--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As I look back on those days, most people…" description: "\"“As I look back on those days, most people in Chicago felt that way. Chicago was host to the world at that time and we were part of it all.”\" — Erik La..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/903/erik-larson-1710_chicago_as-i-look-back-on-those-days-most-people_1609764.png" --- # As I look back on those days, most people in Chicago felt… ![“As I look back on those days, most people in Chicago felt that way. Chicago was host to the world at that time and we were part of it all.” quote by Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/903/erik-larson-1710_chicago_as-i-look-back-on-those-days-most-people_1609764.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/903/erik-larson-1710_chicago_as-i-look-back-on-those-days-most-people_1609764.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/903/erik-larson-1710_chicago_as-i-look-back-on-those-days-most-people_1609764.png) > ““As I look back on those days, most people in Chicago felt that way. Chicago was host to the world at that time and we were part of it all.”” [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Chicago’s 1893 World’s Fair created a shared sense of pride and belonging among its citizens. **In simple terms:** People felt united by a historic event. Key Takeaway Recognize collective moments that bind communities. Themes history community pride Mood nostalgic proud Type historical reflective When to use this quote - city festivals - national celebrations - public gatherings Key Concepts urban studies social identity Questions to Reflect On - How do shared events shape your identity? - What modern events foster community for you? A Different Perspective Not everyone experiences the same sense of unity; perspectives differ. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago/) [Chicago Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago-felt-567872/) [Chicago Host](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago-host-6137815/) [Host World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/host-world-6137816/) [People Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-chicago-424036/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [When I lived in Chicago, it often felt like the same people who were going to all the little theater companies were the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-gunn/when-i-lived-in-chicago-it-often-felt-like-the-same-people-who-were/) [Sean Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-gunn/) > [The thing about people from Chicago and the Northwest suburbs is that they're very cocky. I think that serves us well in the show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-chandrasekhar/the-thing-about-people-from-chicago-and-the-northwest-suburbs-is-that/) [Jay Chandrasekhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-chandrasekhar/) > [I don't think the people of Chicago should be robbed of their birthright to be perennial losers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-don-t-think-the-people-of-chicago-should-be-robbed-of-their/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [People in Chicago are so cool! They are different; they're friendly and just genuinely happy. Everyone's so polite and sweet. They even look cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inbar-lavi/people-in-chicago-are-so-cool-they-are-different-they-re-friendly-and/) [Inbar Lavi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inbar-lavi/) > [A lot of people get Chicago wrong. I've developed this protective feeling about how we're portrayed, and at the same time, I'm acutely aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamila-woods/a-lot-of-people-get-chicago-wrong-i-ve-developed-this-protective/) [Jamila Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamila-woods/) > [There are a lot of people in Chicago that I miss. I was there one year out of high school. So I basically grew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luol-deng/there-are-a-lot-of-people-in-chicago-that-i-miss-i-was-there-one-year/) [Luol Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luol-deng/) > [People who are from Chicago are just funnier than people who aren't from Chicago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-evans/people-who-are-from-chicago-are-just-funnier-than-people-who-aren-t/) [Sean Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-evans/) > [I'm impressed with the people from Chicago. Hollywood is hype, New York is talk, Chicago is work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-douglas/i-m-impressed-with-the-people-from-chicago-hollywood-is-hype-new-york/) [Michael Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-douglas/) > [Chicago is pretty much my favorite city to perform in. For some reason, people from the Chicago area have an amazing attitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-mencia/chicago-is-pretty-much-my-favorite-city-to-perform-in-for-some-reason/) [Carlos Mencia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-mencia/) > [I tell people in Chicago to take care of themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/i-tell-people-in-chicago-to-take-care-of-themselves/) [Maharishi Mahesh Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maharishi-mahesh-yogi/) > [I collaborated with so many people from Chicago - so many Black people, young Black women organizations like BYP100 and Assata's Daughters. Just being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vic-mensa/i-collaborated-with-so-many-people-from-chicago-so-many-black-people/) [Vic Mensa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vic-mensa/) > [“One of the problems with people in Chicago, she remembered, was that they were never lonely at the same time. Their sadness occurred in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/one-of-the-problems-with-people-in-chicago-she-remembered-was-that/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [I don't think the people in Chicago really knew exactly who I was in the seven years I was there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-kukoc/i-don-t-think-the-people-in-chicago-really-knew-exactly-who-i-was-in/) [Toni Kukoc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-kukoc/) > [The people of Chicago are a proud people - and for good reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-byrne/the-people-of-chicago-are-a-proud-people-and-for-good-reason/) [Jane Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-byrne/) > [“At present," he said, "I am responsible for conveying my associates to a place called Chicago. I understand it is somewhere in the hinterland.