--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's like this,\" he'd explained once to…" description: "\"It's like this,\" he'd explained once to Connie. \"If someone gave you a single rose, you'd be happy, right?\" \"Okay,\" he went on, \"Now imagine someone gi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/barry-lyga-3439_eye_it-s-like-this-he-d-explained-once-to-co_1967968.jpg" --- # It's like this," he'd explained once to Connie. "If… ![“It's like this," he'd explained once to Connie. "If someone gave you a single rose, you'd be happy, right?" "Okay," he went on, "Now imagine someone gives you ten thousand roses." "That is a whole lotta roses," she said. "That's too much." "Right. Too much. But more than that, it makes each…” quote by Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/barry-lyga-3439_eye_it-s-like-this-he-d-explained-once-to-co_1967968.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/barry-lyga-3439_eye_it-s-like-this-he-d-explained-once-to-co_1967968.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/barry-lyga-3439_eye_it-s-like-this-he-d-explained-once-to-co_1967968.jpg) > “It's like this," he'd explained once to Connie. "If someone gave you a single rose, you'd be happy, right?" "Okay," he went on, "Now imagine someone gives you ten thousand roses." "That is a whole lotta roses," she said. "That's too much." "Right. Too much. But more than that, it makes each individual rose much less special, right? It makes it hard to pick one out and say, 'That's the good one.' And it makes you want to just get rid of them all because none of them seem special now." Connie had narrowed her eyes. "Are you saying when you're at school you just want to get rid of everyone?” [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Excess abundance can devalue individual worth, leading to disengagement and desire to discard everything. **In simple terms:** Too much makes each item feel less special. Key Takeaway Value quality over quantity. Themes abundance value perception disengagement choice overload Mood reflective analytical Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - gift giving - social media feeds - classroom assignments Key Concepts psychology of scarcity consumerism identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How do you prioritize what truly matters? - What strategies help maintain appreciation? A Different Perspective Too much variety can overwhelm decision‑making. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Flowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flowers/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rose/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Single rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-rose/) ## Related quotes > [“People where you live, the little prince said, grow five thousand roses in one garden... Yet they don't find what they're looking for... And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/people-where-you-live-the-little-prince-said-grow-five-thousand-roses/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [“The men where you live,” said the little prince, “raise five thousand roses in the same garden– and they do not find in it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahsati-abdul/the-men-where-you-live-said-the-little-prince-raise-five-thousand-2/) [Mahsati Abdul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahsati-abdul/) > [“People where you live,' the little prince said, 'grow five thousand roses in one garden...yet they don't find what they're looking for'...'And yet what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/people-where-you-live-the-little-prince-said-grow-five-thousand-roses-2/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [“The men where you live,” said the little prince, “raise five thousand roses in the same garden– and they do not find in it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/the-men-where-you-live-said-the-little-prince-raise-five-thousand/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [When I was in Class VII, a boy from Class VI came to me with a bunch of roses and said, 'Didi, will you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tridha-choudhury/when-i-was-in-class-vii-a-boy-from-class-vi-came-to-me-with-a-bunch/) [Tridha Choudhury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tridha-choudhury/) > [“...for although we may fully respect our social conventions...it may unfortunately happen that , through the perversity of others we encounter only the thorns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquis-desade/for-although-we-may-fully-respect-our-social-conventions-it-may/) Marquis deSade > [“-Well, well, look what you dragged up. You could’ve saved yourself the money on the flowers and just brought me him. Been a while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/well-well-look-what-you-dragged-up-you-could-ve-saved-yourself-the/) [richelle mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [“Teaching you how to grow a garden is better than giving you a thousand roses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/teaching-you-how-to-grow-a-garden-is-better-than-giving-you-a/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“People where you live grow five thousand roses in one garden...yet they don't find what they are looking for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/people-where-you-live-grow-five-thousand-roses-in-one-garden-yet-they/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [“Romance didn’t always mean large gestures. Often it was the small things that mattered most. A note telling her how beautiful she was, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-anne/romance-didn-t-always-mean-large-gestures-often-it-was-the-small/) [Melody