--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have a hippopotamus skull next to my…" description: "\"I have a hippopotamus skull next to my bed, called Gregory. When I was six, my three sisters and I clubbed together and paid £4 for it in a junk shop. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e7/deborah-moggach-9536_bed_i-have-a-hippopotamus-skull-next-to-my-b_2719502.jpg" --- # I have a hippopotamus skull next to my bed, called… ![“I have a hippopotamus skull next to my bed, called Gregory. When I was six, my three sisters and I clubbed together and paid £4 for it in a junk shop. We collected owl pellets, ostrich eggs and sheep skulls for our natural history museum at home.” quote by Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e7/deborah-moggach-9536_bed_i-have-a-hippopotamus-skull-next-to-my-b_2719502.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e7/deborah-moggach-9536_bed_i-have-a-hippopotamus-skull-next-to-my-b_2719502.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e7/deborah-moggach-9536_bed_i-have-a-hippopotamus-skull-next-to-my-b_2719502.jpg) > “I have a hippopotamus skull next to my bed, called Gregory. When I was six, my three sisters and I clubbed together and paid £4 for it in a junk shop. We collected owl pellets, ostrich eggs and sheep skulls for our natural history museum at home.” [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Collecting oddities creates a personal museum, reflecting curiosity and nostalgia. **In simple terms:** Collecting oddities shows curiosity. Key Takeaway Preserve memories through tangible collections. Themes nostalgia curiosity collection Mood nostalgic reflective Type personal cultural When to use this quote - home decor - museum curation - family storytelling - educational projects Key Concepts material culture memory studies Questions to Reflect On - Why do we keep physical reminders? - How can collections be meaningfully displayed? A Different Perspective Obsessive collecting may become clutter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hippopotamus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hippopotamus/) [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Museum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/museum/) [Natural history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-history/) [Ostrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ostrich/) [Owl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/owl/) [Sisters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sisters/) [Three sisters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three-sisters/) ## Related quotes > [America cannot be an ostrich with its head in the sand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/america-cannot-be-an-ostrich-with-its-head-in-the-sand/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [“ 'Tragedy admires man. Comedy feels a bit sorry for him.' We think we are kings or queens, masters of the universe or at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-blue/tragedy-admires-man-comedy-feels-a-bit-sorry-for-him-we-think-we-are/) Debbie Blue > [“Why be an ostrich?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/why-be-an-ostrich/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [“Ok, so lastly all we needed to do was to dodge the stage; no way on planet Earth was I going to get up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-wilkinson/ok-so-lastly-all-we-needed-to-do-was-to-dodge-the-stage-no-way-on/) [Sophie Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-wilkinson/) > [“I just don't wanna be an ostrich. That's all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/i-just-don-t-wanna-be-an-ostrich-that-s-all/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [Rock star, flyer than an ostrich.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juelz-santana/rock-star-flyer-than-an-ostrich/) [Juelz Santana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juelz-santana/) > [The ostrich is the only animal officially endowed with political direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-daninos/the-ostrich-is-the-only-animal-officially-endowed-with-political/) [Pierre Daninos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-daninos/) > [“You know what it's like, finding eight middle-aged guys having tantric sex with ostriches?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-ellis/you-know-what-it-s-like-finding-eight-middle-aged-guys-having-tantric/) [Warren Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-ellis/) > [You might be a redneck if a full-grown ostrich has fewer feathers than your cowboy hat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/you-might-be-a-redneck-if-a-full-grown-ostrich-has-fewer-feathers/) [Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/) > [“ Son of a Midas You, sir, are a stupid-head Here, have an ostrich ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/son-of-a-midas-you-sir-are-a-stupid-head-here-have-an-ostrich/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Madness is the WHO staring into the abyss and denying it is there. Madness is an ostrich who sticks her head in the sand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/madness-is-the-who-staring-into-the-abyss-and-denying-it-is-there/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [I ate ostrich. I'm not very proud of it. I was going through a very experimental period and probably during foot and mouth. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dervla-kirwan/i-ate-ostrich-i-m-not-very-proud-of-it-i-was-going-through-a-very/) [Dervla Kirwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dervla-kirwan/) > [OSTRICH, n. A large bird to which (for its sins, doubtless) nature has denied that hinder toe . . . . The absence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/ostrich-n-a-large-bird-to-which-for-its-sins-doubtless-nature-has/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“Damn her he said to himself. What good does it do my risking my life? She doesn't care whether we own an ostrich or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/damn-her-he-said-to-himself-what-good-does-it-do-my-risking-my-life/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [A chicken grows up in a little less time than an ostrich. An ostrich takes a whole year. A chicken takes a few months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-horner/a-chicken-grows-up-in-a-little-less-time-than-an-ostrich-an-ostrich/) [Jack Horner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-horner/) ## More by Deborah Moggach > [It's not a failure if a marriage or partnership ends after a certain number of years. I think, in general, we expect too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/it-s-not-a-failure-if-a-marriage-or-partnership-ends-after-a-certain/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [“Our task is not to solve enigmas, but to be aware of them, to bow our heads before them and also to prepare the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/our-task-is-not-to-solve-enigmas-but-to-be-aware-of-them-to-bow-our/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [It was very liberating, living in a foreign country, a place where everything was new and strange - the food, the customs, the climate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/it-was-very-liberating-living-in-a-foreign-country-a-place-where/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [“Even when I succeed in getting there we only have an hour. At ten o’clock the night-watch trumpet sounds and those who are out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/even-when-i-succeed-in-getting-there-we-only-have-an-hour-at-ten-o/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [“The world is chaotic. All artists know this, but they