--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Colonel's hand was so little, and I…" description: "\"The Colonel's hand was so little, and I grabbed it tight, his cold seeping into me and my warmth into him. 'I memorized the populations,' he said.\" — J..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08b/john-green-12_cold_the-colonel-s-hand-was-so-little-and-i-g_1697522.jpg" --- # The Colonel's hand was so little, and I grabbed it tight… ![“The Colonel's hand was so little, and I grabbed it tight, his cold seeping into me and my warmth into him. 'I memorized the populations,' he said.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08b/john-green-12_cold_the-colonel-s-hand-was-so-little-and-i-g_1697522.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08b/john-green-12_cold_the-colonel-s-hand-was-so-little-and-i-g_1697522.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08b/john-green-12_cold_the-colonel-s-hand-was-so-little-and-i-g_1697522.jpg) > “The Colonel's hand was so little, and I grabbed it tight, his cold seeping into me and my warmth into him. 'I memorized the populations,' he said.” [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A tender moment of shared warmth contrasts with coldness, symbolizing connection and memory. **In simple terms:** Warmth shared in cold moments. Key Takeaway Cherish intimate connections that warm the soul. Themes love connection memory Mood heartfelt contemplative Type literary emotional When to use this quote - friendship - family gatherings - comforting rituals - storytelling Key Concepts psychology humanism Questions to Reflect On - How do you create lasting emotional warmth? - What memories warm you in cold times? A Different Perspective Physical warmth is fleeting; emotional bonds last. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Warmth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warmth/) ## Related quotes > [Too pissed off to cry, I said, 'This is only making me hate her. I don't want to hate her. And what's the point,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/too-pissed-off-to-cry-i-said-this-is-only-making-me-hate-her-i-don-t/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [And we'll call you...hmmm. Pudge." "Huh?" "Pudge," the Colonel said. "Because you're skinny. It's called irony, Pudge. Heard of it? Now, let's go get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-we-ll-call-you-hmmm-pudge-huh-pudge-the-colonel-said-because-you/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The Colonel explained to me that 1. this was Alaska's room, and that 2. she had a single room because the girl who was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-colonel-explained-to-me-that-1-this-was-alaska-s-room-and-that-2/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She has great breasts," the Colonel said without looking up from the whale. "DO NOT OBJECTIFY WOMEN'S BODIES!" Alaska shouted. Now he looked up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-has-great-breasts-the-colonel-said-without-looking-up-from-the/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Could the two people who are making out please be quiet?" the Colonel asked loudly from his sleeping bag. "Those of us who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/could-the-two-people-who-are-making-out-please-be-quiet-the-colonel/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The labyrinth blows, but I choose it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-labyrinth-blows-but-i-choose-it/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The Colonel led all the cheers. Cornbread!" he screamed. CHICKEN!" the crowd responded. Rice!" PEAS!" And then, all together: "WE GOT HIGHER SATs." Hip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-colonel-led-all-the-cheers-cornbread-he-screamed-chicken-the/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [And then I screwed up and the Colonel screwed up and Takumi screwed up and she slipped through our fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-then-i-screwed-up-and-the-colonel-screwed-up-and-takumi-screwed/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I don't suppose I can wear the flamingo tie," he said as he pulled on black socks. "It's a bit festive, given the occasion,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-don-t-suppose-i-can-wear-the-flamingo-tie-he-said-as-he-pulled-on/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [And I will forget her, yes. That which came together will fall apart slowly, but she will forgive my forgetting, just as I forgive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-i-will-forget-her-yes-that-which-came-together-will-fall-apart/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Hey Pudge," the Colonel said. "What do you think of a truce?" "It reminds me of when the Germans demanded that the U.S. surrender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/hey-pudge-the-colonel-said-what-do-you-think-of-a-truce-it-reminds-me/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I didn't know whether to trust Alaska, and I'd certainly had enough of her unpredictability - cold one day, sweet the next; irresistibly flirty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-didn-t-know-whether-to-trust-alaska-and-i-d-certainly-had-enough-of/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Oh, God, Alaska, I love you. I love you,' and the Colonel whispered, 'I'm so sorry, Pudge. I know you did,' and I said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/oh-god-alaska-i-love-you-i-love-you-and-the-colonel-whispered-i-m-so-2/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [He sank into the rocking chair, the same one in which Rebecca had sat during the early days of the house to give embroidery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-sank-into-the-rocking-chair-the-same-one-in-which-rebecca-had-sat/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Does it say 'Colonel' anywhere on my uniform?