---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To keep the ugly cry-face on lock down, I…"
description: "\"“To keep the ugly cry-face on lock down, I directed my attention to my polished gold Krugerrand coin, which hung against my chest by a thin, twisted go..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/cari-kamm-43383_quote_to-keep-the-ugly-cry-face-on-lock-down-i_520963.jpg"
---

#  To keep the ugly cry-face on lock down, I directed my…

![“To keep the ugly cry-face on lock down, I directed my attention to my polished gold Krugerrand coin, which hung against my chest by a thin, twisted gold chain and flashed against my black blouse. It was my Batman signal, alerting the universe that I was in crisis and in desperate need of being…” quote by Cari Kamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/cari-kamm-43383_quote_to-keep-the-ugly-cry-face-on-lock-down-i_520963.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/cari-kamm-43383_quote_to-keep-the-ugly-cry-face-on-lock-down-i_520963.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/cari-kamm-43383_quote_to-keep-the-ugly-cry-face-on-lock-down-i_520963.jpg)

> ““To keep the ugly cry-face on lock down, I directed my attention to my polished gold Krugerrand coin, which hung against my chest by a thin, twisted gold chain and flashed against my black blouse. It was my Batman signal, alerting the universe that I was in crisis and in desperate need of being rescued immediately, if not sooner. The coin's weight was also a reminder of the reason I'd moved to Gotham City. After all, it was a result of my great-aunt and her one-ounce gold-coin collection that afforded me the opportunity of the life I was leading.””

[Cari Kamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cari-kamm/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A treasured object can serve as a personal signal of crisis, reminding us of our origins and the urgency for rescue.

**In simple terms:** A gold coin acts as a personal distress beacon.

Key Takeaway

Use symbols to remind yourself of purpose in emergencies.

Themes

symbolism crisis identity rescue personal myth

Mood

introspective hopeful

Type

personal symbolic

When to use this quote

- stressful work
- personal emergencies
- creative writing
- mental health coping
- financial planning

Key Concepts

psychology symbolic interaction narrative therapy

Questions to Reflect On

- What personal symbols help you stay grounded?
- How can you balance symbolic comfort with actionable plans?

A Different Perspective

Relying on objects may distract from practical solutions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Gotham city](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gotham-city/)

## Related quotes

> [“If you drop a gold coin in mud, it does not lose its value.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/if-you-drop-a-gold-coin-in-mud-it-does-not-lose-its-value/)

[Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/)

> [“A good man's prayers are golden recompense!" rejoined old Roger Chillingworth, as he took his leave. "Yea, they are the current gold coin of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/a-good-man-s-prayers-are-golden-recompense-rejoined-old-roger/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“One morning, as usual, Ahab went for a walk along the quarter-deck. He stopped before the mainmast and glanced at the gold coin nailed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/one-morning-as-usual-ahab-went-for-a-walk-along-the-quarter-deck-he/)

[Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/)

> [It turned out in the long run that Lincoln's credit and the popular confidence that supported it were as valuable both to his creditors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-george-nicolay/it-turned-out-in-the-long-run-that-lincoln-s-credit-and-the-popular/)

[John George Nicolay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-george-nicolay/)

> [Silver and gold are not the only coin; virtue too passes current all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/silver-and-gold-are-not-the-only-coin-virtue-too-passes-current-all/)

[Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/)

> [I was the cocktail waitress, and Sandra Bullock was the host, and this guy came in and persuaded me to try improv with Gotham…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-coolidge/i-was-the-cocktail-waitress-and-sandra-bullock-was-the-host-and-this/)

[Jennifer Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-coolidge/)

> [The difference between 'Watchmen' and a normal comic book is this: With 'Batman's Gotham City,' you are transported to another world where that superhero…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zack-snyder/the-difference-between-watchmen-and-a-normal-comic-book-is-this-with/)

[Zack Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zack-snyder/)

