--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: we had allowed our eyes to meet only…" description: "\"“we had allowed our eyes to meet only once- by accident as much as out of necessity- and not ten seconds had passed before the agony had become too gre..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/kailin-gow-3730_silence_we-had-allowed-our-eyes-to-meet-only-onc_188726.jpg" --- # we had allowed our eyes to meet only once- by accident as… ![“we had allowed our eyes to meet only once- by accident as much as out of necessity- and not ten seconds had passed before the agony had become too great to bear and we had retreated into silence and coldness once more.” quote by Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/kailin-gow-3730_silence_we-had-allowed-our-eyes-to-meet-only-onc_188726.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/kailin-gow-3730_silence_we-had-allowed-our-eyes-to-meet-only-onc_188726.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/kailin-gow-3730_silence_we-had-allowed-our-eyes-to-meet-only-onc_188726.jpg) > ““we had allowed our eyes to meet only once- by accident as much as out of necessity- and not ten seconds had passed before the agony had become too great to bear and we had retreated into silence and coldness once more.”” [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Two people briefly meet, experience intense emotional pain, then withdraw into silence and coldness, highlighting fleeting connection and lingering sorrow. **In simple terms:** Brief encounter leads to deep pain and withdrawal. Key Takeaway Recognize and address emotional pain early. Themes love pain silence connection Mood melancholic intense Type literary emotional When to use this quote - relationship conflict - grief processing - emotional withdrawal Key Concepts emotional trauma communication Questions to Reflect On - How can you express pain before it builds? - What prevents you from staying connected? A Different Perspective Pain may be amplified by lack of communication. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) ## Related quotes > [One develops an instinct for letting silence do the heavy lifting. In the three, four, five seconds that passed without either of us speaking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/one-develops-an-instinct-for-letting-silence-do-the-heavy-lifting-in/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) > [“...and time thickened so that the seconds passed like years.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/and-time-thickened-so-that-the-seconds-passed-like-years/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“Do you know what the best thing about getting my sight back will be?” he asked softly. “No,” she replied, all of the bravado…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-medeiros/do-you-know-what-the-best-thing-about-getting-my-sight-back-will-be/) [Teresa Medeiros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-medeiros/) > [“A dutiful soldier, I retreated to the ditches as ordered and hunkered down there. In those ditches, I had an epiphany. People treat you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/a-dutiful-soldier-i-retreated-to-the-ditches-as-ordered-and-hunkered/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [I totally alienated some reporters as I retreated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/i-totally-alienated-some-reporters-as-i-retreated/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [Most poetry in the modern age has retreated to the private sphere, turning its back on the political realm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/most-poetry-in-the-modern-age-has-retreated-to-the-private-sphere/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [After 'Saawariya,' I retreated into a shell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjay-leela-bhansali/after-saawariya-i-retreated-into-a-shell/) [Sanjay Leela Bhansali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjay-leela-bhansali/) > [“Denied a Lenin and deprived of Napoleon, France retreated into the last and, we must hope, indestructible redoubt, the world of Astérix . The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-j-hobsbawm/denied-a-lenin-and-deprived-of-napoleon-france-retreated-into-the/) Eric J. Hobsbawm > [“She'd retreated inside again, the nightmares drowning her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-brennan/she-d-retreated-inside-again-the-nightmares-drowning-her/) [Allison Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-brennan/) > [“Despite all her strengths, there was a certain brittleness to her. Sometimes she retreated into her keep. Sometimes she ran away. But she did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-thomas/despite-all-her-strengths-there-was-a-certain-brittleness-to-her/) [Sherry Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-thomas/) > [Me and my needs were driving my mother away. Me and my needs retreated to my closet, disappeared into fairy tales. I started making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-hornbacher/me-and-my-needs-were-driving-my-mother-away-me-and-my-needs-retreated/) [Marya Hornbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-hornbacher/) > [“I had done something wrong. I shouldn't have shown him. But he had known, hadn't he? What had I done? I retreated quickly down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/i-had-done-something-wrong-i-shouldn-t-have-shown-him-but-he-had/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“The