---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've always been fascinated and stared at…"
description: "\"I've always been fascinated and stared at maps for hours as a kid. I've especially been most intrigued by the uninhabited or lonelier places on the pla..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35b/andrew-bird-4041_alaska_i-ve-always-been-fascinated-and-stared-a_718612.jpg"
---

#  I've always been fascinated and stared at maps for hours…

![“I've always been fascinated and stared at maps for hours as a kid. I've especially been most intrigued by the uninhabited or lonelier places on the planet. Like Greenland, for instance, or just recently flying over Alaska and a chain of icy, mountainous islands, uninhabited.” quote by Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35b/andrew-bird-4041_alaska_i-ve-always-been-fascinated-and-stared-a_718612.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35b/andrew-bird-4041_alaska_i-ve-always-been-fascinated-and-stared-a_718612.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35b/andrew-bird-4041_alaska_i-ve-always-been-fascinated-and-stared-a_718612.jpg)

> “I've always been fascinated and stared at maps for hours as a kid. I've especially been most intrigued by the uninhabited or lonelier places on the planet. Like Greenland, for instance, or just recently flying over Alaska and a chain of icy, mountainous islands, uninhabited.”

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Maps of remote, empty places ignite curiosity about the unknown, fostering a sense of adventure and imagination

**In simple terms:** Empty places on maps spark imagination and a love for discovery

Key Takeaway

Explore unknown places, real or imagined, to expand perspective

Themes

exploration curiosity geography imagination adventure

Mood

dreamy intrigued

Type

inspirational thoughtful

When to use this quote

- travel planning
- geography classes
- virtual tours
- creative writing

Key Concepts

spatial awareness psychological intrigue environmental awe

Questions to Reflect On

- What draws you to uninhabited locations?
- How can this curiosity inform your creative work?

A Different Perspective

Focusing only on empty spaces may overlook human stories

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Alaska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alaska/) [Flying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flying/) [Greenland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greenland/) [Islands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islands/) [Planet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planet/)

## Related quotes

> [“Many of our problems are broadly similar to those that undermined ... Norse Greenland, and that many other past societies also struggled to solve.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-diamond/many-of-our-problems-are-broadly-similar-to-those-that-undermined/)

[Jared Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-diamond/)

> [...It is a very remarkable fact that the species of shell-fish common to Greenland and Finmark are not all inhabitants of deep or moderately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-forbes/it-is-a-very-remarkable-fact-that-the-species-of-shell-fish-common-to/)

[Edward Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-forbes/)

> [“Yes, I once was the toast of two continents! (...Greenland &amp; Australia).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/yes-i-once-was-the-toast-of-two-continents-greenland-australia/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [I am involved in making measurements in polar oceans, and they are changing more than anything else. I think we have to be prepared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-munk/i-am-involved-in-making-measurements-in-polar-oceans-and-they-are/)

[Walter Munk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-munk/)

> [While my hand is on the stick, my feet on the rudder, and my eyes on the compass, this consciousness, like a winged messenger,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/while-my-hand-is-on-the-stick-my-feet-on-the-rudder-and-my-eyes-on/)

[Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/)

> [According to Inuit culture in Greenland, a person possesses six or seven souls. The souls take the form of tiny people scattered throughout the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/according-to-inuit-culture-in-greenland-a-person-possesses-six-or/)

[Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/)

> [ \[A\]s previous studies have concluded, the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets are probably thickening rather than melting. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myron-ebell/a-s-previous-studies-have-concluded-the-antarctic-and-greenland-ice/)

Myron Ebell

> [“Look again at the standard Mercator map and you see that Greenland appears to be the same size as Africa, and yet Africa is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-marshall/look-again-at-the-standard-mercator-map-and-you-see-that-greenland/)

[Tim Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-marshall/)

> [“In the year 0982, Gunnbjorn Ulfsson reported that he had journeyed to another land having fertile green fields, about 200 miles to the west…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/captain-hank-bracker-the-exciting-story-of-cuba-2/in-the-year-0982-gunnbjorn-ulfsson-reported-that-he-had-journeyed-to/)

