---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She had killed once by accident, a memory…"
description: "\"“She had killed once by accident, a memory she held close to her consciousness. It was how her Grace had announced its nature, a decade ago.”\" — Kristi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70d/kristin-cashore-369_memory_she-had-killed-once-by-accident-a-memory_1489155.jpg"
---

#  She had killed once by accident, a memory she held close…

![“She had killed once by accident, a memory she held close to her consciousness. It was how her Grace had announced its nature, a decade ago.” quote by Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70d/kristin-cashore-369_memory_she-had-killed-once-by-accident-a-memory_1489155.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70d/kristin-cashore-369_memory_she-had-killed-once-by-accident-a-memory_1489155.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70d/kristin-cashore-369_memory_she-had-killed-once-by-accident-a-memory_1489155.jpg)

> ““She had killed once by accident, a memory she held close to her consciousness. It was how her Grace had announced its nature, a decade ago.””

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

## About This Quote

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

A character reflects on a past accidental killing that shaped her identity, hinting at a deeper, perhaps supernatural, influence.

**In simple terms:** A past accident defines her and hints at hidden forces.

Key Takeaway

A past actions shape identity and reveal hidden truths.

Themes

identity memory guilt supernatural growth

Mood

melancholic introspective

Type

literary character study

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- conflict resolution
- self‑discovery
- storytelling

Key Concepts

psychology fantasy character development

Questions to Reflect On

- How do past mistakes inform who we become?
- What role does destiny play in personal growth?

A Different Perspective

The supernatural element may be metaphorical rather than literal.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accident Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accident-memory-5441240/) [Consciousness Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness-grace-5441241/) [Decade Ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decade-ago-1522193/) [Killed Accident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/killed-accident-2082450/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Memory Held](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory-held-1604949/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/)

## Related quotes

> [“No. I wasn’t there. I was back in Gladstone, Pennsylvania, and I was twelve years old. Two state troopers were in the driveway, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-c-andrews/no-i-wasn-t-there-i-was-back-in-gladstone-pennsylvania-and-i-was/)

[V.C. Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-c-andrews/)

> [I can't read music and I'm crap at learning lyrics. Especially since the accident I have memory problems. I can't remember words, names, places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-almond/i-can-t-read-music-and-i-m-crap-at-learning-lyrics-especially-since/)

[Marc Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-almond/)

> [Issues then days will separate people, years will pass and life will go on. If we choose to we can close our eyes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-santagato/issues-then-days-will-separate-people-years-will-pass-and-life-will/)

[Danny Santagato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-santagato/)

> [“And in all his life around him, Darky Gardiner for the first time sensed his own death. He understood that all this would go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/and-in-all-his-life-around-him-darky-gardiner-for-the-first-time/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [All that he had of her was his memory, where he held every moment, every single moment that she had been his. That was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-marillier/all-that-he-had-of-her-was-his-memory-where-he-held-every-moment/)

[Juliet Marillier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-marillier/)

> [“Later, the child climbs down from her mother’s knee and clambers up onto Tom. He holds her wordlessly, trying to imprint everything about her:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-l-stedman/later-the-child-climbs-down-from-her-mother-s-knee-and-clambers-up/)

[M.L. Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-l-stedman/)

> [“She was a creature of the deep, and there she must return, or perish. Toby understood that, but it hardly helped him. For all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliet-marillier/she-was-a-creature-of-the-deep-and-there-she-must-return-or-perish/)

[Juliet Marillier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliet-marillier/)

> [We started Roblox over a decade ago with a vision to bring people from all over the world together through play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-baszucki/we-started-roblox-over-a-decade-ago-with-a-vision-to-bring-people/)

[David Baszucki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-baszucki/)

> [“Why this book? In today’s globalized world, it seems we forget things that happened only a decade ago. Thus, we repeat the mistakes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jerome-baker/why-this-book-in-today-s-globalized-world-it-seems-we-forget-things/)

[Thomas Jerome Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jerome-baker/)

> [ All the science in the last few years, or almost all of it, really serves to show that the \[climate\] effects are larger and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/all-the-science-in-the-last-few-years-or-almost-all-of-it-really/)

[Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/)

> [First, I'd become an avid reader of blogs, especially music blogs, and they seemed to be where the critical-thinking action was at, to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-wilson/first-i-d-become-an-avid-reader-of-blogs-especially-music-blogs-and/)

[Carl Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-wilson/)

> [As a personal matter, I stopped voting more than a decade ago, on the grounds that it helped me as an analyst not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-greenfield/as-a-personal-matter-i-stopped-voting-more-than-a-decade-ago-on-the/)

[Jeff Greenfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-greenfield/)

> [“The outside pressure to be married was intense. This had surprised her a decade ago, but now she thought she understood. People wanted you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-courtney-sullivan/the-outside-pressure-to-be-married-was-intense-this-had-surprised-her/)

[J. Courtney Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-courtney-sullivan/)

> [When I worked in an office, I was definitely using a computer that should've been long gone over a decade ago but wasn't because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-herron/when-i-worked-in-an-office-i-was-definitely-using-a-computer-that/)

[Kate Herron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-herron/)

> [A decade ago, I never thought I would be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/incubus/a-decade-ago-i-never-thought-i-would-be/)

[Incubus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/incubus/)

