--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Laila remembered how Mammy had dropped to…" description: "\"“Laila remembered how Mammy had dropped to the ground, how she’d screamed, torn at her hair. But Laila couldn’t even manage that. She could hardly move..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/khaled-hosseini-251_death-of-a-loved-one_laila-remembered-how-mammy-had-dropped-t_1227634.jpg" --- # Laila remembered how Mammy had dropped to the ground, how… ![“Laila remembered how Mammy had dropped to the ground, how she’d screamed, torn at her hair. But Laila couldn’t even manage that. She could hardly move. She could hardly move a muscle. She sat on the chair instead, hands limp in her lap, eyes staring at nothing, and let her mind fly on. She let it…” quote by Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/khaled-hosseini-251_death-of-a-loved-one_laila-remembered-how-mammy-had-dropped-t_1227634.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/khaled-hosseini-251_death-of-a-loved-one_laila-remembered-how-mammy-had-dropped-t_1227634.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/613/khaled-hosseini-251_death-of-a-loved-one_laila-remembered-how-mammy-had-dropped-t_1227634.jpg) > ““Laila remembered how Mammy had dropped to the ground, how she’d screamed, torn at her hair. But Laila couldn’t even manage that. She could hardly move. She could hardly move a muscle. She sat on the chair instead, hands limp in her lap, eyes staring at nothing, and let her mind fly on. She let it fly on until it found the place, the good and safe place, where the barley fields were green, where the water ran clear and the cottonwood seeds danced by the thousands in the air; where Babi was reading a book beneath an acacia and Tariq was napping with his hands laced across his chest, and where she could dip her feet in the stream and dream good dreams beneath the watchful gaze of gods of ancient, sun-bleached rock.”” [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Laila escapes trauma by mentally retreating to a peaceful, imagined sanctuary where loved ones are safe and happy. **In simple terms:** She copes by visualizing a safe, happy place. Key Takeaway Use imagination to find calm during distress. Themes trauma coping imagination memory hope Mood somber reflective hopeful Type literary emotional inspirational When to use this quote - war zones - personal crisis - therapy sessions - creative writing - mindfulness practice Key Concepts psychology escape mental sanctuary resilience Questions to Reflect On - What safe mental places help you survive hardship? - How can you balance escape with facing reality? A Different Perspective Imagined safety may delay confronting real danger or grief. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Babi Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/babi-reading-3783079/) [Death of a loved one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-of-a-loved-one/) [Dreams Beneath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams-beneath-833546/) [Good Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-dreams/) [Laila Remembered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laila-remembered-3783080/) [Reading A Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-a-book/) [Safe place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe-place/) [Seeds Danced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeds-danced-3783081/) ## Related quotes > [I have spread my dreams beneath your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wb-yeats/i-have-spread-my-dreams-beneath-your-feet-tread-softly-because-you/) [WB Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wb-yeats/) > [Everyday, everywhere our children spread their dreams beneath our feet and we should tread softly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-robinson/everyday-everywhere-our-children-spread-their-dreams-beneath-our-feet/) [Ken Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-robinson/) > [Good thoughts are no better than good dreams, unless they are executed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/good-thoughts-are-no-better-than-good-dreams-unless-they-are-executed/) [Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/) > [“What good are dreams if they lie only in closed boxes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadia-janice-brown/what-good-are-dreams-if-they-lie-only-in-closed-boxes/) [Nadia Janice Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadia-janice-brown/) > [Good thoughts are no better than good dreams if you don't follow through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-thoughts-are-no-better-than-good-dreams-if-you-don-t-follow/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [If you're playing pretty good, you have dreams of playing in the major leagues some day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-boone/if-you-re-playing-pretty-good-you-have-dreams-of-playing-in-the-major/) [Aaron Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-boone/) > [“It is not on your fears that good dreams are built but on hope and determination - rjs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/it-is-not-on-your-fears-that-good-dreams-are-built-but-on-hope-and/) [rassool jibraeel snyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rassool-jibraeel-snyman/) > [Good dreams don't come cheap You've got to pay for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-chapin/good-dreams-don-t-come-cheap-you-ve-got-to-pay-for-them/) [Harry Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-chapin/) > [I have read a great deal about what animals dream, but none of it has ever really satisfied me. I believe they dream