--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: (\"Let's stand under a tree,\" she said…" description: "\"(\"Let's stand under a tree,\" she said. \"Why?\" \"Because it's nicer.\" \"Maybe you should sit on a chair, and I'll stand above you, like they always do wit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/nicole-krauss-920_chairs_let-s-stand-under-a-tree-she-said-why-be_887604.png" --- # ("Let's stand under a tree," she said. "Why?" "Because… ![“("Let's stand under a tree," she said. "Why?" "Because it's nicer." "Maybe you should sit on a chair, and I'll stand above you, like they always do with husbands and wives." "That's stupid." "Why's it stupid?" "Because we're not married." "Should we hold hands?" "We can't." "But why?" "Because…” quote by Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/nicole-krauss-920_chairs_let-s-stand-under-a-tree-she-said-why-be_887604.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/nicole-krauss-920_chairs_let-s-stand-under-a-tree-she-said-why-be_887604.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/nicole-krauss-920_chairs_let-s-stand-under-a-tree-she-said-why-be_887604.png) > “("Let's stand under a tree," she said. "Why?" "Because it's nicer." "Maybe you should sit on a chair, and I'll stand above you, like they always do with husbands and wives." "That's stupid." "Why's it stupid?" "Because we're not married." "Should we hold hands?" "We can't." "But why?" "Because, people will know." "Know what?" "About us." "So what if they know?" "It's better when it's a secret." "Why?" "So no one can take it from us.")” [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Explores the tension between public display of affection and private intimacy, highlighting societal pressures. **In simple terms:** Public love vs private love. Key Takeaway Balance openness with privacy. Themes intimacy social norms privacy relationships Mood reflective intimate Type literary conversational When to use this quote - dating - public events - social media interactions - marriage counseling Key Concepts cultural expectations personal boundaries Questions to Reflect On - Why do we hide affection? - What does secrecy protect? A Different Perspective May romanticize secrecy over healthy communication. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chairs/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Hold Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hold-hands/) [Holding hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holding-hands/) [Husband](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband/) [Husband and wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husband-and-wife/) [Husbands And Wives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/husbands-and-wives/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/married/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-know/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid/) [Stupid Married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid-married-1114635/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Tree Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree-said-442999/) [What if](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/what-if/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/) [Wives Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wives-stupid-1114636/) ## Related quotes > [You aint using my credit card, fool. This is your ring. Im not stupid enough to get married at 23. You are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brody-jenner/you-aint-using-my-credit-card-fool-this-is-your-ring-im-not-stupid/) [Brody Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brody-jenner/) > [I, with millions of other Americans, have the same dream Martin Luther King Jr. had; when I wake up I wish some of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-with-millions-of-other-americans-have-the-same-dream-martin-luther/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Death, torture and prison are part of daily life for the youth of Iran. 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All they know is to dream, to imagine new duties, to look for new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/indeed-men-never-know-how-to-love-nothing-satisfies-them-all-they/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I never used to understand why people bothered to hold hands as they walked, but then he runs one of his fingertips down my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-never-used-to-understand-why-people-bothered-to-hold-hands-as-they/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I'm trying to be like, "Hey, dude, you're super happy, this is everything you've ever dreamed of - if you don't have somebody to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-vernon/i-m-trying-to-be-like-hey-dude-you-re-super-happy-this-is-everything/) [Justin Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-vernon/) > [Don't be afraid of us, we are all the same. You can't get AIDS if you touch, hug, kiss, hold hands with someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkosi-johnson/don-t-be-afraid-of-us-we-are-all-the-same-you-can-t-get-aids-if-you/) [Nkosi Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkosi-johnson/) > [Recipe for a happy marriage: My wife and I always hold hands. If I let go, she shops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-skelton/recipe-for-a-happy-marriage-my-wife-and-i-always-hold-hands-if-i-let/) [Red Skelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-skelton/) > [And he understands. He understands why people hold hands: he’d always thought it was about possessiveness, saying This is mine. But it’s about maintaining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/and-he-understands-he-understands-why-people-hold-hands-he-d-always/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I held hands with her all the time...that doesn't sound like much, I realize, but she was terrific to hold hands