--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Watching them, Harmony felt too shaken to…" description: "\"“Watching them, Harmony felt too shaken to take a step. Eddie and Sheba were young; but she herself had become old. Even if she wasn’t particularly old..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/larry-mcmurtry-2540_bad-man_watching-them-harmony-felt-too-shaken-to_397760.jpg" --- # Watching them, Harmony felt too shaken to take a step… ![“Watching them, Harmony felt too shaken to take a step. Eddie and Sheba were young; but she herself had become old. Even if she wasn’t particularly old if you just counted years, the fact was years were no way to count. Happenings were the way to count, the big happening that separated her from…” quote by Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/larry-mcmurtry-2540_bad-man_watching-them-harmony-felt-too-shaken-to_397760.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/larry-mcmurtry-2540_bad-man_watching-them-harmony-felt-too-shaken-to_397760.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/larry-mcmurtry-2540_bad-man_watching-them-harmony-felt-too-shaken-to_397760.jpg) > ““Watching them, Harmony felt too shaken to take a step. Eddie and Sheba were young; but she herself had become old. Even if she wasn’t particularly old if you just counted years, the fact was years were no way to count. Happenings were the way to count, the big happening that separated her from youth or even middle age was the death of her daughter, Pepper. That death made her realize that life, once you got around to producing children, was no longer about being pretty or having boyfriends or making money – it was about protecting children; getting them raised to the point where they could try life as adults. It didn’t have to be just children that come out of your body, either. It could be anyone young who needed something you had to give. Some grown men were children; some grown women, too. Harmony knew that she had spent a good part of her life, taking care of just such men. But now that she felt old she didn’t think she wanted to spend much more of her energy protecting men who had had a good chance to grow up, but had blown it. If she never had another boyfriend – something she had been worrying about, on the plane – it might be a little dull in some areas, like sexual areas, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world. What would be the end of the world would be to let some little girl like Sheba get in the car with a bad man who would make a U-turn across the street and kill her right there in front of the pay phones, where pimps and crack dealers were making their calls.”” [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Harmony realizes that protecting vulnerable youth, not personal relationships, defines purpose after loss. **In simple terms:** Protecting the young becomes life's main goal after tragedy. Key Takeaway Prioritize caring for those in need. Themes responsibility age protection Mood reflective somber Type narrative philosophical When to use this quote - parenting - mentoring - community safety - personal healing Key Concepts caregiving generational duty loss Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance self‑care with caring for others? - What boundaries are needed when protecting the vulnerable? A Different Perspective She may neglect her own emotional needs while focusing on others. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-man/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [End of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-world/) [Grown women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grown-women/) [Harmony Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harmony-knew-3573664/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Like Sheba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-sheba-3573666/) [Little girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-girl/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [Making money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-money/) [Middle age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-age/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Protecting children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protecting-children/) [Watching Harmony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watching-harmony-3573665/) [Women Harmony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women-harmony-3573663/) ## Related quotes > [And when one person taps out a beat, while another leads into the melody, or when three people discover a harmony they never knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-seeger/and-when-one-person-taps-out-a-beat-while-another-leads-into-the/) [Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-seeger/) > [“I had once been splintered into a million beings and objects. Today I am one, tomorrow I shall splinter again. And thus everything in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/i-had-once-been-splintered-into-a-million-beings-and-objects-today-i/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Early on, girls begin to menstruate, which is dramatic but not obvious to their playmates. They grow taller and rounder, but underneath their makeup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-pittman/early-on-girls-begin-to-menstruate-which-is-dramatic-but-not-obvious/) [Frank Pittman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-pittman/) > [When I was 5 years old I started singing in church and I hated my voice because I sounded like a grown woman, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loleatta-holloway/when-i-was-5-years-old-i-started-singing-in-church-and-i-hated-my/) [Loleatta Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loleatta-holloway/) > [Thank God we're not like America. Everyone wants to look like they're 20. In Europe we admire grown-up women; I think men revere older women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-annis/thank-god-we-re-not-like-america-everyone-wants-to-look-like-they-re/) [Francesca Annis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-annis/) > [I would go to the craft services table and have Oreos or whatever, and a grown woman would come up to me and look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-wilson/i-would-go-to-the-craft-services-table-and-have-oreos-or-whatever-and/) [Mara Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-wilson/) > [I'm a grown woman. I've earned my experiences, my scars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/i-m-a-grown-woman-i-ve-earned-my-experiences-my-scars/) [Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/) > [I've finally figured out why soap operas are, and logically should be, so popular with generations of housebound women. They are the only place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-ve-finally-figured-out-why-soap-operas-are-and-logically-should-be/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [There was a race that I was running in Mexico City and I was the only high school athlete running against grown women. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allyson-felix/there-was-a-race-that-i-was-running-in-mexico-city-and-i-was-the-only/) [Allyson Felix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allyson-felix/) > [I am a grown woman-- mostly-- and I can guzzle champagne with whomever I choose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-barrows/i-am-a-grown-woman-mostly-and-i-can-guzzle-champagne-with-whomever-i/) [Annie Barrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-barrows/) > [Little children love bright, shiny things - and in my experience, most grown-up women aren't very different!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheherazade-goldsmith/little-children-love-bright-shiny-things-and-in-my-experience-most/) [Sheherazade Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheherazade-goldsmith/) > [A breath of steam trickles out, filled with the sobs of a grown woman breaking into girl-sized pieces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/a-breath-of-steam-trickles-out-filled-with-the-sobs-of-a-grown-woman/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [ Even when I was a grown woman, he \[Father\] would leave me on the edge of hysteria in all our arguments: though I married… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-howard/even-when-i-was-a-grown-woman-he-father-would-leave-me-on-the-edge-of/) [Maureen Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-howard/) > [I'M PISSIN' ON GROWN WOMEN. R. KELLY DO IT TO CHILDREN.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-jackson/i-m-pissin-on-grown-women-r-kelly-do-it-to-children/) [Curtis Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-jackson/) > [I'm a grown woman and sometimes, I might be a little fat, you know? Am I alone there? Not really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leighton-meester/i-m-a-grown-woman-and-sometimes-i-might-be-a-little-fat-you-know-am-i/) [Leighton Meester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leighton-meester/) ## More by Larry McMurtry > [“if you repeat a temporary answer often enough, it acquires a degree of permanency.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/if-you-repeat-a-temporary-answer-often-enough-it-acquires-a-degree-of/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [“The first difference Newt noticed about being grown up was that time didn't pass as slow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/the-first-difference-newt-noticed-about-being-grown-up-was-that-time/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [-she remembered them kindly, for there was a sweetness in boys that didn't last long, once they became men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/she-remembered-them-kindly-for-there-was-a-sweetness-in-boys-that/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [A man who wouldn't cheat for a poke don't want one bad enough. --Augustus "Gus" McCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/a-man-who-wouldn-t-cheat-for-a-poke-don-t-want-one-bad-enough/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [“Ride with an outlaw, die with him," he added. "I admit it's a harsh code. But you rode on the other side long enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/ride-with-an-outlaw-die-with-him-he-added-i-admit-it-s-a-harsh-code/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [WHEN AUGUSTUS CAME OUT on the porch the blue pigs were eating a rattlesnake—not a very big one. It had probably just been crawling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/when-augustus-came-out-on-the-porch-the-blue-pigs-were-eating-a/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [Books can accommodate the proximity of computers but it doesn't seem to work the other way around. Computers now literally drive out books from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/books-can-accommodate-the-proximity-of-computers-but-it-doesn-t-seem/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [The reason men are so awful is because some woman has spoiled them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/the-reason-men-are-so-awful-is-because-some-woman-has-spoiled-them/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [“Sometimes Sonny felt like he was the only human creature in the town. It was a bad feeling, and it usually came on him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/sometimes-sonny-felt-like-he-was-the-only-human-creature-in-the-town/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [“. . . he had learned in his years of tracking Indians that things which seemed impossible often weren't. They only became so if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/he-had-learned-in-his-years-of-tracking-indians-that-things-which/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [It's a fine world, though rich in hardships at times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/it-s-a-fine-world-though-rich-in-hardships-at-times/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [Nobody run off with her,” Roscoe said. "She just run off with herself, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/nobody-run-off-with-her-roscoe-said-she-just-run-off-with-herself-i/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [Americans' lack of passion for history is well known. History may not quite be bunk, as Henry Ford suggested, but there's no denying that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/americans-lack-of-passion-for-history-is-well-known-history-may-not/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [I never met a soul in this world as normal as me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/i-never-met-a-soul-in-this-world-as-normal-as-me/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) > [“I figured out something, Lorie,” he said. “I figured out why you and me get along so well. You know more than you say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/i-figured-out-something-lorie-he-said-i-figured-out-why-you-and-me/) [Larry McMurtry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) [Explore all 162 Larry McMurtry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/) ## More Bad man quotes > [I don't do plays without jokes anymore. I've retired from those plays. I think it's bad manners to invite people to sit in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nighy/i-don-t-do-plays-without-jokes-anymore-i-ve-retired-from-those-plays/) [Bill Nighy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nighy/) > [“It is said that the hallmark of a gentleman is that he is only ever rude intentionally. Arthur Bryant was no gentleman. His rudeness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fowler/it-is-said-that-the-hallmark-of-a-gentleman-is-that-he-is-only-ever/) [Christopher Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fowler/) > [Good churches are not built by bad men; at least, there