---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Brendan Harris loved everyone now because…"
description: "\"“Brendan Harris loved everyone now because he loved Katie and Katie loved him. Brendan loved traffic and smog and the sound of jackhammers. He loved hi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/dennis-lehane-1503_christmas-card_brendan-harris-loved-everyone-now-becaus_2907205.jpg"
---

#  Brendan Harris loved everyone now because he loved Katie…

![“Brendan Harris loved everyone now because he loved Katie and Katie loved him. Brendan loved traffic and smog and the sound of jackhammers. He loved his worthless old man who hadn't sent him a single birthday or Christmas card since he'd walked out on Brendan and his mother when Brendan was six. He…” quote by Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/dennis-lehane-1503_christmas-card_brendan-harris-loved-everyone-now-becaus_2907205.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/dennis-lehane-1503_christmas-card_brendan-harris-loved-everyone-now-becaus_2907205.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/dennis-lehane-1503_christmas-card_brendan-harris-loved-everyone-now-becaus_2907205.jpg)

> ““Brendan Harris loved everyone now because he loved Katie and Katie loved him. Brendan loved traffic and smog and the sound of jackhammers. He loved his worthless old man who hadn't sent him a single birthday or Christmas card since he'd walked out on Brendan and his mother when Brendan was six. He loved Monday mornings, sitcoms that couldn't make a retard laugh, and standing in line at the RMV. He even loved his job, though he wouldn't be going in ever again.””

[Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

## About This Quote

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

A character reflects on the paradox of loving many things despite personal hardships, highlighting complex emotional attachments.

**In simple terms:** Loving many things despite hardship.

Key Takeaway

Accept contradictions in love.

Themes

love family loss contradiction identity

Mood

bittersweet reflective

Type

literary character study

When to use this quote

- family conflict
- personal growth
- career change
- urban life
- grief

Key Concepts

psychology human complexity resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- What does loving contradictory things reveal about self?
- How can one reconcile love with pain?

A Different Perspective

Love may blind to self‑destructive patterns.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Brendan Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brendan-harris-4167024/) [Brendan Loved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brendan-loved-4167023/) [Christmas card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas-card/) [Harris Loved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harris-loved-1591602/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Loved Brendan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved-brendan-1550057/) [Loved Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loved-katie-2455899/) [Monday Mornings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monday-mornings/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/)

## Related quotes

> [“Harris loved to read and he shared everything he read. He read to whoever happened to be in the room from whatever paper he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-nordan/harris-loved-to-read-and-he-shared-everything-he-read-he-read-to/)

[Lewis Nordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-nordan/)

> [“I know you loved him, and he’s Brendan’s father, but he didn’t deserve you. People don’t deserve to have things they don’t respect. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-ward/i-know-you-loved-him-and-he-s-brendan-s-father-but-he-didn-t-deserve/)

[Penelope Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-ward/)

> [“So I came home to the one person I knew I could trust, someone who loved me for who I am. You, Katie. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-c-jamison/so-i-came-home-to-the-one-person-i-knew-i-could-trust-someone-who/)

[Jade C. Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-c-jamison/)

> [Asian players train so hard. Most of the time, on Monday mornings, the only people you see on the range are Asians. I mean,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yani-tseng/asian-players-train-so-hard-most-of-the-time-on-monday-mornings-the/)

[Yani Tseng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yani-tseng/)

> [Monday mornings would be better if they were a part of my weekend-long blackouts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/monday-mornings-would-be-better-if-they-were-a-part-of-my-weekend/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The awfulness of Monday mornings is the world's greatest common denominator. To the millionaire and the coolie it is the same, because there can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fearing/the-awfulness-of-monday-mornings-is-the-world-s-greatest-common/)

[Kenneth Fearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fearing/)

> [What do sharks do on Monday mornings? They get up and start biting. That's me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-collins/what-do-sharks-do-on-monday-mornings-they-get-up-and-start-biting/)

[Gemma Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-collins/)

> ['Monday Mornings' is so utterly different - in so many ways - from anything else I've done, really. I also desperately wanted an ensemble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-finnigan/monday-mornings-is-so-utterly-different-in-so-many-ways-from-anything/)

[Jennifer Finnigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-finnigan/)

> [I'll be spending Sunday nights watching Mad Men and Monday mornings irrationally accusing you of having an affair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ll-be-spending-sunday-nights-watching-mad-men-and-monday-mornings/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [To have conscious communication with the angels - we all are continuously and unconsciously connecting with our angels, whether we know it or not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/to-have-conscious-communication-with-the-angels-we-all-are/)

[Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/)

> [On Monday mornings I am dedicated to the proposition that all men are created jerks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-allen-smith/on-monday-mornings-i-am-dedicated-to-the-proposition-that-all-men-are/)

[H. Allen Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-allen-smith/)

> [“Self-criticism is a way of life in North Korea. Everybody has to do it, even the highest party members. Our sessions were once a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-robert-jenkins/self-criticism-is-a-way-of-life-in-north-korea-everybody-has-to-do-it/)

[Charles Robert Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-robert-jenkins/)

> [I don't just hate Monday mornings; I hate Sunday nights when youre thinking about Monday mornings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/i-don-t-just-hate-monday-mornings-i-hate-sunday-nights-when-youre/)

[Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/)

> [“Allene never knew that murder could make Monday mornings so wonderful. It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-kang/allene-never-knew-that-murder-could-make-monday-mornings-so-wonderful/)

[Lydia Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-kang/)

> ['Monday Mornings' is terrific. It's my wife's show. I'm just lucky enough that David Kelley threw me a bone on it as well. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-silverman/monday-mornings-is-terrific-it-s-my-wife-s-show-i-m-just-lucky-enough/)

[Jonathan Silverman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-silverman/)

## More by Dennis Lehane

> [He wondered if this was what clinical depression felt like, a total numbness, a weary lack of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/he-wondered-if-this-was-what-clinical-depression-felt-like-a-total/)

[Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

> [I held her, he wanted to say, and if I knew for certain that all it would take to hold her again would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/i-held-her-he-wanted-to-say-and-if-i-knew-for-certain-that-all-it/)

[Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

> [“Everyone I know lies, breaks their word, and has perfectly legitimate excuses for why they do. Except you. Haven't you ever noticed that? Two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/everyone-i-know-lies-breaks-their-word-and-has-perfectly-legitimate/)

[Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

> [“If a man was lucky, he was moving toward something his whole life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/if-a-man-was-lucky-he-was-moving-toward-something-his-whole-life/)

[dennis lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

> [“After my daughter was born, I'd considered buying a shotgun to ward off potention suitors fourteen or so years up the road. Now, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/after-my-daughter-was-born-i-d-considered-buying-a-shotgun-to-ward/)

[Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

> [“I once again felt an odd flush of admiration for my partner's faith in a religion I had long ago abandoned. She doesn't advertise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/i-once-again-felt-an-odd-flush-of-admiration-for-my-partner-s-faith/)

[Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

> [“And she was-definitely-a woman who did not shrink from gauntlets, but stepped up to them, and said, Okay, bring it. Bring your worst. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/and-she-was-definitely-a-woman-who-did-not-shrink-from-gauntlets-but/)

[Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

> [“Jimmy looked back over at his wife, and Celeste could feel the tenderest of aches in the look. She could feel another teardrop piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/jimmy-looked-back-over-at-his-wife-and-celeste-could-feel-the/)

[Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

> [“She told him that he had the most beautiful voice she'd ever heard, that it sounded like whiskey and wood smoke.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/she-told-him-that-he-had-the-most-beautiful-voice-she-d-ever-heard/)

[Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

> [My daughter squealed again and both Bubba and I winced. It’s not an attractive sound, that. It’s high-pitched and it enters your ear canals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/my-daughter-squealed-again-and-both-bubba-and-i-winced-it-s-not-an/)

[Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

> [“It’s been a complicated decade for me.” She”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/it-s-been-a-complicated-decade-for-me-she/)

[Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

> [“The only people who ask questions like ‘Did he want to be something besides a bartender?’ are people who can become whatever they want.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/the-only-people-who-ask-questions-like-did-he-want-to-be-something/)

[Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

> [“Love, impossible, yet there was no mistaking it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/love-impossible-yet-there-was-no-mistaking-it/)

[Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

> [“She blew a stream of smoke up at the empty clotheslines. 'These silly dreams you have when you're young. I mean, what, Katie and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/she-blew-a-stream-of-smoke-up-at-the-empty-clotheslines-these-silly/)

[Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

> [“He looked back at the page, got one last glimpse before the match blew itself out. Going to find you today, Andrew. If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/he-looked-back-at-the-page-got-one-last-glimpse-before-the-match-blew/)

