--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He'd been coiled like a snake for years…" description: "\"“He'd been coiled like a snake for years and the tension had gone slack and when he was ready to spring the spring wasn't there, but it could be recoil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/tim-o-brien-1818_experience_he-d-been-coiled-like-a-snake-for-years_2796416.png" --- # He'd been coiled like a snake for years and the tension… ![“He'd been coiled like a snake for years and the tension had gone slack and when he was ready to spring the spring wasn't there, but it could be recoiled.” quote by Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/tim-o-brien-1818_experience_he-d-been-coiled-like-a-snake-for-years_2796416.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/tim-o-brien-1818_experience_he-d-been-coiled-like-a-snake-for-years_2796416.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/263/tim-o-brien-1818_experience_he-d-been-coiled-like-a-snake-for-years_2796416.png) > ““He'd been coiled like a snake for years and the tension had gone slack and when he was ready to spring the spring wasn't there, but it could be recoiled.”” [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. After years of tension, a person may feel ready to act, but the opportunity may have vanished, leaving them unable to release built‑up energy. **In simple terms:** Readiness can meet empty opportunity. Key Takeaway Recognize timing before acting. Themes tension readiness missed opportunity stress Mood reflective motivational Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - stress management - career planning - personal development Key Concepts psychology literature Questions to Reflect On - What holds you back to act? - How can you prepare for future opportunities? A Different Perspective Waiting too long can waste potential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coiled Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coiled-like-3417462/) [Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience/) [Recoiled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recoiled-268647/) [Tension Gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tension-gone-3417461/) [Wasn Recoiled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasn-recoiled-3417460/) [Years Tension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-tension-3417463/) ## Related quotes > [I grew up craving the spotlight, and once it happened, I immediately recoiled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/i-grew-up-craving-the-spotlight-and-once-it-happened-i-immediately/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [“He would have recoiled still more had he been aware that her attachment rose unsolicited, and was bestowed where it awakened no reciprocation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/he-would-have-recoiled-still-more-had-he-been-aware-that-her/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [“Retra recoiled from his dangling nakedness...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-de-pierres/retra-recoiled-from-his-dangling-nakedness/) [Marianne de Pierres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-de-pierres/) > [She never inquired, but she never recoiled, either. This is a quality that I look for in a person, not recoiling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/she-never-inquired-but-she-never-recoiled-either-this-is-a-quality/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [“McGuire's meaty shoulders recoiled burlily as if from the cold shock of water. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/mcguire-s-meaty-shoulders-recoiled-burlily-as-if-from-the-cold-shock/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [“I was aware of the time slipping away so quickly and I was hideously afraid that I would never have another chance to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/i-was-aware-of-the-time-slipping-away-so-quickly-and-i-was-hideously/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [“Liam recoiled as if I'd hoofed him in the danglies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-adams/liam-recoiled-as-if-i-d-hoofed-him-in-the-danglies/) [Jocelyn Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-adams/) > [“i even tried to bury myself alive but the dirt recoiled you have already rotted it said there is nothing left for me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/i-even-tried-to-bury-myself-alive-but-the-dirt-recoiled-you-have/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) > [“I recoiled with a thud of recognition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genie-frisbee/i-recoiled-with-a-thud-of-recognition/) [Genie Frisbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genie-frisbee/) > [I happen to think it's the politics that makes you electable, but the reason for that is politicians sometimes talk about electability as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/i-happen-to-think-it-s-the-politics-that-makes-you-electable-but-the/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [My favorite job is the next one. Its such a gratifying experience getting to creatively keep trying something new and push things in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-craig-smith/my-favorite-job-is-the-next-one-its-such-a-gratifying-experience/) [Roger Craig Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-craig-smith/) > [From my experience of having served for 3000 days, I can say that anything can be achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/from-my-experience-of-having-served-for-3000-days-i-can-say-that/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/) [Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/) > [The Derby experience had not been good for me and the way it finished left a very bad taste in my mouth so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-pearson/the-derby-experience-had-not-been-good-for-me-and-the-way-it-finished/) [Nigel Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-pearson/) > [Experience makes a lesson to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/experience-makes-a-lesson-to-us/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Tim O'Brien > [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [It's very hard to articulate the things that are important about writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/it-s-very-hard-to-articulate-the-things-that-are-important-about/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [The thing about a story is that you dream it as you tell it, hoping that others might then dream along with you, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/the-thing-about-a-story-is-that-you-dream-it-as-you-tell-it-hoping/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [Fiction, maybe art in general, is a tentative, uncertain enterprise; it's not science, it's an exploration, but you never find much in the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/fiction-maybe-art-in-general-is-a-tentative-uncertain-enterprise-it-s/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“I learned that words make a difference. 