must be probity and enthusiasm somewhere in the society. These minsters were neither…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/good-churches-are-not-built-by-bad-men-at-least-there-must-be-probity/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Why, just a couple of economic seasons ago, was idle cash considered an indication of bad management or lazy management? Because it meant that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/why-just-a-couple-of-economic-seasons-ago-was-idle-cash-considered-an/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man's treasure, the bad man's refuge. Honors can be bought with fine words, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-tao-is-the-center-of-the-universe-the-good-man-s-treasure-the-bad/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Terrorism is obviously on everybody's mind. The other day my son says to me, 'Daddy, how come the bad men hate us?' How sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-giraldo/terrorism-is-obviously-on-everybody-s-mind-the-other-day-my-son-says/) [Greg Giraldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-giraldo/) > [What is a good man but a bad man's teacher? What is a bad man but a good man's job? If you do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-is-a-good-man-but-a-bad-man-s-teacher-what-is-a-bad-man-but-a/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [If I was to ask you tonight if you were saved? Do you say 'Yes, I am saved'. When? 'Oh so and so preached,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/if-i-was-to-ask-you-tonight-if-you-were-saved-do-you-say-yes-i-am/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) > [What is a good man? Simply one whose life is useful to the world. And a bad man is simply one whose life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhang-zhao/what-is-a-good-man-simply-one-whose-life-is-useful-to-the-world-and-a/) [Zhang Zhao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhang-zhao/) > [~I'm strict about manners. I think that kids have a horrible time with other people if they have bad manners… The one thing you've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-thompson/i-m-strict-about-manners-i-think-that-kids-have-a-horrible-time-with/) [Emma Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-thompson/) > [“He never looked at her; and yet, the careful avoidance of his eyes betokened that in some way he knew exactly where, if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/he-never-looked-at-her-and-yet-the-careful-avoidance-of-his-eyes/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [“As it happens, I’m a terrible dancer. Bears are simply not made for dancing. We’re much better at sitting and sleeping and singing. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-macleod/as-it-happens-i-m-a-terrible-dancer-bears-are-simply-not-made-for/) [Doug MacLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-macleod/) > [The Gospel of Jesus Christ can make bad men good and good men better, can alter human nature, and can change human lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-o-mckay/the-gospel-of-jesus-christ-can-make-bad-men-good-and-good-men-better/) [David O. McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-o-mckay/) > [This self-congratulatory notion Americans have that their country is Number One is borne of ignorance and bad manners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-cranston/this-self-congratulatory-notion-americans-have-that-their-country-is/) [Bryan Cranston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-cranston/) > [You can learn a lot about good management by working under someone who is a bad manager.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-murray/you-can-learn-a-lot-about-good-management-by-working-under-someone/) [Charles Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-murray/) [Browse all 410 Bad man quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-man/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Watching them, Harmony felt too shaken to take a step. Eddie and Sheba were young; but she herself had become old. Even if she wasn’t particularly old if you just counted years, the fact was years were no way to count. Happenings were the way to count, the big happening that separated her from youth or even middle age was the death of her daughter, Pepper. That death made her realize that life, once you got around to producing children, was no longer about being pretty or having boyfriends or making money – it was about protecting children; getting them raised to the point where they could try life as adults. It didn’t have to be just children that come out of your body, either. It could be anyone young who needed something you had to give. Some grown men were children; some grown women, too. Harmony knew that she had spent a good part of her life, taking care of just such men. But now that she felt old she didn’t think she wanted to spend much more of her energy protecting men who had had a good chance to grow up, but had blown it. If she never had another boyfriend – something she had been worrying about, on the plane – it might be a little dull in some areas, like sexual areas, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world. What would be the end of the world would be to let some little girl like Sheba get in the car with a bad man who would make a U-turn across the street and kill her right there in front of the pay phones, where pimps and crack dealers were making their calls.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Larry McMurtry" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/watching-them-harmony-felt-too-shaken-to-take-a-step-eddie-and-sheba/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad man" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/watching-them-harmony-felt-too-shaken-to-take-a-step-eddie-and-sheba/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/larry-mcmurtry-2540_bad-man_watching-them-harmony-felt-too-shaken-to_397760.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/larry-mcmurtry-2540_bad-man_watching-them-harmony-felt-too-shaken-to_397760.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b59/larry-mcmurtry-2540_bad-man_watching-them-harmony-felt-too-shaken-to_397760.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Watching them, Harmony felt too shaken to take a step. Eddie and Sheba were young; but she herself had…” — Larry McMurtry", "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": "Larry McMurtry", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-mcmurtry/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Watching them, Harmony felt too shaken...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/watching-them-harmony-felt-too-shaken-to-take-a-step-eddie-and-sheba/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-mcmurtry/watching-them-harmony-felt-too-shaken-to-take-a-step-eddie-and-sheba/#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 } } ] } ```