---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Breathing in Shepelevo was like hitting…"
description: "\"“Breathing in Shepelevo was like hitting the right note on the piano. There was only one note. When I was young, Shepelevo was the smell of nettles, of..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/122/paullina-simons-1314_burning-fire_breathing-in-shepelevo-was-like-hitting_1132941.png"
---

#  Breathing in Shepelevo was like hitting the right note on…

![“Breathing in Shepelevo was like hitting the right note on the piano. There was only one note. When I was young, Shepelevo was the smell of nettles, of salted smoked fish, of fresh water from the Gulf of Finland, and of burning firewood, all wrapped up in one Shepelevo.” quote by Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/122/paullina-simons-1314_burning-fire_breathing-in-shepelevo-was-like-hitting_1132941.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/122/paullina-simons-1314_burning-fire_breathing-in-shepelevo-was-like-hitting_1132941.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/122/paullina-simons-1314_burning-fire_breathing-in-shepelevo-was-like-hitting_1132941.png)

> ““Breathing in Shepelevo was like hitting the right note on the piano. There was only one note. When I was young, Shepelevo was the smell of nettles, of salted smoked fish, of fresh water from the Gulf of Finland, and of burning firewood, all wrapped up in one Shepelevo.””

[Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A vivid sensory memory ties a place to a single, resonant feeling, suggesting deep emotional connection through smell and sound.

**In simple terms:** A place can feel like one perfect note.

Key Takeaway

Cherish and recall sensory memories.

Themes

memory place sensory emotion

Mood

reflective poetic

Type

literary descriptive

When to use this quote

- travel writing
- personal reflection
- creative nonfiction

Key Concepts

nostalgia identity attachment

Questions to Reflect On

- What single sense defines your favorite place?
- How does that sense shape your identity?

A Different Perspective

When recalling a place, we may idealize it, missing its complexities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Burning fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burning-fire/) [Fresh water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fresh-water/) [Smell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell/)

## Related quotes

> [Some fighters know when to stop on their own and go on to something else, and then some fighters have nothing to go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-hagler/some-fighters-know-when-to-stop-on-their-own-and-go-on-to-something/)

[Marvin Hagler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-hagler/)

> [“Somebody once told me a slow-burning fire is the hottest – and it must be true. Because Logan and I are a fucking inferno.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/somebody-once-told-me-a-slow-burning-fire-is-the-hottest-and-it-must/)

[Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/)

> [“Pursue your purpose,especially if it burns in your bones like a burning fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/pursue-your-purpose-especially-if-it-burns-in-your-bones-like-a/)

Anyaele Sam Chiyson

> [Inspiration has become this word that people tend to talk about as something from the outside. The truth is that... it is inside, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-wanders/inspiration-has-become-this-word-that-people-tend-to-talk-about-as/)

[Marcel Wanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-wanders/)

> [“Change is not a one-time explosion of opportunity. It is a slow burning fire that needs to be tended constantly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-harvey/change-is-not-a-one-time-explosion-of-opportunity-it-is-a-slow/)

[Jason Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-harvey/)

> [“How could there be a stone unturned in the quest to understand your life's purpose? So many well entrenched systems already exist and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-killion/how-could-there-be-a-stone-unturned-in-the-quest-to-understand-your/)

Neil Killion

> [Make the land of Islam a burning fire that burns their faces and feet wherever they pass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/make-the-land-of-islam-a-burning-fire-that-burns-their-faces-and-feet/)

[Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/)

> [Love is the eternally burning fire in which humanity &amp; all the world are being purified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-ouspensky/love-is-the-eternally-burning-fire-in-which-humanity-all-the-world/)

[P.D. Ouspensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-ouspensky/)

> [I Wish I Could Give You A Taste Of The Burning Fire Of Love. There Is A Fire Blazing Inside Of Me. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/i-wish-i-could-give-you-a-taste-of-the-burning-fire-of-love-there-is/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [Love is like a friendship caught on fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/love-is-like-a-friendship-caught-on-fire/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [“There is a candle in the heart of man, waiting to be kindled. In separation from the Friend, there is a cut waiting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-a-candle-in-the-heart-of-man-waiting-to-be-kindled-in/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When we were the political slaves of King George, and wanted to be free, we called the maxim that "all men are created equal"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/when-we-were-the-political-slaves-of-king-george-and-wanted-to-be/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [“I'd seen this happen several times before, in different institutions, but it was no less remarkable on each occasion: the words were like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-carr/i-d-seen-this-happen-several-times-before-in-different-institutions/)

