--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For now that they could not be together…" description: "\"“For now that they could not be together, they must be infinitely apart, and what had been sure and unshakable was now fragile and insubstantial; from ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/orson-scott-card-134_fragile_for-now-that-they-could-not-be-together_1898566.jpg" --- # For now that they could not be together, they must be… ![“For now that they could not be together, they must be infinitely apart, and what had been sure and unshakable was now fragile and insubstantial; from the moment we are not together, Alai is a stranger, for he has a life now that will be no part of mine, and that means that when I see him we will…” quote by Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/orson-scott-card-134_fragile_for-now-that-they-could-not-be-together_1898566.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/orson-scott-card-134_fragile_for-now-that-they-could-not-be-together_1898566.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/orson-scott-card-134_fragile_for-now-that-they-could-not-be-together_1898566.jpg) > ““For now that they could not be together, they must be infinitely apart, and what had been sure and unshakable was now fragile and insubstantial; from the moment we are not together, Alai is a stranger, for he has a life now that will be no part of mine, and that means that when I see him we will not know each other.”” [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Separation transforms intimacy into alienation; once apart, former certainty becomes fragile and unfamiliar. **In simple terms:** Distance can turn loved ones into strangers. Key Takeaway Accept change and seek new connections. Themes love separation identity impermanence Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - breakups - long‑distance relationships - personal loss Key Concepts literary analysis psychology of relationships Questions to Reflect On - How do you navigate identity after separation? - Can you find meaning in altered relationships? A Different Perspective Reunion may not restore original intimacy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fragile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fragile/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Stranger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stranger/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [ “\[That wall\] might be breached sometime in the future, but for now the only real conversation between them was the roots that had already… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/that-wall-might-be-breached-sometime-in-the-future-but-for-now-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-morasca/when-you-see-how-fragile-and-delicate-life-can-be-all-else-fades-into/) [Jenna Morasca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-morasca/) > [There is cruelty in divorce. There is cruelty in forced or unfortunate marriage. We will continue to cry at weddings because we know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-roiphe/there-is-cruelty-in-divorce-there-is-cruelty-in-forced-or-unfortunate/) [Anne Roiphe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-roiphe/) > [I don't use a hairdryer when it's not necessary; I try to look after my fragile hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-pivovarova/i-don-t-use-a-hairdryer-when-it-s-not-necessary-i-try-to-look-after/) [Sasha Pivovarova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-pivovarova/) > [Love is fragile. Break it and you will find great difficulties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-fragile-break-it-and-you-will-find-great-difficulties/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A fragile painting left without a scenery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-fragile-painting-left-without-a-scenery/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is fragile, like the dew hanging delicately on the grass, crystal drops that will be carried away on the first morning breeze.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dilgo-khyentse-rinpoche/life-is-fragile-like-the-dew-hanging-delicately-on-the-grass-crystal/) [Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dilgo-khyentse-rinpoche/) > [There are plenty of people who don't want change - the Labour Party, some of their militant trade union friends like Unite busy causing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/there-are-plenty-of-people-who-don-t-want-change-the-labour-party/) [George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/) > [Mortals are such fragile things. Just tender feelings walking around exposed in their delicate shells...Easy to crush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-marr/mortals-are-such-fragile-things-just-tender-feelings-walking-around/) [Melissa Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-marr/) > [True, the fragile bodies of his fellows do not weigh down his plane; true, the fretful minds of weaker men are missing from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/true-the-fragile-bodies-of-his-fellows-do-not-weigh-down-his-plane/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [“Hearts were beautifully fierce yet fragile things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerri-maniscalco/hearts-were-beautifully-fierce-yet-fragile-things/) [Kerri Maniscalco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerri-maniscalco/) > [I hope the day will come when a wasp-waist and a pair of thin shoulders will not be esteemed beauty: we have had our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-mcnair-wright/i-hope-the-day-will-come-when-a-wasp-waist-and-a-pair-of-thin/) [Julia McNair Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-mcnair-wright/) > [The foundations of our lives are far more fragile than we think. So we are severely shaken when life turns out to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-bier/the-foundations-of-our-lives-are-far-more-fragile-than-we-think-so-we/) [Susanne Bier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-bier/) > [Over and over, we hear politicians say they can't spend our tax dollars on environmental protection when the economy is so fragile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/over-and-over-we-hear-politicians-say-they-can-t-spend-our-tax/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) ## More by Orson Scott Card > [“You underestimate yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/you-underestimate-yourself/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Why did he hesitate? He finally admitted to himself that he was like an American child who was almost completely certain about Santa Claus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/why-did-he-hesitate-he-finally-admitted-to-himself-that-he-was-like/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“I don't know of a soul who doesn't maintain two separate lists of doctrines - the ones they believe they believe; and the ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-don-t-know-of-a-soul-who-doesn-t-maintain-two-separate-lists-of/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Good people do not let others suffer needlessly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/good-people-do-not-let-others-suffer-needlessly/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“The devil?” Jason heaved the tick over his shoulder like a collier with his sack. “Satan. The adversary. The enemy of the plan of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/the-devil-jason-heaved-the-tick-over-his-shoulder-like-a-collier-with/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“What we've done is make the categories of science fiction and fantasy larger, freer, and more inclusive than any other genre of contemporary literature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/what-we-ve-done-is-make-the-categories-of-science-fiction-and-fantasy/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Where