Close your eyes Quote by Wells Tower
““It didn't make much sense to me then, what Gnut was going through, but after Pila and me had our little twins, and we put a family together, I got an understanding of how terrible love can be. You wish you hated those people, your wife and children, because you know the things the world will do to them, because you have done some of those things yourself. It's crazy-making, yet you cling to them with everything and close your eyes against the rest of it. But still you wake up late at night and lie there listening for the creak and splash of oars, the clank of steel, the sounds of men rowing toward your home.””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, 2014
The quote reflects on how love becomes painful when you see the world’s harm to those you care for, yet you remain devoted despite fear and loss.
In simple terms: Love feels painful but we stay attached.
Key Takeaway
Accept love’s pain, stay present.
Themes
love
family
sacrifice
fear
attachment
Mood
melancholic
reflective
Type
narrative
emotional
When to use this quote
- parenthood
- marriage
- war zones
- caregiving
- grief
Key Concepts
psychology
emotional resilience
attachment theory
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you balance love and self‑preservation?
- What fears arise when you protect loved ones?
A Different Perspective
Love can become overwhelming, leading to burnout.
![“It turned out to be just his sort of life in Melbourne [Florida] -- a little three-room mini apartment to himself, and down on the strip, five different bars where you had women going around in bathing suits. In the backyard, his mother's new husband had grown a miraculous tree, a lemon trunk…” quote by Wells Tower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3e1/wells-tower-28754_196_it-turned-out-to-be-just-his-sort-of-lif_74216.jpg)
