--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Instead I walked towards the man, meeting…" description: "\"“Instead I walked towards the man, meeting him halfway. “Just miss a train?” I heard myself ask. He shrugged. I could not believe I was engaging this m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/sara-gran-22584_fitness_instead-i-walked-towards-the-man-meeting_2297618.png" --- # Instead I walked towards the man, meeting him halfway… ![“Instead I walked towards the man, meeting him halfway. “Just miss a train?” I heard myself ask. He shrugged. I could not believe I was engaging this man in conversation. He was disgusting up close, with mottled, pitted skin and a shaggy grown out haircut. “I hate that,” I said. “Especially at…” quote by Sara Gran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/sara-gran-22584_fitness_instead-i-walked-towards-the-man-meeting_2297618.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/sara-gran-22584_fitness_instead-i-walked-towards-the-man-meeting_2297618.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/sara-gran-22584_fitness_instead-i-walked-towards-the-man-meeting_2297618.png) > ““Instead I walked towards the man, meeting him halfway. “Just miss a train?” I heard myself ask. He shrugged. I could not believe I was engaging this man in conversation. He was disgusting up close, with mottled, pitted skin and a shaggy grown out haircut. “I hate that,” I said. “Especially at night. Especially at night when you’re waiting for a train and there’s someone there. And you never know. I mean, in the city you just never know who you’re dealing with. They might have a knife, or a gun, or whatever. They might, I don’t know, be the kind of person who hates men who hang out in train stations, waiting for women. She might be the kind of person who takes men like that and rips them limb from fucking limb with her bare hands.” The man left the station without a word, and the train took me home safe and sound.”” [Sara Gran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A narrator confronts fear and prejudice by engaging a disheveled stranger, revealing inner anxieties about safety and gendered violence. **In simple terms:** Facing fear by talking to a stranger. Key Takeaway Talk to confront fear, not avoid. Themes fear prejudice urban life gender violence human connection Mood uneasy reflective Type narrative personal When to use this quote - nighttime train - urban commuting - encounter with homeless - self‑reflection - personal safety Key Concepts social anxiety danger perception empathy Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions did you hold about the stranger? - How does confronting fear change your perception? A Different Perspective The encounter may reinforce stereotypes rather than challenge them. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Safe and sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safe-and-sound/) ## Related quotes > [“Every time the train stopped at a station, we would all hold our breath, making sure not a single sound drifted out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aanchal-malhotra/every-time-the-train-stopped-at-a-station-we-would-all-hold-our/) [Aanchal Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aanchal-malhotra/) > [He who hates vice hates men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-morley/he-who-hates-vice-hates-men/) [John Morley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-morley/) > [I'm not a feminist that hates men by any means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imelda-may/i-m-not-a-feminist-that-hates-men-by-any-means/) [Imelda May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imelda-may/) > [“The things of your life arrived in their own time, like a train you had to catch. Sometimes this was easy, all you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cronin/the-things-of-your-life-arrived-in-their-own-time-like-a-train-you-2/) [Justin Cronin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cronin/) > [Happy Independence Day! And God bless each and every one of our troops...may you ALL find your way home safe and sound!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happy-independence-day-and-god-bless-each-and-every-one-of-our-troops/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She wondered if Kath could sense her, sitting on this train as it took her away. Perhaps it was possible, if she closed her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malinda-lo/she-wondered-if-kath-could-sense-her-sitting-on-this-train-as-it-took/) [Malinda Lo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malinda-lo/) > [Many times the wrong train took me to the right place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/many-times-the-wrong-train-took-me-to-the-right-place/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Few people who know of the work of Langley, Lilienthal, Pilcher, Maxim and Chanute but will be inclined to believe that long before the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells/few-people-who-know-of-the-work-of-langley-lilienthal-pilcher-maxim/) [H. G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells/) > [It was daylight and I drove everyone home - I was driving a Mini with John and Cynthia and Pattie in it. I seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/it-was-daylight-and-i-drove-everyone-home-i-was-driving-a-mini-with/) [George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/) > [“You made them hate me." Said Ender "So? What will you do about it? Crawl in a corner? Start kissing their little backsides so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/you-made-them-hate-me-said-ender-so-what-will-you-do-about-it-crawl/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“My rich Diana. Fly me to the moon with you. Dance among the stars. Treacle. Romantic hogwash. Derivative. Unworthy. My rich Diana. I hate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/my-rich-diana-fly-me-to-the-moon-with-you-dance-among-the-stars/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“I hate it when you do that,” he said. “What?” A pause. “Put clothes on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-gordon/i-hate-it-when-you-do-that-he-said-what-a-pause-put-clothes-on/) [H.D. Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-gordon/) > [I can't stand when people say, Don't hate me because I'm beautiful. OK, how about I hate you because you said that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tia-carrere/i-can-t-stand-when-people-say-don-t-hate-me-because-i-m-beautiful-ok/) [Tia Carrere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tia-carrere/) > [I hate you' she said to me one afternoon. 'I really, really hate you.' Call me sensitive, but I couldn't help but take it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-hate-you-she-said-to-me-one-afternoon-i-really-really-hate-you-call/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“I’m cool with going back to hate,” I said, then paused. “Did we ever leave hate?” Zane swallowed and looked away. “Not even for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-erickson/i-m-cool-with-going-back-to-hate-i-said-then-paused-did-we-ever-leave/) [Megan Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-erickson/) ## More by Sara Gran > [“Soon enough my mind hooked onto the missing guitars and the locked door and the hole filled up with clues and suspects and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/soon-enough-my-mind-hooked-onto-the-missing-guitars-and-the-locked/) [Sara Gran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/) > [“Constance helped Mick see that there are never any sides. Only things we understand and things we have chosen to pretend we don't understand.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/constance-helped-mick-see-that-there-are-never-any-sides-only-things/) [Sara Gran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/) > [“The detective thinks he is investigating a murder or a missing girl but truly he is investigating something else all together, something he cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/the-detective-thinks-he-is-investigating-a-murder-or-a-missing-girl/) [Sara Gran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/) > [“If you consider yourself a writer just write.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/if-you-consider-yourself-a-writer-just-write/) [Sara Gran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/) > [Just when you thought the mafia novel was dead, Tod Goldberg breathes new life into it. Gangsterland, the best mafia novel in years, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/just-when-you-thought-the-mafia-novel-was-dead-tod-goldberg-breathes/) [Sara Gran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/) > [“... solutions are always possible, and the limits of the truth far exceed the limits of human understanding.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/solutions-are-always-possible-and-the-limits-of-the-truth-far-exceed/) [Sara Gran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/) > [“There are no coincidences. Only doors you didn't have the courage to walk through. only blind spots you weren't brave enough to see. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/there-are-no-coincidences-only-doors-you-didn-t-have-the-courage-to/) [Sara Gran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/) > [“Some people, I saw, had drowned right away, and some people were drowning in slow motion, drowning a little bit at a time, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/some-people-i-saw-had-drowned-right-away-and-some-people-were/) [Sara Gran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/) > [“Mysteries never end," Constance Darling, Silette's student, told me once, "And I always thought maybe none of them really get solved, either. We only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/mysteries-never-end-constance-darling-silette-s-student-told-me-once/) [Sara Gran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/) > [“Mysteries never end," Silette wrote. "And we solve them anyway, knowing we are both solving both everything and nothing. We solve them knowing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/mysteries-never-end-silette-wrote-and-we-solve-them-anyway-knowing-we/) [Sara Gran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/) > [“There's nothing that isn't worth writing about. If you look closely at your life you'll find plenty to write about there, too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/there-s-nothing-that-isn-t-worth-writing-about-if-you-look-closely-at/) [Sara Gran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/) > [“Those who try to grasp on to the mystery will never succeed. Only those who let it slip their fingers will come to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/those-who-try-to-grasp-on-to-the-mystery-will-never-succeed-only/) [Sara Gran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/) > [“The teller has no responsibility to make the listener believe in the truth. Each must take the words and make them their own. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/the-teller-has-no-responsibility-to-make-the-listener-believe-in-the/) [Sara Gran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/) > [“Karma," he said once, "is not a sentence already printed. It is a series of words the author can arrange as she choses." Love.