---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Letters had always defeated distance, but…"
description: "\"Letters had always defeated distance, but with the coming of e-mail, time seemed to be vanquished as well.\" — Thomas Mallon"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/thomas-mallon-17707_always_letters-had-always-defeated-distance-but_2111346.jpg"
---

#  Letters had always defeated distance, but with the coming…

![“Letters had always defeated distance, but with the coming of e-mail, time seemed to be vanquished as well.” quote by Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/thomas-mallon-17707_always_letters-had-always-defeated-distance-but_2111346.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/thomas-mallon-17707_always_letters-had-always-defeated-distance-but_2111346.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/thomas-mallon-17707_always_letters-had-always-defeated-distance-but_2111346.jpg)

> “Letters had always defeated distance, but with the coming of e-mail, time seemed to be vanquished as well.”

[Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Letters once bridged distances, but email made communication feel instantaneous, diminishing the sense of time.

**In simple terms:** Email erases the feeling of time in communication.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the value of paced correspondence.

Themes

communication technology time perception

Mood

nostalgic contemplative

Type

reflective observational

When to use this quote

- personal letters
- business emails
- slow‑mail projects

Key Concepts

digital media letter writing

Questions to Reflect On

- Do we miss the anticipation of letters?
- How does speed affect message quality?

A Different Perspective

Instant communication can reduce depth and anticipation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Vanquished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vanquished/)

## Related quotes

> [“The alphabet Miss Poobner taught was represented on the wall above her head by a series of personified cartoonlike letters--Mr. A, Eating an Apple;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/the-alphabet-miss-poobner-taught-was-represented-on-the-wall-above/)

[Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/)

> [Not all that have fallen are vanquished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/not-all-that-have-fallen-are-vanquished/)

[J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/)

> [A man's greatest moment in life is when his enemy lays vanquished, his village aflame, his herds driven before you and his weeping wives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genghis-khan/a-man-s-greatest-moment-in-life-is-when-his-enemy-lays-vanquished-his/)

[Genghis Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genghis-khan/)

> [“beautiful granddaughter at his side, guarding it like a pair of faithful watchdogs. Although they were all nearly at the end of their tether,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilbur-smith/beautiful-granddaughter-at-his-side-guarding-it-like-a-pair-of/)

[Wilbur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilbur-smith/)

> [It is an honourable thing to be merciful to the vanquished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/statius/it-is-an-honourable-thing-to-be-merciful-to-the-vanquished/)

[Statius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/statius/)

> [All wars eventually act as boomerangs and the victor suffers as much as the vanquished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/all-wars-eventually-act-as-boomerangs-and-the-victor-suffers-as-much/)

[Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/)

> [The vanquished themselves prove that history has not lied; like tourists in hell, they took snapshots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-strauss/the-vanquished-themselves-prove-that-history-has-not-lied-like/)

Theodore Strauss

> [I believe that history is written by the victors, but what about the vanquished? They also have a story to tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/puneet-issar/i-believe-that-history-is-written-by-the-victors-but-what-about-the/)

[Puneet Issar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/puneet-issar/)

> [It would be a joke if the conduct of the victor had to be justified to the vanquished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-bonaparte/it-would-be-a-joke-if-the-conduct-of-the-victor-had-to-be-justified/)

[Napoleon Bonaparte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-bonaparte/)

> [All love is vanquished by a succeeding love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/all-love-is-vanquished-by-a-succeeding-love/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [The vanquished know war. They see through the empty jingoism of those who use the abstract words of glory, honor, and patriotism to mask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/the-vanquished-know-war-they-see-through-the-empty-jingoism-of-those/)

[Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/)

> [“the Lord vanquished the devil in my heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fyodor-dostoevsky/the-lord-vanquished-the-devil-in-my-heart/)

[Fyodor Dostoevsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fyodor-dostoevsky/)

> [Victory loses its meaning without the memory of what you've vanquished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/victory-loses-its-meaning-without-the-memory-of-what-you-ve-vanquished/)

[Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/)

> [It is written that the last enemy to be vanquished is death. We should begin early in life to vanquish this enemy by obliterating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/it-is-written-that-the-last-enemy-to-be-vanquished-is-death-we-should/)

[Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/)

> [... no problem except old age ever vanquished my mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miles-franklin/no-problem-except-old-age-ever-vanquished-my-mother/)

[Miles Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miles-franklin/)

## More by Thomas Mallon

> [“he’d spent his whole life trying to make God love him—and that this didn’t matter in the slightest. All that mattered was that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/he-d-spent-his-whole-life-trying-to-make-god-love-him-and-that-this/)

[Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/)

> [Cell phones, alas, have pretty much ruined train travel, which I used to love. I could read or even sketch notes for what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/cell-phones-alas-have-pretty-much-ruined-train-travel-which-i-used-to/)

[Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/)

> [My prescription for writer's block is to face the fact that there is no such thing… Writing well is difficult, but one can always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/my-prescription-for-writer-s-block-is-to-face-the-fact-that-there-is/)

[Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/)

> [My house in Connecticut is very quiet, and when I'm trying to concentrate, I don't even allow the cat inside my second-floor study.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/my-house-in-connecticut-is-very-quiet-and-when-i-m-trying-to/)

[Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/)

