--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A bland smile is like a green light at an…" description: "\"A bland smile is like a green light at an intersection, it feels good when you get one, but you forget it the moment you're past it.\" — Douglas Coupland" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/douglas-coupland-305_bland_a-bland-smile-is-like-a-green-light-at-a_1347727.jpg" --- # A bland smile is like a green light at an intersection, it… ![“A bland smile is like a green light at an intersection, it feels good when you get one, but you forget it the moment you're past it.” quote by Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/douglas-coupland-305_bland_a-bland-smile-is-like-a-green-light-at-a_1347727.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/douglas-coupland-305_bland_a-bland-smile-is-like-a-green-light-at-a_1347727.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/douglas-coupland-305_bland_a-bland-smile-is-like-a-green-light-at-a_1347727.jpg) > “A bland smile is like a green light at an intersection, it feels good when you get one, but you forget it the moment you're past it.” [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) ## 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 positive interaction feels rewarding at the moment but fades quickly once it’s over. **In simple terms:** Brief joy fades after it passes. Key Takeaway Appreciate moments while they last. Themes relationships gratitude transience Mood reflective nostalgic Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - dating - customer service - team meetings - public interactions Key Concepts social psychology mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How can you make fleeting moments more memorable? - What habits help retain appreciation? A Different Perspective People may become desensitized to positive signals over time. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bland/) [Bland Smile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bland-smile-4572219/) [Feel good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-good/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Forget it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget-it/) [Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/green/) [Green light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/green-light/) [Intersection Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intersection-feels-4572220/) [Intersections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intersections/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Smile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smile/) [Smile Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smile-like-284805/) ## Related quotes > [Quoth the Ocean, "Dawn! O fairest, clearest, Touch me with thy golden fingers bland; For I have no smile till thou appearest For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ingelow/quoth-the-ocean-dawn-o-fairest-clearest-touch-me-with-thy-golden/) [Jean Ingelow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ingelow/) > [City lights shine bright on my complexion, Self-reflection...red hairs flashing at the intersection. Life is a green light, one star, no script, Supporting actors...fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/action-bronson/city-lights-shine-bright-on-my-complexion-self-reflection-red-hairs/) [Action Bronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/action-bronson/) > [Don't wait for someone to green light your project, build your own intersection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-perry/don-t-wait-for-someone-to-green-light-your-project-build-your-own/) [Tyler Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-perry/) > [We don't have to wait for people to green light our projects, we can create our own intersections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-perry/we-don-t-have-to-wait-for-people-to-green-light-our-projects-we-can/) [Tyler Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-perry/) > [Be the first to seize intersecting ground, that is ground which lies the intersections of borders or intersections of main thoroughfares of commerce and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/be-the-first-to-seize-intersecting-ground-that-is-ground-which-lies/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Cleopatra stood at one of the most dangerous intersections in history; that of women and power. Clever women, Euripides had warned hundreds of years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/cleopatra-stood-at-one-of-the-most-dangerous-intersections-in-history/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [Our truth is the intersection of independent lies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-levins/our-truth-is-the-intersection-of-independent-lies/) [Richard Levins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-levins/) > [To me, curiosity is married to optimism. And that's where a lot of my motivation comes from. A lot of my way out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-brownstein/to-me-curiosity-is-married-to-optimism-and-that-s-where-a-lot-of-my/) [Carrie Brownstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-brownstein/) > [Common to the two geometries is only the general property of one-to-one correspondence, and the rule that this correspondence determines straight lines as shortest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-reichenbach/common-to-the-two-geometries-is-only-the-general-property-of-one-to/) [Hans Reichenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-reichenbach/) > [The compass represents spirituality, no end and no beginning…the ruler represents 'tangible evidence' ... a measurable event... both coming together shall represent a Human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-delonge/the-compass-represents-spirituality-no-end-and-no-beginning-the-ruler/) [Tom DeLonge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-delonge/) > [If only,’ Shiroyama dreams, ‘human beings were not masks behind masks behind masks. If only this world was a clean board of lines and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/if-only-shiroyama-dreams-human-beings-were-not-masks-behind-masks/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [Whatever vocation you decide on, track down the best people in the world at doing it and surround yourself with them. Aim high and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-weiss/whatever-vocation-you-decide-on-track-down-the-best-people-in-the/) [Scott Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-weiss/) > [I wrote this poem called “The Calvinist” to capture a glimpse of God’s sovereign intersection with the life of a sinful man. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/i-wrote-this-poem-called-the-calvinist-to-capture-a-glimpse-of-god-s/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [The intersection of spiritual, dark music and radical ecology is quite natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristoffer-rygg/the-intersection-of-spiritual-dark-music-and-radical-ecology-is-quite/) [Kristoffer Rygg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristoffer-rygg/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) ## More by Douglas Coupland > [And in your new lives you'll have to live entirely for that one sensation-that of imminent truth. And you're going to have to holler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/and-in-your-new-lives-you-ll-have-to-live-entirely-for-that-one/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [A man in a bookstore buys a book on loneliness and every woman in the store hits on him. A woman buys a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/a-man-in-a-bookstore-buys-a-book-on-loneliness-and-every-woman-in-the/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [The future and eternity are two entirely different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/the-future-and-eternity-are-two-entirely-different-things/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Do you remember how you felt at seventeen? I do and I don't (...) Imagine you came from outer space and someone showed you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/do-you-remember-how-you-felt-at-seventeen-i-do-and-i-don-t-imagine/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [You can't fake competence, creativity, or sexual arousal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/you-can-t-fake-competence-creativity-or-sexual-arousal/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“But Dag, for all of his efforts, might as well have been talking to a cat. Our parents’ generation seems neither able nor interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/but-dag-for-all-of-his-efforts-might-as-well-have-been-talking-to-a/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Negative? Moi? I think realistic might be a better word. You mean to tell me we can drive all the way here from L.A.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/negative-moi-i-think-realistic-might-be-a-better-word-you-mean-to/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [It was pivotal in making you but you don't remember it. Or do you? Do we understand the events that make us who we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/it-was-pivotal-in-making-you-but-you-don-t-remember-it-or-do-you-do/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Your ability to rationalize your own bad deeds makes you believe that the whole world is as amoral as you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/your-ability-to-rationalize-your-own-bad-deeds-makes-you-believe-that/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“I like to go beach-combing, and I like to find interestingly shaped rocks. When I really get into the groove I start finding beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-like-to-go-beach-combing-and-i-like-to-find-interestingly-shaped/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“You know, Dag and Claire smile a lot, as do many people I know. But I always wondered if there is something either mechanical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/you-know-dag-and-claire-smile-a-lot-as-do-many-people-i-know-but-i/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Brain research tells us that only twenty percent of human beings have a sense of irony, which means that eighty percent of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/brain-research-tells-us-that-only-twenty-percent-of-human-beings-have/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [I keep vampire hours, going to bed at 2 A.M. and waking up at about 10:30-11 A.M.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-keep-vampire-hours-going-to-bed-at-2-a-m-and-waking-up-at-about-10/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“Anna-Louise leans over and whispers in my ear. "This is so surreal," she says, "I think I'm turning into a melting clock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/anna-louise-leans-over-and-whispers-in-my-ear-this-is-so-surreal-she/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [When you grow up these days, you're told you're going to have four or five different careers during your lifetime. But what they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/when-you-grow-up-these-days-you-re-told-you-re-going-to-have-four-or/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) [Explore all 704 Douglas Coupland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) ## More Bland quotes > [Going to a site with more users seems obviously better to me, but at the same time, having a bland, middle of the road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-rudder/going-to-a-site-with-more-users-seems-obviously-better-to-me-but-at/) [Christian Rudder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-rudder/) > [ No visiting angel, or explorer from another planet, could have guessed that this bland orb \[Earth\] teemed with vermin, with world-mastering, self-torturing, incipiently angelic… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olaf-stapledon/no-visiting-angel-or-explorer-from-another-planet-could-have-guessed/) [Olaf Stapledon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olaf-stapledon/) > [I'm always amazed by writers who tell me they plan everything at the beginning. I feel their writing days must be very bland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tremain/i-m-always-amazed-by-writers-who-tell-me-they-plan-everything-at-the/) [Rose Tremain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tremain/) > [“I desperately wanted to give him something. By contrast, taking seemed so bland, so facile, so mechanical.