---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I really want is to sit next to…"
description: "\"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 from the same mug. I don't want some ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/augusten-burroughs-603_beach_what-i-really-want-is-to-sit-next-to-som_54135.png"
---

#  What I really want is to sit next to someone under an L.L…

![“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 from the same mug. I don't want some rusty '73 Ford Pinto with a factory-defective gas tank that causes it to explode when it's rear-ended in the parking lot of the supermarket. So why…” quote by Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/augusten-burroughs-603_beach_what-i-really-want-is-to-sit-next-to-som_54135.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/augusten-burroughs-603_beach_what-i-really-want-is-to-sit-next-to-som_54135.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/augusten-burroughs-603_beach_what-i-really-want-is-to-sit-next-to-som_54135.png)

> “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 from the same mug. I don't want some rusty '73 Ford Pinto with a factory-defective gas tank that causes it to explode when it's rear-ended in the parking lot of the supermarket. So why do I keep looking for Pintos?”

[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.

A yearning for simple, intimate comfort contrasted with a fascination for self‑destructive choices, highlighting an internal conflict between desire for peace and attraction to danger.

**In simple terms:** Longing for calm vs. attraction to chaos.

Key Takeaway

Desire for tranquility coexists with risky impulses.

Themes

longing contradiction self‑sabotage comfort risk

Mood

melancholic wistful reflective

Type

personal philosophical

When to use this quote

- quiet beach mornings
- driving a risky car
- seeking emotional safety
- escaping routine

Key Concepts

intimacy materialism danger nostalgia

Practical Applications

- mindful relaxation practices
- risk‑assessment counseling

Questions to Reflect On

- What does the 'Pinto' symbolize in your life?
- How can you cultivate the desired comfort without courting danger?

A Different Perspective

The quote may romanticize danger, overlooking the real harm such choices cause.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beach/) [Beans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beans/) [Blanket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blanket/) [Causes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/causes/) [Coffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coffee/) [Drink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drink/) [Factories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/factories/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Ford Pinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ford-pinto-758544/) [Gas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gas/) [Looking Pintos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-pintos-758545/) [Mug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mug/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Parking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parking/) [Parking lot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parking-lot/) [Pinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pinto-758546/) [Pintos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pintos-758548/) [Sit Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sit-bean-758547/) [Supermarkets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supermarkets/) [Tanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tanks/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/)

## Related quotes

> [The American auto industry is blowing up like a 1976 Ford Pinto.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/the-american-auto-industry-is-blowing-up-like-a-1976-ford-pinto/)

[Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/)

> [“This ancient Pinto was held together with sheer willpower and a whole lot of prayer. But she wasn't going to let her old jalopy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-jacobs/this-ancient-pinto-was-held-together-with-sheer-willpower-and-a-whole/)

[Holly Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-jacobs/)

> [“Pinto quadros por letras, por sinais”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/pinto-quadros-por-letras-por-sinais/)

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

> [Tonight, I propose a 21st Century Crime Bill to deploy the latest technologies and tactics to make our communities even safer. Our balanced budget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-clinton/tonight-i-propose-a-21st-century-crime-bill-to-deploy-the-latest/)

[William J. Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-clinton/)

> [Individually the poor are not too tempting to thieves, for obvious reasons. Mug a banker and you might score a wallet containing a month's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-ehrenreich/individually-the-poor-are-not-too-tempting-to-thieves-for-obvious/)

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

> [Blustery cold days should be spend propped up in bed with a mug of hot chocolate and a pile of comic books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/blustery-cold-days-should-be-spend-propped-up-in-bed-with-a-mug-of/)

[Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/)

> [You had a package. It was torn, so I looked in.” She lifted one of a stack of firefighter calendars, with his own mug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/you-had-a-package-it-was-torn-so-i-looked-in-she-lifted-one-of-a/)

[Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/)

> [She sits in her usual ample armchair, with piles of books and unopened magazines around her. She sips cautiously from the mug of weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/she-sits-in-her-usual-ample-armchair-with-piles-of-books-and-unopened/)

[Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/)

> [To espresso or to latte, that is the question...whether 'tis tastier on the palate to choose white mocha over plain...or to take a cup…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/to-espresso-or-to-latte-that-is-the-question-whether-tis-tastier-on/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [This mug of mine is as plain as a barn door. Why should people pay 35 cents to look at it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-tracy/this-mug-of-mine-is-as-plain-as-a-barn-door-why-should-people-pay-35/)

[Spencer Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-tracy/)

> [What brings you onto my property?" Rhev said, cradling his mug with both hands trying to absorb its warmth. Got a problem" I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-brings-you-onto-my-property-rhev-said-cradling-his-mug-with-both/)

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

> [Suppose there were groups of secularists at hospitals who went round the terminally ill and urged them to adopt atheism: 'Don't be a mug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/suppose-there-were-groups-of-secularists-at-hospitals-who-went-round/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [Saiman picked up a coffee mug, stared at it, and hurled it against the wall. It shattered into a dozen pieces. We looked at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/saiman-picked-up-a-coffee-mug-stared-at-it-and-hurled-it-against-the/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [Martha Stewart showed up at Manhattan FBI Headquarters to have her finger prints taken and pose for a mug shot. Then Martha explained how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/martha-stewart-showed-up-at-manhattan-fbi-headquarters-to-have-her/)

[Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/)

> [Closing his eyes, he sent up a prayer to anyone who was listening, asking please, for God's sake, stop sending him signals that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/closing-his-eyes-he-sent-up-a-prayer-to-anyone-who-was-listening/)

[J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/)

## 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/)

> [“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/)

> [Confidence is a reduction of your own interest in whether others are thinking about you and if so, what they're thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/confidence-is-a-reduction-of-your-own-interest-in-whether-others-are/)

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

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

## More Beach quotes

> [I love being in Malibu. It's so cool there, and the water is just, it's nice and, and I love the beach. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-evancho/i-love-being-in-malibu-it-s-so-cool-there-and-the-water-is-just-it-s/)

[Jackie Evancho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-evancho/)

> [I love the sea, but I avoid any sort of seaside resort that has skyscrapers or seaside entertainments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-blake/i-love-the-sea-but-i-avoid-any-sort-of-seaside-resort-that-has/)

[Quentin Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-blake/)

> [“I’ve always seen this in you, ever since you were a little girl — this hunger to love other people into their highest selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/i-ve-always-seen-this-in-you-ever-since-you-were-a-little-girl-this/)

[Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/)

> [I've said many times before that Pebble Beach is a wonderful thinking-man's golf course. That is why it is such a great U.S. Open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicklaus/i-ve-said-many-times-before-that-pebble-beach-is-a-wonderful-thinking/)

[Jack Nicklaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicklaus/)

> [Here about the beach I wandered, nourishing a youth sublime With the fairy tales of science, and the long result of Time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/here-about-the-beach-i-wandered-nourishing-a-youth-sublime-with-the/)

[Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/)

> [I love going to the beach and just sitting and watching the sunset by myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tayshia-adams/i-love-going-to-the-beach-and-just-sitting-and-watching-the-sunset-by/)

[Tayshia Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tayshia-adams/)

> [Carolina beach music," Dupree said, coming up on the porch. "The holiest sound on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/carolina-beach-music-dupree-said-coming-up-on-the-porch-the-holiest/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [I like trekking and staying in tents, meeting new people and eating good food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tripti-dimri/i-like-trekking-and-staying-in-tents-meeting-new-people-and-eating/)

[Tripti Dimri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tripti-dimri/)

> [The biggest part of painting perhaps is faith, and waiting receptively, content to go any way, not planning or forcing. The fear, though, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-carr/the-biggest-part-of-painting-perhaps-is-faith-and-waiting-receptively/)

[Emily Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-carr/)

> [If I'm on holiday, I'm active on the beach, I play tennis, I run, I swim a lot. It's just about making the workouts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candice-swanepoel/if-i-m-on-holiday-i-m-active-on-the-beach-i-play-tennis-i-run-i-swim/)

[Candice Swanepoel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candice-swanepoel/)

> [The holy grail is right here in this gem of a book. Tosha Silver’s wisdom goes down as easy as a mint milkshake and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lissa-rankin/the-holy-grail-is-right-here-in-this-gem-of-a-book-tosha-silver-s/)

[Lissa Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lissa-rankin/)

> [Couples without kids have each other, their friends, families, and Siri to talk to. It's not like they're quarantining themselves in an underground bunker,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-kirkman/couples-without-kids-have-each-other-their-friends-families-and-siri/)

[Jen Kirkman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-kirkman/)

> [They had me doing Beach Boys remakes and all that. I was basically a marionette.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-garrett/they-had-me-doing-beach-boys-remakes-and-all-that-i-was-basically-a/)

[Leif Garrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-garrett/)

> [When did an old white guy yelling at me, telling me what to think become news? What gives him the right to tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-ling/when-did-an-old-white-guy-yelling-at-me-telling-me-what-to-think/)

[Lisa Ling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-ling/)

> [Yes, there was one thing that I missed not being able to do - walk on a beach. I've always had this romantic image…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carr/yes-there-was-one-thing-that-i-missed-not-being-able-to-do-walk-on-a/)

[Liz Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carr/)

[Browse all 2,185 Beach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beach/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "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 from the same mug. I don't want some rusty '73 Ford Pinto with a factory-defective gas tank that causes it to explode when it's rear-ended in the parking lot of the supermarket. So why do I keep looking for Pintos?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Augusten Burroughs"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/what-i-really-want-is-to-sit-next-to-someone-under-an-l-l-bean/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beach"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/what-i-really-want-is-to-sit-next-to-someone-under-an-l-l-bean/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/augusten-burroughs-603_beach_what-i-really-want-is-to-sit-next-to-som_54135.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/augusten-burroughs-603_beach_what-i-really-want-is-to-sit-next-to-som_54135.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16f/augusten-burroughs-603_beach_what-i-really-want-is-to-sit-next-to-som_54135.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What I really want is to sit next to someone under an L.L. bean blanket on the beach in the fall and drink…” — 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": "What I really want is to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/what-i-really-want-is-to-sit-next-to-someone-under-an-l-l-bean/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/what-i-really-want-is-to-sit-next-to-someone-under-an-l-l-bean/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