with. Most girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-held-hands-with-her-all-the-time-that-doesn-t-sound-like-much-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My last vestige of 'hands off religion' respect disappeared in the smoke and choking dust of September 11, 2001, followed by the 'National Day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/my-last-vestige-of-hands-off-religion-respect-disappeared-in-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I can press when there needs to be pressed; I can hold hands when there needs to be -- hold hands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/i-can-press-when-there-needs-to-be-pressed-i-can-hold-hands-when/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [The good poet sticks to his real loves, to see within the realm of possibility. He never tries to hold hands with God or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-shapiro/the-good-poet-sticks-to-his-real-loves-to-see-within-the-realm-of/) [Karl Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-shapiro/) > [Come close now,' ordered Fenworth. 'Time for an exit. I think we'll whirl, Kale likes to whirl. Hold hands. Let's stay together, children. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donita-k-paul/come-close-now-ordered-fenworth-time-for-an-exit-i-think-we-ll-whirl/) [Donita K. Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donita-k-paul/) ## More by Nicole Krauss > [“Narrative cannot sustain formlessness any more than light can sustain darkness - it is the antithesis of formlessness, and so it can never truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/narrative-cannot-sustain-formlessness-any-more-than-light-can-sustain/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [I think of novels as houses. You live in them over the course of a long period, both as a reader and as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/i-think-of-novels-as-houses-you-live-in-them-over-the-course-of-a/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [When we went into the ocean, I watched his body as he dove into the waves, and it gave me a feeling in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/when-we-went-into-the-ocean-i-watched-his-body-as-he-dove-into-the/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“There are times when the kindness of strangers only makes matter worse because one realizes how badly one is in need of kindness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/there-are-times-when-the-kindness-of-strangers-only-makes-matter/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [She was gone, and all that was left was the space where you'd grown around her, like a tree that grows around a fence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/she-was-gone-and-all-that-was-left-was-the-space-where-you-d-grown/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“The air felt different in my lungs. The world no longer looked the same. You change and then you change again. You become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/the-air-felt-different-in-my-lungs-the-world-no-longer-looked-the/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“The first language humans had was gestures. There was nothing primitive about this language that flowed from people’s hands, nothing we say now that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/the-first-language-humans-had-was-gestures-there-was-nothing/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [I feel really strongly about not wanting to overly guide the reader about what he or she should think. I really trust the reader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/i-feel-really-strongly-about-not-wanting-to-overly-guide-the-reader/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [Mom?" I said. She turned. "Can I talk to you about something?" "Of course, darling. Come here." I took a few steps into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/mom-i-said-she-turned-can-i-talk-to-you-about-something-of-course/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [In one's youth, one has tremendous access to one's feelings. And as one gets older, some of those feelings kind of drift away. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/in-one-s-youth-one-has-tremendous-access-to-one-s-feelings-and-as-one/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [Obviously I've been reading Kafka for a long long time, since I was really young, and even before I ever read him I knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/obviously-i-ve-been-reading-kafka-for-a-long-long-time-since-i-was/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“She's kept her love for him as alive as the summer they first met. In order to do this, she's turned life away. Sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/she-s-kept-her-love-for-him-as-alive-as-the-summer-they-first-met-in/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [Sometimes no length of string is long enough to say the thing that needs to be said. In such cases all the string can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/sometimes-no-length-of-string-is-long-enough-to-say-the-thing-that/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“Doesn’t part of the awe that fills us when we confront the unknown come from understanding that, should it at last flood into us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/doesn-t-part-of-the-awe-that-fills-us-when-we-confront-the-unknown/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“I knew how to raise my own child, what did he think it was, a game of Scrabble or Monopoly, there are no rules,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/i-knew-how-to-raise-my-own-child-what-did-he-think-it-was-a-game-of/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) [Explore all 323 Nicole Krauss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) ## More Chairs quotes > [“Yes, when I get big and have my own home, no