> [I actually think that 'Bandbox,' by far the silliest of my books, is the best constructed of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/i-actually-think-that-bandbox-by-far-the-silliest-of-my-books-is-the/)

[Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/)

> [Bobby Kennedy's conduct toward Lyndon Johnson was childish and despicable. As the years went on, he displayed nasty, self-pitying, and messianic qualities that would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/bobby-kennedy-s-conduct-toward-lyndon-johnson-was-childish-and/)

[Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/)

> [The Czech Republic, severed from its old Slovak half, sits in apparent landlocked contentment, inside the European Union but outside the troubled Euro Zone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/the-czech-republic-severed-from-its-old-slovak-half-sits-in-apparent/)

[Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/)

> [One decision I made in writing 'Henry and Clara' was that I would keep Lincoln's appearances and any dialogue by him to an absolute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/one-decision-i-made-in-writing-henry-and-clara-was-that-i-would-keep/)

[Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/)

> [American secretaries of state have typically been more buttoned up than bon vivant, but John Quincy Adams's diplomatic successes - bigger than anything presidential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/american-secretaries-of-state-have-typically-been-more-buttoned-up/)

[Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/)

> [I was raised - and still consider myself to be - Catholic, though I'm non-practicing and haven't fulfilled my Easter duty since sometime during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/i-was-raised-and-still-consider-myself-to-be-catholic-though-i-m-non/)

[Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/)

> [I think that the worst form of naivete can be extreme cynicism. If you think that nobody comes to Washington to do any good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/i-think-that-the-worst-form-of-naivete-can-be-extreme-cynicism-if-you/)

[Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/)

> [I remember from my academic days, there were people who could never begin writing because they hadn't read every single thing on their subject,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/i-remember-from-my-academic-days-there-were-people-who-could-never/)

[Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/)

> [ “\[Voltaire\] was generally unbedeviled by any foolish consistency.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/voltaire-was-generally-unbedeviled-by-any-foolish-consistency/)

[Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/)

> [“Daisy loved all parades, especially this one, whose crush of observers, prone to impulsive kisses, made it one more piece of the mistletoe under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/daisy-loved-all-parades-especially-this-one-whose-crush-of-observers/)

[Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/)

> [Ive always got a novel under way, but if I try to work on it every day, exclusively, I falter. So I always keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/ive-always-got-a-novel-under-way-but-if-i-try-to-work-on-it-every-day/)

[Thomas Mallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/)

[Explore all 36 Thomas Mallon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/)

## More Always quotes

> [I think performing has pretty much always been a part of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isa-briones/i-think-performing-has-pretty-much-always-been-a-part-of-me/)

[Isa Briones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isa-briones/)

> [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/)

[Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/)

> [I always like a character who makes me laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-stirling/i-always-like-a-character-who-makes-me-laugh/)

[Rachael Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-stirling/)

> [It's always great to see old friends, especially those I have not been able to see in 15 months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-regal/it-s-always-great-to-see-old-friends-especially-those-i-have-not-been/)

[William Regal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-regal/)

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [I have really good lateral movement. I've always had quick lateral movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/i-have-really-good-lateral-movement-i-ve-always-had-quick-lateral/)

[Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/)

> [There is something magical about being able to feel somebody. And that is something that has always moved me with music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-brink/there-is-something-magical-about-being-able-to-feel-somebody-and-that/)

[Maria Brink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-brink/)

> [Mythology is something that always has opportunities to explore. 'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/)

[Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/)

> [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/)

[Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/)

> [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/)

[Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/)

> [I've always been of the idea that is doesn't really matter where you are geographically - with 'Lonerism,' we made half the album in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-parker/i-ve-always-been-of-the-idea-that-is-doesn-t-really-matter-where-you/)

[Kevin Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-parker/)

> [It's very easy to fool yourself that you're working, you know, when you're really not working very hard. I mean, I'm very lazy. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/it-s-very-easy-to-fool-yourself-that-you-re-working-you-know-when-you/)

[Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/)

> [Whether it was Little League or playing with your brothers or sisters, that was always a problem. If I would lose - because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-ripken-jr/whether-it-was-little-league-or-playing-with-your-brothers-or-sisters/)

[Cal Ripken, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-ripken-jr/)

> [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/)

[Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/)

> [Bayern is always a team that can win the Champions League title in Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lothar-matthaus/bayern-is-always-a-team-that-can-win-the-champions-league-title-in/)

[Lothar Matthaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lothar-matthaus/)

Browse all 36,048 Always quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Letters had always defeated distance, but with the coming of e-mail, time seemed to be vanquished as well.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Mallon"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/letters-had-always-defeated-distance-but-with-the-coming-of-e-mail/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Always"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/letters-had-always-defeated-distance-but-with-the-coming-of-e-mail/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/thomas-mallon-17707_always_letters-had-always-defeated-distance-but_2111346.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/thomas-mallon-17707_always_letters-had-always-defeated-distance-but_2111346.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/thomas-mallon-17707_always_letters-had-always-defeated-distance-but_2111346.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Letters had always defeated distance, but with the coming of e-mail, time seemed to be vanquished as well.” — Thomas Mallon",
                "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": "Thomas Mallon",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mallon/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Letters had always defeated distance, but...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/letters-had-always-defeated-distance-but-with-the-coming-of-e-mail/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mallon/letters-had-always-defeated-distance-but-with-the-coming-of-e-mail/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```