ideas are real and reality is shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-ideas-are-real-and-reality-is-shadow/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Ender, for the past few months you have been the battle commander of our fleets. This was the Third Invasion. There were no games,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/ender-for-the-past-few-months-you-have-been-the-battle-commander-of/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Science fiction is about what could be but isn't; fantasy is about what couldn't be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/science-fiction-is-about-what-could-be-but-isn-t-fantasy-is-about/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Knowledge is just opinion that you trust enough to act upon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/knowledge-is-just-opinion-that-you-trust-enough-to-act-upon/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Of course they accused Marcão of having done it without provocation—that’s the way of torturers of every age, to put the blame on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/of-course-they-accused-marc-o-of-having-done-it-without-provocation/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Civilization is only a pretense; in the crisis, we become mere apes again, forgetting the rational biped of our pretensions and becoming instead the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/civilization-is-only-a-pretense-in-the-crisis-we-become-mere-apes/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Where did this whole thing begin? If what we think of as reality is just a pattern that somebody brought Outside, and the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-did-this-whole-thing-begin-if-what-we-think-of-as-reality-is/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) [Explore all 1,158 Orson Scott Card quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) ## More Fragile quotes > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Mortals are such fragile things. Just tender feelings walking around exposed in their delicate shells...Easy to crush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-marr/mortals-are-such-fragile-things-just-tender-feelings-walking-around/) [Melissa Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-marr/) > [When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-morasca/when-you-see-how-fragile-and-delicate-life-can-be-all-else-fades-into/) [Jenna Morasca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-morasca/) > [The foundations of our lives are far more fragile than we think. So we are severely shaken when life turns out to have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanne-bier/the-foundations-of-our-lives-are-far-more-fragile-than-we-think-so-we/) [Susanne Bier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanne-bier/) > [I hope the day will come when a wasp-waist and a pair of thin shoulders will not be esteemed beauty: we have had our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-mcnair-wright/i-hope-the-day-will-come-when-a-wasp-waist-and-a-pair-of-thin/) [Julia McNair Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-mcnair-wright/) > [“Hearts were beautifully fierce yet fragile things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerri-maniscalco/hearts-were-beautifully-fierce-yet-fragile-things/) [Kerri Maniscalco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerri-maniscalco/) > [True, the fragile bodies of his fellows do not weigh down his plane; true, the fretful minds of weaker men are missing from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/true-the-fragile-bodies-of-his-fellows-do-not-weigh-down-his-plane/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [Over and over, we hear politicians say they can't spend our tax dollars on environmental protection when the economy is so fragile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-suzuki/over-and-over-we-hear-politicians-say-they-can-t-spend-our-tax/) [David Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-suzuki/) > [There are plenty of people who don't want change - the Labour Party, some of their militant trade union friends like Unite busy causing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-osborne/there-are-plenty-of-people-who-don-t-want-change-the-labour-party/) [George Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-osborne/) > [Life is fragile, like the dew hanging delicately on the grass, crystal drops that will be carried away on the first morning breeze.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dilgo-khyentse-rinpoche/life-is-fragile-like-the-dew-hanging-delicately-on-the-grass-crystal/) [Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dilgo-khyentse-rinpoche/) > [A fragile painting left without a scenery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-fragile-painting-left-without-a-scenery/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love is fragile. Break it and you will find great difficulties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-fragile-break-it-and-you-will-find-great-difficulties/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't use a hairdryer when it's not necessary; I try to look after my fragile hair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sasha-pivovarova/i-don-t-use-a-hairdryer-when-it-s-not-necessary-i-try-to-look-after/) [Sasha Pivovarova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sasha-pivovarova/) > [There is cruelty in divorce. There is cruelty in forced or unfortunate marriage. We will continue to cry at weddings because we know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-roiphe/there-is-cruelty-in-divorce-there-is-cruelty-in-forced-or-unfortunate/) [Anne Roiphe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-roiphe/) > [Democracy is not a fragile flower; still it needs cultivating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/democracy-is-not-a-fragile-flower-still-it-needs-cultivating/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) [Browse all 1,004 Fragile quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fragile/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For now that they could not be together, they must be infinitely apart, and what had been sure and unshakable was now fragile and insubstantial; from the moment we are not together, Alai is a stranger, for he has a life now that will be no part of mine, and that means that when I see him we will not know each other.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Orson Scott Card" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/for-now-that-they-could-not-be-together-they-must-be-infinitely-apart/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fragile" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/for-now-that-they-could-not-be-together-they-must-be-infinitely-apart/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/orson-scott-card-134_fragile_for-now-that-they-could-not-be-together_1898566.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/orson-scott-card-134_fragile_for-now-that-they-could-not-be-together_1898566.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b95/orson-scott-card-134_fragile_for-now-that-they-could-not-be-together_1898566.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For now that they could not be together, they must be infinitely apart, and what had been sure and…” — Orson Scott Card", "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": "Orson Scott Card", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“For now that they could not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/for-now-that-they-could-not-be-together-they-must-be-infinitely-apart/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/for-now-that-they-could-not-be-together-they-must-be-infinitely-apart/#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 } } ] } ```