exactly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleveland-amory/i-have-read-a-great-deal-about-what-animals-dream-but-none-of-it-has/) [Cleveland Amory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cleveland-amory/) > [Power to do good is the true and lawful act of aspiring; for good thoughts (though God accept them), yet towards men are little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/power-to-do-good-is-the-true-and-lawful-act-of-aspiring-for-good/) [John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/) > [The old dreams were good dreams; they didn't work out but I'm glad I had them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-james-waller/the-old-dreams-were-good-dreams-they-didn-t-work-out-but-i-m-glad-i/) [Robert James Waller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-james-waller/) > [When you are having bad dreams, turn your pillow over. The good dreams are on the other side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rohit/when-you-are-having-bad-dreams-turn-your-pillow-over-the-good-dreams/) [Rohit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rohit/) > [“I only have two kinds of dreams: the bad and the terrible. Bad dreams I can cope with. They're just nightmares, and they end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-only-have-two-kinds-of-dreams-the-bad-and-the-terrible-bad-dreams-i/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Life's Highs... 1. Laughing hysterically 2. Dancing your heart out 3. Star gazing 4. Shopping 5. Going to the beach 6. Listening to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-s-highs-1-laughing-hysterically-2-dancing-your-heart-out-3-star/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“Some writers refuse to lay their heads peaceably on the pillow of literary history in order to give posterity good dreams." -- review in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/of-the-works-of-knut-hamsun-26-nov-1998-james-wood-review-in-london-review-of-books/some-writers-refuse-to-lay-their-heads-peaceably-on-the-pillow-of/) [of the works of Knut Hamsun (26 nov 1998 James Wood review in London Review of Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/of-the-works-of-knut-hamsun-26-nov-1998-james-wood-review-in-london-review-of-books/) ## More by Khaled Hosseini > [“Winter was every kid’s favorite season in Kabul, at least those whose fathers could afford to buy a good iron stove. The reason was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/winter-was-every-kid-s-favorite-season-in-kabul-at-least-those-whose/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Their fights didn’t so much end as dissipate, like a drop of ink in a bowl of water, with a residual taint that lingered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/their-fights-didn-t-so-much-end-as-dissipate-like-a-drop-of-ink-in-a/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“I think that everything he did, feeding the poor, giving money to friends in need, it was all a way of redeeming himself. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-think-that-everything-he-did-feeding-the-poor-giving-money-to/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“it always falls on the sober to pay for the sins of the drunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/it-always-falls-on-the-sober-to-pay-for-the-sins-of-the-drunk/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Mariam knew that life for the most part had been unkind to her. But as she walked the final twenty paces, she could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/mariam-knew-that-life-for-the-most-part-had-been-unkind-to-her-but-as/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“I pray. I pray that my sins have not caught up with me the way I'd always feared they would.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-pray-i-pray-that-my-sins-have-not-caught-up-with-me-the-way-i-d/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“shoes: that putting them on a bed invited death into the family, that a quarrel would follow if one put on the left shoe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/shoes-that-putting-them-on-a-bed-invited-death-into-the-family-that-a/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [I have a theory about marriage, Monsieur Boustouler. And it's that nearly always you will know within two weeks if it's going to work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-have-a-theory-about-marriage-monsieur-boustouler-and-it-s-that/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [The short of it is, as an aspiring writer, there is nothing as damaging to your credibility as saying that you don't like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/the-short-of-it-is-as-an-aspiring-writer-there-is-nothing-as-damaging/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Throughout the last century there were multiple attempts at giving Afghan women more autonomy, to change marriage laws, to abolish the practice of bride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/throughout-the-last-century-there-were-multiple-attempts-at-giving/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [At that moment, she cannot think of a more reckless, irrational thing than choosing to become a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/at-that-moment-she-cannot-think-of-a-more-reckless-irrational-thing/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“He says this is war. There is no shame in war. Tell him he's wrong. War doesn't negate decency. It demands it, even more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/he-says-this-is-war-there-is-no-shame-in-war-tell-him-he-s-wrong-war/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [For many people in