---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I love her handbag. Inside are papers and…"
description: "\"“I love her handbag. Inside are papers and her wallet and cigarettes and at the bottom, where she never looks, there is loose change, loose mints, spec..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/augusten-burroughs-603_change_i-love-her-handbag-inside-are-papers-and_455067.jpg"
---

#  I love her handbag. Inside are papers and her wallet and…

![“I love her handbag. Inside are papers and her wallet and cigarettes and at the bottom, where she never looks, there is loose change, loose mints, specs of tobacco from her cigarettes. Sometimes I bring the bag to my face, open it and inhale as deeply as I can.” quote by Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/augusten-burroughs-603_change_i-love-her-handbag-inside-are-papers-and_455067.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/augusten-burroughs-603_change_i-love-her-handbag-inside-are-papers-and_455067.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/augusten-burroughs-603_change_i-love-her-handbag-inside-are-papers-and_455067.jpg)

> ““I love her handbag. Inside are papers and her wallet and cigarettes and at the bottom, where she never looks, there is loose change, loose mints, specs of tobacco from her cigarettes. Sometimes I bring the bag to my face, open it and inhale as deeply as I can.””

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

## 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 describes an intimate, almost compulsive fascination with a woman's personal belongings, using sensory detail to convey longing and obsession.

**In simple terms:** He is obsessed with her personal items.

Key Takeaway

Observe how sensory details reveal hidden desires.

Themes

obsession intimacy sensory detail

Mood

intimate obsessive

Type

literary psychological

When to use this quote

- relationship analysis
- character study
- writing technique

Key Concepts

psychology addiction personal space

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the bag symbolize for him?
- How does scent trigger memory?

A Different Perspective

The focus on objects may overlook emotional connection.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Cigarettes Bring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cigarettes-bring-3963717/) [Cigarettes Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cigarettes-looks-3963716/) [Handbag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handbag-428603/) [Handbag Inside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/handbag-inside-3963714/) [Loose change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loose-change/) [Wallet Cigarettes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wallet-cigarettes-3963715/)

## Related quotes

> [The world is full of banks and rivers running between them, of men and women crossing bridges and fords, unaware of the consequences, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arturo-p-rez-reverte/the-world-is-full-of-banks-and-rivers-running-between-them-of-men-and/)

[Arturo Pérez-Reverte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arturo-p-rez-reverte/)

> [“I saw and heard all sorts of things in my fever; I was riding a merry-go-round, I wanted to get off but I couldn’t.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grass-gunter/i-saw-and-heard-all-sorts-of-things-in-my-fever-i-was-riding-a-merry/)

[Grass Gunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grass-gunter/)

> [What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change, and they give me a million dollars' worth of pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-perret/what-a-bargain-grandchildren-are-i-give-them-my-loose-change-and-they/)

[Gene Perret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-perret/)

> [“Mystery is good." He drummed his fingertips on my thigh. "Maybe.Maybe not. But I'll let it go. How about this: If I were to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/mystery-is-good-he-drummed-his-fingertips-on-my-thigh-maybe-maybe-not/)

[Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/)

> [“There's a trick they do with one pea and three cups which is very hard to follow, and something like it, for greater stakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-a-trick-they-do-with-one-pea-and-three-cups-which-is-very/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Things accumulated in purses. Unless they were deliberately unloaded and all contents examined for utility occasionally, one could find oneself transporting around in one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-greenwood/things-accumulated-in-purses-unless-they-were-deliberately-unloaded/)

[Kerry Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-greenwood/)

> [“Each time someone stole a bike from our porch (three times, by my count), or broke into her car and took the loose change,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/each-time-someone-stole-a-bike-from-our-porch-three-times-by-my-count/)

[J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/)

> [“The other panelists at my event were Maurice Zeitlin and Sara Davidson. A third leftist had failed to show. Davidson was the author of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-horowitz/the-other-panelists-at-my-event-were-maurice-zeitlin-and-sara/)

[David Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-horowitz/)

> [So if you visit Chicago, enjoy the many great courses, the Midwestern friendliness, and the cities other amenities. But if a stranger with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royko/so-if-you-visit-chicago-enjoy-the-many-great-courses-the-midwestern/)

[Mike Royko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royko/)

> [People believe Loose Change because it proposes a closed world: comprehensible, controllable, small. Despite the great evil which runs it, it is more companionable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/people-believe-loose-change-because-it-proposes-a-closed-world/)

[George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/)

> [Whoo-hoo-hoo, look who knows so much. It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead. There's a big difference between mostly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-crystal/whoo-hoo-hoo-look-who-knows-so-much-it-just-so-happens-that-your/)

[Billy Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-crystal/)

