--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We all stood and gathered our backpacks…" description: "\"We all stood and gathered our backpacks and I looked at the floor around my chair to make sure I hadn’t dropped anything. I was terrified of unwittingl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/447/curtis-sittenfeld-1731_art_we-all-stood-and-gathered-our-backpacks_717725.jpg" --- # We all stood and gathered our backpacks and I looked at… ![“We all stood and gathered our backpacks and I looked at the floor around my chair to make sure I hadn’t dropped anything. I was terrified of unwittingly leaving behind a scrap of paper on which were written all my private desires and humiliations. The fact that no such scrap of paper existed, that…” quote by Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/447/curtis-sittenfeld-1731_art_we-all-stood-and-gathered-our-backpacks_717725.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/447/curtis-sittenfeld-1731_art_we-all-stood-and-gathered-our-backpacks_717725.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/447/curtis-sittenfeld-1731_art_we-all-stood-and-gathered-our-backpacks_717725.jpg) > “We all stood and gathered our backpacks and I looked at the floor around my chair to make sure I hadn’t dropped anything. I was terrified of unwittingly leaving behind a scrap of paper on which were written all my private desires and humiliations. The fact that no such scrap of paper existed, that I did not even keep a diary or write letters except bland, earnest, falsely cheerful ones to my family (We lost to St. Francis in soccer, but I think we’ll win our game this Saturday; we are working on self-portraits in art class, and the hardest part for me is the nose) never decreased my fear.” [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fear of exposing private thoughts drives obsessive checking, even when nothing is hidden. **In simple terms:** Fear of being exposed. Key Takeaway Practice healthy self‑disclosure. Themes anxiety privacy self‑image Mood nervous introspective Type literary personal When to use this quote - school - family gatherings - online posting Key Concepts psychology social media vulnerability Questions to Reflect On - What secrets are you protecting? - How can you balance privacy and openness? A Different Perspective Over‑checking can increase anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Art class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-class/) [Behinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/behinds/) [Bland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bland/) [Chairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chairs/) [Cheerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cheerful/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Decrease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decrease/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Diaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diaries/) [Dropped Terrified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dropped-terrified-5646268/) [Earnest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earnest/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Hardest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardest/) [Humiliation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humiliation/) [Leaving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaving/) [Letters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letters/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [My family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-family/) [Noses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noses/) [Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper/) [Paper Existed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paper-existed-5646270/) [Portraits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portraits/) [Saturday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saturday/) [Scrap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scrap/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self portrait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-portrait/) [Soccer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soccer/) [Terrified](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified/) [Terrified Unwittingly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrified-unwittingly-5646269/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“You just asked me to marry you," he said, still waiting for me to admit some kind of trickery. 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And I doubt she gave you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juno-the-movie/juno-your-little-girlfriend-gave-me-the-stinkeye-in-art-class/) [Juno (The Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juno-the-movie/) > [“Fair enough,” he said. “But I went to that party sophomore year because I found out you were going and … I wanted to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-perkins/fair-enough-he-said-but-i-went-to-that-party-sophomore-year-because-i/) [Stephanie Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-perkins/) > [Often, when art from the canon is brought in to fine art classes, it is used as a prop to inspire art-making projects but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munira-mirza/often-when-art-from-the-canon-is-brought-in-to-fine-art-classes-it-is/) [Munira Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munira-mirza/) > [“In children's art class we sat in a ring of kindergarten chairs and drew three daffodils that had just been picked out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eudora-welty/in-children-s-art-class-we-sat-in-a-ring-of-kindergarten-chairs-and/) [Eudora Welty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eudora-welty/) > [ All these children \[who did not have music and art classes at school\] go out into the world without knowing that there is anything… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-midler/all-these-children-who-did-not-have-music-and-art-classes-at-school/) [Bette Midler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-midler/) > [I remember when I was in art classes, I hated following the assignments. And I would get in trouble for doing something totally different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/i-remember-when-i-was-in-art-classes-i-hated-following-the/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [All the other kids in ninth grade were drawing hot rods and cocker spaniels and getting blue ribbons in art class. I was getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-holland/all-the-other-kids-in-ninth-grade-were-drawing-hot-rods-and-cocker/) [Brad Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-holland/) > [I had no idea what art was. There was one art class in high school, but it didn't make a big impression on me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claes-oldenburg/i-had-no-idea-what-art-was-there-was-one-art-class-in-high-school-but/) [Claes Oldenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claes-oldenburg/) > [“I thought you seemed a lot nicer lately. Dick will do that. Thank god, too, because you’re usually one mood swing away from snapping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ebony-brewer/i-thought-you-seemed-a-lot-nicer-lately-dick-will-do-that-thank-god/) [Ebony Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ebony-brewer/) > [I think that when I was child, acting was mostly just