--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There's just this for consolation: an…" description: "\"“There's just this for consolation: an hour here or there when our lives seem, against all odds and expectations, to burst open and give us everything ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/michael-cunningham-1120_children_there-s-just-this-for-consolation-an-hou_3035636.jpg" --- # There's just this for consolation: an hour here or there… ![“There's just this for consolation: an hour here or there when our lives seem, against all odds and expectations, to burst open and give us everything we've ever imagined, though everyone but children (and perhaps even they) know these hours will inevitably be followed by others, far darker and…” quote by Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/michael-cunningham-1120_children_there-s-just-this-for-consolation-an-hou_3035636.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/michael-cunningham-1120_children_there-s-just-this-for-consolation-an-hou_3035636.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/12e/michael-cunningham-1120_children_there-s-just-this-for-consolation-an-hou_3035636.jpg) > ““There's just this for consolation: an hour here or there when our lives seem, against all odds and expectations, to burst open and give us everything we've ever imagined, though everyone but children (and perhaps even they) know these hours will inevitably be followed by others, far darker and more difficult. Still, we cherish the city, the morning; we hope, more than anything, for more.”” [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. Moments of profound joy are fleeting and often followed by darker times, yet hope persists. **In simple terms:** Joy is brief, followed by challenges, but hope remains. Key Takeaway Embrace fleeting joy while staying hopeful. Themes hope transience resilience Mood melancholic hopeful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal loss - creative inspiration - daily setbacks - mental health Key Concepts existentialism human experience Questions to Reflect On - What moments bring you unexpected joy? - How do you cope with subsequent hardships? A Different Perspective May romanticize suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Consolation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consolation/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) ## Related quotes > [“There's just this for consolation: an hour here or there when our lived seem, against all odds and expectations, to burst open and give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/there-s-just-this-for-consolation-an-hour-here-or-there-when-our/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [There is just this for consolation: an hour here or there, when our lives seem, against all odds and expectations, to burst open and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/there-is-just-this-for-consolation-an-hour-here-or-there-when-our/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“We throw our parties; we abandon our families to live alone in Canada; we struggle to write books that do not change the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/we-throw-our-parties-we-abandon-our-families-to-live-alone-in-canada-2/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [There's just this for consolation: an hour here or there when our lives seem, against all odds and expectations, to burst open and give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/there-s-just-this-for-consolation-an-hour-here-or-there-when-our-2/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“We live our lives, do whatever we do, and then we sleep - it's as simple and ordinary as that. A few jump out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/we-live-our-lives-do-whatever-we-do-and-then-we-sleep-it-s-as-simple-2/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [You may be sure that of all the moments of your life, the time you spend before the divine Sacrament will be that which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonsus-liguori/you-may-be-sure-that-of-all-the-moments-of-your-life-the-time-you/) [Alphonsus Liguori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonsus-liguori/) > [“We live our lives, do whatever we do, and then we sleep. It’s as simple and ordinary as that. A few jump out windows,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/we-live-our-lives-do-whatever-we-do-and-then-we-sleep-it-s-as-simple/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“We live our lives, do whatever we do, and then we sleep. It's as simple and ordinary as that. A few jump out windows,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/we-live-our-lives-do-whatever-we-do-and-then-we-sleep-it-s-as-simple-3/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“I start each day promising myself I’ll do better, I tell myself I can stop the destructive eating pattern. But something inside of me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-l-slater/i-start-each-day-promising-myself-i-ll-do-better-i-tell-myself-i-can/) [K.L. Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-l-slater/) > [Morning awakes, my arm reaching out, nothing it finds, but another lonely night, Tired I am, of this feeling alone, I long for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-tackett/morning-awakes-my-arm-reaching-out-nothing-it-finds-but-another/) [Ryan Tackett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-tackett/) > [“It was a sunrise, a kid’s sight of snowfall on a school morning. Hope. That all this can turn out okay, that somehow a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wong/it-was-a-sunrise-a-kid-s-sight-of-snowfall-on-a-school-morning-hope/) [David Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wong/) > [Did anyone tell you that your are Gorgeous for the morning as yet? I hope I am the lucky one !!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/did-anyone-tell-you-that-your-are-gorgeous-for-the-morning-as-yet-i/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [You wonder, 'How could it possibly be me?' Well, of course it could happen to you. You have it. Then, of course, you wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dimon/you-wonder-how-could-it-possibly-be-me-well-of-course-it-could-happen/) [Jamie Dimon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dimon/) > [In the middle of the night, there is always less hope; in the dawn of the morning, there is always more hope!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/in-the-middle-of-the-night-there-is-always-less-hope-in-the-dawn-of/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Morning is my Hope, Night is my Fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jehan-fostanes-nayga/morning-is-my-hope-night-is-my-fear/) [Jehan Fostanes Nayga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jehan-fostanes-nayga/) ## More by Michael Cunningham > [“Mizzy has wandered into the garden. Carole looks contemplatively at him, says, "Lovely boy." "My wife's insanely younger brother. He's one of those kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/mizzy-has-wandered-into-the-garden-carole-looks-contemplatively-at/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“Zoe loved Trancas's mother. She respected her exhausted and ironic hope for rebirth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/zoe-loved-trancas-s-mother-she-respected-her-exhausted-and-ironic/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [The lives great artists live and the books they write are two very different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/the-lives-great-artists-live-and-the-books-they-write-are-two-very/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“How often since then has she wondered what might have happened if she'd tried to remain with him; if she’d returned Richard's kiss on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/how-often-since-then-has-she-wondered-what-might-have-happened-if-she/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“...a full week of their mother's quiet fury over the fun they don't seem to be having and their father's dogged attempts to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/a-full-week-of-their-mother-s-quiet-fury-over-the-fun-they-don-t-seem/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Oh, all you immigrants and visionaries, what do you hope to find here, who do you hope to become?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/oh-all-you-immigrants-and-visionaries-what-do-you-hope-to-find-here/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“She wants to have baked a cake that banishes sorrow, even if only for a little while.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/she-wants-to-have-baked-a-cake-that-banishes-sorrow-even-if-only-for/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“And yet, it gives Peter nothing. Not now. Not today. Not when he needs... more. More than this well-executed idea. More than the shark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/and-yet-it-gives-peter-nothing-not-now-not-today-not-when-he-needs/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [He insists on a version of you that is funnier, stranger, more eccentric and prfound thatn you suspect yourself to be--capable of doing more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/he-insists-on-a-version-of-you-that-is-funnier-stranger-more/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [The worst are full of passionate intensity while the best lack all conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/the-worst-are-full-of-passionate-intensity-while-the-best-lack-all/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“And here he is, letting the massive steel street door click shut behind him, standing at the top of the three iron steps that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/and-here-he-is-letting-the-massive-steel-street-door-click-shut/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [It's the world, you live in it, even if some boy has made a fool of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/it-s-the-world-you-live-in-it-even-if-some-boy-has-made-a-fool-of-you/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“She's had a long life. Now she's going to the Lord." "Frankly it creeps me out a little when you say things like that,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/she-s-had-a-long-life-now-she-s-going-to-the-lord-frankly-it-creeps/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Any other vexations to report?" he asks. "I love the word 'vexations.'" "It's the 'x.' Nice to jump off a 'v' and bite into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/any-other-vexations-to-report-he-asks-i-love-the-word-vexations-it-s/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Dead, we are revealed in our true dimensions, and they are surprisingly modest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/dead-we-are-revealed-in-our-true-dimensions-and-they-are-surprisingly/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) [Explore all 277 Michael Cunningham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. 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