Captain Hank Bracker, "The Exciting Story of Cuba

> [...Was it because a lot of the heat went into melting Arctic sea ice or parts of Greenland and Antarctica, and other glaciers? Was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-e-trenberth/was-it-because-a-lot-of-the-heat-went-into-melting-arctic-sea-ice-or/)

Kevin E. Trenberth

> [For me, it depends only on the script, the part I'm doing, and the people around me. It could be in Greenland or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-koch/for-me-it-depends-only-on-the-script-the-part-i-m-doing-and-the/)

[Sebastian Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-koch/)

> [“By December an elastic skin of ice reached out hundreds of miles into the sea, rolling with every wave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-chancellor/by-december-an-elastic-skin-of-ice-reached-out-hundreds-of-miles-into/)

Will Chancellor

> [No country has left the E.U. since Greenland in 1985 and no one believes that delivering what the people voted for will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priti-patel/no-country-has-left-the-e-u-since-greenland-in-1985-and-no-one/)

[Priti Patel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priti-patel/)

> [I was the toast of two continents: Greenland and Australia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/i-was-the-toast-of-two-continents-greenland-and-australia/)

[Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/)

> [I do believe in the Bible as the final word of God. And I do believe that God said the Earth would not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shimkus/i-do-believe-in-the-bible-as-the-final-word-of-god-and-i-do-believe/)

[John Shimkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shimkus/)

## More by Andrew Bird

> [I've always felt that dark lyrics with dark music is pretty useless. Maybe that's a strong statement - not useless, but for me, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/i-ve-always-felt-that-dark-lyrics-with-dark-music-is-pretty-useless/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

> [I don't write poetry and then strum some chords and then fit the words on top of the chords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/i-don-t-write-poetry-and-then-strum-some-chords-and-then-fit-the/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

> [There's kind of this unequaled thrill of playing a half-finished song, it's kind of sense of slight embarrassment; like you're blushing. I like doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/there-s-kind-of-this-unequaled-thrill-of-playing-a-half-finished-song/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

> [I think when I was pretty young I got really into the tone of my instrument and I remember just playing one note for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/i-think-when-i-was-pretty-young-i-got-really-into-the-tone-of-my/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

> [The anti-aging advert that I would like to see is a baby covered in cream saying, 'Aah, I've used too much'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/the-anti-aging-advert-that-i-would-like-to-see-is-a-baby-covered-in/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

> [I'm just trying to get my body in shape so that I can handle it. It's a very physically demanding thing. I've been doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/i-m-just-trying-to-get-my-body-in-shape-so-that-i-can-handle-it-it-s/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

> [The way I work, I'm not a confessional singer-songwriter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/the-way-i-work-i-m-not-a-confessional-singer-songwriter/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

> [Since I first picked up the violin, I've been very interested in tone and texture: I would have very visceral reactions to the texture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/since-i-first-picked-up-the-violin-i-ve-been-very-interested-in-tone/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

> [The problem is, when you're working with orchestras, you only get the orchestra for about two hours before the performance to pull it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/the-problem-is-when-you-re-working-with-orchestras-you-only-get-the/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

> [I think I'm still a little too intense for my own good sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/i-think-i-m-still-a-little-too-intense-for-my-own-good-sometimes/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

> [I have the barn, it's just kind of like a studio. Almost all artists have la studio to work in, and that's really what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/i-have-the-barn-it-s-just-kind-of-like-a-studio-almost-all-artists/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

> [There's always a tension between wanting to write a really concise, instant gratification type song that gets under your skin the first time you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/there-s-always-a-tension-between-wanting-to-write-a-really-concise/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

> [Sometimes I just think we're not meant to fly halfway around the world in a day. That some kind of mutation is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/sometimes-i-just-think-we-re-not-meant-to-fly-halfway-around-the/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

> [I write a lot more when I'm happy, because you're hopeful, you're motivated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/i-write-a-lot-more-when-i-m-happy-because-you-re-hopeful-you-re/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

> [I've done my share of busking, and it's fun until it isn't. There are musicians in the subways that will make you cry, they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/i-ve-done-my-share-of-busking-and-it-s-fun-until-it-isn-t-there-are/)

