--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was as if they'd discovered something…" description: "\"“It was as if they'd discovered something that had once been there but had gotten hidden or misunderstood or forgotten over time, and they were charmed..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/richard-ford-2097_anxiety-and-worry_it-was-as-if-they-d-discovered-something_2621995.png" --- # It was as if they'd discovered something that had once… ![“It was as if they'd discovered something that had once been there but had gotten hidden or misunderstood or forgotten over time, and they were charmed by it once more, and by one another. Which seems only right and expectable for married people. They caught a glimpse of the person they fell in…” quote by Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/richard-ford-2097_anxiety-and-worry_it-was-as-if-they-d-discovered-something_2621995.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/richard-ford-2097_anxiety-and-worry_it-was-as-if-they-d-discovered-something_2621995.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a08/richard-ford-2097_anxiety-and-worry_it-was-as-if-they-d-discovered-something_2621995.png) > ““It was as if they'd discovered something that had once been there but had gotten hidden or misunderstood or forgotten over time, and they were charmed by it once more, and by one another. Which seems only right and expectable for married people. They caught a glimpse of the person they fell in love with, and who sustained life. For some, that vision must never dim - as is true of me. But it was odd that our parents should catch their glimpse, and have frustration, anxiety and worry pass away like clouds dispersing after a storm, refind their best selves, but for that glimpse to happen just before landing our family in ruin.”” [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It reflects on how love can revive people, allowing them to see each other anew, while also noting that this renewal can be fragile and may precede tragedy. **In simple terms:** Love can renew but may be fleeting. Key Takeaway Cherish moments of renewal, aware of impermanence. Themes love renewal fragility Mood nostalgic hopeful Type literary reflective When to use this quote - marriage - parental reflection - personal growth Key Concepts relationships memory family dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What does the "glimpse" of love reveal about personal identity? - How can couples sustain renewal after initial passion? A Different Perspective It may romanticize pain and overlook deeper systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxiety and worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety-and-worry/) [Canada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/canada/) [Caught Glimpse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caught-glimpse-653197/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Expectable Married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectable-married-2118032/) [Glimpse Happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glimpse-happen-2118031/) [Glimpse Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glimpse-person-2091911/) [Literary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literary/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Married People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/married-people/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Most of us carry around the extravagant hope that the world can at least catch a glimpse of what we consider to be our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-haybittle/most-of-us-carry-around-the-extravagant-hope-that-the-world-can-at/) [Glenn Haybittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-haybittle/) > [With each thing that you do, all the fears in life and safeguards block out, or obscure, who you truly are. I think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-shultz/with-each-thing-that-you-do-all-the-fears-in-life-and-safeguards/) [Matthew Shultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-shultz/) > [“I’d expected that I would expand to fit the experience automatically, that I would get my first glimpse of the person I was destined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/i-d-expected-that-i-would-expand-to-fit-the-experience-automatically/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“Here was food for reflection: Kitty had never heard the Chinese spoken of as anything but decadent, dirty, and unspeakable. It was as though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/here-was-food-for-reflection-kitty-had-never-heard-the-chinese-spoken/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [“As I caught a glimpse of her peaceful face through the curtains, her expression brought out an ache in me. An ache that both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-forrest/as-i-caught-a-glimpse-of-her-peaceful-face-through-the-curtains-her/) [Bella Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-forrest/) > [“All of a sudden we saw a high, round tower in the distance, on a little hill. Father instantly decided that we must explore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/all-of-a-sudden-we-saw-a-high-round-tower-in-the-distance-on-a-little/) [Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/) > [“I caught a glimpse of my shadow today. It's usually so hard to see because it always hides behind me. It's so much easier…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damien-echols/i-caught-a-glimpse-of-my-shadow-today-it-s-usually-so-hard-to-see/) [Damien Echols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damien-echols/) > [Love was the result of having caught a glimpse of another's loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/love-was-the-result-of-having-caught-a-glimpse-of-another-s-loneliness/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [“That's when I caught my first glimpse of Blaine Crabtree. He was sandwiched in between two guys that were laughing at who knows what.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magan-vernon/that-s-when-i-caught-my-first-glimpse-of-blaine-crabtree-he-was/) [Magan Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magan-vernon/) > [“Sometimes, through the window of a car coming the other way, she caught a glimpse if a stranger's face, then it was gone, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/sometimes-through-the-window-of-a-car-coming-the-other-way-she-caught/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“I caught a glimpse of him thinking of the final combat in the movies, Harry versus Voldemort, Spider-Man versus the Green Goblin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stirling/i-caught-a-glimpse-of-him-thinking-of-the-final-combat-in-the-movies/) [Joss Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stirling/) > [Maybe you saw her first? Caught a glimpse between the lines, between the letters, like a ghost in the mirror, a ghost in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-z-danielewski/maybe-you-saw-her-first-caught-a-glimpse-between-the-lines-between/) [Mark Z. Danielewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-z-danielewski/) > [“That girl in the backseat of the beater, I wonder if she's bored d restless, stuck in this small town, hating the slow, stoned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-godfrey/that-girl-in-the-backseat-of-the-beater-i-wonder-if-she-s-bored-d/) [Rebecca Godfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-godfrey/) > [“Do you love him?' Isabel paused at the question ... She caught a glimpse of herself in a long looking glass, noting her shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-maclean/do-you-love-him-isabel-paused-at-the-question-she-caught-a-glimpse-of/) [Sarah MacLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-maclean/) > [I caught a glimpse of happiness, and saw it was a bird on a branch, fixing to take wing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-peck/i-caught-a-glimpse-of-happiness-and-saw-it-was-a-bird-on-a-branch/) [Richard Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-peck/) ## More by Richard Ford > [Something will be there when the flood recedes. We know that. It will be those people now standing in the water, and on those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/something-will-be-there-when-the-flood-recedes-we-know-that-it-will/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [If you lose all hope, you can always find it again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/if-you-lose-all-hope-you-can-always-find-it-again/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [I started reading literature at 17 or 18, and I felt this extra beat to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-started-reading-literature-at-17-or-18-and-i-felt-this-extra-beat/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [I don't hate children. My wife and I just didn't think we would be good parents, and also by the time we got married…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-don-t-hate-children-my-wife-and-i-just-didn-t-think-we-would-be/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [Writing never came naturally and I still have to force my hand to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/writing-never-came-naturally-and-i-still-have-to-force-my-hand-to-do/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“Conversations with adults other than a person's parents had more of an outcome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/conversations-with-adults-other-than-a-person-s-parents-had-more-of/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [Some people want to be bank presidents. Other people want to rob banks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/some-people-want-to-be-bank-presidents-other-people-want-to-rob-banks/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [In order to write novels for a living - it's not pathological, but I do think and worry and brood and fidget about stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/in-order-to-write-novels-for-a-living-it-s-not-pathological-but-i-do/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [There are more people in America that love guns and want guns for themselves and everyone else than there are not. It is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/there-are-more-people-in-america-that-love-guns-and-want-guns-for/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [That said, being dyslexic, I wasn't a great reader when I was kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/that-said-being-dyslexic-i-wasn-t-a-great-reader-when-i-was-kid/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [I'm an equal opportunity reader - although I don't much read plays. And since I was raised a Presbyterian, pretty much all pleasures are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-m-an-equal-opportunity-reader-although-i-don-t-much-read-plays-and/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [The pace of life feels morally dangerous to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/the-pace-of-life-feels-morally-dangerous-to-me/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“to sit in the empty stands of a Florida ball park and hear the sounds of glove leather and chatter;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/to-sit-in-the-empty-stands-of-a-florida-ball-park-and-hear-the-sounds/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“And what there is to learn from almost any human experience is that your own interests usually do not come first where other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/and-what-there-is-to-learn-from-almost-any-human-experience-is-that/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“It was on such a night as this that the unhappy things came about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/it-was-on-such-a-night-as-this-that-the-unhappy-things-came-about/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) [Explore all 184 Richard Ford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) ## More Anxiety and worry quotes > [Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/unease-anxiety-tension-stress-worry/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [It is not work that kills men, it is worry. Work is healthy; you can hardly put more upon a man that he can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-hughes/it-is-not-work-that-kills-men-it-is-worry-work-is-healthy-you-can/) [Simon Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-hughes/) > [Nothing comes so naturally to a human being as anxiety and worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-richardson/nothing-comes-so-naturally-to-a-human-being-as-anxiety-and-worry/) [Brian Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-richardson/) > [By the anxieties and worries of this life Satan tries to dull man's heart and make a dwelling for himself there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-of-assisi/by-the-anxieties-and-worries-of-this-life-satan-tries-to-dull-man-s/) [Francis of Assisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-of-assisi/) > [I see that I am inwardly fashioned for faith and not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-stanley-jones/i-see-that-i-am-inwardly-fashioned-for-faith-and-not-for-fear-fear-is/) [E. Stanley Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-stanley-jones/) > [“Love starts with loving and accepting yourself as you are. Loving yourself and selfishness are two different things. To love and accept yourself does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-dhyan-giten/love-starts-with-loving-and-accepting-yourself-as-you-are-loving/) [Swami Dhyan Giten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-dhyan-giten/) > [Writers, at least writers of fiction, are always full of anxiety and worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-carey/writers-at-least-writers-of-fiction-are-always-full-of-anxiety-and/) [Peter Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-carey/) > [Worry... is rust upon the blade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-hughes/worry-is-rust-upon-the-blade/) [Simon Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-hughes/) > [Anxiety is essential to the human condition. The confrontation with anxiety can relieve us from boredom, sharpen the sensitivity and assure the presence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/anxiety-is-essential-to-the-human-condition-the-confrontation-with/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) > [I think one thing that does cause unhappiness is protracted anxiety and worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-bok/i-think-one-thing-that-does-cause-unhappiness-is-protracted-anxiety/) [Derek Bok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-bok/) > [I remember feeling a huge amount of anxiety and worry and pressure. At that point I was headed into acting school. That was 100…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-graham/i-remember-feeling-a-huge-amount-of-anxiety-and-worry-and-pressure-at/) [Lauren Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-graham/) > [Rule number one is, don't sweat the small stuff. Rule number two is, it's all small stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-davies/rule-number-one-is-don-t-sweat-the-small-stuff-rule-number-two-is-it/) [Mike Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-davies/) > [“In recovery, we try to take the opposite of our character defects/shortcomings and turn them into principles. For example, we work to change fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-recovery-we-try-to-take-the-opposite-of-our-character-defects/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A time of crisis is not just a time of anxiety and worry. It gives a chance, an opportunity, to choose well or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/a-time-of-crisis-is-not-just-a-time-of-anxiety-and-worry-it-gives-a/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Fear ringed by doubt is my eternal moon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/fear-ringed-by-doubt-is-my-eternal-moon/) [Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/) [Browse all 30 Anxiety and worry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety-and-worry/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was as if they'd discovered something that had once been there but had gotten hidden or misunderstood or forgotten over time, and they were charmed by it once more, and by one another. Which seems only right and expectable for married people. They caught a glimpse of the person they fell in love with, and who sustained life. 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