--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On February 14, I received a telegram…" description: "\"“On February 14, I received a telegram from Buenos Aires urging me to return home immediately; my father was \"not at all well.\" God forgive me, but the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/jorge-luis-borges-275_buenos-aires_on-february-14-i-received-a-telegram-fro_2151029.jpg" --- # On February 14, I received a telegram from Buenos Aires… ![“On February 14, I received a telegram from Buenos Aires urging me to return home immediately; my father was "not at all well." God forgive me, but the prestige of being the recipient of an urgent telegram, the desire to communicate to all of Fray Bentos the contradiction between the negative form…” quote by Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/jorge-luis-borges-275_buenos-aires_on-february-14-i-received-a-telegram-fro_2151029.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/jorge-luis-borges-275_buenos-aires_on-february-14-i-received-a-telegram-fro_2151029.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/jorge-luis-borges-275_buenos-aires_on-february-14-i-received-a-telegram-fro_2151029.jpg) > ““On February 14, I received a telegram from Buenos Aires urging me to return home immediately; my father was "not at all well." God forgive me, but the prestige of being the recipient of an urgent telegram, the desire to communicate to all of Fray Bentos the contradiction between the negative form of the news and the absoluteness of the adverbial phrase, the temptation to dramatize my grief by feigning a virile stoicism-all this perhaps distracted me from any possibility of real pain.”” [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Urgent news triggers a desire to dramatize grief, revealing how narrative can mask true emotion. **In simple terms:** Stories can hide real pain. Key Takeaway Recognize when narrative distracts from feeling. Themes grief communication storytelling self‑deception Mood reflective introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - writing memoirs - receiving bad news - public speaking - personal reflection Key Concepts Narrative framing psychology of mourning Questions to Reflect On - How does storytelling affect emotional honesty? - When is it better to simply feel? A Different Perspective Over‑narrativizing may prevent authentic processing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buenos aires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buenos-aires/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Real pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-pain/) ## Related quotes > [“The other one, the one called Borges, is the one things happen to. I walk through the streets of Buenos Aires and stop for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-other-one-the-one-called-borges-is-the-one-things-happen-to-i/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“The telegram was sealed – an old-fashioned touch, I thought, but then I’d never had a telegram before. I took my time opening it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wyndham-thomas/the-telegram-was-sealed-an-old-fashioned-touch-i-thought-but-then-i-d/) [Michael Wyndham Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wyndham-thomas/) > [When you're expecting bad news you have to be prepared for it a long time ahead so that when the telegram comes you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-pinget/when-you-re-expecting-bad-news-you-have-to-be-prepared-for-it-a-long/) Robert Pinget > [In the First World War, people would be receiving letters from loved ones who had been dead for weeks, and they would not know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/in-the-first-world-war-people-would-be-receiving-letters-from-loved/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“ten o’clock!” “What does it matter when my things are put up?” the young man said.  “There’s no crowd at this moment; there will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/ten-o-clock-what-does-it-matter-when-my-things-are-put-up-the-young/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [For an Italian peasant a telegram from anywhere is a wondrous thing; and a cable from the terrestrial paradise of America is not lightly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-k-smith/for-an-italian-peasant-a-telegram-from-anywhere-is-a-wondrous-thing/) Howard K. Smith > [Now here's a funky introduction of how nice I am, Tell your mother, tell your father, send a telegram.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/now-here-s-a-funky-introduction-of-how-nice-i-am-tell-your-mother/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In America they started to refer to Telegram as 'ISIS's preferred messaging app,' But in reality there are many more legitimate users.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pavel-durov/in-america-they-started-to-refer-to-telegram-as-isis-s-preferred/) [Pavel Durov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pavel-durov/) > [“The Long Telegram’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-taylor/the-long-telegram/) [Frederick Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-taylor/) > [“It was truly a transitional moment: There he was, at the cusp of the twentieth century, using the telephone to send a telegram.