---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Back to the present. I found you in my…"
description: "\"“Back to the present. I found you in my locker the next morning. Not you. A photograph. But for a moment, it felt like finding a body, It felt like fin..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/david-levithan-67_time_back-to-the-present-i-found-you-in-my-lo_2234056.jpg"
---

#  Back to the present. I found you in my locker the next…

![“Back to the present. I found you in my locker the next morning. Not you. A photograph. But for a moment, it felt like finding a body, It felt like finding what you I needed to be found.” quote by David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/david-levithan-67_time_back-to-the-present-i-found-you-in-my-lo_2234056.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/david-levithan-67_time_back-to-the-present-i-found-you-in-my-lo_2234056.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/david-levithan-67_time_back-to-the-present-i-found-you-in-my-lo_2234056.jpg)

> ““Back to the present. I found you in my locker the next morning. Not you. A photograph. But for a moment, it felt like finding a body, It felt like finding what you I needed to be found.””

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

## About This Quote

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

A fleeting encounter with a photograph triggers a profound sense of loss and longing, mirroring the emotional impact of discovering a missing piece of oneself.

**In simple terms:** A photo can feel like finding a missing part of you.

Key Takeaway

Acknowledge the emotional weight of small, unexpected moments.

Themes

memory loss identity loneliness search

Mood

melancholic introspective

Type

literary emotional

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- creative writing
- therapeutic journaling

Key Concepts

symbolism psychology narrative resonance

Questions to Reflect On

- What does this moment reveal about the narrator’s deeper yearning?
- How do objects become proxies for emotional needs?

A Different Perspective

A photograph may be misinterpreted, leading to false hopes.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Body Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-felt/) [Finding Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding-body-5036244/) [Locker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/locker/) [Locker Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/locker-morning-5036243/) [Present Locker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/present-locker-5036245/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“my body would cry from all it felt and all it couldn't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/my-body-would-cry-from-all-it-felt-and-all-it-couldn-t/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [By morning, she was raw and sore, and knew walking would be an effort. By morning, she could barely remember what it had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-howard/by-morning-she-was-raw-and-sore-and-knew-walking-would-be-an-effort/)

[Linda Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-howard/)

> [“Then, as I stood in that English garden on the soft early summer night, I felt a surge of pure well-being engulf my whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-boyd/then-as-i-stood-in-that-english-garden-on-the-soft-early-summer-night/)

[William Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-boyd/)

> [First couple of days, being 'out,' the only 'out' player, my body felt like Jell-O. I was very anxious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-nassib/first-couple-of-days-being-out-the-only-out-player-my-body-felt-like/)

[Carl Nassib](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-nassib/)

> [“Comfort came in and stood with an appearance of guilt and shame. Her head bent, her eyes soaked with tears, her hands and legs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/comfort-came-in-and-stood-with-an-appearance-of-guilt-and-shame-her/)

[Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/)

> [I was loving being the champion, and I wasn't listening to my body. I almost felt like I was untouchable in a way -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-bella/i-was-loving-being-the-champion-and-i-wasn-t-listening-to-my-body-i/)

[Nikki Bella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-bella/)

> [“Warmth flooded her body and she felt her skin flush, sweat prickling her hairline. Pain dissipated to nothing but a numb, hollow feeling. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-foehner-wells/warmth-flooded-her-body-and-she-felt-her-skin-flush-sweat-prickling/)

[Jennifer Foehner Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-foehner-wells/)

> [It took a lot for me to feel mentally stable after giving birth and, physically, my body felt torn apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-solomon/it-took-a-lot-for-me-to-feel-mentally-stable-after-giving-birth-and/)

[Stacey Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-solomon/)

> [“Anger, more anger than I had ever experienced before, began to fill my body. I felt it like quickfire, shooting down my arms, my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tillie-cole/anger-more-anger-than-i-had-ever-experienced-before-began-to-fill-my/)

[Tillie Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tillie-cole/)