plush chairs and lace curtains for me. And no rubber plants. I'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/yes-when-i-get-big-and-have-my-own-home-no-plush-chairs-and-lace/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) > [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-had-three-chairs-in-my-house-one-for-solitude-two-for-friendship/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [He sank into the rocking chair, the same one in which Rebecca had sat during the early days of the house to give embroidery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-sank-into-the-rocking-chair-the-same-one-in-which-rebecca-had-sat/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Forget the noose. Forget the Iron Maiden. Forget the electric chair or the guillotine. The mind was mankind's most painful torture chamber, the blessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/forget-the-noose-forget-the-iron-maiden-forget-the-electric-chair-or/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) > [I thought being in the wheelchair might be kind of limiting for me as an actor. It turned out cool in a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-beaver/i-thought-being-in-the-wheelchair-might-be-kind-of-limiting-for-me-as/) [Jim Beaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-beaver/) > [Now know I well what people sought formerly above all else when they sought Teachers of virtue. Good sleep they sought for themselves, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/now-know-i-well-what-people-sought-formerly-above-all-else-when-they/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Keelhaul the poets in the vestry chairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-shapiro/keelhaul-the-poets-in-the-vestry-chairs/) [Karl Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-shapiro/) > [He's earned all his money himself, with his fists. He didn't steal it like the rest of our politicians. And he'll be less tempted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vitali-klitschko/he-s-earned-all-his-money-himself-with-his-fists-he-didn-t-steal-it/) [Vitali Klitschko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vitali-klitschko/) > [Dentists tell you not to pick your teeth with any sharp metal object. Then you sit in their chair and the first thing they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/dentists-tell-you-not-to-pick-your-teeth-with-any-sharp-metal-object/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [Once I was in a restaurant and I dropped my fork on the floor, and they gave me a new fork. So I pushed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/once-i-was-in-a-restaurant-and-i-dropped-my-fork-on-the-floor-and/) [Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/) > [I'm not a big hijinker. I'm a big sit-in-my-chair-and-read-a-book-er.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-benson/i-m-not-a-big-hijinker-i-m-a-big-sit-in-my-chair-and-read-a-book-er/) [Amber Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-benson/) > [Show some mercy to this chair which has stretched out its arms to you for so long; please satisfy its desire to embrace you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/show-some-mercy-to-this-chair-which-has-stretched-out-its-arms-to-you/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [I'm agnostic because I went through the usual process of parents insisting you go to church, and yet they didn't. So there's me, sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ridley-scott/i-m-agnostic-because-i-went-through-the-usual-process-of-parents/) [Ridley Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ridley-scott/) > [Of course, when we got home, we found that Dagda had peed on my down comforter. He had also eaten part of Mom's maidenhair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-tiernan/of-course-when-we-got-home-we-found-that-dagda-had-peed-on-my-down/) [Cate Tiernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-tiernan/) [Browse all 1,120 Chairs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chairs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "(\"Let's stand under a tree,\" she said. \"Why?\" \"Because it's nicer.\" \"Maybe you should sit on a chair, and I'll stand above you, like they always do with husbands and wives.\" \"That's stupid.\" \"Why's it stupid?\" \"Because we're not married.\" \"Should we hold hands?\" \"We can't.\" \"But why?\" \"Because, people will know.\" \"Know what?\" \"About us.\" \"So what if they know?\" \"It's better when it's a secret.\" \"Why?\" \"So no one can take it from us.\")", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nicole Krauss" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/let-s-stand-under-a-tree-she-said-why-because-it-s-nicer-maybe-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chairs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/let-s-stand-under-a-tree-she-said-why-because-it-s-nicer-maybe-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/nicole-krauss-920_chairs_let-s-stand-under-a-tree-she-said-why-be_887604.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/nicole-krauss-920_chairs_let-s-stand-under-a-tree-she-said-why-be_887604.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/631/nicole-krauss-920_chairs_let-s-stand-under-a-tree-she-said-why-be_887604.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“(\"Let's stand under a tree,\" she said. \"Why?\" \"Because it's nicer.\" \"Maybe you should sit on a chair, and…” — Nicole Krauss", "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": "Nicole Krauss", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "(\"Let's stand under a tree,\" she...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/let-s-stand-under-a-tree-she-said-why-because-it-s-nicer-maybe-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/let-s-stand-under-a-tree-she-said-why-because-it-s-nicer-maybe-you/#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 } } ] } ```