--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Water is the exile, carried back in cans…" description: "\"Water is the exile, carried back in cans and flasks, the ghost between your hands and your mouth.\" — Michael Ondaatje" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cf/michael-ondaatje-940_exile_water-is-the-exile-carried-back-in-cans_2373836.png" --- # Water is the exile, carried back in cans and flasks, the… ![“Water is the exile, carried back in cans and flasks, the ghost between your hands and your mouth.” quote by Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cf/michael-ondaatje-940_exile_water-is-the-exile-carried-back-in-cans_2373836.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cf/michael-ondaatje-940_exile_water-is-the-exile-carried-back-in-cans_2373836.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cf/michael-ondaatje-940_exile_water-is-the-exile-carried-back-in-cans_2373836.png) > “Water is the exile, carried back in cans and flasks, the ghost between your hands and your mouth.” [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Water, essential yet confined, symbolizes longing and the distance between desire and fulfillment. **In simple terms:** Water is a distant, needed thing. Key Takeaway Seek balance between yearning and reality. Themes longing distance essence Mood poetic introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - environmental awareness Key Concepts symbolism materiality human need Questions to Reflect On - What does water represent in your life? - How do you bridge desire and reality? 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