--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They were all odd, the returned captives…" description: "\"“They were all odd, the returned captives. All peculiar with minds oddly formed, never quite one thing or another. As Doris had said back in Spanish Fo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b45/paulette-jiles-13252_captives_they-were-all-odd-the-returned-captives_2658866.jpg" --- # They were all odd, the returned captives. All peculiar… ![“They were all odd, the returned captives. All peculiar with minds oddly formed, never quite one thing or another. As Doris had said back in Spanish Fort, all those captured as children and returned were restless and hungry for some spiritual solace, abandoned by two cultures, dark shooting stars…” quote by Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b45/paulette-jiles-13252_captives_they-were-all-odd-the-returned-captives_2658866.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b45/paulette-jiles-13252_captives_they-were-all-odd-the-returned-captives_2658866.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b45/paulette-jiles-13252_captives_they-were-all-odd-the-returned-captives_2658866.jpg) > ““They were all odd, the returned captives. All peculiar with minds oddly formed, never quite one thing or another. As Doris had said back in Spanish Fort, all those captured as children and returned were restless and hungry for some spiritual solace, abandoned by two cultures, dark shooting stars lost in the outer heavens.”” [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Returned captives feel restless, torn between cultures, yearning for spiritual solace. **In simple terms:** Captives are culturally displaced and restless. Key Takeaway Address cultural dislocation. Themes identity displacement spirituality Mood melancholic reflective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - counseling - community building - historical research Key Concepts cultural hybridity post‑colonial trauma search for meaning Questions to Reflect On - How can one reconcile two cultures? - What supports spiritual healing? A Different Perspective Dual identities can cause inner conflict. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Captives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/captives/) [Captives Peculiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/captives-peculiar-1555529/) [Peculiar Minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peculiar-minds-2411696/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Returned Captives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/returned-captives-1555527/) [Shooting stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shooting-stars/) [Stars Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars-lost-2102934/) ## Related quotes > [“Cynthia Parker had starved herself to death when she was returned to her white relatives. So had Temple Friend. Other returned captives had become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/cynthia-parker-had-starved-herself-to-death-when-she-was-returned-to/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) > [In our age of Twitter and smartphones, there is no controlled release of a movie preview. The enigma of movie stars is lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radha-ravi/in-our-age-of-twitter-and-smartphones-there-is-no-controlled-release/) [Radha Ravi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radha-ravi/) > [“What are we but shooting stars, hoping to shine long enough to make at least one soul believe in the magic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-namdeo/what-are-we-but-shooting-stars-hoping-to-shine-long-enough-to-make-at/) [Sherry Namdeo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-namdeo/) > [“Heavenly Fire by Stewart Stafford The Stygian hole of abandon, Overlaid with a sentry 's cloak, Now unmasked eyes can see, Perforations in astral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/heavenly-fire-by-stewart-stafford-the-stygian-hole-of-abandon/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [“In your life you will meet shooting stars. You will see them, make your wish and see them disappear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nahiar-ozar/in-your-life-you-will-meet-shooting-stars-you-will-see-them-make-your/) [Nahiar Ozar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nahiar-ozar/) > [“The Shooting Star Charm To Be Lucky in Love, You Must First Believe in Miracles”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viola-shipman/the-shooting-star-charm-to-be-lucky-in-love-you-must-first-believe-in/) [Viola Shipman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viola-shipman/) > [“Shooting stars are not stars at all. They're just rocks that enter the atmosphere and catch fire under friction. What we wish on, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/shooting-stars-are-not-stars-at-all-they-re-just-rocks-that-enter-the/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [If airplanes were shooting stars, I'd wish one wish to be with you:) <3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-airplanes-were-shooting-stars-i-d-wish-one-wish-to-be-with-you-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I've never related to 'super stars' or Hollywood stars. I relate to cosmic stars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drue-grit/i-ve-never-related-to-super-stars-or-hollywood-stars-i-relate-to/) [Drue Grit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drue-grit/) > [If your shooting for the stars.then just shoot me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/if-your-shooting-for-the-stars-then-just-shoot-me/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [“What’d you wish?” “I can’t tell you that!” I say indignantly. “Why not?” “Because it won’t come true.” Do I really need to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katja-millay/what-d-you-wish-i-can-t-tell-you-that-i-say-indignantly-why-not/) [Katja Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katja-millay/) > [Dear, Eyelashes, Wishbones, Dandelions. Pennies, Shooting Stars, 11:11, and Birthday Candles, do your job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dear-eyelashes-wishbones-dandelions-pennies-shooting-stars-11-11-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Shooting stars, falling leaves, the more things change, the more I sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/shooting-stars-falling-leaves-the-more-things-change-the-more-i-sleep/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Some people are like shooting stars. They burst through our lives in a spectacular arc, but they don't stay long. They just leave a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-orloff/some-people-are-like-shooting-stars-they-burst-through-our-lives-in-a/) [Erica Orloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-orloff/) > [“The star we're looking for isn't so very friendly," said Moomintroll. "Quite the contrary, in fact." "What did you say?" said Sniff. Moomintroll went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-jansson/the-star-we-re-looking-for-isn-t-so-very-friendly-said-moomintroll/) [Tove Jansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-jansson/) ## More by Paulette Jiles > [“No matter what side you were on, if you had survived Gettysburg you were to be congratulated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/no-matter-what-side-you-were-on-if-you-had-survived-gettysburg-you/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) > [“At the age he had attained with his life span short before him he had begun to look upon the human world with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/at-the-age-he-had-attained-with-his-life-span-short-before-him-he-had/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) > [“He wrote down, in a neat list, all the obligations of a sergeant because written information was what mattered in this world,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/he-wrote-down-in-a-neat-list-all-the-obligations-of-a-sergeant/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) > [“The world was in truth made of