-a-generous-person-trust-me-i-won-t/) [Nick Vujicic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-vujicic/) > [Well, I guess I am about the livest dead man you ever saw; although I was once asked to accept a coffin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rice/well-i-guess-i-am-about-the-livest-dead-man-you-ever-saw-although-i/) Dan Rice > [She wanted to be buried in a coffin filled with used paperbacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/she-wanted-to-be-buried-in-a-coffin-filled-with-used-paperbacks/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“Death is only attractive in a fashionable dress, with lilies and an open coffin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-l-sullivan/death-is-only-attractive-in-a-fashionable-dress-with-lilies-and-an/) [Laura L. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-l-sullivan/) > [“An expensive coffin does not decrease the deceased’s chances of going to hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/an-expensive-coffin-does-not-decrease-the-deceased-s-chances-of-going/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I never change, I'm like a corpse in a coffin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-cole/i-never-change-i-m-like-a-corpse-in-a-coffin/) [J Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-cole/) > [“This is the most uncomfortable coffin I've ever been in. You are wasting my time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-lugosi-ed-wood/this-is-the-most-uncomfortable-coffin-i-ve-ever-been-in-you-are/) Bela Lugosi (Ed Wood > [“It's daylight. Shouldn't you have burned to a crisp, or something? Don't you have to crawl into a coffin? Where do you keep it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-howard/it-s-daylight-shouldn-t-you-have-burned-to-a-crisp-or-something-don-t/) [Linda Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-howard/) > [For me, curiosity is life. If you are not curious, you are in your coffin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-boulez/for-me-curiosity-is-life-if-you-are-not-curious-you-are-in-your-coffin/) [Pierre Boulez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-boulez/) > [“A premature death does not only rob one of the countless instances where one would have experienced pleasure, it also saves one from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-premature-death-does-not-only-rob-one-of-the-countless-instances/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) Browse all 215 Coffin quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Talking, talking, spinning like a spell, pale skin of words that closes me in like a coffin.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Gardner" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/talking-talking-spinning-like-a-spell-pale-skin-of-words-that-closes/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Coffin" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/talking-talking-spinning-like-a-spell-pale-skin-of-words-that-closes/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ca/john-gardner-3092_coffin_talking-talking-spinning-like-a-spell-pa_2230203.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ca/john-gardner-3092_coffin_talking-talking-spinning-like-a-spell-pa_2230203.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ca/john-gardner-3092_coffin_talking-talking-spinning-like-a-spell-pa_2230203.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Talking, talking, spinning like a spell, pale skin of words that closes me in like a coffin.” — John Gardner", "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": "John Gardner", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gardner/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Talking, talking, spinning like a spell,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/talking-talking-spinning-like-a-spell-pale-skin-of-words-that-closes/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gardner/talking-talking-spinning-like-a-spell-pale-skin-of-words-that-closes/#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 } } ] } ```