---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For a few moments in the evening, then…"
description: "\"“For a few moments in the evening, then, they talked quietly and casually, as if they were old friends or exhausted enemies.”\" — John Williams"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/824/john-williams-3311_friendship_for-a-few-moments-in-the-evening-then-th_235513.jpg"
---

#  For a few moments in the evening, then, they talked…

![“For a few moments in the evening, then, they talked quietly and casually, as if they were old friends or exhausted enemies.” quote by John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/824/john-williams-3311_friendship_for-a-few-moments-in-the-evening-then-th_235513.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/824/john-williams-3311_friendship_for-a-few-moments-in-the-evening-then-th_235513.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/824/john-williams-3311_friendship_for-a-few-moments-in-the-evening-then-th_235513.jpg)

> ““For a few moments in the evening, then, they talked quietly and casually, as if they were old friends or exhausted enemies.””

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

## About This Quote

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

Brief, intimate conversation can feel like old friendship or weary rivalry.

**In simple terms:** Talk feels familiar yet tense.

Key Takeaway

Listen for underlying dynamics.

Themes

conversation friendship conflict

Mood

nostalgic reflective

Type

literary descriptive

When to use this quote

- coffee chats
- reunions
- team meetings

Key Concepts

interpersonal dynamics subtext

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the tone reveal about characters?
- How does setting affect their intimacy?

A Different Perspective

Interpretation may vary by reader.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Old friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-friends/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“All that evening he talked to the Candle of Arras, in a low confidential tone. When you get down to it, he thought, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mantel/all-that-evening-he-talked-to-the-candle-of-arras-in-a-low/)

[Hilary Mantel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mantel/)

> [“While they talked they remembered the years of their youth, and each thought of the other as he had been at another time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/while-they-talked-they-remembered-the-years-of-their-youth-and-each/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [I prefer old friends as opposed to new ones - people who have been significant in my growth and development along the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tomlin/i-prefer-old-friends-as-opposed-to-new-ones-people-who-have-been/)

[Mike Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tomlin/)

> [“I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these twenty years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/i-have-a-high-respect-for-your-nerves-they-are-my-old-friends-i-have/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“One has ideas, does experiments, meets people, seeks advice, calls old friends, runs into unexpected remarks, meets new people with new ideas, and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-h-townes/one-has-ideas-does-experiments-meets-people-seeks-advice-calls-old/)

[Charles H. Townes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-h-townes/)

> [“Old friends sometimes need no words to understand each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-joyce/old-friends-sometimes-need-no-words-to-understand-each-other/)

[William Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-joyce/)

> [“To the return of old friends and to an unexpected but most welcome new one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-rossi/to-the-return-of-old-friends-and-to-an-unexpected-but-most-welcome/)

[Veronica Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-rossi/)

> [I love San Francisco so much. I call it the Emerald City and have been coming here since 1992. I have a few old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-cohen/i-love-san-francisco-so-much-i-call-it-the-emerald-city-and-have-been/)

[Andy Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-cohen/)

> [“The great thing about the Internet isn't that you can reconnect with old friends or stay up to date with developing world events or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-c-holley/the-great-thing-about-the-internet-isn-t-that-you-can-reconnect-with/)

David C Holley

> [“I visited my old haunt, but somehow without all my old friends there with me, the cemetery just wasn’t the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-visited-my-old-haunt-but-somehow-without-all-my-old-friends-there/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [Certain flaws are necessary for the whole. It would seem strange if old friends lacked certain quirks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/certain-flaws-are-necessary-for-the-whole-it-would-seem-strange-if/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent. They seek each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/they-are-enthusiasts-devotees-addicts-something-about-the-circus/)

[Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/)

> [Your heart and my heart are very, very old friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-heart-and-my-heart-are-very-very-old-friends/)

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

> [Back home I get to see my old friends!(: But they don't understand the change in me and I can't explain it to them...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/back-home-i-get-to-see-my-old-friends-but-they-don-t-understand-the/)

[Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/)

> [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/)

[William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/)

