--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He woke early the next morning. It was…" description: "\"“He woke early the next morning. It was still cool, but he opened the window and, leaning on the ledge, looked down at the river. A ship slid by. Then ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9e/rupert-thomson-21283_calm-water_he-woke-early-the-next-morning-it-was-st_476448.jpg" --- # He woke early the next morning. It was still cool, but he… ![“He woke early the next morning. It was still cool, but he opened the window and, leaning on the ledge, looked down at the river. A ship slid by. Then another. Years later, in exile, he would watch the railway tracks from his hotel and it would sink a well in him, and he would taste the same calm…” quote by Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9e/rupert-thomson-21283_calm-water_he-woke-early-the-next-morning-it-was-st_476448.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9e/rupert-thomson-21283_calm-water_he-woke-early-the-next-morning-it-was-st_476448.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9e/rupert-thomson-21283_calm-water_he-woke-early-the-next-morning-it-was-st_476448.jpg) > ““He woke early the next morning. It was still cool, but he opened the window and, leaning on the ledge, looked down at the river. A ship slid by. Then another. Years later, in exile, he would watch the railway tracks from his hotel and it would sink a well in him, and he would taste the same calm water.”” [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A memory of watching water in youth later resurfaces in exile, linking past calm to present longing. **In simple terms:** Past calm returns in exile. Key Takeaway Recognize how early experiences shape present feelings. Themes memory longing exile water reflection Mood melancholic contemplative Type literary reflective When to use this quote - travel - personal growth - coping with change Key Concepts nostalgia identity psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do early sensory memories influence later emotions? - What does water represent in your life? A Different Perspective The river may symbolize change, but not all memories are soothing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Calm water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calm-water/) [Railway Track](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/railway-track/) ## Related quotes > [“The growth of his power and fame was matched, in my imagination, by the degree of the punishment I would have liked to inflict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabokov-i-tyrants-destroyed-i/the-growth-of-his-power-and-fame-was-matched-in-my-imagination-by-the/) Nabokov i Tyrants Destroyed i > [“Looked at from where she sat unsleeping, the sky seemed walled in by forest. 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The science of the earth's crust --to which, doubtless, will be added that of its interior whenever a man shall come up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/geology-n-the-science-of-the-earth-s-crust-to-which-doubtless-will-be/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) ## More by Rupert Thomson > [“While still practising law, he'd run a hearse-rental agency. Then, later, he'd bought into a handkerchief factory in Baker Park. Their most famous innovation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/while-still-practising-law-he-d-run-a-hearse-rental-agency-then-later/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“Vasco bought a bottle of vodka to celebrate and they drank it in the old sailors' graveyard in Mangrove South. This was where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/vasco-bought-a-bottle-of-vodka-to-celebrate-and-they-drank-it-in-the/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“At first he didn't know where he was, whose voice it was. He must have been asleep. And waking suddenly, like that, you woke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/at-first-he-didn-t-know-where-he-was-whose-voice-it-was-he-must-have/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“It was as if Jed had moved from one dimension to another. His original dimension hadn't reported him missing, and his new dimension didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/it-was-as-if-jed-had-moved-from-one-dimension-to-another-his-original/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“The sun snagged on his crooked skin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/the-sun-snagged-on-his-crooked-skin/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“He was dropped under a streetlamp, the only person left on the bus. A patch of mauled light. Gritty pavement, scarred with a million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/he-was-dropped-under-a-streetlamp-the-only-person-left-on-the-bus-a/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“You must tell me about it when you do,' she said. 'When you make love for the first time, I mean. I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/you-must-tell-me-about-it-when-you-do-she-said-when-you-make-love-for/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“That's what birthdays were. Days when you found out where you stood. Who was on your side and who wasn't. Nothing to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/that-s-what-birthdays-were-days-when-you-found-out-where-you-stood/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“Did I tell you about Anton?" Loots said. Anton?" I shook my head. It was a week ago, Loots said. There had been a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/did-i-tell-you-about-anton-loots-said-anton-i-shook-my-head-it-was-a/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“Sometimes it seemed as if he'd always been very old. People said that time lasted for ever when you were young. That was lies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/sometimes-it-seemed-as-if-he-d-always-been-very-old-people-said-that/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“He