“I will never have a photograph of her to carry around in my pocket. I will never have a letter in her handwriting, or a scrap-book of everything we've done. I will never share an apartment with her in the city. I will never know if we are listening to the same song at the same time. We will not grow old together. I will not be the person she calls when she's in trouble. She will not be the person I call when I have stories to tell. I will never be able to keep anything she's given to me.”
Modern Relevance
In today's digital age, the sentiment expressed in this quote by David Levithan still holds true for many people. The advancement of technology has allowed for virtual connections and communication, but there are still some tangible and irreplaceable aspects of relationships that are lost in the digital realm. From physical photographs and handwritten letters to sharing physical spaces and belongings, the longing for these traditional forms of connection remains relevant in a world increasingly reliant on digital communication.
Quote Analysis:
In the quote by David Levithan, the speaker expresses deep sorrow over the absence of physical mementos and shared experiences with a loved one. The speaker laments the loss of visual reminders, like photographs and handwriting, that serve as connections to memories shared with the other person. The absence of these tangible items symbolizes the larger sense of loss and longing the speaker feels for a future that will never be realized with their loved one. The quote captures the profound grief and sense of missed opportunities that can accompany the end of a significant relationship.
Example of Usage
After losing a loved one, it can be difficult to come to terms with all the things you will never experience with them. The poignant quote by David Levithan captures this heartbreaking realization perfectly.
Reflective Questions
As you reflect on the quote by David Levithan, consider the following questions:
- How does the idea of never having physical memories of a loved one affect your perception of their presence in your life?
- In what ways do you think not being able to share physical items, such as letters or photographs, impacts the connection you have with someone?
- How does the absence of shared experiences and future plans with a loved one influence your sense of loss?
- Have you ever experienced the feeling of not being able to reach out to someone for support or to share moments with? How did that affect you?
- How can you find ways to honor and remember a loved one when you don't have tangible reminders of them?
Similar quotes
“I have never talked to anyone about that night. Ever...' she said. 'And now when I listen to my own words, I realise that they tell a different story from the one I have carried all these years.' The old woman closed her eyes. 'I think that if we can find the words, and if we can find someone to tell them to, then perhaps we can see things differently. But I had no words, and I had nobody.”
“I knew by then that I would never have my mother back, not in the way I had known her all my life. When you have seen your mother shattered, there's no putting her back together. There will always be seams, chipped edges, and clumps of dried glue. Even if you could get her to where she looks the same, she will never be stronger than a cracked plate.”
“There’s something about her—Cassel, I have met many evil men and women in my life. I have made deals with them, drank with them. I have done things that I myself have difficulty reconciling—terrible things. But I have never known anyone like your mother. She is a person without limits—or if she has any, she hasn’t found them yet. She never needs to reconcile anything.”
“You called her Kitten? And she let you? She put me in a coma for three days when I called her that? My balls never recovered from her smashing them into my spine?" "And well she should have," Bones agreed. "She's my Kitten, and no one else's”
“There are things I need to ask her. Not what happened, back then in the time I lost, because now I know that. I need to ask her why. If she remembers. Perhaps she’s forgotten the bad things, what she said to me, what she did. Or she does remember them, but in a minor way, as if remembering a game, or a single prank, a single trivial secret, of the kind girls tell and then forget. She will have her own version. I am not the centre of her story, because she herself is that. But I could give her something you can never have, except from another person: what you look like from outside. A reflection. This is part of herself I could give back to her. We are like the twins in old fables, each of whom has been given half a key.”