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/at-present-he-said-i-am-responsible-for-conveying-my-associates-to-a/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) ## More by Erik Larson > [I've heard from the movie marketplace that James Cameron did such a killer job with 'Titanic' that it's almost impossible to do anything better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-ve-heard-from-the-movie-marketplace-that-james-cameron-did-such-a/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [As a rule, I am very skeptical of tying books to anniversaries. I don't think readers care. I also feel that it just about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/as-a-rule-i-am-very-skeptical-of-tying-books-to-anniversaries-i-don-t/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“look as if they had been plucked from the Palace of Versailles or a Jacobean mansion—that you were aboard a ship being propelled far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/look-as-if-they-had-been-plucked-from-the-palace-of-versailles-or-a/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [That's what I love about history - nuance. I don't believe in unalloyed heroes. Everyone's got warts, and everyone's got a surprise side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/that-s-what-i-love-about-history-nuance-i-don-t-believe-in-unalloyed/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“Holmes was charming and gracious, but something about him made Belknap uneasy. He could not have defined it. Indeed, for the next several decades…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/holmes-was-charming-and-gracious-but-something-about-him-made-belknap/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [. . . why some men choose to fill their brief allotment of time engaging the impossible, others in the manufacture of sorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/why-some-men-choose-to-fill-their-brief-allotment-of-time-engaging/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“At present," he said, "I am responsible for conveying my associates to a place called Chicago. I understand it is somewhere in the hinterland.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/at-present-he-said-i-am-responsible-for-conveying-my-associates-to-a/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [I knew from an online search that the Wisconsin State Historical Society, on the vast University of Wisconsin campus, held the papers of Sigrid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-knew-from-an-online-search-that-the-wisconsin-state-historical/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [Dodd continued to hope that the murders would so outrage the German public that the regime would fall, but as the days passed he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/dodd-continued-to-hope-that-the-murders-would-so-outrage-the-german/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [I envy other writers who claim to have a backlog of books they'd like to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-envy-other-writers-who-claim-to-have-a-backlog-of-books-they-d-like/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [Trying to find ideas is the hardest part of my job. You'd think it would be the most fun. Just sitting around reading whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/trying-to-find-ideas-is-the-hardest-part-of-my-job-you-d-think-it/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“Her blind endorsement of Hitler’s regime first faded to a kind of sympathetic skepticism, but as summer approached,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/her-blind-endorsement-of-hitler-s-regime-first-faded-to-a-kind-of/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“Perhaps, Herr Ditzen, it is less important where one lives than how one lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/perhaps-herr-ditzen-it-is-less-important-where-one-lives-than-how-one/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [I figured, correctly, that Berlin in February was not a destination coveted by tourists. I found good airfares on Lufthansa, an airline I quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/i-figured-correctly-that-berlin-in-february-was-not-a-destination/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) > [“It was truly a transitional moment: There he was, at the cusp of the twentieth century, using the telephone to send a telegram.