--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By the time they passed Malindi in the…" description: "\"“By the time they passed Malindi in the early-afternoon hours, Munroe could feel the syntax, the grammar, the resonance of patterns of the country's li..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/taylor-stevens-20272_every-moment_by-the-time-they-passed-malindi-in-the-e_2919086.jpg" --- # By the time they passed Malindi in the early-afternoon… ![“By the time they passed Malindi in the early-afternoon hours, Munroe could feel the syntax, the grammar, the resonance of patterns of the country's lingua franca beginning to form, could feel the tension relaxing now that the key to the aural lock had been handed over, and soon enough, over time…” quote by Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/taylor-stevens-20272_every-moment_by-the-time-they-passed-malindi-in-the-e_2919086.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/taylor-stevens-20272_every-moment_by-the-time-they-passed-malindi-in-the-e_2919086.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/taylor-stevens-20272_every-moment_by-the-time-they-passed-malindi-in-the-e_2919086.jpg) > ““By the time they passed Malindi in the early-afternoon hours, Munroe could feel the syntax, the grammar, the resonance of patterns of the country's lingua franca beginning to form, could feel the tension relaxing now that the key to the aural lock had been handed over, and soon enough, over time and of its own accord, her ability to speak would grow and she would rapidly become more and more fluent. This same poisonous gift - this savant like ability to visualize the way the words configured into shapes - had defined her life and turned her into what she was now. Without language, there would have been no gunrunning, without gunrunning no nights in the jungle fighting off the worst of human predators, without the nights, no instinct of self-preservation and the speed and the need to kill that had marked her every moment, waking and sleeping, since.”” [Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A protagonist’s linguistic talent, shaped by trauma, fuels both survival skills and moral conflict, showing how language can be both weapon and salvation. **In simple terms:** Language can be a tool for survival and a source of inner conflict. Key Takeaway Recognize how skills can shape destiny. Themes survival identity language morality Mood tense reflective Type narrative character‑driven When to use this quote - combat training - language learning - conflict zones - personal growth Key Concepts psychology trauma skill acquisition Questions to Reflect On - How does language empower her? - Can skill be used for peace? A Different Perspective The quote romanticizes violent survival, ignoring peaceful alternatives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Every moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-moment/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I think they've got 250 languages in Nigeria, and so English is a sort of lingua franca between the 250 languages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-golding/i-think-they-ve-got-250-languages-in-nigeria-and-so-english-is-a-sort/) [William Golding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-golding/) > [“Language proficiency—either in a lingua franca, or shared language, or in a local language—does not guarantee high performance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/language-proficiency-either-in-a-lingua-franca-or-shared-language-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Hip-hop, this thing we love that loves us back, is our lingua franca.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raquel-cepeda/hip-hop-this-thing-we-love-that-loves-us-back-is-our-lingua-franca/) [Raquel Cepeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raquel-cepeda/) > [You and I are both life. There's just the experience of every moment. We like to call them moments. There isn't really such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-and-i-are-both-life-there-s-just-the-experience-of-every-moment/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Let us learn to accept and appreciate things now, and we'll find more happiness in every moment we live. Happiness comes when we stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/let-us-learn-to-accept-and-appreciate-things-now-and-we-ll-find-more/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [Being a full-time mother is one of the biggest jobs in the world; it's like another career for me. I love every moment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darcey-bussell/being-a-full-time-mother-is-one-of-the-biggest-jobs-in-the-world-it-s/) [Darcey Bussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darcey-bussell/) > [“You must enjoy and treasure every moment of your journey on earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-must-enjoy-and-treasure-every-moment-of-your-journey-on-earth/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [You'll never see me coming around the corner not smiling... I mean, I enjoy every moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquem-griffin/you-ll-never-see-me-coming-around-the-corner-not-smiling-i-mean-i/) [Shaquem Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquem-griffin/) > [This moment in which you experience stillness is every moment. Don't let the mind seduce you into the past or future. Stay in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/this-moment-in-which-you-experience-stillness-is-every-moment-don-t/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [I'm getting to a point where everything is becoming streamlined in my life. I'm learning how to stand onstage for two hours and play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-m-getting-to-a-point-where-everything-is-becoming-streamlined-in-my/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [“Are you sure?" he asked in a low voice. "Because if I had the chance... I would spend every moment of every day with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/are-you-sure-he-asked-in-a-low-voice-because-if-i-had-the-chance-i/) [Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/) > [ “\[Roger\] “Do you know how amazingly beautiful you are to me?” “As beautiful as you