---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And she knew that no matter how fast she…"
description: "\"“And she knew that no matter how fast she moved, she could not reach her mother quickly enough, and the doctor would be too slow, and tomorrow would be..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/kathleen-o-dell-32243_mother_and-she-knew-that-no-matter-how-fast-she_3062257.jpg"
---

#  And she knew that no matter how fast she moved, she could…

![“And she knew that no matter how fast she moved, she could not reach her mother quickly enough, and the doctor would be too slow, and tomorrow would be terrible in a way that would make her long for the security of all her old dissatisfactions.” quote by Kathleen O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/kathleen-o-dell-32243_mother_and-she-knew-that-no-matter-how-fast-she_3062257.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/kathleen-o-dell-32243_mother_and-she-knew-that-no-matter-how-fast-she_3062257.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/kathleen-o-dell-32243_mother_and-she-knew-that-no-matter-how-fast-she_3062257.jpg)

> ““And she knew that no matter how fast she moved, she could not reach her mother quickly enough, and the doctor would be too slow, and tomorrow would be terrible in a way that would make her long for the security of all her old dissatisfactions.””

[Kathleen O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/)

## About This Quote

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

She feels powerless against time and illness, yearning for the comfort of past grievances as a coping mechanism.

**In simple terms:** She longs for past comforts while facing inevitable loss.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge grief and seek healthy support.

Themes

loss anxiety time family

Mood

melancholic hopeful

Type

literary reflective

When to use this quote

- health crisis
- parental illness
- personal grief
- future uncertainty

Key Concepts

mortality coping mechanisms

Questions to Reflect On

- What comforts do you seek in hardship?
- How can you find peace without relying on past grievances?

A Different Perspective

Clinging to past dissatisfactions can hinder healing.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/)

## Related quotes

> [When a song came on the radio that I wanted to learn, my mother would quickly write down the lyrics for me. Soon after,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiran-ahluwalia/when-a-song-came-on-the-radio-that-i-wanted-to-learn-my-mother-would/)

[Kiran Ahluwalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiran-ahluwalia/)

> [“How I wish, how fervently I ache, to take my mother's hand, kiss her check,tell her I love her, and watch her smile. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-j-burke-sr/how-i-wish-how-fervently-i-ache-to-take-my-mother-s-hand-kiss-her/)

M.J. Burke Sr

> [What in Lucifer's reach is my mother doing here? -LORELAI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilmore-girls/what-in-lucifer-s-reach-is-my-mother-doing-here-lorelai/)

[Gilmore Girls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilmore-girls/)

> [I love my mother. I reach out to my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-phillips/i-love-my-mother-i-reach-out-to-my-mother/)

[Jeanne Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-phillips/)

> [All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-that-i-am-or-ever-hope-to-be-i-owe-to-my-angel-mother/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/)

[Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/)

> [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/)

[Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/)

> [Named after my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/named-after-my-mother/)

[Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/)

> [Being a new mother is a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phaedra-parks/being-a-new-mother-is-a-blessing/)

[Phaedra Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phaedra-parks/)

> [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/)

[Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/)

> [My mother was strong-willed, demanding, and very supportive all at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/my-mother-was-strong-willed-demanding-and-very-supportive-all-at-the/)

[Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/)

> [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/)

[Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/)

> [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/)

[Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/)

## More by Kathleen O'Dell

> [“I ask too many personal questions and am always poking into the out-of-the-way places.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/i-ask-too-many-personal-questions-and-am-always-poking-into-the-out/)

[Kathleen O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/)

> [“No matter what passes, for good or ill, it is always better to know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/no-matter-what-passes-for-good-or-ill-it-is-always-better-to-know/)

[Kathleen O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/)

> [“And though Clara couldn’t speak, she determined that she would no longer be aimless. Whatever wit or pluck she had would be used for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/and-though-clara-couldn-t-speak-she-determined-that-she-would-no/)

[Kathleen O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/)

> [“And though there’s a grain of truth in every rumor, I’ve found that the worst gossip usually starts with something harmless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/and-though-there-s-a-grain-of-truth-in-every-rumor-i-ve-found-that/)

[Kathleen O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/)

> [“Clara became so immersed in her “made-up” life that she almost began to believe she was the smart, strong, kind girl beloved by classmates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/clara-became-so-immersed-in-her-made-up-life-that-she-almost-began-to/)

[Kathleen O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/)

> [“Despite her promise to share every secret, Clara didn’t tell Daphne about her faulty heart. It was too gratifying to be recognized for her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/despite-her-promise-to-share-every-secret-clara-didn-t-tell-daphne/)

