--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nine-year-old Laila rose from bed, as she…" description: "\"“Nine-year-old Laila rose from bed, as she did most mornings, hungry for the sight of her friend Tariq. This morning, however, she knew there would be ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/khaled-hosseini-251_thousand-years_nine-year-old-laila-rose-from-bed-as-she_1907965.jpg" --- # Nine-year-old Laila rose from bed, as she did most… ![“Nine-year-old Laila rose from bed, as she did most mornings, hungry for the sight of her friend Tariq. This morning, however, she knew there would be no Tariq sighting. - How long will you be gone? - She’d asked when Tariq had told her that his parents were taking him south, to the city of Ghazni…” quote by Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/khaled-hosseini-251_thousand-years_nine-year-old-laila-rose-from-bed-as-she_1907965.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/khaled-hosseini-251_thousand-years_nine-year-old-laila-rose-from-bed-as-she_1907965.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/khaled-hosseini-251_thousand-years_nine-year-old-laila-rose-from-bed-as-she_1907965.jpg) > ““Nine-year-old Laila rose from bed, as she did most mornings, hungry for the sight of her friend Tariq. This morning, however, she knew there would be no Tariq sighting. - How long will you be gone? - She’d asked when Tariq had told her that his parents were taking him south, to the city of Ghazni, to visit his paternal uncle. - Thirteen days - Thirteen days? - It’s not so long. You’re making a face, Laila. - I am not. - You’re not going to cry, are you? - I am not going to cry! Not over you. Not in a thousand years. She’d kicked at his shin, not his artificial but his real one, and he’d playfully whacked the back of her head. Thirteen days. Almost two weeks. And, just five days in, Laila had learned a fundamental truth about time: Like the accordion on which Tariq’s father sometimes played old Pashto songs, time stretched and contracted depending on Tariq’s absence or presence.”” [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. Time feels elastic, expanding or contracting based on emotional proximity and longing. **In simple terms:** Time stretches when loved ones are absent. Key Takeaway Recognize how emotions shape perception of time. Themes friendship time perception longing Mood nostalgic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - separation - reunion - waiting - childhood friendships - cultural context Key Concepts psychology subjective experience emotional resonance Questions to Reflect On - How does longing affect your sense of time? - Can you notice time’s elasticity in your own relationships? A Different Perspective Emotional distance can distort objective timelines. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Thousand years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-years/) ## Related quotes > [“Thirteen days. Almost two weeks. And, just five days in, Laila had learned a fundamental truth about time: Like the accordion on which Tariq's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/thirteen-days-almost-two-weeks-and-just-five-days-in-laila-had/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“This can't happen again, Wyatt. We're done. It's over." A palm slapped against the door, right next to her head, so hard she jumped.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-croft/this-can-t-happen-again-wyatt-we-re-done-it-s-over-a-palm-slapped/) [Sydney Croft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-croft/) > [“Evie,” he whispered, “you’re so warm, so lovely…oh, hell. I’ve got two months, thirteen days and six hours before I can take you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-kleypas/evie-he-whispered-you-re-so-warm-so-lovely-oh-hell-i-ve-got-two/) [Lisa Kleypas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-kleypas/) > [When I read Thirteen Days I was moved by it. 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Of course I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/so-with-all-the-sleep-my-memories-reading-my-crime-story-and-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Like my 36" waist, those days are long gone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-cal-tuohey/like-my-36-waist-those-days-are-long-gone/) Carl "Cal" Tuohey > [“There was a time, not long ago When flowers grew all year When days were long And nights star-strewn And men lived free from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-arden/there-was-a-time-not-long-ago-when-flowers-grew-all-year-when-days/) [Katherine Arden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-arden/) > [Not playing for four days is a long time to get back in the flow quickly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-seager/not-playing-for-four-days-is-a-long-time-to-get-back-in-the-flow/) [Corey Seager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-seager/) > [In parenting, as in judging, the days are long, but the years are short.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-willett/in-parenting-as-in-judging-the-days-are-long-but-the-years-are-short/) [Don Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-willett/) > [The director sets the tone, and if someone's ruling it with an iron fist, people are quiet and the days go long in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/channing-tatum/the-director-sets-the-tone-and-if-someone-s-ruling-it-with-an-iron/) [Channing Tatum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/channing-tatum/) > [I hadn't understood how days could be both long and short at the same time: long to live through, maybe, but so drawn out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-hadn-t-understood-how-days-could-be-both-long-and-short-at-the-same/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [As sure as water's wet and days are long and a friend will always disappoint you in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/as-sure-as-water-s-wet-and-days-are-long-and-a-friend-will-always/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I’d ruin any day, all my days, for those long nights with you, and I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-handler/i-d-ruin-any-day-all-my-days-for-those-long-nights-with-you-and-i-did/) [Daniel Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-handler/) ## 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. 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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 Thousand years quotes > [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [A thousand years may scare form a state. An hour may lay it in ruins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/a-thousand-years-may-scare-form-a-state-an-hour-may-lay-it-in-ruins/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spite; Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-the-great/ring-out-false-pride-in-place-and-blood-the-civic-slander-and-the/) [Alfred the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-the-great/) > [“days of the earliest Church? I ask you: Do you want things to go on as usual, or do you want to see God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-t-kendall/days-of-the-earliest-church-i-ask-you-do-you-want-things-to-go-on-as/) [R. T. Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-t-kendall/) > [“He still heard his mother's voice--"Davey"--rise like whisper-dust from unseen corners in the house, but it was no longer the only voice he heard.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/he-still-heard-his-mother-s-voice-davey-rise-like-whisper-dust-from/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [“Whenever I think about ancient cultures nostalgia seizes me. Perhaps this is nothing but envy of the sweet slowness of the history of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/whenever-i-think-about-ancient-cultures-nostalgia-seizes-me-perhaps/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [“Man is not a 'fixed and limited animal whose nature is absolutely constant'. 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She’d kicked at his shin, not his artificial but his real one, and he’d playfully whacked the back of her head. Thirteen days. Almost two weeks. 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