---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Think of these pages as graffiti maybe…"
description: "\"Think of these pages as graffiti maybe, and where I have scratched up in a public place my longings and loves, my grievances and indecencies, be remind..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/frederick-buechner-883_age_think-of-these-pages-as-graffiti-maybe-a_535373.png"
---

#  Think of these pages as graffiti maybe, and where I have…

![“Think of these pages as graffiti maybe, and where I have scratched up in a public place my longings and loves, my grievances and indecencies, be reminded in private of your own. In that way, at least, we can hold a kind of converse.” quote by Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/frederick-buechner-883_age_think-of-these-pages-as-graffiti-maybe-a_535373.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/frederick-buechner-883_age_think-of-these-pages-as-graffiti-maybe-a_535373.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/frederick-buechner-883_age_think-of-these-pages-as-graffiti-maybe-a_535373.png)

> “Think of these pages as graffiti maybe, and where I have scratched up in a public place my longings and loves, my grievances and indecencies, be reminded in private of your own. In that way, at least, we can hold a kind of converse.”

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

## About This Quote

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

Personal expression on public walls mirrors private reflection, inviting mutual understanding through shared vulnerability.

**In simple terms:** Public writing reflects private feelings, prompting personal reflection.

Key Takeaway

Use public expression to explore inner thoughts.

Themes

vulnerability communication reflection

Mood

introspective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- journaling
- street art
- therapy
- community dialogue

Key Concepts

psychology social interaction

Questions to Reflect On

- How does seeing personal marks in public affect your self‑awareness?
- What risks arise when sharing intimate thoughts openly?

A Different Perspective

Public graffiti may be misinterpreted or ignored, limiting its conversational power.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [And love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/and-love/) [Graffiti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graffiti/) [Graffiti Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graffiti-maybe-4488334/) [Grievance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grievance/) [Indecencies Reminded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indecencies-reminded-4488333/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Pages Graffiti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages-graffiti-4488331/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Reminded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reminded/) [Reminded Private](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reminded-private-4488332/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/)

## Related quotes

> [Of the Seven Deadly Sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/of-the-seven-deadly-sins-anger-is-possibly-the-most-fun-to-lick-your/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [May you eat an unfamiliar dessert in a strange land at least once every three years. May you wake up... and start dancing while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-brezsny/may-you-eat-an-unfamiliar-dessert-in-a-strange-land-at-least-once/)

[Rob Brezsny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-brezsny/)

> [Graffiti's always been a temporary art form. You make your mark and then they scrub it off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/graffiti-s-always-been-a-temporary-art-form-you-make-your-mark-and/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [Graffiti is a pathetic attempt at anonymous recognition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-dale-adams/graffiti-is-a-pathetic-attempt-at-anonymous-recognition/)

[Randall Dale Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-dale-adams/)

> [Graffiti ultimately wins out over proper art because it becomes part of your city, it' s a tool; "I'll meet you in that pub,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/graffiti-ultimately-wins-out-over-proper-art-because-it-becomes-part/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [Graffiti is like building a career. And there is a dialogue with the other artists out there mostly fellow writers because a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaws/graffiti-is-like-building-a-career-and-there-is-a-dialogue-with-the/)

[KAWS](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaws/)

> [Berlin is still a very edgy place, a very cosmopolitan place. It's a place where completely different ideas and cultures come together and clash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-bremmer/berlin-is-still-a-very-edgy-place-a-very-cosmopolitan-place-it-s-a/)

[Ian Bremmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-bremmer/)

> [The grumpier you are, the more assholes you meet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banksy/the-grumpier-you-are-the-more-assholes-you-meet/)

[Banksy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banksy/)

> [“I spray the sky fast. Eyes ahead and behind. Looking for cops. Looking for anyone I don't want to be here. Paint sails and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cath-crowley/i-spray-the-sky-fast-eyes-ahead-and-behind-looking-for-cops-looking/)

[cath crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cath-crowley/)

> [I love graffiti because it enables kids from every social extraction to do something that brings them closer to art, when they normally wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mcgee/i-love-graffiti-because-it-enables-kids-from-every-social-extraction/)

[Barry McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mcgee/)

> [Environmental damage such as graffiti, fly-posting and general littering is a menace that is becoming all too prevalent, not just in inner cities but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-beckett/environmental-damage-such-as-graffiti-fly-posting-and-general/)

[Margaret Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-beckett/)