the west, Afghanistan is synonymous with the Soviet war and the Taliban. I wanted to remind people that Afghans had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/for-many-people-in-the-west-afghanistan-is-synonymous-with-the-soviet/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Educate yourself, learn about what refugees face when they don't have homes, after they have lost everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/educate-yourself-learn-about-what-refugees-face-when-they-don-t-have/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Rahim Khan laughed. “Children aren’t coloring books. You don’t get to fill them with your favorite colors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/rahim-khan-laughed-children-aren-t-coloring-books-you-don-t-get-to/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) [Explore all 697 Khaled Hosseini quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) ## More Death of a loved one quotes > [A man is not completely born until he is dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/a-man-is-not-completely-born-until-he-is-dead/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [My off-the-cuff remarks at the University of Virginia were with regard to global macro traders, who are on-call 24/7 and of whom there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tudor-jones/my-off-the-cuff-remarks-at-the-university-of-virginia-were-with/) [Paul Tudor Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tudor-jones/) > [“And a soul would run by a living being, touch them softly on the shoulder or cheek, and continue on its way to heaven.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/and-a-soul-would-run-by-a-living-being-touch-them-softly-on-the/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [“The major fear of man is the fear of death. Death is not the end of existence, death is separation. A man doesn’t stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kingsley-opuwari-manuel/the-major-fear-of-man-is-the-fear-of-death-death-is-not-the-end-of/) [Kingsley Opuwari Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kingsley-opuwari-manuel/) > [“When I reflect on the stories of death supported by hospice care and contrast it with our story depicting an absence of support, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-j-shultz/when-i-reflect-on-the-stories-of-death-supported-by-hospice-care-and/) [Lisa J. Shultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-j-shultz/) > [“Pain, unless it is physical, was sold to you (by your culture).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/pain-unless-it-is-physical-was-sold-to-you-by-your-culture/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [“She had thought that when someone died, it would be like they went into a different room. She had not known that life itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/she-had-thought-that-when-someone-died-it-would-be-like-they-went/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [“Two weeks. Everything you love, own, and cherish, can be gone, liquidated, and lost forever in two weeks. Give or take a day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-lincoln-fenn/two-weeks-everything-you-love-own-and-cherish-can-be-gone-liquidated/) [J. Lincoln Fenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-lincoln-fenn/) > [“Whenever something scary happens or I want to comment on something, like Joyce and Hopper’s constant bickering, which is getting annoying, I glance toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-latos/whenever-something-scary-happens-or-i-want-to-comment-on-something/) [Alexandra Latos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-latos/) > [“The world didn't end with a whimper or a bang. Your life finished in complete silence. Gone in a blink. And then there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-k-preston/the-world-didn-t-end-with-a-whimper-or-a-bang-your-life-finished-in/) [F.K. Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-k-preston/) > [“When he died, all things soft and beautiful and bright would be buried with him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/when-he-died-all-things-soft-and-beautiful-and-bright-would-be-buried/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [“Lay down Your tired & weary head my friend. We have wept too long Night is falling And you are only sleeping We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-n-harris/lay-down-your-tired-weary-head-my-friend-we-have-wept-too-long-night/) [José N. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-n-harris/) > [Even the rich aren't often happy. Their wealth is at best only a temporary distraction. It doesn't make them immune to emotional and mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/even-the-rich-aren-t-often-happy-their-wealth-is-at-best-only-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Good-night! good-night! as we so oft have said Beneath this roof at midnight, in the days That are no more, and shall no more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/good-night-good-night-as-we-so-oft-have-said-beneath-this-roof-at/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [“A four foot box, a foot for every year.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seamus-heaney/a-four-foot-box-a-foot-for-every-year/) [Seamus Heaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seamus-heaney/) [Browse all 210 Death of a loved one quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-of-a-loved-one/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Laila remembered how Mammy had dropped to the ground, how she’d screamed, torn at her hair. 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