> [Sometimes when you play a character, you can feel it in your body. And I felt like I had characteristics of my dog: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calista-flockhart/sometimes-when-you-play-a-character-you-can-feel-it-in-your-body-and/)

[Calista Flockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calista-flockhart/)

> [“The flesh was weak, but it was not dumb. It had its own animal intelligence. In her husband's bed her body had felt like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-duran/the-flesh-was-weak-but-it-was-not-dumb-it-had-its-own-animal/)

[Meredith Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-duran/)

> [“Sometimes, as Eve was born from one of Adam’s ribs, a woman was born during my sleep from a cramped position of my thigh.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/sometimes-as-eve-was-born-from-one-of-adam-s-ribs-a-woman-was-born/)

[Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/)

> [“My breathing calmed and I left my body. I felt myself rising up from the floor, where I was pinned. It was a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olga-trujillo/my-breathing-calmed-and-i-left-my-body-i-felt-myself-rising-up-from/)

[Olga Trujillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olga-trujillo/)

> [“His body was urgent against her, and she didn't have the heart anymore to fight...She saw his eyes, tense and brilliant, fierce, not loving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/his-body-was-urgent-against-her-and-she-didn-t-have-the-heart-anymore/)

[D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/)

> [“In the lower-brow selection of tabloids that report on the weight of celebrities, one statement that follows women struggling with their weight around more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alana-massey/in-the-lower-brow-selection-of-tabloids-that-report-on-the-weight-of/)

[Alana Massey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alana-massey/)

## More by David Levithan

> [“When you jump, all you're going to do is fall. But leaping? Leaping is when you think there's something on the other side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-jump-all-you-re-going-to-do-is-fall-but-leaping-leaping-is/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“The past and the future are what's complicated. It's the present that's simple. And the simplicity is the sensation of it being just her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-past-and-the-future-are-what-s-complicated-it-s-the-present-that/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“Patrick: Is she worth the trouble? Cameron: I thought she was- Patrick: Either she is, or she isn't. So give it a shot, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/patrick-is-she-worth-the-trouble-cameron-i-thought-she-was-patrick/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“We saw our friends die. But we also see our friends live. So many of them live, and we often toast their long and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/we-saw-our-friends-die-but-we-also-see-our-friends-live-so-many-of/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [maybe tonight you're scared of falling, and maybe there's somebody here or somewhere else you're thinking about, worrying over, fretting over, trying to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/maybe-tonight-you-re-scared-of-falling-and-maybe-there-s-somebody/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“You never told me what you saw in him, not convincingly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-never-told-me-what-you-saw-in-him-not-convincingly/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“i nod to the other will grayson, up onstage. he nods to me. we have something between us, him and me. but the truth?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-nod-to-the-other-will-grayson-up-onstage-he-nods-to-me-we-have/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [The terrorists-those nineteen people, with hundreds or maybe thousands behind them-did the worst thing you can possibly imagine. But tens of millions people did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-terrorists-those-nineteen-people-with-hundreds-or-maybe-thousands/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [But I still has enough longing for that concept that I didn't want to dispel it completely. Meaning: I didn't want to tell Lily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/but-i-still-has-enough-longing-for-that-concept-that-i-didn-t-want-to/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“When you break someone's heart, you also break yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-break-someone-s-heart-you-also-break-yours/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“Because toward the end all the words started leaving. Except for the ones that had to lock up at the end of the night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/because-toward-the-end-all-the-words-started-leaving-except-for-the/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“ misgivings , n . Last night, I got up the courage to ask you if you regretted us. "There are things I miss,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/misgivings-n-last-night-i-got-up-the-courage-to-ask-you-if-you/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“Saving others is always more important than saving yourself. It has to be, or none of us would do any good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/saving-others-is-always-more-important-than-saving-yourself-it-has-to/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

[Explore all 1,648 David Levithan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

## More Locker quotes

> [When somebody was looking in my locker, it was like going in my desk. Somebody happened to be looking in my locker when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-bonilla/when-somebody-was-looking-in-my-locker-it-was-like-going-in-my-desk/)