[Kathleen O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/)

> [“If she also heard Mrs. Glendoveer’s voice warning her against this ill-advised adventure, she did not listen. She felt too bright inside.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/if-she-also-heard-mrs-glendoveer-s-voice-warning-her-against-this-ill/)

[Kathleen O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/)

> [“She had to admit that she sometimes saw in them a reflection of herself, cooped up with nothing but the same faces to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/she-had-to-admit-that-she-sometimes-saw-in-them-a-reflection-of/)

[Kathleen O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/)

> [“Put your nose in a book. That’s the best thing for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/put-your-nose-in-a-book-that-s-the-best-thing-for-you/)

[Kathleen O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/)

> [“mirror. Daylight now awaken thee.” With a loud clap of his hands, Mr.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/mirror-daylight-now-awaken-thee-with-a-loud-clap-of-his-hands-mr/)

[Kathleen O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/)

> [“I believe, and now I suspect we’re more alike than I’d imagined.” She raised her right hand. “You shall have my word,” she said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/i-believe-and-now-i-suspect-we-re-more-alike-than-i-d-imagined-she/)

[Kathleen O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/)

> [“Could be worse, I guess. Could have a husband.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/could-be-worse-i-guess-could-have-a-husband/)

[Kathleen O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/)

> [“Books were the one way Clara could wander, so she was more than happy to spend her morning with the Black Knight and legendary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/books-were-the-one-way-clara-could-wander-so-she-was-more-than-happy/)

[Kathleen O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/)

> [“Pretty, mysterious girl with braids … The depiction thrilled her. To be seen, to be described—it was as if the plain girl she always saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/pretty-mysterious-girl-with-braids-the-depiction-thrilled-her-to-be/)

[Kathleen O'Dell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/)

[Explore all 15 Kathleen O'Dell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/)

## More Mother quotes

> [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/)

[Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/)

> [Laughing, laughing, laughing, laughing! It is the jester! A voice from the Void, to cheer poor Cicero! I accept your gift, dearest Night Mother.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/laughing-laughing-laughing-laughing-it-is-the-jester-a-voice-from-the/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/)

[Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [My mother was strong-willed, demanding, and very supportive all at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-spence/my-mother-was-strong-willed-demanding-and-very-supportive-all-at-the/)

[Michael Spence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-spence/)

> [Everything comes home, my mother used to say; every word spoken, every shadow cast, every footprint in the sand. It can't be helped; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/everything-comes-home-my-mother-used-to-say-every-word-spoken-every/)

[Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/)

> [I would give anything to be able to kick a ball with my son or read the kids a bedtime story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-burrow/i-would-give-anything-to-be-able-to-kick-a-ball-with-my-son-or-read/)

[Rob Burrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-burrow/)

> [Being a new mother is a blessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phaedra-parks/being-a-new-mother-is-a-blessing/)

[Phaedra Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phaedra-parks/)

> [Named after my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/named-after-my-mother/)

[Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/)

> [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/)

[Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/)

> [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/)

[Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/)

> [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/)

[Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/)

> [Peace is the first thing the angels sang. Peace is the mark of the children of God. Peace is the nurse of love. Peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-i/peace-is-the-first-thing-the-angels-sang-peace-is-the-mark-of-the/)

[Pope Leo I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-i/)

> [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/)

[Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/)

> [Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delay/guns-have-little-or-nothing-to-do-with-juvenile-violence-the-causes/)

[Tom DeLay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delay/)

[Browse all 24,507 Mother quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“And she knew that no matter how fast she moved, she could not reach her mother quickly enough, and the doctor would be too slow, and tomorrow would be terrible in a way that would make her long for the security of all her old dissatisfactions.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kathleen O'Dell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/and-she-knew-that-no-matter-how-fast-she-moved-she-could-not-reach/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Mother"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/and-she-knew-that-no-matter-how-fast-she-moved-she-could-not-reach/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/kathleen-o-dell-32243_mother_and-she-knew-that-no-matter-how-fast-she_3062257.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/kathleen-o-dell-32243_mother_and-she-knew-that-no-matter-how-fast-she_3062257.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75d/kathleen-o-dell-32243_mother_and-she-knew-that-no-matter-how-fast-she_3062257.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“And she knew that no matter how fast she moved, she could not reach her mother quickly enough, and the…” — Kathleen O'Dell",
                "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": "Kathleen O'Dell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-o-dell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“And she knew that no matter...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/and-she-knew-that-no-matter-how-fast-she-moved-she-could-not-reach/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-o-dell/and-she-knew-that-no-matter-how-fast-she-moved-she-could-not-reach/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