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/it-was-truly-a-transitional-moment-there-he-was-at-the-cusp-of-the/) [Erik Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) [Explore all 214 Erik Larson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/) ## More Chicago quotes > [I'm proud to say I had a bet with a guy from Chicago who said Chicago is windier and colder than Wyoming. Wyoming dominated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leach/i-m-proud-to-say-i-had-a-bet-with-a-guy-from-chicago-who-said-chicago/) [Mike Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leach/) > [I grew up in Synagogue in the boys' choir. We didn't listen to music in the house; only at temple. Then I went to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-patinkin/i-grew-up-in-synagogue-in-the-boys-choir-we-didn-t-listen-to-music-in/) [Mandy Patinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-patinkin/) > [I worked a lot in Chicago's theater scene as a fight choreographer. And so I do have a lot of experience in stage combat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-worked-a-lot-in-chicago-s-theater-scene-as-a-fight-choreographer/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [“Things are more like they are now...than they have EVER been before!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uncle-arnie-mamath/things-are-more-like-they-are-now-than-they-have-ever-been-before/) [Uncle Arnie Mamath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uncle-arnie-mamath/) > [This week I realized my dad will make you cry in the store if you make him mad. Also when your crossing the street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-week-i-realized-my-dad-will-make-you-cry-in-the-store-if-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whenever I was flying commercial, I would land in Chicago, and they would announce, 'Get your passports out.' It happened so often, I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahid-khan/whenever-i-was-flying-commercial-i-would-land-in-chicago-and-they/) [Shahid Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahid-khan/) > [I loved 'Chicago Code;' I watched that a lot. It was great because it really captured the city - I'm from Chicago, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessy-schram/i-loved-chicago-code-i-watched-that-a-lot-it-was-great-because-it/) [Jessy Schram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessy-schram/) > [As much as I want to stay on the team -- I love Chicago, I love the Bulls -- at the same time, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luol-deng/as-much-as-i-want-to-stay-on-the-team-i-love-chicago-i-love-the-bulls/) [Luol Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luol-deng/) > [I'm from Chicago. And I was an actor in high school and college, and I wanted to see if I could make a run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-chandrasekhar/i-m-from-chicago-and-i-was-an-actor-in-high-school-and-college-and-i/) [Jay Chandrasekhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-chandrasekhar/) > [“I will have both of you," he said. "My Sentinel and my city. And the GP will learn exactly how stubborn we both can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/i-will-have-both-of-you-he-said-my-sentinel-and-my-city-and-the-gp/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [You'd never think of taking a cab if you had to walk a mile down Chicago's Michigan Avenue. But in a bad city you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-jahn/you-d-never-think-of-taking-a-cab-if-you-had-to-walk-a-mile-down/) [Helmut Jahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-jahn/) > [Perhaps the most typically American place in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bryce/perhaps-the-most-typically-american-place-in-america/) [James Bryce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bryce/) > [I feel there's a really raw quality in the Chicago theater community that's really special.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-layne/i-feel-there-s-a-really-raw-quality-in-the-chicago-theater-community/) [KiKi Layne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-layne/) > [Chicago is unique. It is the only completely corrupt city in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-edward-merriam/chicago-is-unique-it-is-the-only-completely-corrupt-city-in-america/) [Charles Edward Merriam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-edward-merriam/) > [Chicago, to me, is the best wrestling crowd on the planet. They are the best. They are loud, they are ruthless, and they will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldust/chicago-to-me-is-the-best-wrestling-crowd-on-the-planet-they-are-the/) [Goldust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldust/) [Browse all 1,655 Chicago quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As I look back on those days, most people in Chicago felt that way. Chicago was host to the world at that time and we were part of it all.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Erik Larson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/as-i-look-back-on-those-days-most-people-in-chicago-felt-that-way/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chicago" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/as-i-look-back-on-those-days-most-people-in-chicago-felt-that-way/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/903/erik-larson-1710_chicago_as-i-look-back-on-those-days-most-people_1609764.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/903/erik-larson-1710_chicago_as-i-look-back-on-those-days-most-people_1609764.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/903/erik-larson-1710_chicago_as-i-look-back-on-those-days-most-people_1609764.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As I look back on those days, most people in Chicago felt that way. Chicago was host to the world at that…” — Erik Larson", "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": "Erik Larson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-larson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“As I look back on those...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/as-i-look-back-on-those-days-most-people-in-chicago-felt-that-way/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-larson/as-i-look-back-on-those-days-most-people-in-chicago-felt-that-way/#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 } } ] } ```