looked both proud and guilty of something. As if happiness was a reward and he wasn't sure he'd done enough to deserve it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/he-looked-both-proud-and-guilty-of-something-as-if-happiness-was-a/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“Jed was used to isolation. His face was like some kind of cul-de-sac. It said NO THROUGH ROAD to most people. Confronted with him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/jed-was-used-to-isolation-his-face-was-like-some-kind-of-cul-de-sac/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“She was someone who heard each grain in the hour-glass, she felt the passing seconds like sandpaper against her softest skin. Time actually seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/she-was-someone-who-heard-each-grain-in-the-hour-glass-she-felt-the/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“There's love and everybody talks about it, but not all of us come close to it - or, if we do, it's not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/there-s-love-and-everybody-talks-about-it-but-not-all-of-us-come/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) > [“Vasco lived in Mangrove Heights, on a bluff overlooking the river. The first time Jed saw the house, he couldn't help thinking of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/vasco-lived-in-mangrove-heights-on-a-bluff-overlooking-the-river-the/) [Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) [Explore all 29 Rupert Thomson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/) ## More Calm water quotes > [“The Holy Longing Tell a wise person, or else keep silent, Because the massman will mock it right away. I praise what is truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-holy-longing-tell-a-wise-person-or-else-keep-silent-because-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I've always had a duck personality. Calm above water, feet going crazy below.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-flay/i-ve-always-had-a-duck-personality-calm-above-water-feet-going-crazy/) [K. Flay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-flay/) > [In calm water every ship has a good captain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grover-cleveland/in-calm-water-every-ship-has-a-good-captain/) [Grover Cleveland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grover-cleveland/) > [“Quiet as a shadow Light as a feather Quick as a snake Calm as still water Smooth as summer silk Swift as a deer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/quiet-as-a-shadow-light-as-a-feather-quick-as-a-snake-calm-as-still/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“We heard of this woman who was out of control. We heard that she was led by her feelings. That her emotions were violent.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-griffin/we-heard-of-this-woman-who-was-out-of-control-we-heard-that-she-was/) [Susan Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-griffin/) > [Our Life is like A Ship That We Steer Through Rough Seas And Calm Waters.. We Cannot Control the Ocean, But We Learn To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/our-life-is-like-a-ship-that-we-steer-through-rough-seas-and-calm/) Pacifiersucker > [As we sail thru life, don't avoid rough waters, sail on because calm waters won't make a skillful sailor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-sail-thru-life-don-t-avoid-rough-waters-sail-on-because-calm/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Charles Sumner's mind had reached the calm of WATER which receives and reflects images without absorbing them; it contains nothing but itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/charles-sumner-s-mind-had-reached-the-calm-of-water-which-receives/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [“On the still calm waters of surrender, the reflections of clarity appear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/on-the-still-calm-waters-of-surrender-the-reflections-of-clarity/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“A calm water is like a still soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/a-calm-water-is-like-a-still-soul/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Pour some water into a tub and stir it up. Now try as hard as you can to calm the water with your hands;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koichi-tohei/pour-some-water-into-a-tub-and-stir-it-up-now-try-as-hard-as-you-can/) [Koichi Tohei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koichi-tohei/) > [“Calm as still water,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/calm-as-still-water/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [“You have to be the right type for calm waters. For some, dead calm is inner peace, for others it's the doldrums.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-glattauer/you-have-to-be-the-right-type-for-calm-waters-for-some-dead-calm-is/) [Daniel Glattauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-glattauer/) > [“Calm as still water. Strong as a bear. Fierce as a wolverine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/calm-as-still-water-strong-as-a-bear-fierce-as-a-wolverine/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [Excitement is the drunkenness of the spirits. Only calm waters reflect heaven in their bosom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-of-valois/excitement-is-the-drunkenness-of-the-spirits-only-calm-waters-reflect/) [Margaret of Valois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-of-valois/) [Browse all 40 Calm water quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calm-water/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He woke early the next morning. It was still cool, but he opened the window and, leaning on the ledge, looked down at the river. A ship slid by. Then another. 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