--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before I can allow myself to explore the…" description: "\"“Before I can allow myself to explore the idea of whether Rondo also thinks she’s the prettiest girl on the planet, I snatch myself back from the preci..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/olivia-a-cole-30798_quote_before-i-can-allow-myself-to-explore-the_488526.jpg" --- # Before I can allow myself to explore the idea of whether… ![“Before I can allow myself to explore the idea of whether Rondo also thinks she’s the prettiest girl on the planet, I snatch myself back from the precipice and hope that my momentary logical stutter hasn’t showed in my eyes. “And where would you suggest we start?” I ask. She looks me square in the…” quote by Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/olivia-a-cole-30798_quote_before-i-can-allow-myself-to-explore-the_488526.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/olivia-a-cole-30798_quote_before-i-can-allow-myself-to-explore-the_488526.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/olivia-a-cole-30798_quote_before-i-can-allow-myself-to-explore-the_488526.jpg) > ““Before I can allow myself to explore the idea of whether Rondo also thinks she’s the prettiest girl on the planet, I snatch myself back from the precipice and hope that my momentary logical stutter hasn’t showed in my eyes. “And where would you suggest we start?” I ask. She looks me square in the eye. “I would suggest that we look in our slates for the identification charts, because I don’t have a damn clue.” Disarmed, I laugh—loudly—without meaning to. She gives me a half smile and shrugs in a nonchalant way, but I glimpse a flash of shy pleasure in the way she blinks her eyes away from mine. This is the part where I’m supposed to snap back with something as clever as it is barbed, but all my words seem dull now.”” [Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator wrestles with self‑doubt and attempts to appear witty, but feels exposed and clumsy in a flirtatious exchange. **In simple terms:** Nervous attempts to impress and feeling awkward. Key Takeaway Embrace authentic vulnerability. Themes romance self‑esteem communication humor Mood anervous hopeful Type dialogue conversational When to use this quote - First date conversation - online messaging - casual flirtation Key Concepts Social anxiety impression management authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How can I balance confidence with honesty? - What does my fear reveal about my self‑image? A Different Perspective Self‑critical inner voice can hinder genuine connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blinks Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blinks-eyes-4184880/) [Idea Rondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea-rondo-4184881/) [Rondo Thinks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rondo-thinks-4184879/) [Showed Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/showed-eyes-2128811/) [Thinks Prettiest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinks-prettiest-4184882/) ## Related quotes > [Everyone thinks they have the prettiest wife at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arsene-wenger/everyone-thinks-they-have-the-prettiest-wife-at-home/) [Arsene Wenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arsene-wenger/) > [“Man sees only between the blinks of his eyes. He does not know what the world is like during the blinks. He sees the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-potok/man-sees-only-between-the-blinks-of-his-eyes-he-does-not-know-what/) [Chaim Potok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-potok/) > [“No," again there was the smile that showed only in her eyes. "He is most assuredly not a man. He is who he is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mereda-hart-farynyk/no-again-there-was-the-smile-that-showed-only-in-her-eyes-he-is-most/) [Mereda Hart Farynyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mereda-hart-farynyk/) > [“She saw it, and an extraordinary change came over her. She seemed scarcely to move, and yet all at once, her whole person was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/she-saw-it-and-an-extraordinary-change-came-over-her-she-seemed/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) ## More by Olivia A. Cole > [“Before, when my father and I would actually talk, he might have told me that the kunike turn a different color if what’s approaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/before-when-my-father-and-i-would-actually-talk-he-might-have-told-me/) [Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) > [“I thought I could wait to tell you until everything was figured out,” she says. “I didn’t think you’d have any contact with actual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/i-thought-i-could-wait-to-tell-you-until-everything-was-figured-out/) [Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) > [“Don’t call me stupid,” Yaya says, taking a half step toward me. The shine of tears in her eyes is gone: she’s fully angry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/don-t-call-me-stupid-yaya-says-taking-a-half-step-toward-me-the-shine/) [Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) > [“It makes a beautiful sound.” “You can play it?” I’m impressed. My dad tried me on his drum once or twice, but it wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/it-makes-a-beautiful-sound-you-can-play-it-i-m-impressed-my-dad-tried/) [Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) > [“And we’re supposed to be clever, we students of N’Terra, children of whitecoats. It is our skills that will determine our survival. The founders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/and-we-re-supposed-to-be-clever-we-students-of-n-terra-children-of/) [Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) > [“My