--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was like that class at school where…" description: "\"It was like that class at school where the teacher talks about Realization, about how you could realize something big in a commonplace thing. The examp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/998/amy-hempel-6636_bigs_it-was-like-that-class-at-school-where-t_2346042.png" --- # It was like that class at school where the teacher talks… ![“It was like that class at school where the teacher talks about Realization, about how you could realize something big in a commonplace thing. The example he gave--and the liar said it really happened--was that once while drinking orange juice, he'd realized he would be dead someday. He wondered if…” quote by Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/998/amy-hempel-6636_bigs_it-was-like-that-class-at-school-where-t_2346042.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/998/amy-hempel-6636_bigs_it-was-like-that-class-at-school-where-t_2346042.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/998/amy-hempel-6636_bigs_it-was-like-that-class-at-school-where-t_2346042.png) > “It was like that class at school where the teacher talks about Realization, about how you could realize something big in a commonplace thing. The example he gave--and the liar said it really happened--was that once while drinking orange juice, he'd realized he would be dead someday. He wondered if we, his students, had had similar 'realizations.' Is he kidding? I thought. Once I cashed a paycheck and I realized it wasn't enough. Once I had food poisoning, and realized I was trapped inside my body.” [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator reflects on moments of sudden, personal insight, questioning their authenticity and significance. **In simple terms:** Sudden insights can feel profound but may be fleeting. Key Takeaway Value insight, but test its truth. Themes self‑reflection realization skepticism Mood contemplative thoughtful Type philosophical introspective When to use this quote - career setbacks - health crises - personal growth Key Concepts existential cognitive bias meaning Questions to Reflect On - Do you trust your gut realiz? - How can you verify a sudden realization? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Drinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drinking/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Food poisoning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food-poisoning/) [I realized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-realized/) [Juice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/juice/) [Liars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liars/) [Orange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orange/) [Orange juice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orange-juice/) [Paychecks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paychecks/) [Poisoning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poisoning/) [Realization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realization/) [Realization Realize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realization-realize-2065793/) [Realizations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizations/) [Realizations Kidding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizations-kidding-5695139/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Similar Realizations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/similar-realizations-5695140/) [Someday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/someday/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Teacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teacher/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [It is false to speak of realization. What is there to realize? The real is as it is always. We are not creating anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/it-is-false-to-speak-of-realization-what-is-there-to-realize-the-real/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [“The thing was, the places of your life, like the clothes you wore and the car you drove and the friends and associates you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/the-thing-was-the-places-of-your-life-like-the-clothes-you-wore-and/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [I find it so AMUSING to go through my old facebook messages. It brings back memories with my best friends when we were having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-neuhaus/i-find-it-so-amusing-to-go-through-my-old-facebook-messages-it-brings/) [Daniel Neuhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-neuhaus/) > [“I want him to tell my why, but he doesn't say anything. It seems possible that Matthew is gay and possible that he isn't;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-bank/i-want-him-to-tell-my-why-but-he-doesn-t-say-anything-it-seems/) [Melissa Bank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-bank/) > [“Just when you think you have it all figured out, an epiphany arrives at the higher level of one's consciousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-a-o-neal/just-when-you-think-you-have-it-all-figured-out-an-epiphany-arrives/) [Terry a O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-a-o-neal/) > [Ones u've been hurt, dont let anybody do it again! shit happens everytime!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-zafra/ones-u-ve-been-hurt-dont-let-anybody-do-it-again-shit-happens/) [Hannah Zafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-zafra/) > [“In another 2,400 years, even Socrates, the most well-known genius of the century, might be forgotten. The future will erase everything--there's no level of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/in-another-2-400-years-even-socrates-the-most-well-known-genius-of/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Being alone & actually sitting with our own thoughts can lead to such growth and realizations that are rare in our everyday busy lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kourtney-kardashian/being-alone-actually-sitting-with-our-own-thoughts-can-lead-to-such/) [Kourtney Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kourtney-kardashian/) > [“I was terrified as only grown men and women can be when they wake up in the middle of the night and begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-ageyev/i-was-terrified-as-only-grown-men-and-women-can-be-when-they-wake-up/) [M. Ageyev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-ageyev/) > [“I want you to think about this for a minute. What