--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When she got to Eileen Reilly, Eileen…" description: "\"“When she got to Eileen Reilly, Eileen turned red and said, \"I would rather not say.\" This astounded me, for her father was a handsome, charming salesm..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/lorrie-moore-870_main-street_when-she-got-to-eileen-reilly-eileen-tur_558606.jpg" --- # When she got to Eileen Reilly, Eileen turned red and said… ![“When she got to Eileen Reilly, Eileen turned red and said, "I would rather not say." This astounded me, for her father was a handsome, charming salesman at Home Savings Shoes on Main Street - Stan the Shoe Man, my mother affectionately called him. But his daughter had absorbed some disappointment…” quote by Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/lorrie-moore-870_main-street_when-she-got-to-eileen-reilly-eileen-tur_558606.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/lorrie-moore-870_main-street_when-she-got-to-eileen-reilly-eileen-tur_558606.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/lorrie-moore-870_main-street_when-she-got-to-eileen-reilly-eileen-tur_558606.jpg) > ““When she got to Eileen Reilly, Eileen turned red and said, "I would rather not say." This astounded me, for her father was a handsome, charming salesman at Home Savings Shoes on Main Street - Stan the Shoe Man, my mother affectionately called him. But his daughter had absorbed some disappointment - his, or her mother's - and did not want to speak of how he earned his living. Perhaps that was the moment I learned this as a source of personal shame, or observed the possibility of it.”” [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Personal shame can arise from family reputation, influencing how we discuss our background. **In simple terms:** Family pride or shame affects our willingness to talk about origins. Key Takeaway Recognize and address hidden shame about family history. Themes family shame identity communication Mood introspective emotional Type literary psychological When to use this quote - family gatherings - therapeutic writing - open conversations - cultural reflection Key Concepts Social stigma personal narrative intergenerational trauma Questions to Reflect On - What family stories do you avoid? - How does silence about background affect you? A Different Perspective Shame may be deeply rooted; confronting it can be uncomfortable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Called Daughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/called-daughter-1686589/) [Eileen Turned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eileen-turned-4636347/) [Main street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/main-street/) [Mother Affectionately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-affectionately-4636350/) [Personal Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-shame-4636348/) [Shame Observed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame-observed-4636349/) ## Related quotes > [“He called her''daughter of Abraham,' which likely sent a shock wave through the room; it was the first time the phrase had ever been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-bessey/he-called-her-daughter-of-abraham-which-likely-sent-a-shock-wave/) [Sarah Bessey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-bessey/) > [It's a wonder that any mother ever called a daughter Dinah again. But some did. Maybe you guessed that there was more to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-a-wonder-that-any-mother-ever-called-a-daughter-dinah-again-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He always called me Daughter. It was to distinguish me from his sister Ava. I loved being called Daughter. It sounded so possessive, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-gardner/he-always-called-me-daughter-it-was-to-distinguish-me-from-his-sister/) [Ava Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-gardner/) > [“The daughter wants to turn the past on its back like a turtle or a roach, leaving those legs walking futilely through air cheering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-liebegott/the-daughter-wants-to-turn-the-past-on-its-back-like-a-turtle-or-a/) [Ali Liebegott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-liebegott/) > [I, with other Americans, have perhaps unduly resented the stream of criticism of American life... more particularly have I resented the sneers at Main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/i-with-other-americans-have-perhaps-unduly-resented-the-stream-of/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [“Richardson ran on a parallel course beside Adams Street, but despite their proximity, the two streets were worlds apart. Richardson, on its path west…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-berard/richardson-ran-on-a-parallel-course-beside-adams-street-but-despite/) [Adrienne Berard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-berard/) > [“He was almost a poet in his old age and his notion of what happened took a poetic turn. 'I had come to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-anderson/he-was-almost-a-poet-in-his-old-age-and-his-notion-of-what-happened/) [Sherwood Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-anderson/) > [“Last fall, I was sitting at the kitchen table of two friends who have been together since 1972. They tell me a story about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/last-fall-i-was-sitting-at-the-kitchen-table-of-two-friends-who-have/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [Although we work through financial markets, our goal is to help Main Street, not Wall Street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/although-we-work-through-financial-markets-our-goal-is-to-help-main/) [Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/) > [There's less critical thinking going on in this country on a Main Street level - forget about the media - than ever