Anne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-anne/) > [When autumn darkness falls, what we will remember are the small acts of kindness: a cake, a hug, an invitation to talk, and every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jens-stoltenberg/when-autumn-darkness-falls-what-we-will-remember-are-the-small-acts/) [Jens Stoltenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jens-stoltenberg/) > [“I won’t bring you a single rose to be romantic, but I will point out that our relationship itself is the rose, and it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-won-t-bring-you-a-single-rose-to-be-romantic-but-i-will-point-out/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“…Lady of silences Calm and distressed Torn and most whole Rose of memory Rose of forgetfulness Exhausted and life-giving Worried reposeful The single Rose…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-2/lady-of-silences-calm-and-distressed-torn-and-most-whole-rose-of/) [T.S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-2/) > [A single rose can be my garden, and u my friends, can be my world ..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-micah-rosales/a-single-rose-can-be-my-garden-and-u-my-friends-can-be-my-world/) [Maria Micah Rosales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-micah-rosales/) > [A single rose can be my garden... just you can be my world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kira/a-single-rose-can-be-my-garden-just-you-can-be-my-world/) [Kira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kira/) ## More by Barry Lyga > [“People can wonder and ponder and imagine all they want. But their curiosity does not entitle them to enter my world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/people-can-wonder-and-ponder-and-imagine-all-they-want-but-their/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) > [“See, forgiveness doesn't happen all at once. It's not an event -- it's a process. Forgiveness happens while you're asleep, while you're dreaming, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/see-forgiveness-doesn-t-happen-all-at-once-it-s-not-an-event-it-s-a/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) > [“Can they, like get fingerprints from her neck? Can they catch the guy that way?” “This guy isn’t an amateur. He probably used gloves.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/can-they-like-get-fingerprints-from-her-neck-can-they-catch-the-guy/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) > [“Someone's on the rag," she chides, then grabs her crotch as if adjusting a cup. "And it's not me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/someone-s-on-the-rag-she-chides-then-grabs-her-crotch-as-if-adjusting/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) > [“That last voice in his head. It hadn't been Billy's. It was his own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/that-last-voice-in-his-head-it-hadn-t-been-billy-s-it-was-his-own/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) > [“Once he gets inside your head, you're dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/once-he-gets-inside-your-head-you-re-dead/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) > [Here’s the thing about baseball-it’s not the individual sport I thought it was. Turns out I was wrong about that. Yeah, the batter is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/here-s-the-thing-about-baseball-it-s-not-the-individual-sport-i/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) > [This is why I forgive, but I don't forget. When you forget someone, the forgiveness doesn't mean anything anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/this-is-why-i-forgive-but-i-don-t-forget-when-you-forget-someone-the/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) > [You don't swing at any pitch. You swing at the ones you can hit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/you-don-t-swing-at-any-pitch-you-swing-at-the-ones-you-can-hit/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) > [“I'm such a sleep pussy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/i-m-such-a-sleep-pussy/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) > [Maybe Rachel was right all along. Maybe the past is past, history is history, and you just push it aside and look for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/maybe-rachel-was-right-all-along-maybe-the-past-is-past-history-is/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) > [Josh Mendel has a secret. Unfortunately, everyone knows what it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/josh-mendel-has-a-secret-unfortunately-everyone-knows-what-it-is/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) > [Yes,” Howie said solemnly. “I can teach you how to be more ‘street’”. “For God’s sake…” “Or is it ‘urban’? I can’t remember. Anyway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/yes-howie-said-solemnly-i-can-teach-you-how-to-be-more-street-for-god/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) > [And my parents made me want i am. So what? We get stuff from our parents, but we also get stuff from the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/and-my-parents-made-me-want-i-am-so-what-we-get-stuff-from-our/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) > [“And Jazz snapped. He didn't snap the way a normal person might snap. A normal person would fling his arms around and stomp his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/and-jazz-snapped-he-didn-t-snap-the-way-a-normal-person-might-snap-a/) [Barry Lyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) [Explore