[Bobby Bonilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-bonilla/)

> [Oh, Jason, I couldn't get my locker open...I know, I tried twisting it right, then left, but it wouldn't budge. I guess I'm just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/oh-jason-i-couldn-t-get-my-locker-open-i-know-i-tried-twisting-it/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [No one knows what to say in the loser's locker room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/no-one-knows-what-to-say-in-the-loser-s-locker-room/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [You cannot trust 25 guys in a locker room to have the same respect and training as I do with a weapon. That I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-scott/you-cannot-trust-25-guys-in-a-locker-room-to-have-the-same-respect/)

[Luke Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-scott/)

> [“You might not believe this, but there is no one like her at this school." "Oh I believe it," I said, thinking back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/you-might-not-believe-this-but-there-is-no-one-like-her-at-this/)

[Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/)

> [When people ask me what I miss most about the game, it's being in the locker room and getting to know the guys. Back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-monroe/when-people-ask-me-what-i-miss-most-about-the-game-it-s-being-in-the/)

[Earl Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-monroe/)

> [All it takes is one guy to change a locker room. To change the complexity or nature of an atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mojo-rawley/all-it-takes-is-one-guy-to-change-a-locker-room-to-change-the/)

[Mojo Rawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mojo-rawley/)

> [My locker is a business place. I keep my locker really neat, which I think is different than most people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-grier/my-locker-is-a-business-place-i-keep-my-locker-really-neat-which-i/)

[Will Grier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-grier/)

> [Cleaning out your locker the first week of January is not a whole lot of fun and it always leaves a lousy taste in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-vinatieri/cleaning-out-your-locker-the-first-week-of-january-is-not-a-whole-lot/)

[Adam Vinatieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-vinatieri/)

> [I think about 'The Hurt Locker,' and we made a film about three guys, three different looking guys with three very different energies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-geraghty/i-think-about-the-hurt-locker-and-we-made-a-film-about-three-guys/)

[Brian Geraghty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-geraghty/)

> [When I was young, it was fun being in the locker room and shagging balls in the outfield in spring training. But I couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-larkin/when-i-was-young-it-was-fun-being-in-the-locker-room-and-shagging/)

[Shane Larkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-larkin/)

> [I keep the pornographic stuff in a bus station locker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-rockwell/i-keep-the-pornographic-stuff-in-a-bus-station-locker/)

[Norman Rockwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-rockwell/)

> [Alan Trammell came right up to me. I was sitting in a locker, looking like I don't belong here. He shook my hand and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-smoltz/alan-trammell-came-right-up-to-me-i-was-sitting-in-a-locker-looking/)

[John Smoltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-smoltz/)

> [In high school, when I played football I got no respect. I shared a locker with a mop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-dangerfield/in-high-school-when-i-played-football-i-got-no-respect-i-shared-a/)

[Rodney Dangerfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-dangerfield/)

> [Fortunately I always keep a spare in my locker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/fortunately-i-always-keep-a-spare-in-my-locker/)

[Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/)

[Browse all 154 Locker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/locker/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Back to the present. I found you in my locker the next morning. Not you. A photograph. But for a moment, it felt like finding a body, It felt like finding what you I needed to be found.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Levithan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/back-to-the-present-i-found-you-in-my-locker-the-next-morning-not-you/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Locker"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/back-to-the-present-i-found-you-in-my-locker-the-next-morning-not-you/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/david-levithan-67_time_back-to-the-present-i-found-you-in-my-lo_2234056.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/david-levithan-67_time_back-to-the-present-i-found-you-in-my-lo_2234056.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43f/david-levithan-67_time_back-to-the-present-i-found-you-in-my-lo_2234056.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Back to the present. I found you in my locker the next morning. Not you. A photograph. But for a moment, it…” — David Levithan",
                "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": "David Levithan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Back to the present. I found...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/back-to-the-present-i-found-you-in-my-locker-the-next-morning-not-you/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/back-to-the-present-i-found-you-in-my-locker-the-next-morning-not-you/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