> [Currently, it was leading him through a neighborhood that was on the downside of whatever curve you hoped you'd bought your property on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/currently-it-was-leading-him-through-a-neighborhood-that-was-on-the/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [You know, you'd hide behind a Public Enemy or Ice Cube, or Bruce Springsteen, or U2, because they spoke for you. But now everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-t/you-know-you-d-hide-behind-a-public-enemy-or-ice-cube-or-bruce/)

[Ice T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-t/)

> [“A novel is no different than graffiti in a bathroom stall, it's just more pretentious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-leigh-stewart/a-novel-is-no-different-than-graffiti-in-a-bathroom-stall-it-s-just/)

[Christy Leigh Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-leigh-stewart/)

> [I started when I was 15 years old. And at that time, I was not thinking about changing the world, I was doing graffiti…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jr/i-started-when-i-was-15-years-old-and-at-that-time-i-was-not-thinking/)

[JR](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jr/)

## More by Frederick Buechner

> [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [People are disturbed not by things but by the view they take of them. They may forget what you said, but they will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/people-are-disturbed-not-by-things-but-by-the-view-they-take-of-them/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [It is impossible to conceive how different things would have turned out if that birth had not happened whenever, wherever, however it didfor millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/it-is-impossible-to-conceive-how-different-things-would-have-turned/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [At least to look back over their own lives, as I have looked back over mine, for certain themes and patterns and signals that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/at-least-to-look-back-over-their-own-lives-as-i-have-looked-back-over/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [Snobs are people who look down on other people, but that does not justify our looking down on them. Who can say what dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/snobs-are-people-who-look-down-on-other-people-but-that-does-not/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [I could, of course, have done no more if no less than affiliated myself in one way or another with a particular church, could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/i-could-of-course-have-done-no-more-if-no-less-than-affiliated-myself/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [Even the saddest things can become, once we have made peace with them, a source of wisdom and strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/even-the-saddest-things-can-become-once-we-have-made-peace-with-them/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [A Christian isn't necessarily any nicer than anybody else, just better informed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/a-christian-isn-t-necessarily-any-nicer-than-anybody-else-just-better/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [“The things that the world fills time with are enough to turn the heart to stone, but the goodness of time itself is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/the-things-that-the-world-fills-time-with-are-enough-to-turn-the/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [The pride that keeps us from forgiving is the same pride which keeps us from accepting forgiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/the-pride-that-keeps-us-from-forgiving-is-the-same-pride-which-keeps/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [“You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but a the same time you carry them with you in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/you-can-kiss-your-family-and-friends-good-bye-and-put-miles-between/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [If the truth is worth telling, it is worth making a fool of yourself to tell it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/if-the-truth-is-worth-telling-it-is-worth-making-a-fool-of-yourself/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [I suspect that Jesus spoke many of his parables as a kind of sad and holy joke and that that may be part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/i-suspect-that-jesus-spoke-many-of-his-parables-as-a-kind-of-sad-and/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [“How Adewen stuffed her braid in her mouth at that! Or she'd cover her mirth with her hands and shake till you'd think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/how-adewen-stuffed-her-braid-in-her-mouth-at-that-or-she-d-cover-her/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [Resurrection means that the worst thing is never the last thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/resurrection-means-that-the-worst-thing-is-never-the-last-thing/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

[Explore all 339 Frederick Buechner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Think of these pages as graffiti maybe, and where I have scratched up in a public place my longings and loves, my grievances and indecencies, be reminded in private of your own. In that way, at least, we can hold a kind of converse.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frederick Buechner"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/think-of-these-pages-as-graffiti-maybe-and-where-i-have-scratched-up/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/think-of-these-pages-as-graffiti-maybe-and-where-i-have-scratched-up/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/frederick-buechner-883_age_think-of-these-pages-as-graffiti-maybe-a_535373.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/frederick-buechner-883_age_think-of-these-pages-as-graffiti-maybe-a_535373.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f91/frederick-buechner-883_age_think-of-these-pages-as-graffiti-maybe-a_535373.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Think of these pages as graffiti maybe, and where I have scratched up in a public place my longings and…” — Frederick Buechner",
                "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": "Frederick Buechner",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Think of these pages as graffiti...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/think-of-these-pages-as-graffiti-maybe-and-where-i-have-scratched-up/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/think-of-these-pages-as-graffiti-maybe-and-where-i-have-scratched-up/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