[Dennis Lehane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

[Explore all 231 Dennis Lehane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/)

## More Christmas card quotes

> [It's surprising to me how many of my friends send Christmas cards, or holiday cards, including my atheist and secular friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/it-s-surprising-to-me-how-many-of-my-friends-send-christmas-cards-or/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace, The gladness of Christmas give you hope, The warmth of Christmas grant you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/may-the-spirit-of-christmas-bring-you-peace-the-gladness-of-christmas/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Opened Christmas cards hum to me the hymn of love and teach me the sacrament of correspondence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-hays/opened-christmas-cards-hum-to-me-the-hymn-of-love-and-teach-me-the/)

[Edward M Hays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-hays/)

> [Christmas day is a day of joy and charity. May God make you very rich in both.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/christmas-day-is-a-day-of-joy-and-charity-may-god-make-you-very-rich/)

[Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/)

> [Let us keep Christmas beautiful without a thought of greed, that it might live forevermore to fill our every need, that it shall not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-schultz/let-us-keep-christmas-beautiful-without-a-thought-of-greed-that-it/)

[Ann Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-schultz/)

> [Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first. The birth of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-us-remember-that-the-christmas-heart-is-a-giving-heart-a-wide/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Call a nursing home and get the names of five people who don't often receive mail. Send each one a Christmas card and sign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/call-a-nursing-home-and-get-the-names-of-five-people-who-don-t-often/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love. It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-thomas-ellis/blessed-is-the-season-which-engages-the-whole-world-in-a-conspiracy/)

[William Thomas Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-thomas-ellis/)

> [I wish Hallmark made a Deadbeat Dad Christmas card.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wish-hallmark-made-a-deadbeat-dad-christmas-card/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [But sometimes I'd feel more fulfilled making Christmas cards with the mentally ill. I want to live and I want to love. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-morrissey/but-sometimes-i-d-feel-more-fulfilled-making-christmas-cards-with-the/)

[Steven Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-morrissey/)

> [I don't think I've ever gotten to the point where I sent out Christmas cards! But if I did, they would have to feature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lanegan/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-gotten-to-the-point-where-i-sent-out/)

[Mark Lanegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lanegan/)

> [One of the things I'm proudest of, one year on my refrigerator, I taped a Christmas card from the Republican National Committee and season's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-bean/one-of-the-things-i-m-proudest-of-one-year-on-my-refrigerator-i-taped/)

[Orson Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-bean/)

> [Bless us Lord, this Christmas, with quietness of mind; Teach us to be patient and always to be kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-steiner-rice/bless-us-lord-this-christmas-with-quietness-of-mind-teach-us-to-be/)

[Helen Steiner Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-steiner-rice/)

> [Personalize your Christmas cards with a short handwritten note.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/personalize-your-christmas-cards-with-a-short-handwritten-note/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Christmas is a time when everybody wants his past forgotten and his present remembered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/christmas-is-a-time-when-everybody-wants-his-past-forgotten-and-his/)

[Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/)

[Browse all 90 Christmas card quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas-card/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Brendan Harris loved everyone now because he loved Katie and Katie loved him. Brendan loved traffic and smog and the sound of jackhammers. He loved his worthless old man who hadn't sent him a single birthday or Christmas card since he'd walked out on Brendan and his mother when Brendan was six. He loved Monday mornings, sitcoms that couldn't make a retard laugh, and standing in line at the RMV. He even loved his job, though he wouldn't be going in ever again.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dennis Lehane"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/brendan-harris-loved-everyone-now-because-he-loved-katie-and-katie/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Christmas card"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/brendan-harris-loved-everyone-now-because-he-loved-katie-and-katie/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/dennis-lehane-1503_christmas-card_brendan-harris-loved-everyone-now-becaus_2907205.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/dennis-lehane-1503_christmas-card_brendan-harris-loved-everyone-now-becaus_2907205.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d0b/dennis-lehane-1503_christmas-card_brendan-harris-loved-everyone-now-becaus_2907205.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Brendan Harris loved everyone now because he loved Katie and Katie loved him. Brendan loved traffic and smog…” — Dennis Lehane",
                "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": "Dennis Lehane",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-lehane/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Brendan Harris loved everyone now because...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/brendan-harris-loved-everyone-now-because-he-loved-katie-and-katie/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-lehane/brendan-harris-loved-everyone-now-because-he-loved-katie-and-katie/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