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-o-neill/does-it-say-colonel-anywhere-on-my-uniform/) [Jack O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-o-neill/) ## More by John Green > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More Cold quotes > [Once ye made up yer mind to do somethin', 'tis better t'stumble o'er the small hillock of jump-ahead than t'bash yer head on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/once-ye-made-up-yer-mind-to-do-somethin-tis-better-t-stumble-o-er-the/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) > [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [Of course Messi could handle a cold Tuesday night in Stoke. He'd be drinking tea and relaxing beforehand. Me? I'd probably be the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neymar/of-course-messi-could-handle-a-cold-tuesday-night-in-stoke-he-d-be/) [Neymar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neymar/) > [This cold weather has set all the young Folks to providing Bedfellows. I have signed two or three Licences every Day \[as a Fairfax…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mason/this-cold-weather-has-set-all-the-young-folks-to-providing-bedfellows/) [George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mason/) > [When my main character in 'Heat' climbs the tower, the highest diving platform, hoping to resume competitive diving after an injury, I am there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cadnum/when-my-main-character-in-heat-climbs-the-tower-the-highest-diving/) [Michael Cadnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cadnum/) > [You start playing when it's cold and you want to be playing when it's cold again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimy-williams/you-start-playing-when-it-s-cold-and-you-want-to-be-playing-when-it-s/) Jimy Williams > [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [I would have touched it like a child But knew my finger could but have touched Cold stone and water. I grew wild, Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/i-would-have-touched-it-like-a-child-but-knew-my-finger-could-but/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [What's to become of the morally sound? Left out in the cold, I suppose. We must heal the sick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henrik-ibsen/what-s-to-become-of-the-morally-sound-left-out-in-the-cold-i-suppose/) [Henrik Ibsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henrik-ibsen/) > [When I first started, all the reviews of Cold Chisel would say, 'This singer won't have a voice in six months.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-barnes/when-i-first-started-all-the-reviews-of-cold-chisel-would-say-this/) [Jimmy Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-barnes/) > [One of the problems trying to play an instrument outside in the cold is your fingers give up on you and you can't wear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-macdonald/one-of-the-problems-trying-to-play-an-instrument-outside-in-the-cold/) [Amy Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-macdonald/) > [God tempers the cold to the shorn sheep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-etienne-sainte-claire-deville/god-tempers-the-cold-to-the-shorn-sheep/) Henri Etienne Sainte-Claire Deville > [Those nights lying alone are not discontinuous with this cold hectic dawn. It is who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/those-nights-lying-alone-are-not-discontinuous-with-this-cold-hectic/) [Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/) [Browse all 5,381 Cold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Colonel's hand was so little, and I grabbed it tight, his cold seeping into me and my warmth into him. 'I memorized the populations,' he said.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-colonel-s-hand-was-so-little-and-i-grabbed-it-tight-his-cold/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cold" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-colonel-s-hand-was-so-little-and-i-grabbed-it-tight-his-cold/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08b/john-green-12_cold_the-colonel-s-hand-was-so-little-and-i-g_1697522.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08b/john-green-12_cold_the-colonel-s-hand-was-so-little-and-i-g_1697522.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08b/john-green-12_cold_the-colonel-s-hand-was-so-little-and-i-g_1697522.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Colonel's hand was so little, and I grabbed it tight, his cold seeping into me and my warmth into him…” — John Green", "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 Green", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Colonel's hand was so little,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-colonel-s-hand-was-so-little-and-i-grabbed-it-tight-his-cold/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-colonel-s-hand-was-so-little-and-i-grabbed-it-tight-his-cold/#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 } } ] } ```