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You could put fancy spin on it, you could make it dance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/on-occasions-the-war-was-like-a-ping-pong-ball-you-could-put-fancy/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“They were afraid of dying, but they were even more afraid to show it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/they-were-afraid-of-dying-but-they-were-even-more-afraid-to-show-it/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“Forty-three years old, and the war occurred half a lifetime ago, and yet the remembering makes it now. And sometimes remembering will lead to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/forty-three-years-old-and-the-war-occurred-half-a-lifetime-ago-and/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“He thought about the difference between good times and bad times, and how funny it was that he could not state the difference, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/he-thought-about-the-difference-between-good-times-and-bad-times-and/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [A lie, sometimes, can be truer than the truth, which is why fiction gets written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/a-lie-sometimes-can-be-truer-than-the-truth-which-is-why-fiction-gets/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [My life is storytelling. I believe in stories, in their incredible power to keep people alive, to keep the living alive, and the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/my-life-is-storytelling-i-believe-in-stories-in-their-incredible/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [With a hangover and with fear, it is difficult to put a helmet on your head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/with-a-hangover-and-with-fear-it-is-difficult-to-put-a-helmet-on-your/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) > [“Peace never bragged. If you didn't look for it, it wasn't there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/peace-never-bragged-if-you-didn-t-look-for-it-it-wasn-t-there/) [Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) [Explore all 201 Tim O'Brien quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/) ## More Experience quotes > [Experience makes a lesson to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/experience-makes-a-lesson-to-us/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The Derby experience had not been good for me and the way it finished left a very bad taste in my mouth so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-pearson/the-derby-experience-had-not-been-good-for-me-and-the-way-it-finished/) [Nigel Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-pearson/) > [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/) [Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/) > [From my experience of having served for 3000 days, I can say that anything can be achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/from-my-experience-of-having-served-for-3000-days-i-can-say-that/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [My favorite job is the next one. Its such a gratifying experience getting to creatively keep trying something new and push things in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-craig-smith/my-favorite-job-is-the-next-one-its-such-a-gratifying-experience/) [Roger Craig Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-craig-smith/) > [I happen to think it's the politics that makes you electable, but the reason for that is politicians sometimes talk about electability as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/i-happen-to-think-it-s-the-politics-that-makes-you-electable-but-the/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [Iranians hate Arabs. They're a fairly well-educated population and they have centuries of experience with self-government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ledeen/iranians-hate-arabs-they-re-a-fairly-well-educated-population-and/) [Michael Ledeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ledeen/) > [Education is a lifelong experience. Experience is a lifelong education. Education plus experience equals expertise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bugeja/education-is-a-lifelong-experience-experience-is-a-lifelong-education/) [Michael Bugeja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bugeja/) > [Prison experience puts distance between me and any person who hasn't been there, done that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcconnell/prison-experience-puts-distance-between-me-and-any-person-who-hasn-t/) [Patricia McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-mcconnell/) > [Experience is a thorough teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-jane-holmes/experience-is-a-thorough-teacher/) [Mary Jane Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-jane-holmes/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) [Ryan Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-newman/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) > [I've had a great experience with pretty much everybody I've worked with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-wasikowska/i-ve-had-a-great-experience-with-pretty-much-everybody-i-ve-worked/) [Mia Wasikowska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-wasikowska/) > [It wasn't a mistake, it was a fun learning experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-wasn-t-a-mistake-it-was-a-fun-learning-experience/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I worked a lot in Chicago's theater scene as a fight choreographer. 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