[Caleb Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-carr/)

> [“You could feel hurt and rejected right now but you must know that both pain and rejection are not here to stay. They just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/you-could-feel-hurt-and-rejected-right-now-but-you-must-know-that/)

[Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/)

> [“When I'm triggered, I think, "This will last forever" or "What if this lasts forever?" I get thoughts about how I should give up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/when-i-m-triggered-i-think-this-will-last-forever-or-what-if-this/)

[Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/)

## More by Paullina Simons

> [“You think she needs a chaperone?” When they didn’t answer, the nun tutted disapprovingly. “Let me explain something to you, Mrs. Attaviano, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/you-think-she-needs-a-chaperone-when-they-didn-t-answer-the-nun/)

[Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/)

> [When Tatiana looked up from her ice cream, she saw a soldier staring at her from across the street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/when-tatiana-looked-up-from-her-ice-cream-she-saw-a-soldier-staring/)

[Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/)

> [“I saved you for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/i-saved-you-for-me/)

[Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/)

> [“You want to know what I thought of in that boat? I thought, I have to stay alive. Tatiasha will never forgive me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/you-want-to-know-what-i-thought-of-in-that-boat-i-thought-i-have-to/)

[Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/)

> [Tatiana had imagined her Alexander since she was a child, before she believed that someone like him was even possible. When she was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/tatiana-had-imagined-her-alexander-since-she-was-a-child-before-she/)

[Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/)

> [“Alexander: “First we will send the frontovik into the streets with guns. When they are dead, we will send me, with a tank, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/alexander-first-we-will-send-the-frontovik-into-the-streets-with-guns/)

[Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/)

> [“Have a joke for me Tania," he says, "I could use a joke." "Hmm." She thinks, looks at him, looks to see where Anthony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/have-a-joke-for-me-tania-he-says-i-could-use-a-joke-hmm-she-thinks/)

[Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/)

> [I'm going to die with Alexander's hand on my face, Tatiana thought. That is not a bad way to die. I cannot move. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/i-m-going-to-die-with-alexander-s-hand-on-my-face-tatiana-thought/)

[Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/)

> [“They came with their children, for no one left the children behind - it was for the children they had come, wanting to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/they-came-with-their-children-for-no-one-left-the-children-behind-it/)

[Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/)

> [We can’t forget that I owe you my life.” She gazed at him. “We can’t forget that I belong to you.” “I like that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/we-can-t-forget-that-i-owe-you-my-life-she-gazed-at-him-we-can-t/)

[Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/)

> [“Come on,” he said quietly, bending to her and lifting her whole into his arms. He carried her inside. After setting her down next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/come-on-he-said-quietly-bending-to-her-and-lifting-her-whole-into-his/)

[Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/)

> [Alexander knew that before he had light instead of darkness, he had to deserve light instead of darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/alexander-knew-that-before-he-had-light-instead-of-darkness-he-had-to/)

[Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/)

> [“What a prison you have set up for me with your first love.” She put her arms tighter around him and said teasingly, “Oh,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/what-a-prison-you-have-set-up-for-me-with-your-first-love-she-put-her/)

[Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/)

> [Please stop looking at me, she thought, afraid of his eyes and terrified of her own heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/please-stop-looking-at-me-she-thought-afraid-of-his-eyes-and/)

[Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/)

> [“We’re moving cities, we’re changing our name just like this hotel. You call that all right?” “Yes,” she said. “We still have each other.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/we-re-moving-cities-we-re-changing-our-name-just-like-this-hotel-you/)

[Paullina Simons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/)

[Explore all 230 Paullina Simons quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/)

## More Burning fire quotes

> [Some fighters know when to stop on their own and go on to something else, and then some fighters have nothing to go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-hagler/some-fighters-know-when-to-stop-on-their-own-and-go-on-to-something/)