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/karma-he-said-once-is-not-a-sentence-already-printed-it-is-a-series/) [Sara Gran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/) > [“Did I really think it was wonderful? Wonderful was probably an exaggeration. I thought it was fine. Maybe even good. I couldn't say the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/did-i-really-think-it-was-wonderful-wonderful-was-probably-an/) [Sara Gran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/) [Explore all 27 Sara Gran quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/) ## More Fitness quotes > [I train my muscles, and I do a lot of stretching, and try to kick higher. But for me, practicing kung-fu is a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chow/i-train-my-muscles-and-i-do-a-lot-of-stretching-and-try-to-kick/) [Stephen Chow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chow/) > [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [I do a lot of vocal exercises and drink hot tea, which I hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darci-lynne-farmer/i-do-a-lot-of-vocal-exercises-and-drink-hot-tea-which-i-hate/) [Darci Lynne Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darci-lynne-farmer/) > [It took me 20 years of hard training to get the physique I have today. what you need is what i had - BELIEF…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-warren/it-took-me-20-years-of-hard-training-to-get-the-physique-i-have-today/) [Branch Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-warren/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-banks/spring-training-means-flowers-people-coming-outdoors-sunshine/) [Ernie Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-banks/) > [I always wanted to make sure that within my unit that I was never the weak person. So I made sure that my physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carmouche/i-always-wanted-to-make-sure-that-within-my-unit-that-i-was-never-the/) [Liz Carmouche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carmouche/) > [“For those filled with regret, perhaps the most needful exercise of proactivity is to realize that past mistakes are also out there in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/for-those-filled-with-regret-perhaps-the-most-needful-exercise-of/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [Physical beauty is not everything, but the beauty is more careful than anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/physical-beauty-is-not-everything-but-the-beauty-is-more-careful-than/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Of all the train, none escaped except Wamba, who showed upon the occasion much more courage than those who pretended to greater sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-scott/of-all-the-train-none-escaped-except-wamba-who-showed-upon-the/) [Walter Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-scott/) > [Everyday happiness means getting up in the morning, and you can't wait to finish your breakfast. You can't wait to do your exercises. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/everyday-happiness-means-getting-up-in-the-morning-and-you-can-t-wait/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [If your goal is to look different, you'll see results faster with strength training than with cardio alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kaiser/if-your-goal-is-to-look-different-you-ll-see-results-faster-with/) [Anna Kaiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kaiser/) > [“He sighed. "Look, love, I know I seem like a tactical genius, but really, I'm just a magician who occasionally kills a bunny or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delilah-s-dawson/he-sighed-look-love-i-know-i-seem-like-a-tactical-genius-but-really-i/) [Delilah S. Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delilah-s-dawson/) > [There are things you can do in training like learn from the manager and talk with team-mates, but it's the game that tests you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-burke/there-are-things-you-can-do-in-training-like-learn-from-the-manager/) [Oliver Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-burke/) > [Exercise teaches you the pleasure of discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/exercise-teaches-you-the-pleasure-of-discipline/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) [Browse all 13,910 Fitness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Instead I walked towards the man, meeting him halfway. “Just miss a train?” I heard myself ask. He shrugged. I could not believe I was engaging this man in conversation. He was disgusting up close, with mottled, pitted skin and a shaggy grown out haircut. “I hate that,” I said. “Especially at night. Especially at night when you’re waiting for a train and there’s someone there. And you never know. I mean, in the city you just never know who you’re dealing with. They might have a knife, or a gun, or whatever. They might, I don’t know, be the kind of person who hates men who hang out in train stations, waiting for women. She might be the kind of person who takes men like that and rips them limb from fucking limb with her bare hands.” The man left the station without a word, and the train took me home safe and sound.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sara Gran" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/instead-i-walked-towards-the-man-meeting-him-halfway-just-miss-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fitness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/instead-i-walked-towards-the-man-meeting-him-halfway-just-miss-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/sara-gran-22584_fitness_instead-i-walked-towards-the-man-meeting_2297618.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/sara-gran-22584_fitness_instead-i-walked-towards-the-man-meeting_2297618.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/feb/sara-gran-22584_fitness_instead-i-walked-towards-the-man-meeting_2297618.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Instead I walked towards the man, meeting him halfway. “Just miss a train?” I heard myself ask. He shrugged…” — Sara Gran", "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": "Sara Gran", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gran/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Instead I walked towards the man,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/instead-i-walked-towards-the-man-meeting-him-halfway-just-miss-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gran/instead-i-walked-towards-the-man-meeting-him-halfway-just-miss-a/#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 } } ] } ```