before. We've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-baldwin/there-s-less-critical-thinking-going-on-in-this-country-on-a-main/) [Alec Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-baldwin/) > [I'm not averse to helping Wall Street when it helps Main Street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-nelson/i-m-not-averse-to-helping-wall-street-when-it-helps-main-street/) [Ben Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-nelson/) > [There's no recovery on Main Street, I can tell you that for sure. And in a re - in an economy like this, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haley-barbour/there-s-no-recovery-on-main-street-i-can-tell-you-that-for-sure-and/) [Haley Barbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haley-barbour/) > [If I had my way, I would build a lethal chamber as big as the Crystal Palace, with a military band playing softly, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/if-i-had-my-way-i-would-build-a-lethal-chamber-as-big-as-the-crystal/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [“Missing: A teenaged girl with lanky, blonde hair and a sunburst tattoo on her cheek. The holographic posters, brighter than day itself, lit up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-l-bernstein/missing-a-teenaged-girl-with-lanky-blonde-hair-and-a-sunburst-tattoo/) [Amy L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-l-bernstein/) > [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) ## More by Lorrie Moore > [But I believed in starting over. There was finally, I knew, only rupture and hurt and falling short between all persons, but, Shirley, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/but-i-believed-in-starting-over-there-was-finally-i-knew-only-rupture/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [I'm very interested in what people will do for money. Money: it's timeless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/i-m-very-interested-in-what-people-will-do-for-money-money-it-s/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [“One of the problems with people in Chicago, she remembered, was that they were never lonely at the same time. Their sadness occurred in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/one-of-the-problems-with-people-in-chicago-she-remembered-was-that/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [“If you had forgotten, it would quickly come back to you. Aloneness was like riding a bike. At gunpoint. With the gun in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/if-you-had-forgotten-it-would-quickly-come-back-to-you-aloneness-was/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [Once love had seemed like magic. Now it seemed like tricks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/once-love-had-seemed-like-magic-now-it-seemed-like-tricks/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [“Observing others go through them, he used to admire midlife crises, the courage and shamelessness and existential daring of them, but after he'd watched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/observing-others-go-through-them-he-used-to-admire-midlife-crises-the/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [Start dating someone who is funny, someone who has what in high school you called a "really great sense of humor" and what now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/start-dating-someone-who-is-funny-someone-who-has-what-in-high-school/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [You are unhappy because you believe in such a thing as happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/you-are-unhappy-because-you-believe-in-such-a-thing-as-happy/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [“Amber was not shy. If she had been shy, not one of us would be at Perkins right now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/amber-was-not-shy-if-she-had-been-shy-not-one-of-us-would-be-at/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [People will do anything, anything, for a really nice laugh,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/people-will-do-anything-anything-for-a-really-nice-laugh/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [“Farmers aren't rich. They have land but no money." Actually, my father didn't even have that much land. He had once stood on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/farmers-aren-t-rich-they-have-land-but-no-money-actually-my-father/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [“My grandmother, who, when I visited, stared at me with the staggering, arrogant stare of the dying, the wise vapidity of the already gone;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/my-grandmother-who-when-i-visited-stared-at-me-with-the-staggering/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [I count too heavily on birthdays, though I know I shouldn't. Inevitably I begin to assess my life by them, figure out how I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/i-count-too-heavily-on-birthdays-though-i-know-i-shouldn-t-inevitably/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [“Life is sad. Here is someone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/life-is-sad-here-is-someone/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [I had never feared insomnia before--like prison, wouldn't it just give you more time to read?