--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It had seemed like the beginning of…" description: "\"“It had seemed like the beginning of happiness, and Clarissa is still sometimes shocked, more than thirty years later, to realize that it was happiness..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e1/michael-cunningham-1120_happiness_it-had-seemed-like-the-beginning-of-happ_1632449.jpg" --- # It had seemed like the beginning of happiness, and… ![“It had seemed like the beginning of happiness, and Clarissa is still sometimes shocked, more than thirty years later, to realize that it was happiness; that the entire experience lay in a kiss and a walk, the anticipation of dinner and a book. The dinner is by now forgotten; Lessing has been long…” quote by Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e1/michael-cunningham-1120_happiness_it-had-seemed-like-the-beginning-of-happ_1632449.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e1/michael-cunningham-1120_happiness_it-had-seemed-like-the-beginning-of-happ_1632449.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5e1/michael-cunningham-1120_happiness_it-had-seemed-like-the-beginning-of-happ_1632449.jpg) > ““It had seemed like the beginning of happiness, and Clarissa is still sometimes shocked, more than thirty years later, to realize that it was happiness; that the entire experience lay in a kiss and a walk, the anticipation of dinner and a book. The dinner is by now forgotten; Lessing has been long overshadowed by other writers; and even the sex, once she and Richard reached that point, was ardent but awkward, unsatisfying, ore kindly than passionate. What lives undimmed in Clarissa's ind more than three decades later is a kiss at dusk on a patch of dead grass, and a walk around a pond as mosquitoes droned in the darkening air. There is still that singular perfection, and it's perfect in part because it seemed, at the tie, so clearly to promise more. Now she knows: That was the moment, right then. There has been no other.”” [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A memory of a past love shows how a single, simple moment can dominate a lifetime, underscoring the lasting power of sensory recollection over intellectual analysis. **In simple terms:** A single moment can define a whole life. Key Takeaway Cherish fleeting, that shape you. Themes memory longing nostalgia Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - romantic reflection - literary analysis - personal introspection Key Concepts psychology subjective experience Questions to Reflect On - What moments from your past still influence you? - How do you differentiate between memory and wishful thinking? A Different Perspective Memory can be idealized, obscuring reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ## Related quotes > [“It had seemed like the beginning of happiness, and Clarissa is still sometimes shocked, more than thirty years later to realize that it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/it-had-seemed-like-the-beginning-of-happiness-and-clarissa-is-still/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“What lives undimmed in Clarissa's mind more than three decades later is a kiss at dusk on a patch of dead grass, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/what-lives-undimmed-in-clarissa-s-mind-more-than-three-decades-later/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“It had seemed like the beginning of happiness, and Clarissa is still sometimes shocked, more than thirty years later, to realize that it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/it-had-seemed-like-the-beginning-of-happiness-and-clarissa-is-still-3/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [I remember one morning getting up at dawn, there was such a sense of possibility. 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That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. 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The dinner is by now forgotten; Lessing has been long overshadowed by other writers; and even the sex, once she and Richard reached that point, was ardent but awkward, unsatisfying, ore kindly than passionate. What lives undimmed in Clarissa's ind more than three decades later is a kiss at dusk on a patch of dead grass, and a walk around a pond as mosquitoes droned in the darkening air. There is still that singular perfection, and it's perfect in part because it seemed, at the tie, so clearly to promise more. Now she knows: That was the moment, right then. 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