smile fades and I’m very aware of the blood in my veins. I wonder if he’s mad after what I said. In any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/my-smile-fades-and-i-m-very-aware-of-the-blood-in-my-veins-i-wonder/) [Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) > [“There’s more to the world than logic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/there-s-more-to-the-world-than-logic/) [Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) > [“My father and I live under different suns. In reality, it is the same: red and hungry, an intense crimson eye that sends the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/my-father-and-i-live-under-different-suns-in-reality-it-is-the-same/) [Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) > [“My mother hmms and goes to the kitchen, where cupboards dug into the clay wall are filled with round fruits of orange and green,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/my-mother-hmms-and-goes-to-the-kitchen-where-cupboards-dug-into-the/) [Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) > [“Albaturean or not,” he says, jerking his head over his shoulder to indicate the shopkeeper. “I wish I could do that.” “What? Make vague…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/albaturean-or-not-he-says-jerking-his-head-over-his-shoulder-to/) [Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) > [“Facts are not always facts. The version of the truth we know is what is shown to us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/facts-are-not-always-facts-the-version-of-the-truth-we-know-is-what/) [Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) > [“Fear makes people stupid,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/fear-makes-people-stupid/) [Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) > [“The vasana!” I shout. “I saw Dr. Albatur with Vasana 11. The dirixi fangs. I saw the procedure. I know what you’re doing back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/the-vasana-i-shout-i-saw-dr-albatur-with-vasana-11-the-dirixi-fangs-i/) [Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) > [“Look at you,” I say, greeting her with a shoulder bump. She smiles her wide smile. “My hair is getting so long. My mother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/look-at-you-i-say-greeting-her-with-a-shoulder-bump-she-smiles-her/) [Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) > [“Dr. Espada says only one word. “Listen,” he says, his eyes piercing through his spectacles, and then turns away. Confused, I go on standing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/dr-espada-says-only-one-word-listen-he-says-his-eyes-piercing-through/) [Olivia A. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) [Explore all 17 Olivia A. Cole quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/) ## More Showed Eyes quotes > [“No," again there was the smile that showed only in her eyes. "He is most assuredly not a man. He is who he is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mereda-hart-farynyk/no-again-there-was-the-smile-that-showed-only-in-her-eyes-he-is-most/) [Mereda Hart Farynyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mereda-hart-farynyk/) > [“She saw it, and an extraordinary change came over her. She seemed scarcely to move, and yet all at once, her whole person was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/she-saw-it-and-an-extraordinary-change-came-over-her-she-seemed/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) [Browse all 3 Showed Eyes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/showed-eyes-2128811/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Before I can allow myself to explore the idea of whether Rondo also thinks she’s the prettiest girl on the planet, I snatch myself back from the precipice and hope that my momentary logical stutter hasn’t showed in my eyes. “And where would you suggest we start?” I ask. She looks me square in the eye. “I would suggest that we look in our slates for the identification charts, because I don’t have a damn clue.” Disarmed, I laugh—loudly—without meaning to. She gives me a half smile and shrugs in a nonchalant way, but I glimpse a flash of shy pleasure in the way she blinks her eyes away from mine. This is the part where I’m supposed to snap back with something as clever as it is barbed, but all my words seem dull now.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Olivia A. Cole" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/before-i-can-allow-myself-to-explore-the-idea-of-whether-rondo-also/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Showed Eyes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/before-i-can-allow-myself-to-explore-the-idea-of-whether-rondo-also/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/olivia-a-cole-30798_quote_before-i-can-allow-myself-to-explore-the_488526.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/olivia-a-cole-30798_quote_before-i-can-allow-myself-to-explore-the_488526.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ade/olivia-a-cole-30798_quote_before-i-can-allow-myself-to-explore-the_488526.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Before I can allow myself to explore the idea of whether Rondo also thinks she’s the prettiest girl on the…” — Olivia A. Cole", "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": "Olivia A. Cole", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-a-cole/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Before I can allow myself to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/before-i-can-allow-myself-to-explore-the-idea-of-whether-rondo-also/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-a-cole/before-i-can-allow-myself-to-explore-the-idea-of-whether-rondo-also/#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 } } ] } ```