try to make sense of it. Sophia has made sense of it for him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/the-world-is-chaotic-all-artists-know-this-but-they-try-to-make-sense/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [Don't start writing your novel until you know your characters very, very well. What they'd do if they saw somebody shoplifting. What they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/don-t-start-writing-your-novel-until-you-know-your-characters-very/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [Everything will be alright in the end so if it is not alright it is not the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/everything-will-be-alright-in-the-end-so-if-it-is-not-alright-it-is/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [Living apart is hardly possible if people have children together. It can also be more expensive to maintain two homes. But then, it's expensive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/living-apart-is-hardly-possible-if-people-have-children-together-it/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [My first novel, 'You Must be Sisters,' was started in Pakistan. I've wrote several novels and a TV drama set or partly-set there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/my-first-novel-you-must-be-sisters-was-started-in-pakistan-i-ve-wrote/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [Writing a novel is a huge adventure; when it's going well it's more fun than fun. When it stutters to a halt put it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/writing-a-novel-is-a-huge-adventure-when-it-s-going-well-it-s-more/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [I like missing someone and being missed; I like looking forward to seeing him again. I like getting emails and texts with lots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/i-like-missing-someone-and-being-missed-i-like-looking-forward-to/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [The greatest artists know how to entertain, or else nobody would read them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/the-greatest-artists-know-how-to-entertain-or-else-nobody-would-read/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [I hate fussing about in the kitchen when I have people over to supper, so I make a rich beef stew cooked in wine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/i-hate-fussing-about-in-the-kitchen-when-i-have-people-over-to-supper/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [But it's also true that the person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing. All we know about the future is that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/but-it-s-also-true-that-the-person-who-risks-nothing-does-nothing-has/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) > [I do believe that we baby-boomers are reinventing ageing as we enter it. We're living longer and expecting more from life; the success of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/i-do-believe-that-we-baby-boomers-are-reinventing-ageing-as-we-enter/) [Deborah Moggach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) [Explore all 72 Deborah Moggach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/) ## More Bed quotes > [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [Your idea of fidelity is not having more than one man in bed at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-raphael/your-idea-of-fidelity-is-not-having-more-than-one-man-in-bed-at-the/) [Frederic Raphael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-raphael/) > [The beginning of love is all about the butterflies, but the end of it is when you can't get out of bed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/the-beginning-of-love-is-all-about-the-butterflies-but-the-end-of-it/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wish I had as much in bed as I get in the newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/i-wish-i-had-as-much-in-bed-as-i-get-in-the-newspapers/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [ Leave a cavity behind the \[wall\] facings, and on the inside build walls two feet thick, made of red dimension stone or burnt brick… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/leave-a-cavity-behind-the-wall-facings-and-on-the-inside-build-walls/) [Marcus Vitruvius Pollio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-vitruvius-pollio/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“In the parking lot, she drove and parked in a dark area with no other cars around. She reclined her seat, and listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/in-the-parking-lot-she-drove-and-parked-in-a-dark-area-with-no-other/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [I have to meditate before I go to bed, always. I have to let the day go and let the eternal in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bellamy-young/i-have-to-meditate-before-i-go-to-bed-always-i-have-to-let-the-day-go/) [Bellamy Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bellamy-young/) > [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I think life is full of challenges and problems. I don't believe that anyone is perfect. We all make mistakes. It's not a bed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-mansell/i-think-life-is-full-of-challenges-and-problems-i-don-t-believe-that/) [Nigel Mansell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-mansell/) > [When I saw him I thought I could curl up inside him and go to sleep and never wake up." "Men are no good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/when-i-saw-him-i-thought-i-could-curl-up-inside-him-and-go-to-sleep/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [I always wanted to be a movie star. I thought it meant being famous and having breakfast in bed. I didn't know you had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june-allyson/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-movie-star-i-thought-it-meant-being-famous/) [June Allyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/june-allyson/) Browse all 4,159 Bed quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have a hippopotamus skull next to my bed, called Gregory. When I was six, my three sisters and I clubbed together and paid £4 for it in a junk shop. We collected owl pellets, ostrich eggs and sheep skulls for our natural history museum at home.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Deborah Moggach" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/i-have-a-hippopotamus-skull-next-to-my-bed-called-gregory-when-i-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/i-have-a-hippopotamus-skull-next-to-my-bed-called-gregory-when-i-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e7/deborah-moggach-9536_bed_i-have-a-hippopotamus-skull-next-to-my-b_2719502.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e7/deborah-moggach-9536_bed_i-have-a-hippopotamus-skull-next-to-my-b_2719502.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e7/deborah-moggach-9536_bed_i-have-a-hippopotamus-skull-next-to-my-b_2719502.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have a hippopotamus skull next to my bed, called Gregory. When I was six, my three sisters and I clubbed…” — Deborah Moggach", "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": "Deborah Moggach", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-moggach/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have a hippopotamus skull next...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/i-have-a-hippopotamus-skull-next-to-my-bed-called-gregory-when-i-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-moggach/i-have-a-hippopotamus-skull-next-to-my-bed-called-gregory-when-i-was/#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 } } ] } ```