are to me.” She slid her gaze down then… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-saint/roger-do-you-know-how-amazingly-beautiful-you-are-to-me-as-beautiful/) [J.L. Saint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-saint/) > [“His expression is inscrutable. His eyes look strange with their pulsing pupils. “You’re not like other girls. You’re special.” Intoxicating warmth crawls over my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-jordan/his-expression-is-inscrutable-his-eyes-look-strange-with-their/) [Sophie Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-jordan/) > [“Will you destroy something in order to make it beautiful? Will you avoid something in order to fall in love with it? Will you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-hassan-barbhuiya/will-you-destroy-something-in-order-to-make-it-beautiful-will-you/) [Hanif Hassan Barbhuiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-hassan-barbhuiya/) ## More by Taylor Stevens > [“With a boot on his chest, she used her free hand to search for the syringe he surely carried. Found it. Jabbed it into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/with-a-boot-on-his-chest-she-used-her-free-hand-to-search-for-the/) [Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) > [“Welcome to the world of difficult choices. You’re doing a brave thing, Neeva, but it only counts if the ones you love know you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/welcome-to-the-world-of-difficult-choices-you-re-doing-a-brave-thing/) [Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) > [“Bradford paused and his expression shadowed. He pulled her back and held her tight. Whispered, “Don’t say it, okay? I know what’s coming and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/bradford-paused-and-his-expression-shadowed-he-pulled-her-back-and/) [Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) > [“Why are you dressed as a man?" Neeva said. "Why do you act like..." She paused. "Why do you act like... like one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/why-are-you-dressed-as-a-man-neeva-said-why-do-you-act-like-she/) [Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) > [“The aloneness. The invisible walls. Always the outsider looking in. Different. Unusual. I despise their world and the superficiality of it all and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/the-aloneness-the-invisible-walls-always-the-outsider-looking-in/) [Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) > [“Do not let her hear your language, the source had said, she will use language as a weapon. Keep the area around her free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/do-not-let-her-hear-your-language-the-source-had-said-she-will-use/) [Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) > [“One foot in front of the other, more aimless than direct, Bradford left the waiting room for the outside world. Called for a taxi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/one-foot-in-front-of-the-other-more-aimless-than-direct-bradford-left/) [Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) > [“Lumani had never managed a failed delivery because, in the end, no matter how skilled or how hard they fought back, pressure applied in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/lumani-had-never-managed-a-failed-delivery-because-in-the-end-no/) [Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) > [“Clothing, hair, shoes, accessories: these were props, visual cues, that people used to filter information and make instant assessments out of random connections, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/clothing-hair-shoes-accessories-these-were-props-visual-cues-that/) [Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) > [Duct tape. Perfect weapon; so many uses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/duct-tape-perfect-weapon-so-many-uses/) [Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) > [“This doll-guy situation is an extreme of what I deal with in everyday life, where men believe that what they want I want, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/this-doll-guy-situation-is-an-extreme-of-what-i-deal-with-in-everyday/) [Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) > [“She felt invisible shackles snaking around her wrists and ankles, took a deep breath and said……”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/she-felt-invisible-shackles-snaking-around-her-wrists-and-ankles-took/) [Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) > [“... people were inevitably superficial and reacted differently to poison when it was aesthetically pleasing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/people-were-inevitably-superficial-and-reacted-differently-to-poison/) [Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) > [“This was home: running along a razor's edge of self-induced terror, calculating mortality against probability. Assignments were the reprieve. When she was abroad, although…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/this-was-home-running-along-a-razor-s-edge-of-self-induced-terror/) [Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) > [“Hope. The activity of the impotent. His was a world of action, of relying on his own wits and ability to create the luck…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/hope-the-activity-of-the-impotent-his-was-a-world-of-action-of/) [Taylor Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) [Explore all 31 Taylor Stevens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/) ## More Every moment quotes > [“Will you destroy something in order to make it beautiful? Will you avoid something in order to fall in love with it? Will you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-hassan-barbhuiya/will-you-destroy-something-in-order-to-make-it-beautiful-will-you/) [Hanif Hassan Barbhuiya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-hassan-barbhuiya/) > [“His expression is inscrutable. His eyes look strange with their pulsing pupils. “You’re not like other girls. You’re special.” Intoxicating warmth crawls over my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-jordan/his-expression-is-inscrutable-his-eyes-look-strange-with-their/) [Sophie Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-jordan/) > [ “\[Roger\] “Do you know how amazingly beautiful you are to me?” “As beautiful as you are to me.” She slid her gaze down then… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-saint/roger-do-you-know-how-amazingly-beautiful-you-are-to-me-as-beautiful/) [J.L. Saint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-saint/) > [“Are you sure?" he asked in a low voice. "Because if I had the chance... I would spend every moment of every day with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/are-you-sure-he-asked-in-a-low-voice-because-if-i-had-the-chance-i/) [Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/) > [I'm getting to a point where everything is becoming streamlined in my life. I'm learning how to stand onstage for two hours and play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-m-getting-to-a-point-where-everything-is-becoming-streamlined-in-my/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [This moment in which you experience stillness is every moment. Don't let the mind seduce you into the past or future. Stay in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adyashanti/this-moment-in-which-you-experience-stillness-is-every-moment-don-t/) [Adyashanti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adyashanti/) > [You'll never see me coming around the corner not smiling... I mean, I enjoy every moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquem-griffin/you-ll-never-see-me-coming-around-the-corner-not-smiling-i-mean-i/) [Shaquem Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquem-griffin/) > [I don't think it's always a sign of respect for persons (inside or outside of fiction) to pretend to be able to represent, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-lerner/i-don-t-think-it-s-always-a-sign-of-respect-for-persons-inside-or/) [Ben Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-lerner/) > [“You must enjoy and treasure every moment of your journey on earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-must-enjoy-and-treasure-every-moment-of-your-journey-on-earth/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Being a full-time mother is one of the biggest jobs in the world; it's like another career for me. I love every moment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darcey-bussell/being-a-full-time-mother-is-one-of-the-biggest-jobs-in-the-world-it-s/) [Darcey Bussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darcey-bussell/) > [Let us learn to accept and appreciate things now, and we'll find more happiness in every moment we live. Happiness comes when we stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/let-us-learn-to-accept-and-appreciate-things-now-and-we-ll-find-more/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [You and I are both life. There's just the experience of every moment. We like to call them moments. There isn't really such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-and-i-are-both-life-there-s-just-the-experience-of-every-moment/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The length of the journey has to be borne with, for every moment is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-length-of-the-journey-has-to-be-borne-with-for-every-moment-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can say that I love you every moment of my life but it doesn't mean I love you every second of my life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/just-me/i-can-say-that-i-love-you-every-moment-of-my-life-but-it-doesn-t-mean/) [Just Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/just-me/) > [Life is a climb and it's a struggle getting to the top but the drop to the bottom can be quick and so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/life-is-a-climb-and-it-s-a-struggle-getting-to-the-top-but-the-drop/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) [Browse all 2,606 Every moment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-moment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“By the time they passed Malindi in the early-afternoon hours, Munroe could feel the syntax, the grammar, the resonance of patterns of the country's lingua franca beginning to form, could feel the tension relaxing now that the key to the aural lock had been handed over, and soon enough, over time and of its own accord, her ability to speak would grow and she would rapidly become more and more fluent. This same poisonous gift - this savant like ability to visualize the way the words configured into shapes - had defined her life and turned her into what she was now. Without language, there would have been no gunrunning, without gunrunning no nights in the jungle fighting off the worst of human predators, without the nights, no instinct of self-preservation and the speed and the need to kill that had marked her every moment, waking and sleeping, since.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Taylor Stevens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/by-the-time-they-passed-malindi-in-the-early-afternoon-hours-munroe/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Every moment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/by-the-time-they-passed-malindi-in-the-early-afternoon-hours-munroe/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/taylor-stevens-20272_every-moment_by-the-time-they-passed-malindi-in-the-e_2919086.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/taylor-stevens-20272_every-moment_by-the-time-they-passed-malindi-in-the-e_2919086.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/taylor-stevens-20272_every-moment_by-the-time-they-passed-malindi-in-the-e_2919086.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“By the time they passed Malindi in the early-afternoon hours, Munroe could feel the syntax, the grammar, the…” — Taylor Stevens", "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": "Taylor Stevens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-stevens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“By the time they passed Malindi...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/by-the-time-they-passed-malindi-in-the-early-afternoon-hours-munroe/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-stevens/by-the-time-they-passed-malindi-in-the-early-afternoon-hours-munroe/#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 } } ] } ```