--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Have you ever lived in the suburbs? It's…" description: "\"Have you ever lived in the suburbs? It's sterile. It's nothing. It's wasting your life, and people do not wish to waste their lives once they've seen N..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/ed-koch-7928_jokes_have-you-ever-lived-in-the-suburbs-it-s_1884770.jpg" --- # Have you ever lived in the suburbs? It's sterile. It's… ![“Have you ever lived in the suburbs? It's sterile. It's nothing. It's wasting your life, and people do not wish to waste their lives once they've seen New York! This rural American thing - I'm telling you, it's a joke,” quote by Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/ed-koch-7928_jokes_have-you-ever-lived-in-the-suburbs-it-s_1884770.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/ed-koch-7928_jokes_have-you-ever-lived-in-the-suburbs-it-s_1884770.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf7/ed-koch-7928_jokes_have-you-ever-lived-in-the-suburbs-it-s_1884770.jpg) > “Have you ever lived in the suburbs? It's sterile. It's nothing. It's wasting your life, and people do not wish to waste their lives once they've seen New York! This rural American thing - I'm telling you, it's a joke,” [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Suburban life feels empty compared to the vibrancy of New York; he critiques it as a waste. **In simple terms:** Suburbs are sterile, New York is alive. Key Takeaway Seek experiences that enrich life. Themes urban vs suburban culture identity Mood critical conversational Type sociopolitical philosophical When to use this quote - relocation - career moves - travel planning Key Concepts existentialism urbanism Questions to Reflect On - What makes a place feel alive? - How can suburbs become more vibrant? A Different Perspective Generalizing all suburbs overlooks diversity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jokes/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lived Suburbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lived-suburbs-1912326/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Rural American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rural-american-613041/) [Suburbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suburbs/) [Suburbs Sterile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suburbs-sterile-2685799/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) [Wasting Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasting-life-726576/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [Have you ever lived in the suburbs? It's sterile. It's nothing. It's wasting your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/have-you-ever-lived-in-the-suburbs-it-s-sterile-it-s-nothing-it-s/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [Before I had a driver's license, and I lived in the suburbs of Minneapolis and went to high school and came home - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-finn/before-i-had-a-driver-s-license-and-i-lived-in-the-suburbs-of/) [Craig Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-finn/) > [It just so happened that for most of my life I've lived in the suburbs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/it-just-so-happened-that-for-most-of-my-life-i-ve-lived-in-the-suburbs/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [Rural American families who depend on firewood to heat their homes will be hit just as hard as those who use oil and natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-pombo/rural-american-families-who-depend-on-firewood-to-heat-their-homes/) [Richard Pombo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-pombo/) > [I've been through college, and I lived in a trailer park for five years. I've lived in the trenches of Maryland, and I've lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cordae/i-ve-been-through-college-and-i-lived-in-a-trailer-park-for-five/) [Cordae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cordae/) > [I made my first investment at age eleven. I was wasting my life up until then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/i-made-my-first-investment-at-age-eleven-i-was-wasting-my-life-up/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [“I don’t so much fear death as I do wasting life.” Oliver Sacks”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hayes/i-don-t-so-much-fear-death-as-i-do-wasting-life-oliver-sacks/) [Bill Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hayes/) > [I feel like I'm wasting my life on people who dont know me and I care so much about them which is pointless cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-feel-like-i-m-wasting-my-life-on-people-who-dont-know-me-and-i-care/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The world offers you millions of things to get into, and if you're not falling passionately and maniacally in love with at least one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-ellis/the-world-offers-you-millions-of-things-to-get-into-and-if-you-re-not/) [Jason Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-ellis/) > [“To see time and life correctly, you must realize that whenever you waste a second, you are wasting life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/to-see-time-and-life-correctly-you-must-realize-that-whenever-you/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [I was wasting my life, always thinking about myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-wasting-my-life-always-thinking-about-myself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've never really understood why people sleep. Wasting a third of your life and becoming vulnerable for almost 8 hours every night. Doesn't seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/i-ve-never-really-understood-why-people-sleep-wasting-a-third-of-your/) [Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/) > [You're always haunted by the idea that you're wasting your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-re-always-haunted-by-the-idea-that-you-re-wasting-your-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you have an impossible dream, a dream that cannot be fulfilled, the friendly thing for me to do is to put a stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-bonaduce/if-you-have-an-impossible-dream-a-dream-that-cannot-be-fulfilled-the/) [Danny Bonaduce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-bonaduce/) > [As an artist you organize your life so that you get a chance to paint, a window of time, but that's no guarantee you'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/as-an-artist-you-organize-your-life-so-that-you-get-a-chance-to-paint/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) ## More by Ed Koch > [I love being the mayor. I want to be the mayor forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/i-love-being-the-mayor-i-want-to-be-the-mayor-forever/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [I have a social life. But I don't discuss it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/i-have-a-social-life-but-i-don-t-discuss-it/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [The Chinese describe themselves as political refugees. Many base that claim on China's strict population laws, which allow them to have only one child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-chinese-describe-themselves-as-political-refugees-many-base-that/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [Citizens, thank