--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seems only yesterday I used to believe…" description: "\"It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was nothing under my skin but light. If you cut me I could shine.\" — Billy Collins" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/183/billy-collins-3004_believe_it-seems-only-yesterday-i-used-to-believ_802531.jpg" --- # It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was… ![“It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was nothing under my skin but light. If you cut me I could shine.” quote by Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/183/billy-collins-3004_believe_it-seems-only-yesterday-i-used-to-believ_802531.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/183/billy-collins-3004_believe_it-seems-only-yesterday-i-used-to-believ_802531.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/183/billy-collins-3004_believe_it-seems-only-yesterday-i-used-to-believ_802531.jpg) > “It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was nothing under my skin but light. If you cut me I could shine.” [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reflects on youthful belief in inner brilliance and potential. **In simple terms:** Belief in inner light and potential. Key Takeaway Nurture inner potential early. Themes potential innocence self‑discovery Mood reflective hopeful Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - school essays - career planning - personal growth Key Concepts metaphor poetic reflection Questions to Reflect On - What does “light” symbolize for you? - How can you sustain youthful optimism? A Different Perspective Idealism may clash with reality later. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Cut Shine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cut-shine-6142582/) [Cutting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cutting/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Light Cut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light-cut-285869/) [Shine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shine/) [Shining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining/) [Skin Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skin-light-417433/) [Skins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/skins/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [Yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yesterday/) ## Related quotes > [“It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was nothing under my skin but light. If you cut me I could shine. 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If you cut me I would shine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/it-seems-only-yesterday-that-i-used-to-believe-there-was-nothing/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [“Man had created light and cut himself from the Heavens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacre-stoker/man-had-created-light-and-cut-himself-from-the-heavens/) [Dacre Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacre-stoker/) > [The light was cut to lace by the trees that had grown so thick with leaves in the last few months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/the-light-was-cut-to-lace-by-the-trees-that-had-grown-so-thick-with/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [I got the idea for my novel 'Lord of Light' when I cut myself shaving just before I was to go on a panel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/i-got-the-idea-for-my-novel-lord-of-light-when-i-cut-myself-shaving/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [I like Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream, as it's great for soothing dry skin and adding shine. I use it instead of balm, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-madekwe/i-like-elizabeth-arden-eight-hour-cream-as-it-s-great-for-soothing/) [Ashley Madekwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-madekwe/) > [“It seems only yesterday I used to believe There was nothing under my skin but light. If you cut me I would shine. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/it-seems-only-yesterday-i-used-to-believe-there-was-nothing-under-my-3/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [“Beyond the mask she is witness to his glorious soul. Exposed to the elements, she warms her skin in his light and essence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truth-devour/beyond-the-mask-she-is-witness-to-his-glorious-soul-exposed-to-the/) [Truth Devour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truth-devour/) > [It takes practice to shave the skin off the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-carson/it-takes-practice-to-shave-the-skin-off-the-light/) [Anne Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-carson/) > [“Between skin and skin there is only light. And there was my poetry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/between-skin-and-skin-there-is-only-light-and-there-was-my-poetry/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [Between skin and skin, there is only light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/between-skin-and-skin-there-is-only-light/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [“When we first came here We were cold and we were clear with no colours on our skin We were light and paper thin.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-and-the-machine/when-we-first-came-here-we-were-cold-and-we-were-clear-with-no/) [Florence And The Machine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-and-the-machine/) > [“We are stars wrapped in skin. The light you are seeking has always been within.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-stars-wrapped-in-skin-the-light-you-are-seeking-has-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can’t shine if you don’t burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ayers/you-can-t-shine-if-you-don-t-burn/) [Kevin Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ayers/) > [What do stars do? They shine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/what-do-stars-do-they-shine/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) ## More by Billy Collins > [“The whole idea of it makes me feel Like I’m coming down with something, Something worse than any stomach ache Or the headaches I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/the-whole-idea-of-it-makes-me-feel-like-i-m-coming-down-with/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [I think clarity is the real risk in poetry because you are exposed. You're out in the open field. You're actually saying things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/i-think-clarity-is-the-real-risk-in-poetry-because-you-are-exposed/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [...pleasure, of course, is a slippery word… Our pleasures ultimately belong to us, not to the pleasure's so](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/pleasure-of-course-is-a-slippery-word-our-pleasures-ultimately-belong/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [I stared up at the ebbing quarter moon and the stars scattered like a handful of salt across the faraway sky...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/i-stared-up-at-the-ebbing-quarter-moon-and-the-stars-scattered-like-a/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [Death is what makes life fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/death-is-what-makes-life-fun/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [A trouble with poetry is the presence of presumptuousness in poetry, the sense you get in a poem that the poet takes for granted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/a-trouble-with-poetry-is-the-presence-of-presumptuousness-in-poetry/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [You come by your style by learning what to leave out. 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But I'd say the hardest part is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/usually-the-poems-are-written-in-one-sitting-there-s-always-a-groping/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [I was influenced by the Beats because I actually just began to commit adolescence around 1955, when "Howl" and Rebel Without a Cause and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/i-was-influenced-by-the-beats-because-i-actually-just-began-to-commit/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [Some difficulty is warranted and other difficulty I think is gratuitous. And I think I can tell the difference. 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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/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. 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Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It seems only yesterday I used to believe there was nothing under my skin but light. 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