white flashed back into a red ball in the southeast. They all knew what it was. It was Orlando, or McCoy Base, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-frank/the-white-flashed-back-into-a-red-ball-in-the-southeast-they-all-knew/) [Pat Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-frank/) > [“I’d known love before, and it had brought me so much pain that I had retreated behind an impenetrable wall of indifference, freezing out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kagawa/i-d-known-love-before-and-it-had-brought-me-so-much-pain-that-i-had/) [Julie Kagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kagawa/) > [“But, for now, I retreated back down the little hidden staircase into the familiar world of the basement of the Natural History Museum, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/but-for-now-i-retreated-back-down-the-little-hidden-staircase-into/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) ## More by Kailin Gow > [“Why I am Passionate and Dedicated 1000% to producing and bringing my books Loving Summer, Bitter Frost, and other book series to the Screen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/why-i-am-passionate-and-dedicated-1000-to-producing-and-bringing-my/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [“Love hits you when you least expect it, grabs you, sucks you in whole, and twists you around until you could hardly breathe. Love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/love-hits-you-when-you-least-expect-it-grabs-you-sucks-you-in-whole/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [“Never underestimate a person who is kind and sweet. They may have friends in high places or some other superpower. I have written a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/never-underestimate-a-person-who-is-kind-and-sweet-they-may-have/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [“immediately i felt my body crumbling, shaking so fast that the very atoms of my being seemed to dissolve, and then i was dissolving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/immediately-i-felt-my-body-crumbling-shaking-so-fast-that-the-very/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [“The elevator doors opened, and I squeezed myself out before pulling out the Wardrober. It was heavy. “What do you have in there?” I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/the-elevator-doors-opened-and-i-squeezed-myself-out-before-pulling/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [“There is only one You. Dare to be yourself. Be authentic to you, and you will find your destiny. - STRONG: Powerful Philosophy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/there-is-only-one-you-dare-to-be-yourself-be-authentic-to-you-and-you/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [“You gotta follow your passion in life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/you-gotta-follow-your-passion-in-life/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [“Feminism is about women having choices and living the life they choose, not about hating men. Many feminists, like me, love and marry men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/feminism-is-about-women-having-choices-and-living-the-life-they/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [“Holidays are necessary celebrations of human collectiveness. It reminds us we’re a part of society. - STRONG: Powerful Philosophy for Timeless Thoughts by Kailin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/holidays-are-necessary-celebrations-of-human-collectiveness-it/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [“My Dearest Breena, They will remember us. Long after these wars have been mourned and then forgotten long after Summer and Winter fairies lay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/my-dearest-breena-they-will-remember-us-long-after-these-wars-have/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [“Tanned, toned, curves in the right places and that small waist…lips, hair, eyes all packaged up like a siren. If she’s a siren, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/tanned-toned-curves-in-the-right-places-and-that-small-waist-lips/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [“To not satisfy you would be a tragedy.” - Salvatore from The Tutor by Kailin Gow”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/to-not-satisfy-you-would-be-a-tragedy-salvatore-from-the-tutor-by/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [“Challenges in life, keeps us in the game." - STRONG: Powerful Philosophy for Timeless Thoughts by Kailin Gow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/challenges-in-life-keeps-us-in-the-game-strong-powerful-philosophy/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [“If she did have to describe the kind of person who hunted vampires though, she was certain of one thing. It wouldn't be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/if-she-did-have-to-describe-the-kind-of-person-who-hunted-vampires/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) > [“The Winter Prince was before me, with his noble, knightly bearing and the impossible beauty that is paralytic at close range. And I wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/the-winter-prince-was-before-me-with-his-noble-knightly-bearing-and/) [Kailin Gow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) [Explore all 123 Kailin Gow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/) ## More Silence quotes > [Let us have the luxury of silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/let-us-have-the-luxury-of-silence/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [I just can’t, Nick, okay? Now, please give me a second to lie here in silence and bleed.” – Caleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-just-can-t-nick-okay-now-please-give-me-a-second-to-lie-here-in/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“SILENT LIKE SLEEP You appear by my side, silent like sleep. Soft hair, a little wild. No fear, gentle like a calm river. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/silent-like-sleep-you-appear-by-my-side-silent-like-sleep-soft-hair-a/) [Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/) > [“A word is not filling in the gaps, but the fertilization of silence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/a-word-is-not-filling-in-the-gaps-but-the-fertilization-of-silence/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [“I’m not like her. I don’t steal people.” Mr. Tibbalt watched her, saying nothing. The silence made Victoria bristle. “Well, I don’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-legrand/i-m-not-like-her-i-don-t-steal-people-mr-tibbalt-watched-her-saying/) [Claire Legrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-legrand/) > [Silence can be the world's strongest weapon in torturing people's emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/silence-can-be-the-world-s-strongest-weapon-in-torturing-people-s/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“Proverbs from the East: The wind howls, but the mountain remains still. Even though I make no special attempt to observe the discipline of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/proverbs-from-the-east-the-wind-howls-but-the-mountain-remains-still/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [“When all are one sentience, Language withers and fades away. Let's sit together and speak in silence, Let's be light to each other's way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/when-all-are-one-sentience-language-withers-and-fades-away-let-s-sit/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [True friendship is sitting together in silence and feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/true-friendship-is-sitting-together-in-silence-and-feeling-like-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“So what did God say to me in the silence that morning? I’m not sure, but I think God said something like, Don’t try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/so-what-did-god-say-to-me-in-the-silence-that-morning-i-m-not-sure/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [If nothing that can be seen can either be God or represent Him to us as He is, then to find God we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-nothing-that-can-be-seen-can-either-be-god-or-represent-him-to-us/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [I suppose he'll just have to do," she amended. "You'll have to suffer in silence with your male model...I feel for you." "Oh, stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-adornetto/i-suppose-he-ll-just-have-to-do-she-amended-you-ll-have-to-suffer-in/) [Alexandra Adornetto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-adornetto/) > [The silent majority is silent, and that is best for everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerhard-kocher/the-silent-majority-is-silent-and-that-is-best-for-everybody/) [Gerhard Kocher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerhard-kocher/) > [“I once asked you what anxiety felt like, and you told me that most days left you riddled with bullet holes. Every morning came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-s/i-once-asked-you-what-anxiety-felt-like-and-you-told-me-that-most/) d.a.s [Browse all 8,731 Silence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“we had allowed our eyes to meet only once- by accident as much as out of necessity- and not ten seconds had passed before the agony had become too great to bear and we had retreated into silence and coldness once more.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kailin Gow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/we-had-allowed-our-eyes-to-meet-only-once-by-accident-as-much-as-out/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Silence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/we-had-allowed-our-eyes-to-meet-only-once-by-accident-as-much-as-out/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/kailin-gow-3730_silence_we-had-allowed-our-eyes-to-meet-only-onc_188726.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/kailin-gow-3730_silence_we-had-allowed-our-eyes-to-meet-only-onc_188726.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/892/kailin-gow-3730_silence_we-had-allowed-our-eyes-to-meet-only-onc_188726.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“we had allowed our eyes to meet only once- by accident as much as out of necessity- and not ten seconds had…” — Kailin Gow", "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": "Kailin Gow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailin-gow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“we had allowed our eyes to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/we-had-allowed-our-eyes-to-meet-only-once-by-accident-as-much-as-out/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailin-gow/we-had-allowed-our-eyes-to-meet-only-once-by-accident-as-much-as-out/#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 } } ] } ```