[Marvin Hagler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-hagler/)

> [“You could feel hurt and rejected right now but you must know that both pain and rejection are not here to stay. They just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/you-could-feel-hurt-and-rejected-right-now-but-you-must-know-that/)

[Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/)

> [“I'd seen this happen several times before, in different institutions, but it was no less remarkable on each occasion: the words were like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-carr/i-d-seen-this-happen-several-times-before-in-different-institutions/)

[Caleb Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-carr/)

> [When we were the political slaves of King George, and wanted to be free, we called the maxim that "all men are created equal"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/when-we-were-the-political-slaves-of-king-george-and-wanted-to-be/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [“There is a candle in the heart of man, waiting to be kindled. In separation from the Friend, there is a cut waiting to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-a-candle-in-the-heart-of-man-waiting-to-be-kindled-in/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Love is like a friendship caught on fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/love-is-like-a-friendship-caught-on-fire/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [I Wish I Could Give You A Taste Of The Burning Fire Of Love. There Is A Fire Blazing Inside Of Me. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/i-wish-i-could-give-you-a-taste-of-the-burning-fire-of-love-there-is/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [Love is the eternally burning fire in which humanity &amp; all the world are being purified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-ouspensky/love-is-the-eternally-burning-fire-in-which-humanity-all-the-world/)

[P.D. Ouspensky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-ouspensky/)

> [Make the land of Islam a burning fire that burns their faces and feet wherever they pass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/make-the-land-of-islam-a-burning-fire-that-burns-their-faces-and-feet/)

[Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/)

> [“How could there be a stone unturned in the quest to understand your life's purpose? So many well entrenched systems already exist and some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-killion/how-could-there-be-a-stone-unturned-in-the-quest-to-understand-your/)

Neil Killion

> [“Change is not a one-time explosion of opportunity. It is a slow burning fire that needs to be tended constantly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-harvey/change-is-not-a-one-time-explosion-of-opportunity-it-is-a-slow/)

[Jason Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-harvey/)

> [Inspiration has become this word that people tend to talk about as something from the outside. The truth is that... it is inside, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-wanders/inspiration-has-become-this-word-that-people-tend-to-talk-about-as/)

[Marcel Wanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-wanders/)

> [“Pursue your purpose,especially if it burns in your bones like a burning fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anyaele-sam-chiyson/pursue-your-purpose-especially-if-it-burns-in-your-bones-like-a/)

Anyaele Sam Chiyson

> [“Somebody once told me a slow-burning fire is the hottest – and it must be true. Because Logan and I are a fucking inferno.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/somebody-once-told-me-a-slow-burning-fire-is-the-hottest-and-it-must/)

[Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/)

> [“When I'm triggered, I think, "This will last forever" or "What if this lasts forever?" I get thoughts about how I should give up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/when-i-m-triggered-i-think-this-will-last-forever-or-what-if-this/)

[Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/)

[Browse all 49 Burning fire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burning-fire/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Breathing in Shepelevo was like hitting the right note on the piano. There was only one note. When I was young, Shepelevo was the smell of nettles, of salted smoked fish, of fresh water from the Gulf of Finland, and of burning firewood, all wrapped up in one Shepelevo.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paullina Simons"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/breathing-in-shepelevo-was-like-hitting-the-right-note-on-the-piano/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Burning fire"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/breathing-in-shepelevo-was-like-hitting-the-right-note-on-the-piano/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/122/paullina-simons-1314_burning-fire_breathing-in-shepelevo-was-like-hitting_1132941.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/122/paullina-simons-1314_burning-fire_breathing-in-shepelevo-was-like-hitting_1132941.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/122/paullina-simons-1314_burning-fire_breathing-in-shepelevo-was-like-hitting_1132941.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Breathing in Shepelevo was like hitting the right note on the piano. There was only one note. When I was…” — Paullina Simons",
                "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": "Paullina Simons",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paullina-simons/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Breathing in Shepelevo was like hitting...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/breathing-in-shepelevo-was-like-hitting-the-right-note-on-the-piano/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paullina-simons/breathing-in-shepelevo-was-like-hitting-the-right-note-on-the-piano/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