jackstraws. The world was very combustible, the human body was partible in ways heretofore unimagined. What held…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/the-world-was-in-truth-made-of-jackstraws-the-world-was-very/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) > [“This is writing. This is printing. This tells us of all the things we ought to know in the world. And also that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/this-is-writing-this-is-printing-this-tells-us-of-all-the-things-we/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) > [“It seemed to him she understood but was not willing to concede they might be on the same side against anyone or anything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/it-seemed-to-him-she-understood-but-was-not-willing-to-concede-they/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) > [“Outside, as she passed the kitchen window, she watched her breath appear before her in the lamplight and then it died away in moist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/outside-as-she-passed-the-kitchen-window-she-watched-her-breath/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) > [Paper Matches My aunts washed dishes while the uncles squirted each other on the lawn with garden hoses. Why are we in here, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/paper-matches-my-aunts-washed-dishes-while-the-uncles-squirted-each/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) > [“as they drifted they had gathered trouble and a great deal of peculiar knowledge about human beings, what human beings would do or say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/as-they-drifted-they-had-gathered-trouble-and-a-great-deal-of/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) > [“she is like an elf. She is like a fairy person from the glamorie. They are not one thing or another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/she-is-like-an-elf-she-is-like-a-fairy-person-from-the-glamorie-they/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) > [“Maybe life is just carrying news. Surviving to carry the news. Maybe we have just one message, and it is delivered to us when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/maybe-life-is-just-carrying-news-surviving-to-carry-the-news-maybe-we/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) > [“So they all went home afterwards. My sisters and I sat on the veranda and cried until a storm drove us inside. We agreed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/so-they-all-went-home-afterwards-my-sisters-and-i-sat-on-the-veranda/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) > [“A thin watery sun laid its gunmetal shine on the country below.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/a-thin-watery-sun-laid-its-gunmetal-shine-on-the-country-below/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) > [“He saw her bright, fierce little face break into laughter when the crowd laughed. It was good. Laughter is good for the soul and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/he-saw-her-bright-fierce-little-face-break-into-laughter-when-the/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) > [“In the famine children saw their parents die and then went to live with the people on the other side. In their minds they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-jiles/in-the-famine-children-saw-their-parents-die-and-then-went-to-live/) [Paulette Jiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) [Explore all 51 Paulette Jiles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-jiles/) ## More Captives quotes > [The creative writer is usually captive to his next book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-hurst/the-creative-writer-is-usually-captive-to-his-next-book/) [Fannie Hurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-hurst/) > [People without an internalized symbolic system can all too easily become captives of the media.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/people-without-an-internalized-symbolic-system-can-all-too-easily/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [My favorite job is being a father. I have four girls now. They're a captive audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-willis/my-favorite-job-is-being-a-father-i-have-four-girls-now-they-re-a/) [Bruce Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-willis/) > [We live in all we seek. The hidden shows up in too-plain sight. It lives captive on the face of the obvious - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/we-live-in-all-we-seek-the-hidden-shows-up-in-too-plain-sight-it/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Of all the jaw-droppingly beautiful women who've become genuine movie stars, none has had a longer film career (62 years), has been filmed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-osborne/of-all-the-jaw-droppingly-beautiful-women-who-ve-become-genuine-movie/) [Robert Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-osborne/) > [Make me a captive Lord, then I shall be truly free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/make-me-a-captive-lord-then-i-shall-be-truly-free/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [As long as we're dependent on those fossil fuels, we're dependent on the Middle East. If we are not victims, we're certainly captives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-m-mchugh/as-long-as-we-re-dependent-on-those-fossil-fuels-we-re-dependent-on/) [John M. McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-m-mchugh/) > [Jah come to break downpression, rule equality, wipe away transgression, set the captives free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marley/jah-come-to-break-downpression-rule-equality-wipe-away-transgression/) [Bob Marley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marley/) > [“Though the captives' resistance was dangerous, through such acts, dignity was preserved, and through dignity, life itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-hillenbrand/though-the-captives-resistance-was-dangerous-through-such-acts/) [Laura Hillenbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-hillenbrand/) > [The state is captive to vested interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanusi-lamido-sanusi/the-state-is-captive-to-vested-interests/) [Sanusi Lamido Sanusi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanusi-lamido-sanusi/) > [“...you go back to liberate the captives and sadly realize, some want to remain tied down in the cave...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/you-go-back-to-liberate-the-captives-and-sadly-realize-some-want-to/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“So, very soon our captives will meet their small countrywoman again. How grateful they must be to have a pleasant ride, with us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-rodda/so-very-soon-our-captives-will-meet-their-small-countrywoman-again/) [Emily Rodda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-rodda/) > [The cry for freedom is a sign of suppression. It will not cease to ring as long as man feels himself captive. As diverse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/the-cry-for-freedom-is-a-sign-of-suppression-it-will-not-cease-to/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [Words have to murder reality before they can hold it captive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/words-have-to-murder-reality-before-they-can-hold-it-captive/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [It would drive the photographers crazy because I would giggle and tell jokes. I was gregarious, and looking back, I realize I had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/it-would-drive-the-photographers-crazy-because-i-would-giggle-and/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 176 Captives quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/captives/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They were all odd, the returned captives. All peculiar with minds oddly formed, never quite one thing or another. 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