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-aciman/i-desperately-wanted-to-give-him-something-by-contrast-taking-seemed/) [André Aciman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-aciman/) > [ If no one speaks out for \[young readers\], if they don’t speak out for themselves, all they’ll get for required reading will be the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/if-no-one-speaks-out-for-young-readers-if-they-don-t-speak-out-for/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [The turkeys that most Americans eat for Thanksgiving are turkeys - losers that are mass produced and bland.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-burros/the-turkeys-that-most-americans-eat-for-thanksgiving-are-turkeys/) [Marian Burros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-burros/) > [We didn't think the library was funny looking in it's faux- Greek splendor, nor did we find the cuisine limited or bland, or the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-niffenegger/we-didn-t-think-the-library-was-funny-looking-in-it-s-faux-greek/) [Audrey Niffenegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-niffenegger/) > [Do you want to increase your hunger for the Lord? Try weaning yourself from the world's diet- be prepared for some withdrawal symptoms when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-leigh-demoss/do-you-want-to-increase-your-hunger-for-the-lord-try-weaning-yourself/) [Nancy Leigh DeMoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-leigh-demoss/) > [I really like people who can do both drama and comedy and not some like middle of the road do both drama and comedy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gunn/i-really-like-people-who-can-do-both-drama-and-comedy-and-not-some/) [James Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gunn/) > [Now is the time to act or get stuck with a bland, boring, career politician who will lose to Barack Obama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/now-is-the-time-to-act-or-get-stuck-with-a-bland-boring-career/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) > [For a couple of days after chemotherapy, food tastes really bland, even the best foods. I haven't been sick, but have been a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grete-waitz/for-a-couple-of-days-after-chemotherapy-food-tastes-really-bland-even/) [Grete Waitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grete-waitz/) > [“Mark’s ideas tended to the bland, and there was no point in asking Miles, whose embittered suggestions all ran to things like Vomit Vanilla…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-mcmaster-bujold/mark-s-ideas-tended-to-the-bland-and-there-was-no-point-in-asking/) [Lois McMaster Bujold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-mcmaster-bujold/) > [If Fobbit leaves a reader feeling stranded in some bland in-between territory, then I haven't done my job. But having said all that, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-abrams/if-fobbit-leaves-a-reader-feeling-stranded-in-some-bland-in-between/) [Dave Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-abrams/) > [Often I think bullying - especially in its adult, verbal forms - is the sort of thing you don't realize till the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/often-i-think-bullying-especially-in-its-adult-verbal-forms-is-the/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) > [Forget mung beans' reputation as healthy yet bland - used right, they soak up loads of flavour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yotam-ottolenghi/forget-mung-beans-reputation-as-healthy-yet-bland-used-right-they/) [Yotam Ottolenghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yotam-ottolenghi/) [Browse all 195 Bland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bland/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A bland smile is like a green light at an intersection, it feels good when you get one, but you forget it the moment you're past it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Douglas Coupland" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/a-bland-smile-is-like-a-green-light-at-an-intersection-it-feels-good/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bland" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/a-bland-smile-is-like-a-green-light-at-an-intersection-it-feels-good/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/douglas-coupland-305_bland_a-bland-smile-is-like-a-green-light-at-a_1347727.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/douglas-coupland-305_bland_a-bland-smile-is-like-a-green-light-at-a_1347727.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e03/douglas-coupland-305_bland_a-bland-smile-is-like-a-green-light-at-a_1347727.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A bland smile is like a green light at an intersection, it feels good when you get one, but you forget it…” — Douglas Coupland", "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": "Douglas Coupland", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A bland smile is like a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/a-bland-smile-is-like-a-green-light-at-an-intersection-it-feels-good/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/a-bland-smile-is-like-a-green-light-at-an-intersection-it-feels-good/#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 } } ] } ```