a hobby for me. It was something that my parents encouraged me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-wilson/i-think-that-when-i-was-child-acting-was-mostly-just-a-hobby-for-me/) [Mara Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-wilson/) > [ I started the film \[Hostel Part II\]with the girls in an art class and there's a nude male model. People think that women are… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-started-the-film-hostel-part-ii-with-the-girls-in-an-art-class-and/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [I was quite a shy kid, but I was quite funny at school, and I was really into art. In our class, there were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-fielding/i-was-quite-a-shy-kid-but-i-was-quite-funny-at-school-and-i-was/) [Noel Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-fielding/) ## More by Curtis Sittenfeld > [The best part of being a writer for me is immersing myself in a fictional world, which is the opposite of being on social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/the-best-part-of-being-a-writer-for-me-is-immersing-myself-in-a/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [“I think adults forget just how much faith teenagers can have in them, just how willing to believe that adults, by virtue of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/i-think-adults-forget-just-how-much-faith-teenagers-can-have-in-them/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [“She came down to my dorm that night, knocking on the door around nine o'clock. Martha was at the library, and I was eating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/she-came-down-to-my-dorm-that-night-knocking-on-the-door-around-nine/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [My boarding school experience was the only thing I had strong enough feelings to write about for hundreds and hundreds of pages. I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/my-boarding-school-experience-was-the-only-thing-i-had-strong-enough/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [Of course a magazine is usually more interesting than a conversation, because so much more time and preparation has gone into it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/of-course-a-magazine-is-usually-more-interesting-than-a-conversation/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [I feel that Pride and Prejudice is an incredibly well constructed novel on every level. The dialogue is great. The character development is great.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/i-feel-that-pride-and-prejudice-is-an-incredibly-well-constructed/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [I should probably be careful admitting this, but sometimes, when my characters are having a disagreement, it's a disagreement I'm having with myself. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/i-should-probably-be-careful-admitting-this-but-sometimes-when-my/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [“Approaching each other, him from the gym, me from the library- this was when I walked down the aisle and he was waiting, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/approaching-each-other-him-from-the-gym-me-from-the-library-this-was/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [After I’d told her – the mall, the taxi, Cross stroking my hair – she said, ‘Did he kiss you?’ ‘John and Martin totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/after-i-d-told-her-the-mall-the-taxi-cross-stroking-my-hair-she-said/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [There's an ongoing 'water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink' situation at my house in terms of both pens and paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/there-s-an-ongoing-water-water-everywhere-and-not-a-drop-to-drink/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [She opened her mouth but did not immediately speak, and I felt, simultaneously, the impulse to coax the words from her and the impulse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/she-opened-her-mouth-but-did-not-immediately-speak-and-i-felt/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [“But the truth was that I didn't want to stay in Riley. The pulls of familial love and obligation could not, for the moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/but-the-truth-was-that-i-didn-t-want-to-stay-in-riley-the-pulls-of/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [“Profii de aici le-au vazut pe toate. Noi ne percepem ca individualitati distincte, dar in ochii lor nu suntem decat o masa de nevoi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/profii-de-aici-le-au-vazut-pe-toate-noi-ne-percepem-ca/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [When I was writing my first two books I was also freelancing and teaching and doing other odd jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/when-i-was-writing-my-first-two-books-i-was-also-freelancing-and/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) > [“When I think of Henry and Oliver and Mike, I feel as if they are three different models - templates, almost - and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/when-i-think-of-henry-and-oliver-and-mike-i-feel-as-if-they-are-three/) [Curtis Sittenfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) [Explore all 212 Curtis Sittenfeld quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/) ## More Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We all stood and gathered our backpacks and I looked at the floor around my chair to make sure I hadn’t dropped anything. I was terrified of unwittingly leaving behind a scrap of paper on which were written all my private desires and humiliations. The fact that no such scrap of paper existed, that I did not even keep a diary or write letters except bland, earnest, falsely cheerful ones to my family (We lost to St. Francis in soccer, but I think we’ll win our game this Saturday; we are working on self-portraits in art class, and the hardest part for me is the nose) never decreased my fear.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Curtis Sittenfeld" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/we-all-stood-and-gathered-our-backpacks-and-i-looked-at-the-floor/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/we-all-stood-and-gathered-our-backpacks-and-i-looked-at-the-floor/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/447/curtis-sittenfeld-1731_art_we-all-stood-and-gathered-our-backpacks_717725.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/447/curtis-sittenfeld-1731_art_we-all-stood-and-gathered-our-backpacks_717725.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/447/curtis-sittenfeld-1731_art_we-all-stood-and-gathered-our-backpacks_717725.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We all stood and gathered our backpacks and I looked at the floor around my chair to make sure I hadn’t…” — Curtis Sittenfeld", "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": "Curtis Sittenfeld", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-sittenfeld/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We all stood and gathered our...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/we-all-stood-and-gathered-our-backpacks-and-i-looked-at-the-floor/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-sittenfeld/we-all-stood-and-gathered-our-backpacks-and-i-looked-at-the-floor/#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 } } ] } ```