--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was like when I’d taken a trip to some…" description: "\"“It was like when I’d taken a trip to some foreign land and everyone asked about it when I got back: my accounts would grow similar, focusing on this i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/benjamin-kunkel-38921_fear_it-was-like-when-i-d-taken-a-trip-to-som_1962763.jpg" --- # It was like when I’d taken a trip to some foreign land and… ![“It was like when I’d taken a trip to some foreign land and everyone asked about it when I got back: my accounts would grow similar, focusing on this impression, that cool place, a certain funny anecdote, until there was just the one account which then substituted for my memory. Remembering this…” quote by Benjamin Kunkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/benjamin-kunkel-38921_fear_it-was-like-when-i-d-taken-a-trip-to-som_1962763.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/benjamin-kunkel-38921_fear_it-was-like-when-i-d-taken-a-trip-to-som_1962763.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/127/benjamin-kunkel-38921_fear_it-was-like-when-i-d-taken-a-trip-to-som_1962763.jpg) > ““It was like when I’d taken a trip to some foreign land and everyone asked about it when I got back: my accounts would grow similar, focusing on this impression, that cool place, a certain funny anecdote, until there was just the one account which then substituted for my memory. Remembering this tendency, I felt an honest fear. It was the familiar fear, made honest through sudden intensity, that once all the sensation had evaporated from my life the residue would be a cliché. I’d die, St. Peter would be like, “So how was it?” and I’d say, “Great place. I liked the food. I was sick for part of it. But all the people were really nice.” And that would be it.”” [Benjamin Kunkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-kunkel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recalling travel often collapses into a single cliché, losing nuance and depth, prompting fear of superficial recollection **In simple terms:** Memory can become a cliché without detail Key Takeaway Preserve rich details in storytelling Themes memory nostalgia authenticity Mood reflective thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - travel writing - journaling - teaching Key Concepts narrative identity Questions to Reflect On - How can you avoid reducing memories to clichés? - What details keep a story vivid? A Different Perspective Clichés can oversimplify complex experiences ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anecdote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anecdote/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [St peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/st-peter/) ## Related quotes > [“What we’re talking about is getting to know fear, becoming familiar with fear, looking it right in the eye—not as a way to solve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/what-we-re-talking-about-is-getting-to-know-fear-becoming-familiar/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [I wasn't really big enough when I was filming at school for it to affect anyone too much, but I think my friends that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chamberlain/i-wasn-t-really-big-enough-when-i-was-filming-at-school-for-it-to/) [Emma Chamberlain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chamberlain/) > [“It was that I had started having sex, and that sex didn't feel like enough, and no emotions were really enough, I didn't feel……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angelina-jolie/it-was-that-i-had-started-having-sex-and-that-sex-didn-t-feel-like/) [Angelina Jolie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angelina-jolie/) > [I'd always disparaged the games people played in pursuit of love--or the next hook up. The whole thing was a competition to see who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammara-webber/i-d-always-disparaged-the-games-people-played-in-pursuit-of-love-or/) [Tammara Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammara-webber/) > [People rarely said what they thought, or revealed how they felt. No one was honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammara-webber/people-rarely-said-what-they-thought-or-revealed-how-they-felt-no-one/) [Tammara Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammara-webber/) > [All bullst aside, now its time to be honest. I fear no man, for death is all thats promised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/50-cent/all-bullst-aside-now-its-time-to-be-honest-i-fear-no-man-for-death-is/) [50 Cent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/50-cent/) > [All bullshit aside now its time to be honest. I fear no man for death is all thats promised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/50-cent/all-bullshit-aside-now-its-time-to-be-honest-i-fear-no-man-for-death/) [50 Cent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/50-cent/) > [Dare to be honest and fear no labor. ... Opera is where a man gets stabbed in the back, and instead of dying, he sings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/dare-to-be-honest-and-fear-no-labor-opera-is-where-a-man-gets-stabbed/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Don't be afraid of being hurt or judged by anyone, take a risk and be honest about who you really are. Be honest to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/don-t-be-afraid-of-being-hurt-or-judged-by-anyone-take-a-risk-and-be/) [Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/) > [Dare to be honest and fear no labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-burns/dare-to-be-honest-and-fear-no-labor/) [Robert Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-burns/) > [Meanwhile with the help of an anecdote I fell in love. Words caravaggio. They have a power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/meanwhile-with-the-help-of-an-anecdote-i-fell-in-love-words/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [ “\[The cats\] scamper in front of my legs, causing me to fall and face plant into whatever furniture is closest. They especially like to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weston-locher/the-cats-scamper-in-front-of-my-legs-causing-me-to-fall-and-face/) [Weston Locher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weston-locher/) > [Sometimes I get the start of a story from a memory, an anecdote, but that gets lost and is usually unrecognizable in the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/sometimes-i-get-the-start-of-a-story-from-a-memory-an-anecdote-but/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [Art isn't anecdote. It's the consciousness we bring to bear in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/art-isn-t-anecdote-it-s-the-consciousness-we-bring-to-bear-in-our/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Art to me is an anecdote of the spirit,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rothko/art-to-me-is-an-anecdote-of-the-spirit/) [Mark Rothko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rothko/) ## More by Benjamin Kunkel > [“There is no worse preparation for adulthood than having been a child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-kunkel/there-is-no-worse-preparation-for-adulthood-than-having-been-a-child/) [Benjamin Kunkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-kunkel/) > [“I can't imagine any fairminded future person feeling there was an important moral difference between the Soviet gulag and the American one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-kunkel/i-can-t-imagine-any-fairminded-future-person-feeling-there-was-an/) [Benjamin Kunkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-kunkel/) > [“You Up?' What a great question! Just to be asked was to know the answer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-kunkel/you-up-what-a-great-question-just-to-be-asked-was-to-know-the-answer/) [Benjamin Kunkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-kunkel/) > [“Currently the party line I give myself, and do in part believe, is that what’s the happiest is just to be alive and sensitive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-kunkel/currently-the-party-line-i-give-myself-and-do-in-part-believe-is-that/) [Benjamin Kunkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-kunkel/) > [“What solitary people my family were! It amazed me that two of its members had ever gotten together to produce the others. But then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-kunkel/what-solitary-people-my-family-were-it-amazed-me-that-two-of-its/) [Benjamin Kunkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-kunkel/) > [“As you grow up, and you’ll find this, you keep getting involved with larger and larger illusions that take longer and longer to fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-kunkel/as-you-grow-up-and-you-ll-find-this-you-keep-getting-involved-with/) [Benjamin Kunkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-kunkel/) [Explore all 7 Benjamin Kunkel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-kunkel/) ## More Anecdote quotes > [Art to me is an anecdote of the spirit,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rothko/art-to-me-is-an-anecdote-of-the-spirit/) [Mark Rothko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rothko/) > [Art isn't anecdote. It's the consciousness we bring to bear in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/art-isn-t-anecdote-it-s-the-consciousness-we-bring-to-bear-in-our/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [Sometimes I get the start of a story from a memory, an anecdote, but that gets lost and is usually unrecognizable in the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/sometimes-i-get-the-start-of-a-story-from-a-memory-an-anecdote-but/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [ “\[The cats\] scamper in front of my legs, causing me to fall and face plant into whatever furniture is closest. They especially like to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weston-locher/the-cats-scamper-in-front-of-my-legs-causing-me-to-fall-and-face/) [Weston Locher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weston-locher/) > [Meanwhile with the help of an anecdote I fell in love. Words caravaggio. They have a power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/meanwhile-with-the-help-of-an-anecdote-i-fell-in-love-words/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [Somewhere, there, is an analogy, in a small way, if you have the patience for it. But I guess it isn't a very good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/somewhere-there-is-an-analogy-in-a-small-way-if-you-have-the-patience/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [An anecdote is related of Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper (1621-1683), who, in speaking of religion, said, "People differ in their discourse and profession about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-burnet/an-anecdote-is-related-of-sir-anthony-ashley-cooper-1621-1683-who-in/) [Gilbert Burnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-burnet/) > [“The usual short story cannot have a complex plot, but it often has a simple one resembling a chain with two or three links.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/the-usual-short-story-cannot-have-a-complex-plot-but-it-often-has-a/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) > [“She wondered if she was in the midst of an anecdote that, for reasons of proximity, she was not yet able to perceive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/she-wondered-if-she-was-in-the-midst-of-an-anecdote-that-for-reasons/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [Sometimes ... the short short appears to rest on nothing more than a fragile anecdote which the writer has managed to drape with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/sometimes-the-short-short-appears-to-rest-on-nothing-more-than-a/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) > [“In the middle section of the book Mirabelle breaks into not one, but two houses near Belgravia Books. I had fun scoping these out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/in-the-middle-section-of-the-book-mirabelle-breaks-into-not-one-but/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [“I was fired ignominiously from the Junior School Choir for being so off tune that the choir mistress declared she couldn't even bear to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/i-was-fired-ignominiously-from-the-junior-school-choir-for-being-so/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [The plural of anecdote is not data.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-bekoff/the-plural-of-anecdote-is-not-data/) [Marc Bekoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-bekoff/) > [“After all, this was the place where I’d had my first meaningful conversation with a female, it was the site of a football’s first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weston-locher/after-all-this-was-the-place-where-i-d-had-my-first-meaningful/) [Weston Locher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weston-locher/) > [I have one anecdote about the FBI breaking into an embassy in Washington, and under Hoover, they had this sort of ruse whereby they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/i-have-one-anecdote-about-the-fbi-breaking-into-an-embassy-in/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) [Browse all 54 Anecdote quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anecdote/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was like when I’d taken a trip to some foreign land and everyone asked about it when I got back: my accounts would grow similar, focusing on this impression, that cool place, a certain funny anecdote, until there was just the one account which then substituted for my memory. Remembering this tendency, I felt an honest fear. It was the familiar fear, made honest through sudden intensity, that once all the sensation had evaporated from my life the residue would be a cliché. I’d die, St. Peter would be like, “So how was it?” and I’d say, “Great place. I liked the food. I was sick for part of it. 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