[Andrew Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

[Explore all 117 Andrew Bird quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/)

## More Alaska quotes

> [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Grief is like an ocean. It comes in waves - some waves are bigger than others and you cannot prepare for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/grief-is-like-an-ocean-it-comes-in-waves-some-waves-are-bigger-than/)

[Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/)

> [There's no doubt 'normal' is changing - spring actually came a month early in Alaska, for example, and we had to stop filming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-rice/there-s-no-doubt-normal-is-changing-spring-actually-came-a-month/)

[Travis Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-rice/)

> [Kids in Alaska don't know they're growing up on the Last Frontier. It's just what they see on the license plates, and it's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/kids-in-alaska-don-t-know-they-re-growing-up-on-the-last-frontier-it/)

[Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/)

> [What the hell is instant? Nothing is instant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/what-the-hell-is-instant-nothing-is-instant/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [They're our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/they-re-our-next-door-neighbors-and-you-can-actually-see-russia-from/)

[Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/)

> [If the world were an orange with 18 segments meeting at the top (the North Pole), roughly 8 of them would be in Russia,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-shoumatoff/if-the-world-were-an-orange-with-18-segments-meeting-at-the-top-the/)

[Alex Shoumatoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-shoumatoff/)

> [And I just got the ghost, and I'm calling it Casper but that is so cold, it belong in Alaska.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/and-i-just-got-the-ghost-and-i-m-calling-it-casper-but-that-is-so/)

[Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/)

> [Like any traveler, I'm always looking for those experiences that are almost unique to any place, and watching films around Alaska of the skies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/like-any-traveler-i-m-always-looking-for-those-experiences-that-are/)

[Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/)

> [A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/a-changing-environment-will-affect-alaska-more-than-any-other-state/)

[Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/)

> [Mitt Romney understands the importance of Alaska as a leader in our country's energy production and I look forward to working with him on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-murkowski/mitt-romney-understands-the-importance-of-alaska-as-a-leader-in-our/)

[Lisa Murkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-murkowski/)

> [Why would even I say we can't stop drilling in the Gulf? Because we have no alternatives. Whether or not we drill in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/why-would-even-i-say-we-can-t-stop-drilling-in-the-gulf-because-we/)

[Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/)

> [On the lip of the Grand Canyon. I've always wanted to do that. My very first TV special out of the Olympics was on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-boitano/on-the-lip-of-the-grand-canyon-i-ve-always-wanted-to-do-that-my-very/)

[Brian Boitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-boitano/)

> [“The canopy of trees overhead is so thick that only bits and pieces of blue sky can be seen overhead. Narrow rays of sunshine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-g-foster/the-canopy-of-trees-overhead-is-so-thick-that-only-bits-and-pieces-of/)

Vanessa G. Foster

> [Let's make a deal: You figure out what the labyrinth is and how to get out of it, and i'll get you laid. -Alaska…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/let-s-make-a-deal-you-figure-out-what-the-labyrinth-is-and-how-to-get/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

[Browse all 320 Alaska quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alaska/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I've always been fascinated and stared at maps for hours as a kid. I've especially been most intrigued by the uninhabited or lonelier places on the planet. Like Greenland, for instance, or just recently flying over Alaska and a chain of icy, mountainous islands, uninhabited.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Andrew Bird"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-and-stared-at-maps-for-hours-as-a-kid-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Alaska"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-and-stared-at-maps-for-hours-as-a-kid-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35b/andrew-bird-4041_alaska_i-ve-always-been-fascinated-and-stared-a_718612.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35b/andrew-bird-4041_alaska_i-ve-always-been-fascinated-and-stared-a_718612.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35b/andrew-bird-4041_alaska_i-ve-always-been-fascinated-and-stared-a_718612.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I've always been fascinated and stared at maps for hours as a kid. I've especially been most intrigued by…” — Andrew Bird",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Andrew Bird",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bird/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I've always been fascinated and stared...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-and-stared-at-maps-for-hours-as-a-kid-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bird/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-and-stared-at-maps-for-hours-as-a-kid-i/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
