--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was something at the edge of…" description: "\"“There was something at the edge of Silas’s lips that might have been a smile, and might have been regret, and might just have been a trick of the shad..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04c/neil-gaiman-29_goodbyes_there-was-something-at-the-edge-of-silas_2144084.jpg" --- # There was something at the edge of Silas’s lips that might… ![“There was something at the edge of Silas’s lips that might have been a smile, and might have been regret, and might just have been a trick of the shadows. “Good-bye, then, Silas.” Bod held out his hand, as he had when he was a small boy, and Silas took it, in a cold hand the color of old ivory…” quote by Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04c/neil-gaiman-29_goodbyes_there-was-something-at-the-edge-of-silas_2144084.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04c/neil-gaiman-29_goodbyes_there-was-something-at-the-edge-of-silas_2144084.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04c/neil-gaiman-29_goodbyes_there-was-something-at-the-edge-of-silas_2144084.jpg) > ““There was something at the edge of Silas’s lips that might have been a smile, and might have been regret, and might just have been a trick of the shadows. “Good-bye, then, Silas.” Bod held out his hand, as he had when he was a small boy, and Silas took it, in a cold hand the color of old ivory, and shook it gravely. “Good-bye, Nobody Owens.”” [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A bittersweet farewell where emotions blend, showing the complexity of parting. **In simple terms:** A goodbye mixes smile, regret, and mystery. Key Takeaway Embrace the mixed feelings in farewells. Themes friendship farewell emotion growth literature Mood melancholic poetic Type literary reflective When to use this quote - character departure - emotional closure - storytelling - literary analysis Key Concepts nuance human connection transience Questions to Reflect On - What does the “cold hand” symbolize? - How do we process layered emotions when saying goodbye? A Different Perspective The scene may be ambiguous, leaving interpretation open. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Goodbyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goodbyes/) ## Related quotes > [And if there's a moral there, I don't know what it is, save maybe that we should take our goodbyes whenever we can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/and-if-there-s-a-moral-there-i-don-t-know-what-it-is-save-maybe-that/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Goodbyes are overrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/goodbyes-are-overrated/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [“I like her," I said through my teeth. Shepley held his hand to his ear. "What? I couldn't quite hear you." 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-whitcomb/a-letter-from-a-muse-to-her-poet-dear-sir-i-was-called-away-and/) [Laura Whitcomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-whitcomb/) > [“Emira realized that Briar probably didn't know how to say good-bye because she never had to do it before. But whether she said good-bye…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiley-reid/emira-realized-that-briar-probably-didn-t-know-how-to-say-good-bye/) Kiley Reid > [“We don't recognize those times in our existence, when fate rolls around to sever relationships, to remove an object of such immense magnitude from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-thorne-grey/we-don-t-recognize-those-times-in-our-existence-when-fate-rolls/) [Madison Thorne Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-thorne-grey/) > [“She bid him farewell, And scrutinized his silhouette, That slowly faded in the shadows. She whispered, "Au-revoir" To the nocturnal mist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruqayya-shaheed-khan/she-bid-him-farewell-and-scrutinized-his-silhouette-that-slowly-faded/) Ruqayya Shaheed Khan > [“We have already said more goodbyes than are necessary. Those were goodbyes that brought about the end of partings. We taught each other that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/we-have-already-said-more-goodbyes-than-are-necessary-those-were/) [Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/) > [Goodbyes hurt when the story is not finished and the book has been closed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/goodbyes-hurt-when-the-story-is-not-finished-and-the-book-has-been/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Goodbyes always make my throat hurt. . . I need more hellos. . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-brown/goodbyes-always-make-my-throat-hurt-i-need-more-hellos/) [Charlie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-brown/) > [The most painful and worst possible types of goodbyes are the ones that are never said, or never explained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bakare/the-most-painful-and-worst-possible-types-of-goodbyes-are-the-ones/) [Bakare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bakare/) > [Goodbyes are not forever. Until we meet again!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/goodbyes-are-not-forever-until-we-meet-again/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Onward. Always onward. I blow her a kiss across the linoleum, & whisper blessings under my breath, divide a piece of God from my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-acevedo/onward-always-onward-i-blow-her-a-kiss-across-the-linoleum-whisper/) Elizabeth Acevedo > [“I'll never be able to be here again. 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