--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One night, after hours, you are alone and…" description: "\"“One night, after hours, you are alone and running your hands under the hot water when the voice asks if you aren't through with your ablutions yet. Yo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/patrick-dewitt-3545_definition_one-night-after-hours-you-are-alone-and_1933546.jpg" --- # One night, after hours, you are alone and running your… ![“One night, after hours, you are alone and running your hands under the hot water when the voice asks if you aren't through with your ablutions yet. You do not know the word but write it down to look it up the next day. You learn its definition on page 3 of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary…” quote by Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/patrick-dewitt-3545_definition_one-night-after-hours-you-are-alone-and_1933546.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/patrick-dewitt-3545_definition_one-night-after-hours-you-are-alone-and_1933546.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/70f/patrick-dewitt-3545_definition_one-night-after-hours-you-are-alone-and_1933546.jpg) > ““One night, after hours, you are alone and running your hands under the hot water when the voice asks if you aren't through with your ablutions yet. You do not know the word but write it down to look it up the next day. You learn its definition on page 3 of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary: "The washing of one's body or part of it (as in a religious rite)." You are certain you have never heard this word before as you were raised without any religion and have never set foot inside any church or temple, and you return the dictionary to the shelf and vow never to play this game of counting your wounds again.”” [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Encountering an unfamiliar religious term in a mundane setting sparks curiosity about language, belief, and personal history. **In simple terms:** Learning a new word reveals hidden cultural layers. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity about unknown concepts. Themes language religion identity learning self‑discovery Mood contemplative inquisitive introspective Type philosophical educational When to use this quote - daily routines - dictionary use - spiritual exploration - writing process Key Concepts etymology cultural literacy personal narrative Questions to Reflect On - What other familiar activities hide deeper meanings? - How does language shape our worldview? A Different Perspective The experience highlights how everyday moments can lead to deeper self‑inquiry. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) ## Related quotes > [What is the use of washing the body, when the mind is unclean..I tell.. the fish lives in the water only but never shed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-the-use-of-washing-the-body-when-the-mind-is-unclean-i-tell/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't have a spiritual bone in my body; but what I am, is religious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-burchill/i-don-t-have-a-spiritual-bone-in-my-body-but-what-i-am-is-religious/) [Julie Burchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-burchill/) > [“I believe it is customary to get get one's washing over first in baths and bask afterwards; personally, I bask first. I have discovered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith-i-capture-the-castle/i-believe-it-is-customary-to-get-get-one-s-washing-over-first-in/) [Dodie Smith I Capture the Castle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith-i-capture-the-castle/) > [“This sour cream will result in a thicker and slightly richer product than the first recipe. Ingredients 1 cup heavy cream at room temperature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-helweg/this-sour-cream-will-result-in-a-thicker-and-slightly-richer-product/) Rick Helweg > [a women is like a tea bag.it's only when she is in hot water that you realize how strong she is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/a-women-is-like-a-tea-bag-it-s-only-when-she-is-in-hot-water-that-you/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [“Pain. It’s there for a reason. 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Here we are, risking our lives to rescue Kai and this whole planet, and Adri and Pearl get to go to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/see-injustice-here-we-are-risking-our-lives-to-rescue-kai-and-this/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) ## More by Patrick deWitt > [“I had nowhere to go and did not wish to be seen by anyone for fear they would recognize my sadness and so for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-had-nowhere-to-go-and-did-not-wish-to-be-seen-by-anyone-for-fear/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [I come by writing dialogue fairly naturally, I've got a chatty family; I'm a bit of a voyeur, and if I'm ever in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-come-by-writing-dialogue-fairly-naturally-i-ve-got-a-chatty-family/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [“Beware of the plygs of Colorado City, Arizona. 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And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-am-increasingly-unimpressed-by-works-of-art-that-require-a-college/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [I carry a small spiral notebook with me at all times and have been doing this for many years. 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It's about other things; my reading has become specialized over the years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-m-not-an-enormous-proponent-of-plot-as-a-reader-it-s-about-other/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [“You are afraid of hell. But that’s all religion is, really. Fear of a place we’d rather not be, and where there’s no such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/you-are-afraid-of-hell-but-that-s-all-religion-is-really-fear-of-a/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) > [I've been surprised at how much an unknown like myself can accomplish just by reaching out to people and pleading my case. Quotes for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-ve-been-surprised-at-how-much-an-unknown-like-myself-can-accomplish/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) [Explore all 128 Patrick deWitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) ## More Definition quotes > [“ misgivings , n . Last night, I got up the courage to ask you if you regretted us. "There are things I miss,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/misgivings-n-last-night-i-got-up-the-courage-to-ask-you-if-you/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The state of female artists is very good. 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Dilla.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bellion/a-lot-of-the-album-the-definition-was-made-from-two-things-pixar/) [Jon Bellion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bellion/) > [By definition, when you make something no one hates, no one loves it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-kalman/by-definition-when-you-make-something-no-one-hates-no-one-loves-it/) [Tibor Kalman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-kalman/) > [Everyone's definition of an open relationship is different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-o-malley/everyone-s-definition-of-an-open-relationship-is-different/) [Sean O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-o-malley/) > [My own definition of leadership is this: The capacity and the will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-law-montgomery/my-own-definition-of-leadership-is-this-the-capacity-and-the-will-to/) [Bernard Law Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-law-montgomery/) > [ My definition \[of genius\] would be about being completely involved in your art form. So that's outside of sciences. Within the arts it's about… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-crowe/my-definition-of-genius-would-be-about-being-completely-involved-in/) [Russell Crowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-crowe/) > [Everyone has their own definition of a healthy lifestyle, and mine has come to mean making health a priority but not an obsession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-oz/everyone-has-their-own-definition-of-a-healthy-lifestyle-and-mine-has/) [Daphne Oz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-oz/) > [Definition of a best friend; The person you cant be mad at for even an hour because you have something important to tell them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/definition-of-a-best-friend-the-person-you-cant-be-mad-at-for-even-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Somewhere down the line, the evil ones stole the legacy of hip hop and flipped it to a corporate type of hip hop. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/afrika-bambaataa/somewhere-down-the-line-the-evil-ones-stole-the-legacy-of-hip-hop-and/) [Afrika Bambaataa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/afrika-bambaataa/) > [Senseless violence is, almost by definition, hard to understand. 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