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/i-had-never-feared-insomnia-before-like-prison-wouldn-t-it-just-give/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) [Explore all 340 Lorrie Moore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) ## More Main street quotes > [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [“Missing: A teenaged girl with lanky, blonde hair and a sunburst tattoo on her cheek. The holographic posters, brighter than day itself, lit up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-l-bernstein/missing-a-teenaged-girl-with-lanky-blonde-hair-and-a-sunburst-tattoo/) [Amy L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-l-bernstein/) > [If I had my way, I would build a lethal chamber as big as the Crystal Palace, with a military band playing softly, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/if-i-had-my-way-i-would-build-a-lethal-chamber-as-big-as-the-crystal/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [There's no recovery on Main Street, I can tell you that for sure. And in a re - in an economy like this, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haley-barbour/there-s-no-recovery-on-main-street-i-can-tell-you-that-for-sure-and/) [Haley Barbour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haley-barbour/) > [I'm not averse to helping Wall Street when it helps Main Street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-nelson/i-m-not-averse-to-helping-wall-street-when-it-helps-main-street/) [Ben Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-nelson/) > [There's less critical thinking going on in this country on a Main Street level - forget about the media - than ever before. We've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-baldwin/there-s-less-critical-thinking-going-on-in-this-country-on-a-main/) [Alec Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-baldwin/) > [Although we work through financial markets, our goal is to help Main Street, not Wall Street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-yellen/although-we-work-through-financial-markets-our-goal-is-to-help-main/) [Janet Yellen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-yellen/) > [“Last fall, I was sitting at the kitchen table of two friends who have been together since 1972. They tell me a story about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/last-fall-i-was-sitting-at-the-kitchen-table-of-two-friends-who-have/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [“He was almost a poet in his old age and his notion of what happened took a poetic turn. 'I had come to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-anderson/he-was-almost-a-poet-in-his-old-age-and-his-notion-of-what-happened/) [Sherwood Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-anderson/) > [“Richardson ran on a parallel course beside Adams Street, but despite their proximity, the two streets were worlds apart. Richardson, on its path west…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-berard/richardson-ran-on-a-parallel-course-beside-adams-street-but-despite/) [Adrienne Berard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-berard/) > [I, with other Americans, have perhaps unduly resented the stream of criticism of American life... more particularly have I resented the sneers at Main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-hoover/i-with-other-americans-have-perhaps-unduly-resented-the-stream-of/) [Herbert Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-hoover/) > [“When I got to the main street I saw that the town was in turmoil. To my surprise I found people breaking into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-suppresed-i-rise/when-i-got-to-the-main-street-i-saw-that-the-town-was-in-turmoil-to/) [Captain Hank Bracker, "Suppresed I Rise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/captain-hank-bracker-suppresed-i-rise/) > [“It's not a real place, or a place that you can stay for long; it's a somewhere-over-the-rainbow archetype but rooted in genuine emotions. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-le-mon/it-s-not-a-real-place-or-a-place-that-you-can-stay-for-long-it-s-a/) [Leslie Le Mon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-le-mon/) > [ Sinclair Lewis is the perfect example of the false sense of time of the newspaper world… \[ellipsis in source\] He was always dominated by… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/sinclair-lewis-is-the-perfect-example-of-the-false-sense-of-time-of/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [I hate fashion. Or the word fashion, which sounds colorful, extravagant, expensive and gorgeous. “I never wanted to walk the main street of fashion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yohji-yamamoto/i-hate-fashion-or-the-word-fashion-which-sounds-colorful-extravagant/) [Yohji Yamamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yohji-yamamoto/) [Browse all 189 Main street quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/main-street/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When she got to Eileen Reilly, Eileen turned red and said, \"I would rather not say.\" This astounded me, for her father was a handsome, charming salesman at Home Savings Shoes on Main Street - Stan the Shoe Man, my mother affectionately called him. But his daughter had absorbed some disappointment - his, or her mother's - and did not want to speak of how he earned his living. Perhaps that was the moment I learned this as a source of personal shame, or observed the possibility of it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lorrie Moore" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/when-she-got-to-eileen-reilly-eileen-turned-red-and-said-i-would/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Main street" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/when-she-got-to-eileen-reilly-eileen-turned-red-and-said-i-would/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/lorrie-moore-870_main-street_when-she-got-to-eileen-reilly-eileen-tur_558606.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/lorrie-moore-870_main-street_when-she-got-to-eileen-reilly-eileen-tur_558606.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e4/lorrie-moore-870_main-street_when-she-got-to-eileen-reilly-eileen-tur_558606.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When she got to Eileen Reilly, Eileen turned red and said, \"I would rather not say.\" This astounded me, for…” — Lorrie Moore", "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": "Lorrie Moore", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When she got to Eileen Reilly,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/when-she-got-to-eileen-reilly-eileen-turned-red-and-said-i-would/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/when-she-got-to-eileen-reilly-eileen-turned-red-and-said-i-would/#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 } } ] } ```