--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I was not quite with him in my…" description: "\"“But I was not quite with him in my thoughts, and I wonder whether that is how we got to be after living alone for a long time, that in the middle of a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/per-petterson-8468_conversations_but-i-was-not-quite-with-him-in-my-thoug_3232762.png" --- # But I was not quite with him in my thoughts, and I wonder… ![“But I was not quite with him in my thoughts, and I wonder whether that is how we got to be after living alone for a long time, that in the middle of a train of thought we start talking outloud, that the difference between talking and not talking is slowly wiped out, that the unending, inner…” quote by Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/per-petterson-8468_conversations_but-i-was-not-quite-with-him-in-my-thoug_3232762.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/per-petterson-8468_conversations_but-i-was-not-quite-with-him-in-my-thoug_3232762.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e7/per-petterson-8468_conversations_but-i-was-not-quite-with-him-in-my-thoug_3232762.png) > ““But I was not quite with him in my thoughts, and I wonder whether that is how we got to be after living alone for a long time, that in the middle of a train of thought we start talking outloud, that the difference between talking and not talking is slowly wiped out, that the unending, inner conversations we carry on with ourselves merges with the one we have with the few people we still see, and when you live alone for too long the line which divides the one form the other becomes vague, and you do not notice when you cross that line. Is this how my future looks?”” [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Prolonged isolation blurs the line between inner dialogue and external speech, making it hard to distinguish self from others. **In simple terms:** Loneliness merges inner thoughts with spoken words, confusing self and other. Key Takeaway Recognize and maintain personal boundaries when alone. Themes isolation identity communication self-awareness Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical introspective When to use this quote - living alone - mental health - creative writing - therapy - social interaction Key Concepts psychology social cognition existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How does solitude affect your sense of self? - When do you notice the shift between thought and speech? A Different Perspective May overlook external cues, leading to misinterpretation of social signals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Conversations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversations/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Live alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-alone/) [Living alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-alone/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Train of thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train-of-thought/) ## Related quotes > [“I wonder whether that is how we get to be after living alone for a long time, that in the middle of a train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-wonder-whether-that-is-how-we-get-to-be-after-living-alone-for-a/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [“So much of war is sitting around doing nothing, waiting for someone else. With no guarantee of the amount of time you have left,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/so-much-of-war-is-sitting-around-doing-nothing-waiting-for-someone/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“Even if a particular train of thought can be twisted so as to end in our favour, you will find that you have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/even-if-a-particular-train-of-thought-can-be-twisted-so-as-to-end-in/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“She sucked in air and thought of things to cool herself off. Baseball came to mind, but then she pictured all those baseball players'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-a-grey/she-sucked-in-air-and-thought-of-things-to-cool-herself-off-baseball/) [T.A. Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-a-grey/) > [A particular train of thought persisted in, be it good or bad, cannot fail to produce its results on the character and circumstances. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/a-particular-train-of-thought-persisted-in-be-it-good-or-bad-cannot/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [“So much of war is sitting around and doing nothing, waiting for somebody else. 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It had almost come to him, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-ellis/while-gary-half-listened-to-jackman-something-still-niggled-away-in/) [Joy Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-ellis/) > [Every man has a train of thought on which he rides when he is alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-man-has-a-train-of-thought-on-which-he-rides-when-he-is-alone/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Ay man real talk..in order to understand my train of thought you'd have to put yourself in position, you cant expect me to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ti/ay-man-real-talk-in-order-to-understand-my-train-of-thought-you-d/) TI > [Most of the writing that I do is a complete train of thought process. I'll just be walking down the street or sitting on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/most-of-the-writing-that-i-do-is-a-complete-train-of-thought-process/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) ## More by Per Petterson > [“Light in every lamp, light in every mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/light-in-every-lamp-light-in-every-mind/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [I come from a working-class family. They're the people I know and the people I love, I guess. I do not write about them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-come-from-a-working-class-family-they-re-the-people-i-know-and-the/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [When my mother talked about her brother, there was this light in her eyes. I thought, 'This is the basis of a novel.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/when-my-mother-talked-about-her-brother-there-was-this-light-in-her/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [“But life had shifted its weight from one point to another, from one leg to the other, like a silent giant in the vast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/but-life-had-shifted-its-weight-from-one-point-to-another-from-one/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [“All my life I have longed to be alone in a place like this. 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It is easily done, boring as it is to cook for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/it-is-important-not-to-be-careless-about-supper-when-you-are-alone-it/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [“We ran back, he first and I following him, between the beds and downstairs, and we picked up an armful of wood from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/we-ran-back-he-first-and-i-following-him-between-the-beds-and/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [I rely heavily on rhythm when I write. You should tap your foot when you read it, all the way through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-rely-heavily-on-rhythm-when-i-write-you-should-tap-your-foot-when/) [Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/) > [“What I liked was the train ride. 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In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-rohrig/with-nowhere-to-be-and-all-day-to-have-them-conversations-out-on-the/) [Kyle Rohrig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-rohrig/) > [I rather have one great person to talk to every night than have several pointless conversations with temporary people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/i-rather-have-one-great-person-to-talk-to-every-night-than-have/) Patience > [“So this is my aim for watercooler conversations: improve the ability to identify and understand errors of judgment and choice, in others and eventually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/so-this-is-my-aim-for-watercooler-conversations-improve-the-ability/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [We do become our conversations. We really will become our associations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s-sharma/we-do-become-our-conversations-we-really-will-become-our-associations/) [Robin S. Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s-sharma/) > [Relationships this days are harder now because conversations become texting, arguments become phone calls and feelings becomes status updates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/insane-insomniac/relationships-this-days-are-harder-now-because-conversations-become/) [Insane & Insomniac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/insane-insomniac/) > [Art can help steer important conversations in the right direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arjun-mathur/art-can-help-steer-important-conversations-in-the-right-direction/) [Arjun Mathur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arjun-mathur/) > [What I'm interested in is the conversations going on about the Anthropocene and what it means to view ourselves as a part of Earth's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-grinspoon/what-i-m-interested-in-is-the-conversations-going-on-about-the/) [David Grinspoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-grinspoon/) > [There are a lot of people who probably enjoyed 'Conversations with Friends' who are part of the system that is actively exploiting other people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-rooney/there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-probably-enjoyed-conversations-with/) [Sally Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-rooney/) > [“I wore an eye patch when I was a kid, you said. 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Then interrupt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-spellman/first-let-me-finish-then-interrupt/) [Brian Spellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-spellman/) [Browse all 788 Conversations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conversations/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But I was not quite with him in my thoughts, and I wonder whether that is how we got to be after living alone for a long time, that in the middle of a train of thought we start talking outloud, that the difference between talking and not talking is slowly wiped out, that the unending, inner conversations we carry on with ourselves merges with the one we have with the few people we still see, and when you live alone for too long the line which divides the one form the other becomes vague, and you do not notice when you cross that line. 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