---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As for \"A Grave,\" it has a significance…"
description: "\"“As for \"A Grave,\" it has a significance apart from the literal origin, which was a man who placed himself between my mother and me, and the surf we we..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/820/marianne-moore-3315_grave_as-for-a-grave-it-has-a-significance-apa_3194459.png"
---

#  As for "A Grave," it has a significance apart from the…

![“As for &quot;A Grave,&quot; it has a significance apart from the literal origin, which was a man who placed himself between my mother and me, and the surf we were watching from the middle ledge of rocks on Monhegan Island &#91;in Maine&#93; after the storm. (&quot;Don't be annoyed,&quot; my mother said. &quot;It is human nature…” quote by Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/820/marianne-moore-3315_grave_as-for-a-grave-it-has-a-significance-apa_3194459.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/820/marianne-moore-3315_grave_as-for-a-grave-it-has-a-significance-apa_3194459.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/820/marianne-moore-3315_grave_as-for-a-grave-it-has-a-significance-apa_3194459.png)

> ““As for "A Grave," it has a significance apart from the literal origin, which was a man who placed himself between my mother and me, and the surf we were watching from the middle ledge of rocks on Monhegan Island \[in Maine\] after the storm. ("Don't be annoyed," my mother said. "It is human nature to stand in the middle of a thing.")””

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote reflects on personal grief and how familial conflict can shape perception of place and memory, using a literal incident as metaphor for emotional distance.

**In simple terms:** Grief and memory intertwine, altering how we view surroundings.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge how personal loss colors your view of the world.

Themes

grief family memory perception place

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- family disputes
- personal loss
- travel reflections
- creative writing

Key Concepts

psychology symbolism metaphor

Questions to Reflect On

- How does personal loss affect your perception of familiar places?
- Can you separate the literal from the emotional in memory?

A Different Perspective

The metaphor may obscure the concrete cause of the grief.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Significance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/significance/)

## Related quotes

> [More than a rejection or dissolution of the past, avant-garde originality is conceived as a literal origin, a beginning from ground zero, a birth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-e-krauss/more-than-a-rejection-or-dissolution-of-the-past-avant-garde/)

[Rosalind E. Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-e-krauss/)

> [“The tombstone over the grave of the conscience always reads: "Human Nature".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/the-tombstone-over-the-grave-of-the-conscience-always-reads-human/)

[Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/)

> [“Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world Like a Colossus; and we petty men Walk under his huge legs, and peep about To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/why-man-he-doth-bestride-the-narrow-world-like-a-colossus-and-we/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [The job of the government - and my responsibility - is to help people live healthier lives. The framework is about giving local authorities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lansley/the-job-of-the-government-and-my-responsibility-is-to-help-people/)

[Andrew Lansley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lansley/)

> [“Some people die and you realize that the only mark they left on earth are the tomb stones under which they lie. The impacts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/some-people-die-and-you-realize-that-the-only-mark-they-left-on-earth/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [If you get yourself killed, I'll find your grave and spit on it," she threatened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-garwood/if-you-get-yourself-killed-i-ll-find-your-grave-and-spit-on-it-she/)

[Julie Garwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-garwood/)

> [I always thought I'd like my own tombstone to be blank. No epitaph, and no name. Well, actually, I'd like it to say 'figment.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-always-thought-i-d-like-my-own-tombstone-to-be-blank-no-epitaph-and/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [You can run from the grave, but you can't hide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/you-can-run-from-the-grave-but-you-can-t-hide/)

[Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/)

> [That's wisdom you can take to the grave, and dig up when you need it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/that-s-wisdom-you-can-take-to-the-grave-and-dig-up-when-you-need-it/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [Man is a noble animal, splendid in ashes, and pompous in the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/man-is-a-noble-animal-splendid-in-ashes-and-pompous-in-the-grave/)

[Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/)

> [“I've never written a quote I feel would be suitable for my gravestone. Wouldn't it be ironic if it were this one? Oh, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lilly/i-ve-never-written-a-quote-i-feel-would-be-suitable-for-my-gravestone/)

[Ryan Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lilly/)

> [“within yourself, you became a grave for her as you were a grave for Chet, and you carried your dead unquietly within you. —”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/within-yourself-you-became-a-grave-for-her-as-you-were-a-grave-for/)

[Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/)

> [Leisure without study is death, and the grave of a living man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/leisure-without-study-is-death-and-the-grave-of-a-living-man/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [“If Abraham Lincoln were alive now, he'd roll over in his grave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-ford/if-abraham-lincoln-were-alive-now-he-d-roll-over-in-his-grave/)

[Gerald Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-ford/)

> [Susan B. Anthony must be turning in her grave if she knew that millions of women who have the right to vote are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/susan-b-anthony-must-be-turning-in-her-grave-if-she-knew-that/)

[Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/)