all 129 Barry Lyga quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/) ## More Eye quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [If you take your eye off the ball or lose focus for even a minute you can lose a game against any team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-anderson/if-you-take-your-eye-off-the-ball-or-lose-focus-for-even-a-minute-you/) [Felipe Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-anderson/) > [“He blinked. His eyes fell as he processed her response. Then he lifted his chin and attempted a grin that was almost painfully dejected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/he-blinked-his-eyes-fell-as-he-processed-her-response-then-he-lifted/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/) [Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/) > [Changes before your eyes, things you can do and things you can't. My attitude is always let it keep rolling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrence-malick/changes-before-your-eyes-things-you-can-do-and-things-you-can-t-my/) [Terrence Malick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrence-malick/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) > [Quotations can be valuable, like raisins in the rice pudding, for adding iron as well as eye appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peg-bracken/quotations-can-be-valuable-like-raisins-in-the-rice-pudding-for/) [Peg Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peg-bracken/) > [Clearly, when we baptize, our eyes should gaze beyond the baptismal font to the holy temple. The great garner into which the sheaves should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/clearly-when-we-baptize-our-eyes-should-gaze-beyond-the-baptismal/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) > [At the end of night, before you close your eyes, be content with what you've done and be proud of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-almond/at-the-end-of-night-before-you-close-your-eyes-be-content-with-what/) [Steve Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-almond/) > [Be neither too early in the fashion, nor too long out of it, nor too precisely in it; what custom hath civilized is become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/be-neither-too-early-in-the-fashion-nor-too-long-out-of-it-nor-too/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) > [It lies around us like a cloud- A world we do not see; Yet the sweet closing of an eye May bring us there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-beecher-stowe/it-lies-around-us-like-a-cloud-a-world-we-do-not-see-yet-the-sweet/) [Harriet Beecher Stowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-beecher-stowe/) > [A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will or against his will he draws his portrait to the eye of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-man-cannot-speak-but-he-judges-himself-with-his-will-or-against-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [She'd read once that if you ran into a bear in the woods you should avoid eye contact and you shouldn't run away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/she-d-read-once-that-if-you-ran-into-a-bear-in-the-woods-you-should/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) > [Liesel observed the strangeness of her foster father's eyes. They were made of kindness, and silver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-zusak/liesel-observed-the-strangeness-of-her-foster-father-s-eyes-they-were/) [Markus Zusak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-zusak/) Browse all 16,237 Eye quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's like this,\" he'd explained once to Connie. \"If someone gave you a single rose, you'd be happy, right?\" \"Okay,\" he went on, \"Now imagine someone gives you ten thousand roses.\" \"That is a whole lotta roses,\" she said. \"That's too much.\" \"Right. Too much. But more than that, it makes each individual rose much less special, right? It makes it hard to pick one out and say, 'That's the good one.' And it makes you want to just get rid of them all because none of them seem special now.\" Connie had narrowed her eyes. \"Are you saying when you're at school you just want to get rid of everyone?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Barry Lyga" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/it-s-like-this-he-d-explained-once-to-connie-if-someone-gave-you-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Eye" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/it-s-like-this-he-d-explained-once-to-connie-if-someone-gave-you-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/barry-lyga-3439_eye_it-s-like-this-he-d-explained-once-to-co_1967968.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/barry-lyga-3439_eye_it-s-like-this-he-d-explained-once-to-co_1967968.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90d/barry-lyga-3439_eye_it-s-like-this-he-d-explained-once-to-co_1967968.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's like this,\" he'd explained once to Connie. \"If someone gave you a single rose, you'd be happy, right?\"…” — Barry Lyga", "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": "Barry Lyga", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-lyga/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's like this,\" he'd explained once...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/it-s-like-this-he-d-explained-once-to-connie-if-someone-gave-you-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-lyga/it-s-like-this-he-d-explained-once-to-connie-if-someone-gave-you-a/#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 } } ] } ```