--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: watch the people I pass—the two men…" description: "\"“watch the people I pass—the two men running, backpacks on, training for the marathon, the young woman in a black skirt and white trainers, heels in he..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7a/paula-hawkins-9343_fitness_watch-the-people-i-pass-the-two-men-runn_1888818.jpg" --- # watch the people I pass—the two men running, backpacks on… ![“watch the people I pass—the two men running, backpacks on, training for the marathon, the young woman in a black skirt and white trainers, heels in her bag, on her way to work—and I wonder what they’re hiding. Are they moving to stop drinking, running to stand still? Are they thinking about the…” quote by Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7a/paula-hawkins-9343_fitness_watch-the-people-i-pass-the-two-men-runn_1888818.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7a/paula-hawkins-9343_fitness_watch-the-people-i-pass-the-two-men-runn_1888818.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b7a/paula-hawkins-9343_fitness_watch-the-people-i-pass-the-two-men-runn_1888818.jpg) > ““watch the people I pass—the two men running, backpacks on, training for the marathon, the young woman in a black skirt and white trainers, heels in her bag, on her way to work—and I wonder what they’re hiding. Are they moving to stop drinking, running to stand still? Are they thinking about the killer they met yesterday, the one they’re planning to see again? I’m not normal. I’m”” [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) ## 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 observes strangers, questioning their hidden motives and her own mental state. **In simple terms:** People hide secrets; narrator feels abnormal. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about others and self. Themes observation anxiety identity secrecy Mood reflective uncertain Type narrative introspective When to use this quote - commuting - urban life - personal reflection Key Concepts psychology social perception Questions to Reflect On - What do you truly know about strangers? - How does anxiety shape perception? A Different Perspective The speculation may be unfounded and self‑critical. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drinking Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drinking-running-2715055/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Pass Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pass-men-2671189/) [People Pass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-pass-271788/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Running Backpacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running-backpacks-2715056/) [Stop drinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stop-drinking/) [Watch People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watch-people/) [Young woman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-woman/) ## Related quotes > [“If the fact that brutes abstract not be made the distinguishing property of that sort of animal, I fear a great many of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bishop-berkeley/if-the-fact-that-brutes-abstract-not-be-made-the-distinguishing/) [Bishop Berkeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bishop-berkeley/) > [“We haven't stopped running, but we are getting slower. We have little people running with us now. We have passed others. Our own people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/we-haven-t-stopped-running-but-we-are-getting-slower-we-have-little/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [“We now lay in towns, where nobody troubled us with questions; we had floated into civilised life, where people pass without salutation. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/we-now-lay-in-towns-where-nobody-troubled-us-with-questions-we-had/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [People will pass and I'll connect with them and they actually won't be actively involved in their family's lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-henry/people-will-pass-and-i-ll-connect-with-them-and-they-actually-won-t/) [Tyler Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-henry/) > [Some people pass through our lives just to teach us not to be like them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/some-people-pass-through-our-lives-just-to-teach-us-not-to-be-like/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“There were doorways between this world and the next, she said, but only certain people could pass through them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/there-were-doorways-between-this-world-and-the-next-she-said-but-only/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“Sometimes,” she said, “two people pass each other by, look into each other’s eyes for a moment, and all that’s left is a wish.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-meyer/sometimes-she-said-two-people-pass-each-other-by-look-into-each-other/) [Kai Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-meyer/) > [Even in motocross, you're struggling to see people pass each other anymore. There seems to be one line in motocross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-stoner/even-in-motocross-you-re-struggling-to-see-people-pass-each-other/) [Casey Stoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-stoner/) > [“If one were as rich as those people! They pass so close to us; they see us, and we see them; but the distance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-gissing/if-one-were-as-rich-as-those-people-they-pass-so-close-to-us-they-see/) [George Gissing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-gissing/) > [“Two people pass each other. As one looks upon the other's skin color, the other is looking back at their appearance. Both justifying, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/two-people-pass-each-other-as-one-looks-upon-the-other-s-skin-color/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [“People who pass us on the street can’t know that we’re clever and charming unless we look it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/people-who-pass-us-on-the-street-can-t-know-that-we-re-clever-and/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [Even in motocross, youre struggling to see people pass each other anymore. There seems to be one line in motocross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-stoner/even-in-motocross-youre-struggling-to-see-people-pass-each-other/) [Casey Stoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-stoner/) > [The 'Hey now's' are delivered as people pass me. As I just get near ear range, I hear, 'Hey now!' and that's very funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-tambor/the-hey-now-s-are-delivered-as-people-pass-me-as-i-just-get-near-ear/) [Jeffrey Tambor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-tambor/) > [“We are like tea bags - we do not know man lying on sidewalk as people pass by our own strength until we're hot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sister-busche/we-are-like-tea-bags-we-do-not-know-man-lying-on-sidewalk-as-people/) [Sister Busche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sister-busche/) > [I always observe the people who pass by when I ride an escalator. I'll never see most of them again, so I imagine a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideo-kojima/i-always-observe-the-people-who-pass-by-when-i-ride-an-escalator-i-ll/) [Hideo Kojima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hideo-kojima/) ## More by Paula Hawkins > [“It’s less acceptable to drink on the train on a Monday,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/it-s-less-acceptable-to-drink-on-the-train-on-a-monday/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“I am not the girl I used to be...it's as if people can see the damage written all over me, can see it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/i-am-not-the-girl-i-used-to-be-it-s-as-if-people-can-see-the-damage/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“She felt it when she woke, not a presence but an absence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/she-felt-it-when-she-woke-not-a-presence-but-an-absence/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“Beautiful sunshine, cloudless skies, no one to play with, nothing to do. Living like this, the way I'm living at the moment, is harder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/beautiful-sunshine-cloudless-skies-no-one-to-play-with-nothing-to-do/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“I want to drag knives over my skin, just to feel something other than shame, but I'm not even brave enough for that”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/i-want-to-drag-knives-over-my-skin-just-to-feel-something-other-than/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“I forgot to feel what I was supposed to be feeling...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/i-forgot-to-feel-what-i-was-supposed-to-be-feeling/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“gardens over. One of them was crying—maybe they both were—and there was a child bawling its head off,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/gardens-over-one-of-them-was-crying-maybe-they-both-were-and-there/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“The things I want to remember I can't, and the things I try so hard to forget just keep coming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/the-things-i-want-to-remember-i-can-t-and-the-things-i-try-so-hard-to/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“the author claimed that blacking out wasn’t simply a matter of forgetting what had happened, but having no memories to forget in the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/the-author-claimed-that-blacking-out-wasn-t-simply-a-matter-of/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“LA VIE N’EST PAS UN PARAGRAPHE.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/la-vie-n-est-pas-un-paragraphe/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“me thinking straight. I take a shower, get dressed and make another cup of coffee, and then I sit down in the living room,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/me-thinking-straight-i-take-a-shower-get-dressed-and-make-another-cup/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“Something felt off, but I realized eventually that it was just me. Still,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/something-felt-off-but-i-realized-eventually-that-it-was-just-me-still/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“the holes in your life are permanent. You have to grow around them, like tree roots around concrete; you mould yourself through the gaps.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/the-holes-in-your-life-are-permanent-you-have-to-grow-around-them/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“I don't remember things. I black out and I can't remember where I've been or what I've done. Sometimes I wonder if I've done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/i-don-t-remember-things-i-black-out-and-i-can-t-remember-where-i-ve/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) > [“Some days I feel so bad that I have to drink; some days I feel so bad that I can’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-hawkins/some-days-i-feel-so-bad-that-i-have-to-drink-some-days-i-feel-so-bad/) [Paula Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) [Explore all 64 Paula Hawkins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-hawkins/) ## More Fitness quotes > [I train my muscles, and I do a lot of stretching, and try to kick higher. But for me, practicing kung-fu is a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chow/i-train-my-muscles-and-i-do-a-lot-of-stretching-and-try-to-kick/) [Stephen Chow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chow/) > [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [I do a lot of vocal exercises and drink hot tea, which I hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darci-lynne-farmer/i-do-a-lot-of-vocal-exercises-and-drink-hot-tea-which-i-hate/) [Darci Lynne Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darci-lynne-farmer/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-banks/spring-training-means-flowers-people-coming-outdoors-sunshine/) [Ernie Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-banks/) > [I always wanted to make sure that within my unit that I was never the weak person. So I made sure that my physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carmouche/i-always-wanted-to-make-sure-that-within-my-unit-that-i-was-never-the/) [Liz Carmouche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carmouche/) > [“For those filled with regret, perhaps the most needful exercise of proactivity is to realize that past mistakes are also out there in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/for-those-filled-with-regret-perhaps-the-most-needful-exercise-of/) [Stephen R. 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