## More by Marianne Moore

> [When one is frank, one's very presence is a compliment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/when-one-is-frank-one-s-very-presence-is-a-compliment/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [One writes because one has a burning desire to objectify what it is indispensable to one's happiness to express.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/one-writes-because-one-has-a-burning-desire-to-objectify-what-it-is/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [Victory won't come to me unless I go to it; a grape tendril ties a knot in knots till knotted thirty times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/victory-won-t-come-to-me-unless-i-go-to-it-a-grape-tendril-ties-a/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [The deepest feeling always shows itself in silence; not in silence, but restraint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/the-deepest-feeling-always-shows-itself-in-silence-not-in-silence-but/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [“Do the poet and scientist not work analogously? Both are willing to waste effort. To be hard on himself is one ...of the main…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/do-the-poet-and-scientist-not-work-analogously-both-are-willing-to/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [Camels are snobbish and sheep, unintelligent; water buffaloes, neurasthenic-- even murderous. Reindeer seem over-serious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/camels-are-snobbish-and-sheep-unintelligent-water-buffaloes/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [When one cannot appraise out of one's own experience, the temptation to blunder is minimized, but even when one can, appraisal seems chiefly useful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/when-one-cannot-appraise-out-of-one-s-own-experience-the-temptation/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [The hands are the heart's messengers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/the-hands-are-the-heart-s-messengers/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [I believe verbal felicity is the fruit of ardor, of diligence, and of refusing to be false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/i-believe-verbal-felicity-is-the-fruit-of-ardor-of-diligence-and-of/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [Conscious writing can be the death of poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/conscious-writing-can-be-the-death-of-poetry/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [Only imagination that towers can reproduce evanescence and render rigidity flexible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/only-imagination-that-towers-can-reproduce-evanescence-and-render/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [Revision is its own reward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/revision-is-its-own-reward/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [In a poem the excitement has to maintain itself. I am governed by the pull of the sentence as the pull of a fabric…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/in-a-poem-the-excitement-has-to-maintain-itself-i-am-governed-by-the/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [All are / naked, none is safe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/all-are-naked-none-is-safe/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

> [It is human nature to stand in the middle of a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/it-is-human-nature-to-stand-in-the-middle-of-a-thing/)

[Marianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

[Explore all 134 Marianne Moore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/)

## More Grave quotes

> [Susan B. Anthony must be turning in her grave if she knew that millions of women who have the right to vote are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/susan-b-anthony-must-be-turning-in-her-grave-if-she-knew-that/)

[Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/)

> [“If Abraham Lincoln were alive now, he'd roll over in his grave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-ford/if-abraham-lincoln-were-alive-now-he-d-roll-over-in-his-grave/)

[Gerald Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-ford/)

> [Leisure without study is death, and the grave of a living man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/leisure-without-study-is-death-and-the-grave-of-a-living-man/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [“within yourself, you became a grave for her as you were a grave for Chet, and you carried your dead unquietly within you. —”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/within-yourself-you-became-a-grave-for-her-as-you-were-a-grave-for/)

[Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/)

> [“I've never written a quote I feel would be suitable for my gravestone. Wouldn't it be ironic if it were this one? Oh, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lilly/i-ve-never-written-a-quote-i-feel-would-be-suitable-for-my-gravestone/)

[Ryan Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-lilly/)

> [Man is a noble animal, splendid in ashes, and pompous in the grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/man-is-a-noble-animal-splendid-in-ashes-and-pompous-in-the-grave/)

[Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/)

> [That's wisdom you can take to the grave, and dig up when you need it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/that-s-wisdom-you-can-take-to-the-grave-and-dig-up-when-you-need-it/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [You can run from the grave, but you can't hide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/you-can-run-from-the-grave-but-you-can-t-hide/)

[Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/)

> [I always thought I'd like my own tombstone to be blank. No epitaph, and no name. Well, actually, I'd like it to say 'figment.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-always-thought-i-d-like-my-own-tombstone-to-be-blank-no-epitaph-and/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [If you get yourself killed, I'll find your grave and spit on it," she threatened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-garwood/if-you-get-yourself-killed-i-ll-find-your-grave-and-spit-on-it-she/)

[Julie Garwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-garwood/)

> [“Some people die and you realize that the only mark they left on earth are the tomb stones under which they lie. The impacts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/some-people-die-and-you-realize-that-the-only-mark-they-left-on-earth/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [The job of the government - and my responsibility - is to help people live healthier lives. The framework is about giving local authorities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lansley/the-job-of-the-government-and-my-responsibility-is-to-help-people/)

[Andrew Lansley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lansley/)

> [“Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world Like a Colossus; and we petty men Walk under his huge legs, and peep about To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/why-man-he-doth-bestride-the-narrow-world-like-a-colossus-and-we/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [If I'm taking a picture of Brancusi's grave, I know that there's something of him, of his mortal remains, beneath my feet, and there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/if-i-m-taking-a-picture-of-brancusi-s-grave-i-know-that-there-s/)

[Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/)

> [Keep digging, Flynn. Six feet makes a grave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-monk/keep-digging-flynn-six-feet-makes-a-grave/)

[Devon Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-monk/)

Browse all 723 Grave quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“As for \"A Grave,\" it has a significance apart from the literal origin, which was a man who placed himself between my mother and me, and the surf we were watching from the middle ledge of rocks on Monhegan Island [in Maine] after the storm. (\"Don't be annoyed,\" my mother said. \"It is human nature to stand in the middle of a thing.\")”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Marianne Moore"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/as-for-a-grave-it-has-a-significance-apart-from-the-literal-origin/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Grave"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/as-for-a-grave-it-has-a-significance-apart-from-the-literal-origin/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/820/marianne-moore-3315_grave_as-for-a-grave-it-has-a-significance-apa_3194459.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/820/marianne-moore-3315_grave_as-for-a-grave-it-has-a-significance-apa_3194459.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/820/marianne-moore-3315_grave_as-for-a-grave-it-has-a-significance-apa_3194459.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As for \"A Grave,\" it has a significance apart from the literal origin, which was a man who placed himself…” — Marianne 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": "Marianne Moore",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-moore/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“As for \"A Grave,\" it has...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/as-for-a-grave-it-has-a-significance-apart-from-the-literal-origin/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-moore/as-for-a-grave-it-has-a-significance-apart-from-the-literal-origin/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
