“It was a dream, not a nightmare, a beautiful dream I could never imagine in a thousand nods. There was a girl next to me who wasn't beautiful until she smiled and I felt that smile come at me in heat waves following, soaking through my body and out my finger tips in shafts of color and I knew somewhere in the world, somewhere, that there was love for me.”
Explore This Quote Further
Analysis
In this quote from Jim Carroll, the speaker describes a dream that is so beautiful and surreal that it surpasses any imagination. The speaker is struck by the transformation of a girl next to him who may not have been traditionally beautiful, but becomes stunning when she smiles. This moment of connection and love is so powerful that it physically affects the speaker, with heat waves and colors radiating from his body. The quote emphasizes the idea that love can be unexpected and transformative, bringing beauty and joy even in the most unlikely of circumstances. The vivid and poetic language used by Carroll captures the intensity and magic of this experience.
Modern Relevance
In Jim Carroll's quote, he describes a dream where he feels a profound connection to someone through their smile, experiencing waves of love and color. This sentiment of finding love unexpectedly and feeling its transformative power is still relevant today. With the rise of social media and online dating, people are constantly searching for connections and love in unexpected places. Carroll's words serve as a reminder that love can be found in the most unexpected moments and ways, and that it has the power to change our lives in beautiful and unexpected ways.
Example of Usage
Here is a quote by Jim Carroll that beautifully captures the transformative power of love: “It was a dream, not a nightmare, a beautiful dream I could never imagine in a thousand nods. There was a girl next to me who wasn't beautiful until she smiled and I felt that smile come at me in heat waves following, soaking through my body and out my finger tips in shafts of color and I knew somewhere in the world, somewhere, that there was love for me.”
Reflection Questions
This powerful quote by Jim Carroll evokes feelings of love, beauty, and the magic of dreams. As you reflect on these words, consider the following questions:
- Have you ever experienced a dream that felt so real and beautiful that it stayed with you long after you woke up? How did it make you feel?
- How do you interpret the idea that someone's beauty can be enhanced by their smile and the warmth it radiates?
- Have you ever felt a deep connection with someone through a simple gesture or expression, like a smile? How did it make you feel?
- Do you believe in the idea that love is out there for everyone, waiting to be found? Why or why not?
- How does this quote make you reflect on your own experiences with love and the power of connection?
Similar quotes
“That, I realized, is the great beauty of dreams: the devil may inevitably find a way to jerk you off, but you can always wake up before he makes you cum.”
“Little kids shoot marbleswhere the branches break the sun into graceful shafts of light…I just want to be pure.”
“and what an ignorant little girl she'll think me for asking!No,it'll never do to ask:perhaps I shall see it written up somewhere.”
“Whiteness is the color of death, you know, not black. Wetness is life, the breeder and shaper of life. In the beginning the sun was black. So all light was absorbed before it had a chance to return. And our dreams, then, were empty.”
“It’s all as if words, phrases, images, syntax were small glass beads from a necklace which was wrenched from some neck and spilled on the floor and down the sides of sofa cushions and armchairs and under bookshelves and maybe swallowed by the cat. I’ve got to find all the glass pieces before I can even reorder the color sequence, and restring it and tie it tighter than before. There’s always a splendor in beginning all over. Even if it means getting on one’s knees to search beneath that bookshelf or prospecting through years of lint and ashes beneath those cushions. Even if it means breaking open that cat’s shit, which it conveniently has deposited in a plastic box, more orderly than any secretary could ever hope to be.Then I’ll appreciate the value of each bead – rather, each word and image – that much more, never wasting another. And I will, I swear to myself, get it all back in time, string it all together, tighter, as I said, than before.”
“I leaned into Karrin a little and said, next to her ear, "You ready for this?""Only a lunatic is ready for this," she said. I could hear her smile as she spoke. Then she turned her head and, before I could react, planted a kiss right on my mouth.I almost fell off the Harley.She drew her head back, flashed me a wicked little smile, and said, "For luck. Star Wars-style.""You are so hot right now," I told her.”