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/it-was-truly-a-transitional-moment-there-he-was-at-the-cusp-of-the/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [The headline is the most important element in most advertisements. It is the telegram which decides the reader whether to read the copy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/the-headline-is-the-most-important-element-in-most-advertisements-it/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [ISIS' key social media-encrypted platform is Telegram, which is engineered by a Berlin-based tech company that can simply ignore the rulings of American federal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/isis-key-social-media-encrypted-platform-is-telegram-which-is/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Rache,” he said, trying to get into my line of sight. “What more do you need? God to send a telegram?" (Jenks)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/rache-he-said-trying-to-get-into-my-line-of-sight-what-more-do-you/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [The first thing that we wanted to make clear is that nobody has to trust anybody. We don't take people's trust for Telegram for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pavel-durov/the-first-thing-that-we-wanted-to-make-clear-is-that-nobody-has-to/) [Pavel Durov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pavel-durov/) > [This telegram is a work of art if I say it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-rauschenberg/this-telegram-is-a-work-of-art-if-i-say-it-is/) [Robert Rauschenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-rauschenberg/) ## More by Jorge Luis Borges > [“No hables a menos que puedas mejorar el silencio.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/no-hables-a-menos-que-puedas-mejorar-el-silencio/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The execution was set for the 29th of March, at nine in the morning. This delay was due to a desire on the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-execution-was-set-for-the-29th-of-march-at-nine-in-the-morning/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Like all writers, he measured the achievements of others by what they had accomplished, asking of them that they measure him by what he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/like-all-writers-he-measured-the-achievements-of-others-by-what-they/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [How can we manage to illuminate the pathos of our lives?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/how-can-we-manage-to-illuminate-the-pathos-of-our-lives/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Loneliness does not worry me; life is difficult enough, putting up with yourself and with your own habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/loneliness-does-not-worry-me-life-is-difficult-enough-putting-up-with/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The fact is that all writers create their precursors. Their work modifies our conception of the past, just as it is bound to modify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-fact-is-that-all-writers-create-their-precursors-their-work/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I don't think we're capable of knowledge, but I like to keep an open mind. So if you ask me whether I believe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-don-t-think-we-re-capable-of-knowledge-but-i-like-to-keep-an-open/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The web of time - the strands of which approach one another, bifurcate, intersect, or ignore each other through the centuries - embraces "every"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-web-of-time-the-strands-of-which-approach-one-another-bifurcate/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“My memory, sir, is like a garbage disposal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/my-memory-sir-is-like-a-garbage-disposal/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [When I write, I do it urged by an intimate necessity. I don't have in mind an exclusive public, or a public of multitudes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/when-i-write-i-do-it-urged-by-an-intimate-necessity-i-don-t-have-in/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [The mind was dreaming. The world was its dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-mind-was-dreaming-the-world-was-its-dream/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [I foresee that man will resign himself each day to new abominations, and soon that only bandits and soldiers will be left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-foresee-that-man-will-resign-himself-each-day-to-new-abominations/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [“If I could live again - I will travel light, If I could live again - I'll try to work bare feet at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/if-i-could-live-again-i-will-travel-light-if-i-could-live-again-i-ll/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Every man should be capable of all ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/every-man-should-be-capable-of-all-ideas/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) > [Writing is only a guided dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/writing-is-only-a-guided-dream/) [Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) [Explore all 558 Jorge Luis Borges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/) ## More Buenos aires quotes > [I always have my journal with me. It was handmade by a guy at the San Telmo market in Buenos Aires. If you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-mycoskie/i-always-have-my-journal-with-me-it-was-handmade-by-a-guy-at-the-san/) [Blake Mycoskie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-mycoskie/) > [“One of those days we were in Maria Vostra getting weed; while we were sitting at the bar during some festive day—I think it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomas-adam-nyapi/one-of-those-days-we-were-in-maria-vostra-getting-weed-while-we-were/) [Tomas Adam Nyapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomas-adam-nyapi/) > [Buenos Aires is easily one of the most stylish cities in the world with its eclectic collection of neighborhoods, each with its own unique…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-elliot/buenos-aires-is-easily-one-of-the-most-stylish-cities-in-the-world/) [Ben Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-elliot/) > [The two cities I've found very hard to leave in my life were New York and Buenos Aires.