## More by John Williams

> [“She was, he knew- and had known very early, he supposed- one of those rare and always lovely humans whose moral nature was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/she-was-he-knew-and-had-known-very-early-he-supposed-one-of-those/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [“What you seem so unwilling to accept, even now, is this: that the ideals which supported the old Republic had no correspondence to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/what-you-seem-so-unwilling-to-accept-even-now-is-this-that-the-ideals/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [“It's for us that the University exists, for the dispossessed of the world; not for the students, not for the selfless pursuit of knowledge,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/it-s-for-us-that-the-university-exists-for-the-dispossessed-of-the/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [I don't make a particular distinction between 'high art' and 'low art.' Music is there for everybody. It's a river we can all put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/i-don-t-make-a-particular-distinction-between-high-art-and-low-art/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [“Dispassionately, reasonably, he contemplated the failutre that his life must appear to be. He had wanted friendship and the closeness of friendship that might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/dispassionately-reasonably-he-contemplated-the-failutre-that-his-life/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [“Six times during my life has this tomb of my soul led me to the brink of that eternal darkness into which all men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/six-times-during-my-life-has-this-tomb-of-my-soul-led-me-to-the-brink/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [“But I can see what has ensued. A war doesn’t merely kill off a few thousand or a few hundred thousand young men. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/but-i-can-see-what-has-ensued-a-war-doesn-t-merely-kill-off-a-few/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [I let it go. I have not looked at the 'Star Wars' films, and that's absolutely true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/i-let-it-go-i-have-not-looked-at-the-star-wars-films-and-that-s/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [You never write a theme for a movie thinking, 'This will live forever.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/you-never-write-a-theme-for-a-movie-thinking-this-will-live-forever/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [Composing music is hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/composing-music-is-hard-work/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [I honestly haven't done all that counting. It always feels new and a wonderful honor to receive these things. It's a fresh feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/i-honestly-haven-t-done-all-that-counting-it-always-feels-new-and-a/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [In general, we continue to believe that local governments should not have a competitive advantage when competing with the private sector, and they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/in-general-we-continue-to-believe-that-local-governments-should-not/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [“Saying, ain’t doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/saying-ain-t-doing/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [There is no proof that carbon dioxide is causing or precedes global warming…All indications are that the minor warming cycle finished in 2001 and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/there-is-no-proof-that-carbon-dioxide-is-causing-or-precedes-global/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

> [Requirements represent the medium of exchange between IT and the business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/requirements-represent-the-medium-of-exchange-between-it-and-the/)

[John Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

[Explore all 122 John Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/)

## More Friendship quotes

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

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

> [I never believed in trying to do anything. Whatever I set out to do I found I had already accomplished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/i-never-believed-in-trying-to-do-anything-whatever-i-set-out-to-do-i/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [“ever day Maureen is Selfish To her friend and Family One she get mad at her friend and family and She need to Grad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-andeson/ever-day-maureen-is-selfish-to-her-friend-and-family-one-she-get-mad/)

Maureen Andeson

> [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/)

[Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/)

> [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/)

[Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/)

> [Friends are like stars you can't always see them, but you know they're there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknwon/friends-are-like-stars-you-can-t-always-see-them-but-you-know-they-re/)

Unknwon

> [I've been writing songs since I was 10 years old and always had a penchant for rhyming. I started listening to hip hop through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoodie-allen/i-ve-been-writing-songs-since-i-was-10-years-old-and-always-had-a/)

[Hoodie Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hoodie-allen/)

> [If you love some one for who they are not for there body or how many friend so when you say I love you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/if-you-love-some-one-for-who-they-are-not-for-there-body-or-how-many/)

Unknow

> [“But my best friend from college was silent for a long time. She, of all of my friends, had seen the parade of sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/but-my-best-friend-from-college-was-silent-for-a-long-time-she-of-all/)

[Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/)

> [You smile upon your friend to-day, To-day his ills are over; You hearken to the lover's say, And happy is the lover. 'Tis late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-smile-upon-your-friend-to-day-to-day-his-ills-are-over-you/)

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

> [“way. A true friend isn't the one that agrees with everything you say or do. A true friend is someone that has your back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shameek-speight/way-a-true-friend-isn-t-the-one-that-agrees-with-everything-you-say/)

[Shameek Speight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shameek-speight/)

> [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/)

[Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/)

> [“Kings don’t move mountains as a favor to a friend,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-whalen-turner/kings-don-t-move-mountains-as-a-favor-to-a-friend/)

[Megan Whalen Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-whalen-turner/)

> [I have friends and family that identify as LGBTQ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mace/i-have-friends-and-family-that-identify-as-lgbtq/)

[Nancy Mace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mace/)

> [“The real purpose of friendship was to discover and exploit weakness in others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-thompson/the-real-purpose-of-friendship-was-to-discover-and-exploit-weakness/)

[Brian Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-thompson/)

[Browse all 45,469 Friendship quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“For a few moments in the evening, then, they talked quietly and casually, as if they were old friends or exhausted enemies.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Williams"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/for-a-few-moments-in-the-evening-then-they-talked-quietly-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Friendship"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/for-a-few-moments-in-the-evening-then-they-talked-quietly-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/824/john-williams-3311_friendship_for-a-few-moments-in-the-evening-then-th_235513.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/824/john-williams-3311_friendship_for-a-few-moments-in-the-evening-then-th_235513.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/824/john-williams-3311_friendship_for-a-few-moments-in-the-evening-then-th_235513.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For a few moments in the evening, then, they talked quietly and casually, as if they were old friends or…” — John Williams",
                "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 Williams",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-williams/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“For a few moments in the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/for-a-few-moments-in-the-evening-then-they-talked-quietly-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-williams/for-a-few-moments-in-the-evening-then-they-talked-quietly-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
