--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: On some summer days in New York City, the…" description: "\"On some summer days in New York City, the air hangs thickly visible, like the combined exhalations of eight million souls. Steam rising from vents unde..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/diane-ackerman-1035_air_on-some-summer-days-in-new-york-city-the_3033063.png" --- # On some summer days in New York City, the air hangs… ![“On some summer days in New York City, the air hangs thickly visible, like the combined exhalations of eight million souls. Steam rising from vents underground makes you wonder if there isn't one giant sweat gland lodged beneath the city.” quote by Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/diane-ackerman-1035_air_on-some-summer-days-in-new-york-city-the_3033063.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/diane-ackerman-1035_air_on-some-summer-days-in-new-york-city-the_3033063.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/diane-ackerman-1035_air_on-some-summer-days-in-new-york-city-the_3033063.png) > “On some summer days in New York City, the air hangs thickly visible, like the combined exhalations of eight million souls. Steam rising from vents underground makes you wonder if there isn't one giant sweat gland lodged beneath the city.” [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. City life feels suffocating, likened to a massive shared breath, emphasizing urban density and heat. **In simple terms:** City feels hot and crowded. Key Takeaway Notice how environment affects mood. Themes urban life environment heat crowding Mood reflective observational Type descriptive analytical When to use this quote - commuting - outdoor activities - city planning - health monitoring Key Concepts sociology urban studies psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does city heat affect your daily routine? - What can you do to stay cool? A Different Perspective Heat can be mitigated with cooling strategies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [New york city](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york-city/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Summer days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer-days/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [These changes-the more rapid pulse, the deeper breathing, the increase of sugar in the blood, the secretion from the adrenal glands-were very diverse and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-bradford-cannon/these-changes-the-more-rapid-pulse-the-deeper-breathing-the-increase/) [Walter Bradford Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-bradford-cannon/) > [I was 52 years old. I had diabetes and incipient arthritis. I had lost my gall bladder and most of my thyroid gland in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kroc/i-was-52-years-old-i-had-diabetes-and-incipient-arthritis-i-had-lost/) [Ray Kroc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kroc/) > [Our modern, deadline-a-day lifestyle overtaxes our adrenal glands, which end up overproducing cortisol, which in turn makes it nearly impossible to sleep and can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-somers/our-modern-deadline-a-day-lifestyle-overtaxes-our-adrenal-glands/) [Suzanne Somers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-somers/) > [Every organ, gland and cell in the body is affected by the condition of the colon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-w-walker/every-organ-gland-and-cell-in-the-body-is-affected-by-the-condition/) Norman W. Walker > [Animals have sections in their stomachs which enable them to digest food without mastication, but human beings are supposed to chew their food before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/animals-have-sections-in-their-stomachs-which-enable-them-to-digest/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [Your liver is your vital detoxification organ, and if it becomes overloaded with toxins from the food, drink, or medications you're consuming, you'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-somers/your-liver-is-your-vital-detoxification-organ-and-if-it-becomes/) [Suzanne Somers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-somers/) > [Every deadline was a crisis … No doubt it has something to do with a deep-seated personality defect, or maybe a kink in whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/every-deadline-was-a-crisis-no-doubt-it-has-something-to-do-with-a/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Success is dependent upon the glands - sweat glands.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/success-is-dependent-upon-the-glands-sweat-glands/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [I wanna hold your gland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/i-wanna-hold-your-gland/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [People ... have tried to evoke God or devil to justify them in what their glands insisted upon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/people-have-tried-to-evoke-god-or-devil-to-justify-them-in-what-their/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [If I am against the condition of the world it is not because I am a moralist, it is because I want to laugh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/if-i-am-against-the-condition-of-the-world-it-is-not-because-i-am-a/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [From numberless books the fluttering reader, idle and inconstant, bears away the bloom that only clings to the outer leaf; but genius has its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/from-numberless-books-the-fluttering-reader-idle-and-inconstant-bears/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [Our experiments not only proved the existence of a nervous apparatus in the above-mentioned glands, but also disclosed some facts clearly showing the participation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-pavlov/our-experiments-not-only-proved-the-existence-of-a-nervous-apparatus/) [Ivan Pavlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-pavlov/) > [Doubt is a precipice on the way to God. Blessed is he who is freed from its bonds. He who fares without any doubt,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/doubt-is-a-precipice-on-the-way-to-god-blessed-is-he-who-is-freed/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [I'd like to end the book a lot of ways. Except I don't have any answers. Use your common sense. Be nice. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/i-d-like-to-end-the-book-a-lot-of-ways-except-i-don-t-have-any/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) ## More by Diane Ackerman > [A self is a frightening thing to waste, it's the lens through which one's whole life is viewed, and few people are willing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/a-self-is-a-frightening-thing-to-waste-it-s-the-lens-through-which/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [“Our lives together, our duet, also continues to evolve, and even if we can’t go back to how it was, we’re designing a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/our-lives-together-our-duet-also-continues-to-evolve-and-even-if-we/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Hit a tripwire of smell and memories explode all at once. A complex vision leaps out of the undergrowth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/hit-a-tripwire-of-smell-and-memories-explode-all-at-once-a-complex/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Horses have made civilization possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/horses-have-made-civilization-possible/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Look at your feet. You are standing in the sky. When we think of the sky, we tend to look up, but the sky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/look-at-your-feet-you-are-standing-in-the-sky-when-we-think-of-the/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Who would deduce the dragonfly from the larva, the iris from the bud, the lawyer from the infant? ...We are all shape-shifters and magical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/who-would-deduce-the-dragonfly-from-the-larva-the-iris-from-the-bud/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Though we marry as adults, we don't marry adults. We marry children who have grown up and still rejoice in being children, especially if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/though-we-marry-as-adults-we-don-t-marry-adults-we-marry-children-who/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Libraries change lives. They are the soul of a people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/libraries-change-lives-they-are-the-soul-of-a-people/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [“The etymology of the Hebrew word for prophet, navi, combines three processes: navach (to cry out), nava (to gush or flow), and navuv (to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/the-etymology-of-the-hebrew-word-for-prophet-navi-combines-three/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Knee-deep in the cosmic overwhelm, I’m stricken by the ricochet wonder of it all: the plain everythingness of everything, in cahoots with the everythingness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/knee-deep-in-the-cosmic-overwhelm-i-m-stricken-by-the-ricochet-wonder/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [ Symbolic of life, hair bolts from our head\[s\]. Like the earth, it can be harvested, but it will rise again. We can change its… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/symbolic-of-life-hair-bolts-from-our-head-s-like-the-earth-it-can-be/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [“Most people know that 30 to 40 percent of the world's Jews were killed during World War II, but not that 80 to 90…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/most-people-know-that-30-to-40-percent-of-the-world-s-jews-were/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Choice is a signature of our species.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/choice-is-a-signature-of-our-species/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [The further we distance ourselves from the spell of the present, explored by our senses, the harder it will be to understand and protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/the-further-we-distance-ourselves-from-the-spell-of-the-present/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [Culture is what people invent when they have lost nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/culture-is-what-people-invent-when-they-have-lost-nature/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) [Explore all 304 Diane Ackerman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) ## More Air quotes > [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [I'm a candle flame that sways in currents of air you can't see. You need to be the one who steadies me to burn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadine-gordimer/i-m-a-candle-flame-that-sways-in-currents-of-air-you-can-t-see-you/) [Nadine Gordimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadine-gordimer/) > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [There was a little nook on Air Force Two that contained the vice presidential seal, and I would sort of wedge myself in there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-biden/there-was-a-little-nook-on-air-force-two-that-contained-the-vice/) [Jill Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-biden/) > [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/) [Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [...As the disparity between the rich and the poor grows, the fight to corner resources is intensifying. To push through their "sweetheart deals," to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/as-the-disparity-between-the-rich-and-the-poor-grows-the-fight-to/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“It is unnatural to fear something natural.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/it-is-unnatural-to-fear-something-natural/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) Browse all 6,278 Air quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "On some summer days in New York City, the air hangs thickly visible, like the combined exhalations of eight million souls. Steam rising from vents underground makes you wonder if there isn't one giant sweat gland lodged beneath the city.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Diane Ackerman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/on-some-summer-days-in-new-york-city-the-air-hangs-thickly-visible/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Air" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/on-some-summer-days-in-new-york-city-the-air-hangs-thickly-visible/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/diane-ackerman-1035_air_on-some-summer-days-in-new-york-city-the_3033063.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/diane-ackerman-1035_air_on-some-summer-days-in-new-york-city-the_3033063.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cbc/diane-ackerman-1035_air_on-some-summer-days-in-new-york-city-the_3033063.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“On some summer days in New York City, the air hangs thickly visible, like the combined exhalations of eight…” — Diane Ackerman", "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": "Diane Ackerman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "On some summer days in New...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/on-some-summer-days-in-new-york-city-the-air-hangs-thickly-visible/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/on-some-summer-days-in-new-york-city-the-air-hangs-thickly-visible/#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 } } ] } ```