--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A silence settled over the city, a…" description: "\"“A silence settled over the city, a silence that spoke of twenty thousand equally sad goodbyes: lover to lover, mother to son, and father to confused a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8c/peter-flannery-269288_children_a-silence-settled-over-the-city-a-silenc_439776.jpg" --- # A silence settled over the city, a silence that spoke of… ![“A silence settled over the city, a silence that spoke of twenty thousand equally sad goodbyes: lover to lover, mother to son, and father to confused and frightened child. They promised to be careful. They promised to return. But a soldier cannot keep such promises. He can only hope that they come…” quote by Peter Flannery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8c/peter-flannery-269288_children_a-silence-settled-over-the-city-a-silenc_439776.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8c/peter-flannery-269288_children_a-silence-settled-over-the-city-a-silenc_439776.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8c/peter-flannery-269288_children_a-silence-settled-over-the-city-a-silenc_439776.jpg) > ““A silence settled over the city, a silence that spoke of twenty thousand equally sad goodbyes: lover to lover, mother to son, and father to confused and frightened child. They promised to be careful. They promised to return. But a soldier cannot keep such promises. He can only hope that they come true.”” [Peter Flannery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-flannery/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In wartime, silence carries sorrow and broken promises; soldiers hope their pledges survive despite impossible circumstances. **In simple terms:** War silence holds sorrow and broken promises. Key Takeaway Hope for promises despite hardship. Themes war silence promise sorrow hope Mood somber empathetic reflective Type Children:0 Parenting:0 Silence:1 Son And Father:0 Mother To Son:0 Silence Spoke:0 City Silence:0 Silence Settled:0 Soldier Promises:1 When to use this quote - military counseling - family reunification - peacebuilding - memorial services Key Concepts human cost of conflict psychological trauma ethical dilemmas Questions to Reflect On - What promises have you struggled to keep? - How can you support those affected by war’s silence? A Different Perspective Hope may be unrealistic without tangible action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [City Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city-silence-2101919/) [Mother To Son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-to-son-230135/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Silence Settled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence-settled-3858888/) [Silence Spoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence-spoke-1204702/) [Soldier Promises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soldier-promises-3858889/) [Son And Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/son-and-father-213763/) ## Related quotes > [“The moon seemed to veil herself before the bold looks of Satan. The night was cold. All the doors were closed, all the windows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hain-friswell/the-moon-seemed-to-veil-herself-before-the-bold-looks-of-satan-the/) [James Hain Friswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hain-friswell/) > [“So will you. Don’t pretend you won’t.” Silence settled over them. “You’re right,” said Kell at last, and to Holland’s surprise—though it shouldn’t have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-e-schwab/so-will-you-don-t-pretend-you-won-t-silence-settled-over-them-you-re/) [V.E. Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-e-schwab/) > [“The doctor from the mainland came and went. Silence settled over the island again, like a displaced curtain falling back in thickened, heavier folds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-walton/the-doctor-from-the-mainland-came-and-went-silence-settled-over-the/) [Evangeline Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-walton/) > [“I am that rose that grew from concrete, I am the ENTIRE mother to son Langston Hughes poem. And I'm still climbing...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaha-knight/i-am-that-rose-that-grew-from-concrete-i-am-the-entire-mother-to-son/) [Jaha Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaha-knight/) > [“Mother to Son Well, son, I'll tell you: Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks in it, And splinters, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sapphire/mother-to-son-well-son-i-ll-tell-you-life-for-me-ain-t-been-no/) [Sapphire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sapphire/) > [“What I have written is drawn from experience — from seeing, hearing and working with mountaineers. In a land with few books and pens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-m-caudill/what-i-have-written-is-drawn-from-experience-from-seeing-hearing-and/) [Harry M. Caudill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-m-caudill/) > [The tie is stronger than that between father and son and father and daughter. The bond is also more complex than the one between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-klein/the-tie-is-stronger-than-that-between-father-and-son-and-father-and/) [Carol Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-klein/) > [“From the bonny bells of heather, They brewed a drink long syne, Was sweeter far than honey, Was stronger far than wine. They brewed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/from-the-bonny-bells-of-heather-they-brewed-a-drink-long-syne-was/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [For it is the suffering flesh, it is suffering, it is death, that lovers perpetuate upon the earth. Love is at once the brother,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-unamuno/for-it-is-the-suffering-flesh-it-is-suffering-it-is-death-that-lovers/) [Miguel de Unamuno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-unamuno/) > [I am a husband, son and father, a reader, a traveller, a fan, and also a cook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prakash-raj/i-am-a-husband-son-and-father-a-reader-a-traveller-a-fan-and-also-a/) [Prakash Raj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prakash-raj/) > [“What is it? something you live and breathe in like air? a kind of vacuum filled with wraithlike and indomitable anger and pride and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/what-is-it-something-you-live-and-breathe-in-like-air-a-kind-of/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [DMK is like a banana plant constantly producing saplings for the organisation. So if a son and father are part of the party there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-k-stalin/dmk-is-like-a-banana-plant-constantly-producing-saplings-for-the/) [M. K. Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-k-stalin/) > [“These late eclipses in the sun and moon portend no good to us: though the wisdom of nature can reason it thus and thus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/these-late-eclipses-in-the-sun-and-moon-portend-no-good-to-us-though/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Ciaran broke the silence and spoke quietly. "She means naught to me." A tear fell down her cheek and she wiped it away. "It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-roberts-temptation-in-a-kilt/ciaran-broke-the-silence-and-spoke-quietly-she-means-naught-to-me-a/) [Victoria Roberts Temptation in a Kilt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-roberts-temptation-in-a-kilt/) > [Persuasive speech, and more persuasive sighs, Silence that spoke and eloquence of eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/persuasive-speech-and-more-persuasive-sighs-silence-that-spoke-and/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A silence settled over the city, a silence that spoke of twenty thousand equally sad goodbyes: lover to lover, mother to son, and father to confused and frightened child. They promised to be careful. They promised to return. But a soldier cannot keep such promises. He can only hope that they come true.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Flannery" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-flannery/a-silence-settled-over-the-city-a-silence-that-spoke-of-twenty/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-flannery/a-silence-settled-over-the-city-a-silence-that-spoke-of-twenty/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8c/peter-flannery-269288_children_a-silence-settled-over-the-city-a-silenc_439776.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8c/peter-flannery-269288_children_a-silence-settled-over-the-city-a-silenc_439776.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8c/peter-flannery-269288_children_a-silence-settled-over-the-city-a-silenc_439776.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A silence settled over the city, a silence that spoke of twenty thousand equally sad goodbyes: lover to…” — Peter Flannery", "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": "Peter Flannery", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-flannery/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“A silence settled over the city,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-flannery/a-silence-settled-over-the-city-a-silence-that-spoke-of-twenty/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-flannery/a-silence-settled-over-the-city-a-silence-that-spoke-of-twenty/#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 } } ] } ```