--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She was someone who heard each grain in…" description: "\"“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 to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/rupert-thomson-21283_death_she-was-someone-who-heard-each-grain-in_1549621.jpg" --- # She was someone who heard each grain in the hour-glass… ![“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 to hurt her, and people helped her get through it. [..] Sometimes it seemed to Nathan that her life was just that, a feat of held breath, just another…” quote by Rupert Thomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/rupert-thomson-21283_death_she-was-someone-who-heard-each-grain-in_1549621.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/rupert-thomson-21283_death_she-was-someone-who-heard-each-grain-in_1549621.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/rupert-thomson-21283_death_she-was-someone-who-heard-each-grain-in_1549621.jpg) > ““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 to hurt her, and people helped her get through it. \[..\] Sometimes it seemed to Nathan that her life was just that, a feat of held breath, just another ten seconds, just another five, and then death would flood her lungs like water, a string of glass bubbles to the surface and then nothing. She was scared in a way that he could understand. The kind of fear that sends you running across a six-lane highway or jumping into rapids. She was someone who ran towards her fear, screaming. Who tried to frighten it. Who, in another period of history, would have been worshipped as a saint or burned as a witch.”” [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. She confronts mortality with fierce, almost saintly fear, turning dread into bold action. **In simple terms:** Facing death head‑on fuels courage. Key Takeaway Embrace fear, act boldly. Themes mortality fear courage Mood dramatic introspective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal crisis - artistic creation - mental health coping - life‑review Key Concepts existentialism psychology heroism Questions to Reflect On - What fears can you transform into strength? - How does confronting death change daily life? A Different Perspective Fear can become paralyzing if not channeled. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Mortality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mortality/) ## Related quotes > [I had to scream on a self-tape, and I had this fear of screaming. I think it's because I grew up singing and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thatcher/i-had-to-scream-on-a-self-tape-and-i-had-this-fear-of-screaming-i/) [Sophie Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thatcher/) > [“My relationship had ended and Red had taken my son. My life was my own and I could do anything I wanted, yet I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvvette-edwards/my-relationship-had-ended-and-red-had-taken-my-son-my-life-was-my-own/) Yvvette Edwards > [Twin threads ran through her: fear and excitement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-edwards/twin-threads-ran-through-her-fear-and-excitement/) [Kim Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-edwards/) > [“I love you so much,and there are so many things that I didn't get to tell you. I was scared of the way you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/i-love-you-so-much-and-there-are-so-many-things-that-i-didn-t-get-to/) [Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/) > [A lot of people are scared. It's the way you're raised. The way you've been told your whole life, that you've got to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sykes/a-lot-of-people-are-scared-it-s-the-way-you-re-raised-the-way-you-ve/) [Oliver Sykes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sykes/) > [Every day I run scared. That's the only way I can stay ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-johnson/every-day-i-run-scared-that-s-the-only-way-i-can-stay-ahead/) [John H. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-johnson/) > [“He's weak and ignorant, scared of the way consequences of an action leap away from your control and breed new events, new consequences, until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/he-s-weak-and-ignorant-scared-of-the-way-consequences-of-an-action/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [If you're taking a risk and you are not scared in some way, you're doing something wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-sincero/if-you-re-taking-a-risk-and-you-are-not-scared-in-some-way-you-re/) [Jen Sincero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-sincero/) > [“I am scared of the way they are clinging to the French and Belgian ports, even though they’ve been pushed out of most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/i-am-scared-of-the-way-they-are-clinging-to-the-french-and-belgian/) [Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/) > [The movie that scared the hell out of me was 'The Blair Witch Project.' I can't remember another movie that scared me the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/y-lan-noel/the-movie-that-scared-the-hell-out-of-me-was-the-blair-witch-project/) [Y'lan Noel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/y-lan-noel/) > [“I was thinking: Girls get scared way too often. Girls get stupidly scared. I was not scared. Telling myself not to be scared kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamara-faith-berger/i-was-thinking-girls-get-scared-way-too-often-girls-get-stupidly/) [Tamara Faith Berger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamara-faith-berger/) > [Be sure,Even though you are confused and scared, there is a way out of this temporary cloud and onto a powerful bridge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/be-sure-even-though-you-are-confused-and-scared-there-is-a-way-out-of/) Senoraroy > [“I think everyone is scared in their own way. Takut gagal, takut salah, takut nyesel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winna-efendi/i-think-everyone-is-scared-in-their-own-way-takut-gagal-takut-salah/) [Winna Efendi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winna-efendi/) > [Kids love to be scared - there's way to do it right, and ways to do it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-selick/kids-love-to-be-scared-there-s-way-to-do-it-right-and-ways-to-do-it/) [Henry Selick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-selick/) > [“You're scared of the way I make you feel because you don't want to feel anything. Man up and tell me you don't want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-banks/you-re-scared-of-the-way-i-make-you-feel-because-you-don-t-want-to/) [Maya Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-banks/) ## 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/) > [“He woke early the next morning. It was still cool, but he opened the window and, leaning on the ledge, looked down at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/he-woke-early-the-next-morning-it-was-still-cool-but-he-opened-the/) [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/) > [“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 Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) J. Anthony Torino > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) Alan W. Powers > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/) [Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“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 to hurt her, and people helped her get through it. [..] Sometimes it seemed to Nathan that her life was just that, a feat of held breath, just another ten seconds, just another five, and then death would flood her lungs like water, a string of glass bubbles to the surface and then nothing. She was scared in a way that he could understand. The kind of fear that sends you running across a six-lane highway or jumping into rapids. She was someone who ran towards her fear, screaming. Who tried to frighten it. Who, in another period of history, would have been worshipped as a saint or burned as a witch.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rupert Thomson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/she-was-someone-who-heard-each-grain-in-the-hour-glass-she-felt-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Death" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/she-was-someone-who-heard-each-grain-in-the-hour-glass-she-felt-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/rupert-thomson-21283_death_she-was-someone-who-heard-each-grain-in_1549621.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/rupert-thomson-21283_death_she-was-someone-who-heard-each-grain-in_1549621.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02c/rupert-thomson-21283_death_she-was-someone-who-heard-each-grain-in_1549621.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“She was someone who heard each grain in the hour-glass, she felt the passing seconds like sandpaper against…” — Rupert Thomson", "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": "Rupert Thomson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-thomson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“She was someone who heard each...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/she-was-someone-who-heard-each-grain-in-the-hour-glass-she-felt-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-thomson/she-was-someone-who-heard-each-grain-in-the-hour-glass-she-felt-the/#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 } } ] } ```