## More by Kristin Cashore

> [“Back onto their horses, and shortly thereafter word had come around from the command units that any soldier brawling over any matter relating to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/back-onto-their-horses-and-shortly-thereafter-word-had-come-around/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [“The girls clipped and swept, and Katsa’s hair fell away. She thrilled at the unfamiliar chill of air on her neck. And wondered if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/the-girls-clipped-and-swept-and-katsa-s-hair-fell-away-she-thrilled/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [“Raffin appeared again, a floor above her, on the balconied passageway that ran past his workrooms. He leaned over the railing and called down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/raffin-appeared-again-a-floor-above-her-on-the-balconied-passageway/)

[Kristin cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [“When you’re a monster, she thought, you are thanked and praised for not behaving like a monster. She would like to restrain from cruelty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/when-you-re-a-monster-she-thought-you-are-thanked-and-praised-for-not/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [“She glanced up at him, and in that moment he pulled his wet shirt over his head. She forced her mind blank. Blank as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/she-glanced-up-at-him-and-in-that-moment-he-pulled-his-wet-shirt-over/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [“She had thought she'd already reached her capacity for pain and had no room inside her for more. But she remembered having told Archer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/she-had-thought-she-d-already-reached-her-capacity-for-pain-and-had/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [“He thinks it's dangerous for us to leave each other so much freedom and make these vague plans to travel together in the future,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/he-thinks-it-s-dangerous-for-us-to-leave-each-other-so-much-freedom/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [Ideas were growing in all directions and dimensions; they were becoming a sculpture, or a castle. And then everyone left her, to return to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/ideas-were-growing-in-all-directions-and-dimensions-they-were/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [But everyone has some kind of power to hurt people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/but-everyone-has-some-kind-of-power-to-hurt-people/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [“Papa?” she said, turning in circles now, spinning to look at each of the entrances. “Do you mean Papa? Where?” He came through an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/papa-she-said-turning-in-circles-now-spinning-to-look-at-each-of-the/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [“He decided to mark this new era in his life with a change of his foolish, sentimental name. The people of this land had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/he-decided-to-mark-this-new-era-in-his-life-with-a-change-of-his/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [I know you don't want this, Katsa. But I can't help myself. The moment you came barreling into my life I was lost. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/i-know-you-don-t-want-this-katsa-but-i-can-t-help-myself-the-moment/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [“Como no te has dado cuenta de que tus ojos me atrapan igual que te ocurre a ti con los míos”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/como-no-te-has-dado-cuenta-de-que-tus-ojos-me-atrapan-igual-que-te/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [I've been afraid of being Cansrel,' she said aloud to her reflection. 'But I'm not Cansrel.' At her elbow, Musa said blandly, 'Any one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/i-ve-been-afraid-of-being-cansrel-she-said-aloud-to-her-reflection/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

> [Find something useful to do with your morning,' she thought to him as she neared her chambers. 'Do something heroic in front of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/find-something-useful-to-do-with-your-morning-she-thought-to-him-as/)

[Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

[Explore all 604 Kristin Cashore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/)

## More Memory quotes

> [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [“Maybe there is something when it all ends. Maybe there is memory, memory of the person you loved, when you lived. Maybe this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-ellison/maybe-there-is-something-when-it-all-ends-maybe-there-is-memory/)

[Kate Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-ellison/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [Memory is funny. Once you hit a vein the problem is not how to remember but how to control the flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/memory-is-funny-once-you-hit-a-vein-the-problem-is-not-how-to/)

[Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/)

> [Once upon a time. Ah forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-upon-a-time-ah-forget-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/)

[Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/)

> [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [I have a memory like an elephant. I remember every elephant I've ever met.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-caen/i-have-a-memory-like-an-elephant-i-remember-every-elephant-i-ve-ever/)

[Herb Caen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-caen/)

> [Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/your-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-doesn-t-it-simply-files-things/)

[John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/)

> [My first Olympics memory was watching Haile Gebrselassie in Sydney 2000. His sprint finish to defend his title really moved me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-farah/my-first-olympics-memory-was-watching-haile-gebrselassie-in-sydney/)

[Mo Farah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-farah/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [My greatest memories as a kid were playing sports with my dad and watching sports with my dad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-teixeira/my-greatest-memories-as-a-kid-were-playing-sports-with-my-dad-and/)

[Mark Teixeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-teixeira/)

> [What’s the use of remembering anything? If it was unpleasant it was unpleasant and if it was pleasant it’s over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-dundy/what-s-the-use-of-remembering-anything-if-it-was-unpleasant-it-was/)

[Elaine Dundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-dundy/)

> [Always remember a little thing can change everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-remember-a-little-thing-can-change-everything/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If God knows me I will never forget him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trunxbeats/if-god-knows-me-i-will-never-forget-him/)

[Trunxbeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trunxbeats/)

[Browse all 12,248 Memory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“She had killed once by accident, a memory she held close to her consciousness. It was how her Grace had announced its nature, a decade ago.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kristin Cashore"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/she-had-killed-once-by-accident-a-memory-she-held-close-to-her/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Memory"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/she-had-killed-once-by-accident-a-memory-she-held-close-to-her/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70d/kristin-cashore-369_memory_she-had-killed-once-by-accident-a-memory_1489155.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70d/kristin-cashore-369_memory_she-had-killed-once-by-accident-a-memory_1489155.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70d/kristin-cashore-369_memory_she-had-killed-once-by-accident-a-memory_1489155.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“She had killed once by accident, a memory she held close to her consciousness. It was how her Grace had…” — Kristin Cashore",
                "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": "Kristin Cashore",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“She had killed once by accident,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/she-had-killed-once-by-accident-a-memory-she-held-close-to-her/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/she-had-killed-once-by-accident-a-memory-she-held-close-to-her/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