you for all your birthday wishes. I am 88 years old today and still lucky to live in the greatest city in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/citizens-thank-you-for-all-your-birthday-wishes-i-am-88-years-old/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [The person who is bent on killing you will follow you wherever you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-person-who-is-bent-on-killing-you-will-follow-you-wherever-you-are/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [I injured myself politically when I took on Jesse Jackson' in the 1988 presidential campaign. I was too strident. I didn't recognize the emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/i-injured-myself-politically-when-i-took-on-jesse-jackson-in-the-1988/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [Don't tell me this is a difficult problem. If it weren't difficult, it wouldn't be a problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/don-t-tell-me-this-is-a-difficult-problem-if-it-weren-t-difficult-it/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [I'm just a simple Jewish boy from the Bronx.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/i-m-just-a-simple-jewish-boy-from-the-bronx/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [...what about the millions of poor in this country who desperately need assistance and services to help bring them out of poverty? Shall they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/what-about-the-millions-of-poor-in-this-country-who-desperately-need/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [I never doubted that I would be a good mayor. I never did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/i-never-doubted-that-i-would-be-a-good-mayor-i-never-did/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [It is not possible to remake the world. You can fix parts, but you can't remake the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/it-is-not-possible-to-remake-the-world-you-can-fix-parts-but-you-can/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [“The city is the size of a country, but has been operated like a candy store.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-city-is-the-size-of-a-country-but-has-been-operated-like-a-candy/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [When I came in, the city was on the edge of bankruptcy. I'm proud of what I did. I built the foundation that mayors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/when-i-came-in-the-city-was-on-the-edge-of-bankruptcy-i-m-proud-of/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [The fireworks begin today. Each diploma is a lighted match. Each one of you is a fuse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-fireworks-begin-today-each-diploma-is-a-lighted-match-each-one-of/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [Life is indeed precious, and I believe the death penalty helps affirm this fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/life-is-indeed-precious-and-i-believe-the-death-penalty-helps-affirm/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) [Explore all 85 Ed Koch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) ## More Jokes quotes > [“Our world will not die as a result of the bomb, as the papers say, it will die of laughter, of banality, of making a joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/our-world-will-not-die-as-a-result-of-the-bomb-as-the-papers-say-it/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [There is plenty of time for Republicans to have a Macaca moment. But right now, as of October 17, 2014, the Republican Senate candidates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-continetti/there-is-plenty-of-time-for-republicans-to-have-a-macaca-moment-but/) [Matthew Continetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-continetti/) > [Hoes gonna be tricking their treats tonight! Happy Halloween!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hoes-gonna-be-tricking-their-treats-tonight-happy-halloween/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I would have done well as a gypsy child, I think. A circus baby. I coulda played a great street urchin or ragamuffin. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-lyonne/i-would-have-done-well-as-a-gypsy-child-i-think-a-circus-baby-i/) [Natasha Lyonne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-lyonne/) > [“A traveling salesman was driving in the country when his car broke down. He hiked several miles to a farmhouse and asked the farmer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-traveling-salesman-was-driving-in-the-country-when-his-car-broke/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was interested in all kinds of things, whether it be Avatar, Mad Men, Troy, 300, Battlestar Gallactica, or the poems of Horace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mendelsohn/i-was-interested-in-all-kinds-of-things-whether-it-be-avatar-mad-men/) [Daniel Mendelsohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mendelsohn/) > [I was getting dressed and a peeping tom looked in the window, took a look and pulled down the shade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-was-getting-dressed-and-a-peeping-tom-looked-in-the-window-took-a/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [You remember from watching the show, there are no "jokes." That's why if you see people on Twitter accusing me of being a "joke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/you-remember-from-watching-the-show-there-are-no-jokes-that-s-why-if/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [Worship isn't destructive, Martin. I know that. I don't. I only know it's the core of his life. What else has he got? He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shaffer/worship-isn-t-destructive-martin-i-know-that-i-don-t-i-only-know-it-s/) [Peter Shaffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shaffer/) > [I'm always looking at new ways to tell a joke so that it doesn't get stale while working on new jokes every night or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burr/i-m-always-looking-at-new-ways-to-tell-a-joke-so-that-it-doesn-t-get/) [Bill Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burr/) > [In case of emergency , Break Dance!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/in-case-of-emergency-break-dance/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [A difference of taste in jokes is a great strain on the affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-difference-of-taste-in-jokes-is-a-great-strain-on-the-affections/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Regular panelists on shows can be terrifying. They own that space, and many guest comics suspect they are favoured in the edit, while their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/regular-panelists-on-shows-can-be-terrifying-they-own-that-space-and/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [When Americans, who have no idea who I am, laugh at my jokes, it's exactly the same if someone loves you even if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gad-elmaleh/when-americans-who-have-no-idea-who-i-am-laugh-at-my-jokes-it-s/) [Gad Elmaleh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gad-elmaleh/) > [I don't do plays without jokes anymore. I've retired from those plays. 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