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-two-cities-i-ve-found-very-hard-to-leave-in-my-life-were-new-york/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I sustained an injury by singing with the flu during the second performance of Andrea Chenier in Buenos Aires. I was very sick, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-heppner/i-sustained-an-injury-by-singing-with-the-flu-during-the-second/) [Ben Heppner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-heppner/) > [“... or a Buenos Aires cab's exhaust pipe? An exhaust pipe which James Mayn was once invited to screw, having asked a man on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mcelroy/or-a-buenos-aires-cab-s-exhaust-pipe-an-exhaust-pipe-which-james-mayn/) [Joseph McElroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcelroy/) > [“Oh, Buenos Aires, I have traveled around the world, but I’ve never been separated from you,” said Argentine poet Jorge Luis Borges. And Saint…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/oh-buenos-aires-i-have-traveled-around-the-world-but-i-ve-never-been/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [“If you go to Singapore or Amsterdam or Seoul or Buenos Aires or Islamabad or Johannesburg or Tampa or Istanbul or Kyoto, you'll find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-quinn/if-you-go-to-singapore-or-amsterdam-or-seoul-or-buenos-aires-or/) [Daniel Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-quinn/) > [“- Can you keep secrets? - Yesss. - We are going to make one of the biggest coffeeshops in Barcelona with my boss, Adam.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomas-adam-nyapi/can-you-keep-secrets-yesss-we-are-going-to-make-one-of-the-biggest/) [Tomas Adam Nyapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomas-adam-nyapi/) > [In my second year of Harvard Divinity School, where I was studying to be a minister like my father, I met a guy named…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/in-my-second-year-of-harvard-divinity-school-where-i-was-studying-to/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [“Reading them reinforced the hope that I would be one of the team who would be sent to Buenos Aires to capture this inhuman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-lawrence-young/reading-them-reinforced-the-hope-that-i-would-be-one-of-the-team-who/) D. Lawrence-Young > [“At a lunchtime reception for the diplomatic corps in Washington, given the day before the inauguration of Barack Obama as president, I was approached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/at-a-lunchtime-reception-for-the-diplomatic-corps-in-washington-given/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Carlitos is amazing. He does what he wants with the Arabs. He tells them "I want to go to Buenos Aires" and they say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-maradona/carlitos-is-amazing-he-does-what-he-wants-with-the-arabs-he-tells/) [Diego Maradona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-maradona/) > [In Buenos Aires, I have a very close friend who speaks very good English, and she taught me. It was quite difficult because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-roger/in-buenos-aires-i-have-a-very-close-friend-who-speaks-very-good/) [Elena Roger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-roger/) > [“The Stadium Have you ever entered an empty stadium? Try it. Stand in the middle of the field and listen. There is nothing less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eduardo-galeano/the-stadium-have-you-ever-entered-an-empty-stadium-try-it-stand-in/) [Eduardo Galeano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eduardo-galeano/) [Browse all 55 Buenos aires quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buenos-aires/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“On February 14, I received a telegram from Buenos Aires urging me to return home immediately; my father was \"not at all well.\" God forgive me, but the prestige of being the recipient of an urgent telegram, the desire to communicate to all of Fray Bentos the contradiction between the negative form of the news and the absoluteness of the adverbial phrase, the temptation to dramatize my grief by feigning a virile stoicism-all this perhaps distracted me from any possibility of real pain.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jorge Luis Borges" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/on-february-14-i-received-a-telegram-from-buenos-aires-urging-me-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Buenos aires" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/on-february-14-i-received-a-telegram-from-buenos-aires-urging-me-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/jorge-luis-borges-275_buenos-aires_on-february-14-i-received-a-telegram-fro_2151029.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/jorge-luis-borges-275_buenos-aires_on-february-14-i-received-a-telegram-fro_2151029.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/312/jorge-luis-borges-275_buenos-aires_on-february-14-i-received-a-telegram-fro_2151029.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“On February 14, I received a telegram from Buenos Aires urging me to return home immediately; my father was…” — Jorge Luis Borges", "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": "Jorge Luis Borges", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“On February 14, I received a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/on-february-14-i-received-a-telegram-from-buenos-aires-urging-me-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/on-february-14-i-received-a-telegram-from-buenos-aires-urging-me-to/#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 } } ] } ```