> [Taking Batman globally, not everything is going to have the same flavor as Gotham City; some places are going to be a lot more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-finch/taking-batman-globally-not-everything-is-going-to-have-the-same/)

[David Finch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-finch/)

> [Each Catwoman is specific to the Gotham City she lives in and the director that helps shape her. So it's kind of hard to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/each-catwoman-is-specific-to-the-gotham-city-she-lives-in-and-the/)

[Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/)

> [Heart means something, especially in Gotham City, where the only thing worse than a scrub is someone devoid of that thumping sound inside the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-a-smith/heart-means-something-especially-in-gotham-city-where-the-only-thing/)

[Stephen A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-a-smith/)

> [“Parents like to think of themselves as Batmans, and of their children as Gotham Cities. Gotham City depends on Batman for its survival, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukasz-laniecki/parents-like-to-think-of-themselves-as-batmans-and-of-their-children/)

[Lukasz Laniecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukasz-laniecki/)

> [Gotham City. Clean shafts of concrete and snowy rooftops. The work of men who died generations ago. From here, it looks like an achievement.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-miller/gotham-city-clean-shafts-of-concrete-and-snowy-rooftops-the-work-of/)

[Frank Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-miller/)

> [In 'Batman Beyond,' Terry McGinnis has the responsibility of protecting Gotham City, as well as maintaining a home and social life. He's also got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dini/in-batman-beyond-terry-mcginnis-has-the-responsibility-of-protecting/)

[Paul Dini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dini/)

> [ Chris \[Nolan\] comes at this with such a different take on Batman, so I didn't feel that I had to be true to any… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-eckhart/chris-nolan-comes-at-this-with-such-a-different-take-on-batman-so-i/)

[Aaron Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-eckhart/)

> [“And what better place to sow vengeance—to, quite literally, turn Gotham into a City of Endless Night?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/and-what-better-place-to-sow-vengeance-to-quite-literally-turn-gotham/)

[Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/)

## More by Cari Kamm

> [“Saying something aloud, anything coming from my heart was more than acknowledging it; it was owning it. I needed to hear the words come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cari-kamm/saying-something-aloud-anything-coming-from-my-heart-was-more-than/)

[Cari Kamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cari-kamm/)

> [“Bitterness can be expensive, depending on how much time you let it cost you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cari-kamm/bitterness-can-be-expensive-depending-on-how-much-time-you-let-it/)

[Cari Kamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cari-kamm/)

> [“It felt good to scrub my skin, as if I was removing everything that felt dead about me. I was the "queen of skin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cari-kamm/it-felt-good-to-scrub-my-skin-as-if-i-was-removing-everything-that/)

[Cari Kamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cari-kamm/)

> [“Just don't close your eyes when you open your heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cari-kamm/just-don-t-close-your-eyes-when-you-open-your-heart/)

[Cari Kamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cari-kamm/)

> [“To fully enjoy love, you gotta open your heart and let it breathe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cari-kamm/to-fully-enjoy-love-you-gotta-open-your-heart-and-let-it-breathe/)

[Cari Kamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cari-kamm/)

> [“she talked her whole life of seeing the world, but she never traveled further than the conversation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cari-kamm/she-talked-her-whole-life-of-seeing-the-world-but-she-never-traveled/)

[Cari Kamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cari-kamm/)

> [“The greatest love story ever told would be my own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cari-kamm/the-greatest-love-story-ever-told-would-be-my-own/)

[Cari Kamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cari-kamm/)

> [“Your soul mate isn't about the other person- but your own soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cari-kamm/your-soul-mate-isn-t-about-the-other-person-but-your-own-soul/)

[Cari Kamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cari-kamm/)

[Explore all 9 Cari Kamm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cari-kamm/)

## More Gotham city quotes

> [Each Catwoman is specific to the Gotham City she lives in and the director that helps shape her. So it's kind of hard to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-hathaway/each-catwoman-is-specific-to-the-gotham-city-she-lives-in-and-the/)