> [Sometime in the eighties, Americans had a new set of 'traditional values' installed. ... the poor and the middle class were shaken down, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/sometime-in-the-eighties-americans-had-a-new-set-of-traditional/)

[Barbara Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-ehrenreich/)

> [I have a million dollar figure ... but it's all loose change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-have-a-million-dollar-figure-but-it-s-all-loose-change/)

[Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/)

> [“He sagged to his knees. He ached all over. It wasn't just that his brain was writing cheques that his body couldn't cash. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/he-sagged-to-his-knees-he-ached-all-over-it-wasn-t-just-that-his/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“The least dignified thing that can happen to a man is to be murdered. If he dies in his sleep he gets a respectful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/the-least-dignified-thing-that-can-happen-to-a-man-is-to-be-murdered/)

[Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/)

## More by Augusten Burroughs

> [There is nothing about myself that I wouldn't reveal or write about. I don't care how horrendous or ridiculous I may appear in person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/there-is-nothing-about-myself-that-i-wouldn-t-reveal-or-write-about-i/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [“We were alone together, we were an us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/we-were-alone-together-we-were-an-us/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [Like every child, I adored her. Until I formed a brain and got to know her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/like-every-child-i-adored-her-until-i-formed-a-brain-and-got-to-know/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [“You must hang onto the scraps of the bucking moment as if your sanity and life depended on it - because actually they do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/you-must-hang-onto-the-scraps-of-the-bucking-moment-as-if-your-sanity/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [Real optimism is not the pep talk you give yourself. It is earned through the labor involved in emotional housekeeping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/real-optimism-is-not-the-pep-talk-you-give-yourself-it-is-earned/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [If you hate your life, you haven't' seen enough of it. If you hate your life, it's because your life is too small and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/if-you-hate-your-life-you-haven-t-seen-enough-of-it-if-you-hate-your/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [I think writers tend to be experience junkies, and I think they also tend to want to be on the outside looking in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-think-writers-tend-to-be-experience-junkies-and-i-think-they-also/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [I think part of the reason I'm attracted to Foster is because he's such a mess. I mean, the people I have loved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-think-part-of-the-reason-i-m-attracted-to-foster-is-because-he-s/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [“On typical days, (dust) is simply irritating. On Roid Rage days, it made me want to stomp down to the highway, pull drivers out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/on-typical-days-dust-is-simply-irritating-on-roid-rage-days-it-made/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [I'm like the guy who prepares your taxes or a dentist. I'm very conservative and boring in a lot of ways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-m-like-the-guy-who-prepares-your-taxes-or-a-dentist-i-m-very/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [“Nothing surprises me now," I tell him. I am stoic. I am Joan of Arc, with liver damage and an unused penis.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/nothing-surprises-me-now-i-tell-him-i-am-stoic-i-am-joan-of-arc-with/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [“It's not that I was an outright nitwit of a child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/it-s-not-that-i-was-an-outright-nitwit-of-a-child/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [What I really want is to sit next to someone under an L.L. bean blanket on the beach in the fall and drink coffee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/what-i-really-want-is-to-sit-next-to-someone-under-an-l-l-bean/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [“My worth depended on where exactly the decimal was placed among the zeroes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/my-worth-depended-on-where-exactly-the-decimal-was-placed-among-the/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

> [“Bookman isn't a stable man. He has a lot of problems that run very, very deep." But he was really good at giving head.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/bookman-isn-t-a-stable-man-he-has-a-lot-of-problems-that-run-very/)

[Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

[Explore all 448 Augusten Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/)

## More Change quotes

> [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/)

[Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/)

> [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/)

[William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/)

[Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/)

> [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/)

[Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/)

> [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/)

[Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/)

> [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/)

> [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/)

[Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/)

> [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

[Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I love her handbag. Inside are papers and her wallet and cigarettes and at the bottom, where she never looks, there is loose change, loose mints, specs of tobacco from her cigarettes. Sometimes I bring the bag to my face, open it and inhale as deeply as I can.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Augusten Burroughs"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-love-her-handbag-inside-are-papers-and-her-wallet-and-cigarettes/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Change"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-love-her-handbag-inside-are-papers-and-her-wallet-and-cigarettes/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/augusten-burroughs-603_change_i-love-her-handbag-inside-are-papers-and_455067.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/augusten-burroughs-603_change_i-love-her-handbag-inside-are-papers-and_455067.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/93e/augusten-burroughs-603_change_i-love-her-handbag-inside-are-papers-and_455067.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I love her handbag. Inside are papers and her wallet and cigarettes and at the bottom, where she never…” — Augusten Burroughs",
                "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": "Augusten Burroughs",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I love her handbag. Inside are...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-love-her-handbag-inside-are-papers-and-her-wallet-and-cigarettes/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/i-love-her-handbag-inside-are-papers-and-her-wallet-and-cigarettes/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
