--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: August stared at her, aghast. \"Did I know…" description: "\"“August stared at her, aghast. \"Did I know that kissing you would bring your soul to surface? That - THAT - would have the same effect as pain or music..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/victoria-schwab-1505_august_august-stared-at-her-aghast-did-i-know-t_2431068.jpg" --- # August stared at her, aghast. "Did I know that kissing you… ![“August stared at her, aghast. "Did I know that kissing you would bring your soul to surface? That - THAT - would have the same effect as pain or music? No, I must have missed that lesson." She stared at him, agape. "August, was that sarcasm?” quote by Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/victoria-schwab-1505_august_august-stared-at-her-aghast-did-i-know-t_2431068.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/victoria-schwab-1505_august_august-stared-at-her-aghast-did-i-know-t_2431068.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/victoria-schwab-1505_august_august-stared-at-her-aghast-did-i-know-t_2431068.jpg) > ““August stared at her, aghast. "Did I know that kissing you would bring your soul to surface? That - THAT - would have the same effect as pain or music? No, I must have missed that lesson." She stared at him, agape. "August, was that sarcasm?”” [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on love’s power to reveal deep parts of ourselves, likening it to both pain and music, and wonders if the intensity was intentional. **In simple terms:** Love can expose hidden parts of us, like both pain and music. Key Takeaway Recognize love’s transformative impact. Themes love identity vulnerability self‑discovery Mood introspective melancholic poetic Type literary dialogue philosophical When to use this quote - romantic relationship - self‑reflection - creative writing - emotional intimacy Key Concepts emotional resonance intensity artistic metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How does love change your sense of self? - Can intense emotions be both beautiful and painful? A Different Perspective The metaphor may over‑dramatically equate love with pain, ignoring healthier perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/august/) [August Sarcasm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/august-sarcasm-282349/) [August Stared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/august-stared-282350/) [Kate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kate/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Sarcasm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sarcasm/) [Stared Agape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stared-agape-282351/) ## Related quotes > [“People were messy. They were defined not only by what they'd done, but by what they would have done, under different circumstances, molded as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/people-were-messy-they-were-defined-not-only-by-what-they-d-done-but/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“I didn't stop fighting," he said, the words so low he worried Kate wouldn't hear them, but she did. "I just got tired of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/i-didn-t-stop-fighting-he-said-the-words-so-low-he-worried-kate/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“Everyone was made of sounds, and August had learned hers the first day they met.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/everyone-was-made-of-sounds-and-august-had-learned-hers-the-first-day/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“August stopped rolling the apple, closed the book, forced himself to sit still, even though a still body was a busy mind- something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/august-stopped-rolling-the-apple-closed-the-book-forced-himself-to/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“For one, dazzling, infinite moment, August felt like he was standing on a precipice, the end of one world and the beginning of another,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/for-one-dazzling-infinite-moment-august-felt-like-he-was-standing-on/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“Sight is an important thing, August. Without it, our minds invent, and the things they invent are almost always worse than the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/sight-is-an-important-thing-august-without-it-our-minds-invent-and/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“A Corsai, a Malchai, and a Sunai walk into a bar— Everyone groaned, including August.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/a-corsai-a-malchai-and-a-sunai-walk-into-a-bar-everyone-groaned/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“I don’t know who I am, and who I’m not, I don’t know who I’m supposed to be, and I miss who I was;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/i-don-t-know-who-i-am-and-who-i-m-not-i-don-t-know-who-i-m-supposed/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [ I love to see what they \[Michelle Obama and Kate Middleton\] wear but I am not interested. It’s not natural. If you are a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivier-theyskens/i-love-to-see-what-they-michelle-obama-and-kate-middleton-wear-but-i/) [Olivier Theyskens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivier-theyskens/) > [Prince William and Kate Middleton are in New York City. We have got to do something about immigration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/prince-william-and-kate-middleton-are-in-new-york-city-we-have-got-to/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [“No more tubs for me." I jumped off the bed and pulled on a pair of Pack sweats. "They make me lose all sense."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/no-more-tubs-for-me-i-jumped-off-the-bed-and-pulled-on-a-pair-of-pack/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [Kate Bernheimer's fiction offers a unique and delicate gift, the tempting mirage of a grace that constantly escapes. The Complete Tales of Merry Gold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/kate-bernheimer-s-fiction-offers-a-unique-and-delicate-gift-the/) [Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/) > [I have a confession to make. In the beginning, I did not understand the Kate Moss phenomenon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamish-bowles/i-have-a-confession-to-make-in-the-beginning-i-did-not-understand-the/) [Hamish Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamish-bowles/) > [Instead of the 1997 film directed, written, by James Cameron with Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane creating a love story and a large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-baker/instead-of-the-1997-film-directed-written-by-james-cameron-with/) [Tom Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-baker/) > [“I paused with the pen in my hand. "He burst into flames?" "He became engulfed in fire." "Was his buddy made out of orange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/i-paused-with-the-pen-in-my-hand-he-burst-into-flames-he-became/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) ## More by Victoria Schwab > [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“Perhaps it is in our best interest to... to surrender rather than waste words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/perhaps-it-is-in-our-best-interest-to-to-surrender-rather-than-waste/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“The dead are silent, and objects, when they hold impressions, are quiet until you reach through them. But the touch of living is loud.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/the-dead-are-silent-and-objects-when-they-hold-impressions-are-quiet/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“Having something and losing it, it's so much crueler than never having had it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/having-something-and-losing-it-it-s-so-much-crueler-than-never-having/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“People are made up of so many small details. Some—like the smell of cookies baking—we can recreate. Or at least try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/people-are-made-up-of-so-many-small-details-some-like-the-smell-of/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“I suppose it doesn't matter how they get out. All that matters is they do. And when they do, they must be found. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/i-suppose-it-doesn-t-matter-how-they-get-out-all-that-matters-is-they/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“The silliest things shatter you. A T-shirt discovered behind the washing machine. A toy that rolled under a cabinet in the garage, forgotten until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/the-silliest-things-shatter-you-a-t-shirt-discovered-behind-the/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“What a mess. Truths are messy and lies are messy, and I don’t care what Da said, it’s impossible to cut a person into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/what-a-mess-truths-are-messy-and-lies-are-messy-and-i-don-t-care-what/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“People aren't smart when it comes to the dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/people-aren-t-smart-when-it-comes-to-the-dead/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“Let them think you a demon or a god,” she said. “Let them fear you. It does not matter.” “It matters a great deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/let-them-think-you-a-demon-or-a-god-she-said-let-them-fear-you-it/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“What do schools do that for?” he grumbles. “What’s the point of summer if they give you homework?” “Exactly!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/what-do-schools-do-that-for-he-grumbles-what-s-the-point-of-summer-if/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“I am broken the way most writers are, stories leaking through the cracks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/i-am-broken-the-way-most-writers-are-stories-leaking-through-the/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“Do you ever wonder why music brings a soul to surface? What makes beauty work as well as pain?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/do-you-ever-wonder-why-music-brings-a-soul-to-surface-what-makes/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“But there was something else, too, a strange excitement at the idea of playing normal, and every time he tried to untangle how he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/but-there-was-something-else-too-a-strange-excitement-at-the-idea-of/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“Maybe one day the words will pour out like so many others, easy and smooth and on their own. Right now they take pieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/maybe-one-day-the-words-will-pour-out-like-so-many-others-easy-and/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) [Explore all 231 Victoria Schwab quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) ## More August quotes > [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [Meanwhile after failing the bar twice, I knew some people in New York and moved here in August '71.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-quine/meanwhile-after-failing-the-bar-twice-i-knew-some-people-in-new-york/) [Robert Quine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-quine/) > [I had the advantage, that I know Swedish. So I had the Swedish book and I had a lot of English translations, and German…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-ullmann/i-had-the-advantage-that-i-know-swedish-so-i-had-the-swedish-book-and/) [Liv Ullmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-ullmann/) > [I love the little garden in the back of my family's brownstone in Brooklyn. Digging out there in the dirt is a joy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-love-the-little-garden-in-the-back-of-my-family-s-brownstone-in/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I can see that I imagine all kinds of rejection that never happens. I can see that I beg and plead for love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/i-can-see-that-i-imagine-all-kinds-of-rejection-that-never-happens-i/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [August depresses me a little. I don't even feel like eating. And when I don't eat, that's a sure sign of stagnation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-scott/august-depresses-me-a-little-i-don-t-even-feel-like-eating-and-when-i/) [Willard Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-scott/) > [August, the summer's last messenger of misery, is a hollow actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/august-the-summer-s-last-messenger-of-misery-is-a-hollow-actor/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [ It \[August 10th 1792\] was the bloodiest day of the Revolution so far, but also one of the most decisive. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-doyle/it-august-10th-1792-was-the-bloodiest-day-of-the-revolution-so-far/) [William Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-doyle/) > [How sociable the garden was. We ate and talked in given light. The children put their toys to grass All the warm wakeful August…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-talked-in-given-light-the/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [It's August, which means Congress is on recess and Mitch McConnell has shimmied back into the ocean to seek a mate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/it-s-august-which-means-congress-is-on-recess-and-mitch-mcconnell-has/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [I studied acting in NYU's graduate program, in which we covered everything from Ibsen and Chekov to August Wilson and David Mamet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/i-studied-acting-in-nyu-s-graduate-program-in-which-we-covered/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) > [There could be oil coming up until August.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-browner/there-could-be-oil-coming-up-until-august/) [Carol Browner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-browner/) > [The 6th of August in the morning we saw an opening in the land and we ran into it, and anchored in 7 and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dampier/the-6th-of-august-in-the-morning-we-saw-an-opening-in-the-land-and-we/) [William Dampier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dampier/) > [August creates as she slumbers, replete and satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/august-creates-as-she-slumbers-replete-and-satisfied/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) > [I left for Petersburg in August, 1871 and stayed there until 1879.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-spitteler/i-left-for-petersburg-in-august-1871-and-stayed-there-until-1879/) [Carl Spitteler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-spitteler/) [Browse all 448 August quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/august/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“August stared at her, aghast. \"Did I know that kissing you would bring your soul to surface? That - THAT - would have the same effect as pain or music? No, I must have missed that lesson.\" She stared at him, agape. \"August, was that sarcasm?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Victoria Schwab" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/august-stared-at-her-aghast-did-i-know-that-kissing-you-would-bring/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "August" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/august-stared-at-her-aghast-did-i-know-that-kissing-you-would-bring/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/victoria-schwab-1505_august_august-stared-at-her-aghast-did-i-know-t_2431068.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/victoria-schwab-1505_august_august-stared-at-her-aghast-did-i-know-t_2431068.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/416/victoria-schwab-1505_august_august-stared-at-her-aghast-did-i-know-t_2431068.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“August stared at her, aghast. \"Did I know that kissing you would bring your soul to surface? That - THAT…” — Victoria Schwab", "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": "Victoria Schwab", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“August stared at her, aghast. \"Did...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/august-stared-at-her-aghast-did-i-know-that-kissing-you-would-bring/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/august-stared-at-her-aghast-did-i-know-that-kissing-you-would-bring/#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 } } ] } ```