would you rather have? Words that can be spoken lightly and then taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-ashley/i-want-you-to-think-about-this-for-a-minute-what-would-you-rather/) [Katie Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-ashley/) > [I've come to the realizations that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing half the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-ve-come-to-the-realizations-that-i-have-absolutely-no-idea-what-i-m/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [“In a world muddled with madness, I made a conscious effort to stay sane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-colleen-prendergast/in-a-world-muddled-with-madness-i-made-a-conscious-effort-to-stay-sane/) [Angela Colleen Prendergast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-colleen-prendergast/) > [“True freedom is when all the stories, all the insights, all the realizations, concepts, beliefs and positions dissolve. What remains is what you are;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enza-vita/true-freedom-is-when-all-the-stories-all-the-insights-all-the/) [Enza Vita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enza-vita/) > [Among the important realizations I had in my own days in the practice room was that if any one route to any one phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-fleming/among-the-important-realizations-i-had-in-my-own-days-in-the-practice/) [Renee Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-fleming/) > [“I have lost patience with the idea of an insignificant human being standing up above the rest of us--whether he is called Reverend or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-rogan/i-have-lost-patience-with-the-idea-of-an-insignificant-human-being/) [Charlotte Rogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-rogan/) ## More by Amy Hempel > [Good leaders being scarce, following yourself is allowed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/good-leaders-being-scarce-following-yourself-is-allowed/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [Since his mother died I have seen him steam a cucumber thinking it was zucchini. That's the kind of thing that turns my heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/since-his-mother-died-i-have-seen-him-steam-a-cucumber-thinking-it/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [“A story happens when two equally appealing forces, or characters, or ideas try to occupy the same place at the same time, and they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/a-story-happens-when-two-equally-appealing-forces-or-characters-or/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [“It is such a pretty story, told to me by a Cuban woman I met in a bar at the beach. She left the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/it-is-such-a-pretty-story-told-to-me-by-a-cuban-woman-i-met-in-a-bar/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [Journalism taught me how to write a sentence that would make someone want to read the next one. You are trained to get rid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/journalism-taught-me-how-to-write-a-sentence-that-would-make-someone/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [I had a mother I could only seem to please with verbal accomplishments of some sort or another. She read constantly, so I read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/i-had-a-mother-i-could-only-seem-to-please-with-verbal/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [“Mrs. Linden was beautiful in spirit and in fact. Her wish, she told her daughter, was to be a beautiful woman and surprise people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/mrs-linden-was-beautiful-in-spirit-and-in-fact-her-wish-she-told-her/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [Then the children went to bed, or at least went upstairs, and the men joined the women for a cigarette on the porch, absently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/then-the-children-went-to-bed-or-at-least-went-upstairs-and-the-men/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [“It comes back to the question, whom are you writing for? Who are the readers you want? Who are the people you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/it-comes-back-to-the-question-whom-are-you-writing-for-who-are-the/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [An idea might spark an essay, but never a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/an-idea-might-spark-an-essay-but-never-a-story/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [There’s so much I can’t read because I get so exasperated. Someone starts describing the character boarding the plane and pulling the seat back.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/there-s-so-much-i-can-t-read-because-i-get-so-exasperated-someone/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [The year I began to say vahz instead of vase, a man I barely knew nearly accidentally killed me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/the-year-i-began-to-say-vahz-instead-of-vase-a-man-i-barely-knew/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [I often feel the effects of people only after they leave me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/i-often-feel-the-effects-of-people-only-after-they-leave-me/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [“The psychic said I would have two children. This makes me shake my head. I know you are not supposed to leave a baby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/the-psychic-said-i-would-have-two-children-this-makes-me-shake-my/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [“I read about a famous mystery writer who worked for one week in a department store. One day she saw a woman come in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/i-read-about-a-famous-mystery-writer-who-worked-for-one-week-in-a/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) [Explore all 93 Amy Hempel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) [Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was like that class at school where the teacher talks about Realization, about how you could realize something big in a commonplace thing. The example he gave--and the liar said it really happened--was that once while drinking orange juice, he'd realized he would be dead someday. He wondered if we, his students, had had similar 'realizations.' Is he kidding? I thought. Once I cashed a paycheck and I realized it wasn't enough. 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