[Anne Hathaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-hathaway/)

> [ Chris \[Nolan\] comes at this with such a different take on Batman, so I didn't feel that I had to be true to any… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-eckhart/chris-nolan-comes-at-this-with-such-a-different-take-on-batman-so-i/)

[Aaron Eckhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-eckhart/)

> [In 'Batman Beyond,' Terry McGinnis has the responsibility of protecting Gotham City, as well as maintaining a home and social life. He's also got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dini/in-batman-beyond-terry-mcginnis-has-the-responsibility-of-protecting/)

[Paul Dini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dini/)

> [Gotham City. Clean shafts of concrete and snowy rooftops. The work of men who died generations ago. From here, it looks like an achievement.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-miller/gotham-city-clean-shafts-of-concrete-and-snowy-rooftops-the-work-of/)

[Frank Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-miller/)

> [“Parents like to think of themselves as Batmans, and of their children as Gotham Cities. Gotham City depends on Batman for its survival, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lukasz-laniecki/parents-like-to-think-of-themselves-as-batmans-and-of-their-children/)

[Lukasz Laniecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lukasz-laniecki/)

> [Heart means something, especially in Gotham City, where the only thing worse than a scrub is someone devoid of that thumping sound inside the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-a-smith/heart-means-something-especially-in-gotham-city-where-the-only-thing/)

[Stephen A. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-a-smith/)

> [Taking Batman globally, not everything is going to have the same flavor as Gotham City; some places are going to be a lot more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-finch/taking-batman-globally-not-everything-is-going-to-have-the-same/)

[David Finch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-finch/)

> [The difference between 'Watchmen' and a normal comic book is this: With 'Batman's Gotham City,' you are transported to another world where that superhero…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zack-snyder/the-difference-between-watchmen-and-a-normal-comic-book-is-this-with/)

[Zack Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zack-snyder/)

> [I was the cocktail waitress, and Sandra Bullock was the host, and this guy came in and persuaded me to try improv with Gotham…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-coolidge/i-was-the-cocktail-waitress-and-sandra-bullock-was-the-host-and-this/)

[Jennifer Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-coolidge/)

> [“And what better place to sow vengeance—to, quite literally, turn Gotham into a City of Endless Night?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/and-what-better-place-to-sow-vengeance-to-quite-literally-turn-gotham/)

[Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/)

[Browse all 11 Gotham city quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gotham-city/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“To keep the ugly cry-face on lock down, I directed my attention to my polished gold Krugerrand coin, which hung against my chest by a thin, twisted gold chain and flashed against my black blouse. It was my Batman signal, alerting the universe that I was in crisis and in desperate need of being rescued immediately, if not sooner. The coin's weight was also a reminder of the reason I'd moved to Gotham City. After all, it was a result of my great-aunt and her one-ounce gold-coin collection that afforded me the opportunity of the life I was leading.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Cari Kamm"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cari-kamm/to-keep-the-ugly-cry-face-on-lock-down-i-directed-my-attention-to-my/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Gotham city"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cari-kamm/to-keep-the-ugly-cry-face-on-lock-down-i-directed-my-attention-to-my/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/cari-kamm-43383_quote_to-keep-the-ugly-cry-face-on-lock-down-i_520963.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/cari-kamm-43383_quote_to-keep-the-ugly-cry-face-on-lock-down-i_520963.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/cari-kamm-43383_quote_to-keep-the-ugly-cry-face-on-lock-down-i_520963.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“To keep the ugly cry-face on lock down, I directed my attention to my polished gold Krugerrand coin, which…” — Cari Kamm",
                "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": "Cari Kamm",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cari-kamm/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“To keep the ugly cry-face on...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cari-kamm/to-keep-the-ugly-cry-face-on-lock-down-i-directed-my-attention-to-my/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cari-kamm/to-keep-the-ugly-cry-face-on-lock-down-i-directed-my-attention-to-my/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
