--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I just didn’t get it— even with the…" description: "\"“I just didn’t get it— even with the teacher holding an orange (the earth) in one hand and a lemon (the moon) in the other, her favorite student (the s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/denise-duhamel-18337_arrogance_i-just-didn-t-get-it-even-with-the-teach_272126.jpg" --- # I just didn’t get it— even with the teacher holding an… ![“I just didn’t get it— even with the teacher holding an orange (the earth) in one hand and a lemon (the moon) in the other, her favorite student (the sun) standing behind her with a flashlight. I just couldn’t grasp it— this whole citrus universe, these bumpy planets revolving so slowly no one…” quote by Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/denise-duhamel-18337_arrogance_i-just-didn-t-get-it-even-with-the-teach_272126.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/denise-duhamel-18337_arrogance_i-just-didn-t-get-it-even-with-the-teach_272126.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96b/denise-duhamel-18337_arrogance_i-just-didn-t-get-it-even-with-the-teach_272126.jpg) > ““I just didn’t get it— even with the teacher holding an orange (the earth) in one hand and a lemon (the moon) in the other, her favorite student (the sun) standing behind her with a flashlight. I just couldn’t grasp it— this whole citrus universe, these bumpy planets revolving so slowly no one could even see themselves moving. I used to think if I could only concentrate hard enough I could be the one person to feel what no one else could, sense a small tug from the ground, a sky shift, the earth changing gears. Even though I was only one mini-speck on a speck, even though I was merely a pinprick in one goosebump on the orange, I was sure then I was the most specially perceptive, perceptively sensitive. I was sure then my mother was the only mother to snap, “The world doesn’t revolve around you!” The earth was fragile and mostly water, just the way the orange was mostly water if you peeled it, just the way I was mostly water if you peeled me. Looking back on that third grade science demonstration, I can understand why some people gave up on fame or religion or cures— especially people who have an understanding of the excruciating crawl of the world, who have a well-developed sense of spatial reasoning and the tininess that it is to be one of us. But not me—even now I wouldn’t mind being god, the force who spins the planets the way I spin a globe, a basketball, a yoyo. I wouldn’t mind being that teacher who chooses the fruit, or that favorite kid who gives the moon its glow.”” [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator reflects on childhood attempts to grasp cosmic scale, feeling both insignificant and uniquely perceptive, and later recognizes the humility required to understand one’s small place in the universe. **In simple terms:** Childhood wonder meets realization of personal smallness. Key Takeaway Accept limits, seek humility. Themes humility perspective science education ego spiritual yearning Mood reflective introspective thoughtful Type personal essay philosophical metaphorical When to use this quote - classroom demonstration - personal reflection - creative writing - philosophical contemplation Key Concepts cosmic scale spatial reasoning ego dissolution human significance Questions to Reflect On - How does feeling small shape your ambitions? - What role does humility play in learning? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex astrophysics and personal growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arrogance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) [Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Third grade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/third-grade/) ## Related quotes > [He considered it a shame when people couldn't grasp the infinite-a failure not just of imagination but of simple vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-walter/he-considered-it-a-shame-when-people-couldn-t-grasp-the-infinite-a/) [Jess Walter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-walter/) > [“Something passed close to me then, a feeling or piece of knowledge, but I couldn't quite get it. A sense of something I'd once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/something-passed-close-to-me-then-a-feeling-or-piece-of-knowledge-but/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) > [I just couldn't grasp the Concept.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-cortez-stanfield/i-just-couldn-t-grasp-the-concept/) [Marlon Cortez Stanfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-cortez-stanfield/) > [“Sometimes he awoke with a feeling of fragments afloat in his sleep, but he couldn't seem to grasp them and put them together into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/sometimes-he-awoke-with-a-feeling-of-fragments-afloat-in-his-sleep/) [Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/) > [Even as a 10-year-old, I remember trying to explain to my mother and stepfather how upset and frustrated a messy room made me. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/even-as-a-10-year-old-i-remember-trying-to-explain-to-my-mother-and/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [“Things felt so out of control right now. It was like I had been strapped to a rocket that was hurtling through life. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keary-taylor/things-felt-so-out-of-control-right-now-it-was-like-i-had-been/) [Keary Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keary-taylor/) > [I met a girl when I was in third grade. Kids were beating her up - she was deaf - so I walked her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-carteris/i-met-a-girl-when-i-was-in-third-grade-kids-were-beating-her-up-she/) [Gabrielle Carteris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-carteris/) > [In Hong Kong, in our generation that started out in the 1970s, being a director wasn't a big deal. We didn't even have director's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-hui/in-hong-kong-in-our-generation-that-started-out-in-the-1970s-being-a/) Ann Hui > [My grandmother taught me two very important lessons before she passed: hold the door for everyone and always say "thank you." That means to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-skolnik/my-grandmother-taught-me-two-very-important-lessons-before-she-passed/) [Michael Skolnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-skolnik/) > [I wanted to entertain and make people laugh. I think it really hit in third grade, but once I was in high school, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissy-metz/i-wanted-to-entertain-and-make-people-laugh-i-think-it-really-hit-in/) [Chrissy Metz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissy-metz/) > [From the third grade, I knew that I wanted to play in the NFL. It's pretty cool to see the dream about to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-wentz/from-the-third-grade-i-knew-that-i-wanted-to-play-in-the-nfl-it-s/) [Carson Wentz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-wentz/) > [I started trying to write when I was in second or third grade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-haddix/i-started-trying-to-write-when-i-was-in-second-or-third-grade/) [Margaret Haddix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-haddix/) > [“Nobody cared if you plagiarized in the third grade. All”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-janz/nobody-cared-if-you-plagiarized-in-the-third-grade-all/) Jonathan Janz > [I didn't really grow up a comic book fanatic. I was a big baseball player, and my passion in life, in third grade, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-ritchson/i-didn-t-really-grow-up-a-comic-book-fanatic-i-was-a-big-baseball/) [Alan Ritchson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-ritchson/) > [My dad had a third-grade education in Mexico. Third grade. My mom had a fifth-grade education. They were raised in a poor home... They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-garcia/my-dad-had-a-third-grade-education-in-mexico-third-grade-my-mom-had-a/) [Mikey Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-garcia/) ## More by Denise Duhamel > [I have no idea, actually, where I fit in, in terms of poetry camps. At AWP conferences, I have been on panels about humor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/i-have-no-idea-actually-where-i-fit-in-in-terms-of-poetry-camps-at/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [I am interested in the confines of the page and busting through/off the page as well. A writer must let go of the line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/i-am-interested-in-the-confines-of-the-page-and-busting-through-off/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [As a teenager, I loved acting, painting, photography, and making films with my friend's Super 8 camera. But I always loved writing the best.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/as-a-teenager-i-loved-acting-painting-photography-and-making-films/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [Though it does seem like I have written an immense amount of work, over the years I have pushed the pause button. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/though-it-does-seem-like-i-have-written-an-immense-amount-of-work/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [I know writers for whom the act of writing is a necessary chore. They suffer to write great work. I am very lucky that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/i-know-writers-for-whom-the-act-of-writing-is-a-necessary-chore-they/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [“I will be gone, but I will miss you if I’m still able to miss anything, that is, if some particle of me remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/i-will-be-gone-but-i-will-miss-you-if-i-m-still-able-to-miss-anything/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [While poetry was less professionalized than it is now, I still had this urge to win prizes and see my work in magazines, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/while-poetry-was-less-professionalized-than-it-is-now-i-still-had/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [What has stayed true in my life as a writer is my dedication to writing - I try to write every day, no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/what-has-stayed-true-in-my-life-as-a-writer-is-my-dedication-to/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [I am open to squeezing in whatever I can in this wonderful life. Instead of asking, "Is that all there is?" I seem, lately,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/i-am-open-to-squeezing-in-whatever-i-can-in-this-wonderful-life/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [In almost every book I've written, there is a reference to a movie - legendary films, actors and actresses, and forgotten made-for-TV movies. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/in-almost-every-book-i-ve-written-there-is-a-reference-to-a-movie/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [The "biggest" poems I ever made are based on the psychological principal of the "Johari Window:" what the self freely shares with others; what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/the-biggest-poems-i-ever-made-are-based-on-the-psychological/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [I started wanting desperately to say something, to make a point, to be heard - and I still feel that way. Free verse served…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/i-started-wanting-desperately-to-say-something-to-make-a-point-to-be/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [After my marriage ended, I had an urge to skip that part of my life completely in terms of poetry, not publish anything at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/after-my-marriage-ended-i-had-an-urge-to-skip-that-part-of-my-life/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [If you are my friend and say to me, "Please don't write about this," I won't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/if-you-are-my-friend-and-say-to-me-please-don-t-write-about-this-i/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) > [I don't know if there are topics that I unconsciously avoid, but as soon as they pop up in my writing, I try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-duhamel/i-don-t-know-if-there-are-topics-that-i-unconsciously-avoid-but-as/) [Denise Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) [Explore all 35 Denise Duhamel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-duhamel/) ## More Arrogance quotes > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) > [wishes for sons by Lucille Clifton i wish them cramps. i wish them a strange town and the last tampon. I wish them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/wishes-for-sons-by-lucille-clifton-i-wish-them-cramps-i-wish-them-a/) [Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/) > [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/) [Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/) > [What you see of me on TV and all of that, that is me - that's truly how I feel. I'm just multiplying it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-corbin/what-you-see-of-me-on-tv-and-all-of-that-that-is-me-that-s-truly-how/) [Baron Corbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-corbin/) > [I don't join the New Atheists. So, for example, I wouldn't have the arrogance to lecture some mother who hopes to see her dying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-don-t-join-the-new-atheists-so-for-example-i-wouldn-t-have-the/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Never mistake someones quietness for their arrogance as you can surely miss out on an awsome personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-mistake-someones-quietness-for-their-arrogance-as-you-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/most-of-us-think-of-pride-as-self-centeredness-conceit-boastfulness/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) > [“I was consumed by a selfishness and arrogance that I didn't dare let go of until I found a new persona to hide behind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-koomson/i-was-consumed-by-a-selfishness-and-arrogance-that-i-didn-t-dare-let/) [Dorothy Koomson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-koomson/) > [Arrogance is the outgrowth of prosperity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/arrogance-is-the-outgrowth-of-prosperity/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [Timing and arrogance are decisive factors in the successful use of talent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-mannes/timing-and-arrogance-are-decisive-factors-in-the-successful-use-of/) [Marya Mannes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-mannes/) > [Some say work smarter, not harder, but the wisest are both. Whether you're more of a hard worker or a smart worker, if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-tatem/some-say-work-smarter-not-harder-but-the-wisest-are-both-whether-you/) [Colby Tatem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-tatem/) > [Closed some doors, not because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because they no longer lead somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frenz-jeffrey/closed-some-doors-not-because-of-pride-incapacity-or-arrogance-but/) [Frenz Jeffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frenz-jeffrey/) > [My success isn't a result of arrogance - it's a result of belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-mcgregor/my-success-isn-t-a-result-of-arrogance-it-s-a-result-of-belief/) [Conor McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-mcgregor/) > [“...a great man who is vicious will only be a great doer of evil, and a rich man who is not liberal will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-cervantes/a-great-man-who-is-vicious-will-only-be-a-great-doer-of-evil-and-a/) Miguel Cervantes > [An increasing number of people are growing uncomfortable with the gulf between the world's rich and the poor. Ostentatiously splashing your money around simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalle-lasn/an-increasing-number-of-people-are-growing-uncomfortable-with-the/) [Kalle Lasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalle-lasn/) [Browse all 1,418 Arrogance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I just didn’t get it— even with the teacher holding an orange (the earth) in one hand and a lemon (the moon) in the other, her favorite student (the sun) standing behind her with a flashlight. I just couldn’t grasp it— this whole citrus universe, these bumpy planets revolving so slowly no one could even see themselves moving. I used to think if I could only concentrate hard enough I could be the one person to feel what no one else could, sense a small tug from the ground, a sky shift, the earth changing gears. Even though I was only one mini-speck on a speck, even though I was merely a pinprick in one goosebump on the orange, I was sure then I was the most specially perceptive, perceptively sensitive. I was sure then my mother was the only mother to snap, “The world doesn’t revolve around you!” The earth was fragile and mostly water, just the way the orange was mostly water if you peeled it, just the way I was mostly water if you peeled me. Looking back on that third grade science demonstration, I can understand why some people gave up on fame or religion or cures— especially people who have an understanding of the excruciating crawl of the world, who have a well-developed sense of spatial reasoning and the tininess that it is to be one of us. But not me—even now I wouldn’t mind being god, the force who spins the planets the way I spin a globe, a basketball, a yoyo. 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