--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Always more, always hungrily scratching…" description: "\"“Always more, always hungrily scratching for more. But there were times, quiet moments, when our mother was sleeping, when she hadn’t slept in two days..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/justin-torres-26975_love_always-more-always-hungrily-scratching-f_52757.png" --- # Always more, always hungrily scratching for more. But… ![“Always more, always hungrily scratching for more. But there were times, quiet moments, when our mother was sleeping, when she hadn’t slept in two days, and any noise, any stair creak, any shut door, any stifled laugh, any voice at all, might wake her, those still, crystal mornings, when we wanted…” quote by Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/justin-torres-26975_love_always-more-always-hungrily-scratching-f_52757.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/justin-torres-26975_love_always-more-always-hungrily-scratching-f_52757.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92c/justin-torres-26975_love_always-more-always-hungrily-scratching-f_52757.png) > ““Always more, always hungrily scratching for more. But there were times, quiet moments, when our mother was sleeping, when she hadn’t slept in two days, and any noise, any stair creak, any shut door, any stifled laugh, any voice at all, might wake her, those still, crystal mornings, when we wanted to protect her, this confused goose of a woman, this stumbler, this gusher, with her backaches and headaches and her tired, tired ways, this uprooted Brooklyn creature, this tough talker, always with tears when she told us she loved us, her mixed-up love, her needy love, her warmth, those mornings when sunlight found the cracks in our blinds and laid itself down in crisp strips on our carpet, those quiet mornings when we’d fix ourselves oatmeal and sprawl onto our stomachs with crayons and paper, with glass marbles that we were careful not to rattle, when our mother was sleeping, when the air did not smell like sweat or breath or mold, when the air was still and light, those mornings when silence was our secret game and our gift and our sole accomplishment—we wanted less: less weight, less work, less noise, less father, less muscles and skin and hair. We wanted nothing, just this, just this.”” [Justin Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-torres/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A child's yearning for peace and simplicity amid a chaotic, demanding household, yearning for the quiet moments that protect a weary mother. **In simple terms:** Yearning for quiet and simplicity. Key Takeaway Peace is found in stillness. Themes family dynamics maternal sacrifice childhood longing quiet resilience urban struggle Mood nostalgic tender reflective Type personal memoir vivid description When to use this quote - late-night caregiving - quiet mornings - protecting a sleeping parent - seeking respite from noise Key Concepts protective instinct maternal fatigue urban environment sensory detail Practical Applications - Therapeutic writing about family - Designing quiet spaces for caregivers Questions to Reflect On - How does silence become a form of care? - What does 'less' represent for the narrator? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Quiet moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quiet-moments/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“I cannot tell you how many quiet mornings I have spent sitting around hotel rooms and furnished apartments in the United States and Mexico,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-hickey/i-cannot-tell-you-how-many-quiet-mornings-i-have-spent-sitting-around/) [Dave Hickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-hickey/) > [Within each of us there is an intense need to feel that we belong. 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