Tightness Quotes

“Lan grimaced. Was she that afraid of a man wearing the hadori? Did she think his pacing a threat? Abruptly he became aware of his hands running over the long hilt of his sword, aware of the tightness in his own face. Pacing? No, he had been in the walking stance called Leopard in High Grass, used when there were enemies on all sides. He needed calm.”
― Robert Jordan, New Spring

“And there is also that feeling of tightness in the chest, tears stuck in your throat unwilling to come out. It’s always there. It’s the default. All the stuff around you—that’s what keeps changing. Sometimes you’re about to miss a deadline, sometimes you drink your coffee with regular milk because they’re out of oat milk, sometimes your kid comes up to you out of nowhere and gives you a hug. And every single thing makes you want to cry, but nothing actually ends up turning into tears. Like an end to the war in Gaza: it’s always close, and it always doesn’t happen.”
― Etgar Keret

“If this airplane goes up in flames, we’ll all go up in flames. If it crashes, we’ll crash with it. And if it lands safely on the other side of the ocean, we’ll land right there with it, and we’ll all wait, along with everyone, for our baggage to come out on the carousel. A friend assured me that as soon as we land, this pressure in my chest will vanish. He’s the same friend who told me almost two years ago that the war would be over soon. He’s a good friend, but not the most on-point. I send my wife another selfie from the taxi to the hotel. I’m in the back seat. Eyes open wide at the camera. Completely dry. Nothing to worry about, honey, it’s all good.”
― Etgar Keret