--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The way I understood purgatory - and…" description: "\"The way I understood purgatory - and maybe you've got a different version - but in Chicago in the '70s, the idea was it was like detention. You had scr..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f09/george-saunders-317_chicago_the-way-i-understood-purgatory-and-maybe_2087690.jpg" --- # The way I understood purgatory - and maybe you've got a… ![“The way I understood purgatory - and maybe you've got a different version - but in Chicago in the '70s, the idea was it was like detention. You had screwed up and you go over there in purgatory and you sit there until the end of days and then we'll decide. You'd made your mistake, and you were in…” quote by George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f09/george-saunders-317_chicago_the-way-i-understood-purgatory-and-maybe_2087690.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f09/george-saunders-317_chicago_the-way-i-understood-purgatory-and-maybe_2087690.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f09/george-saunders-317_chicago_the-way-i-understood-purgatory-and-maybe_2087690.jpg) > “The way I understood purgatory - and maybe you've got a different version - but in Chicago in the '70s, the idea was it was like detention. You had screwed up and you go over there in purgatory and you sit there until the end of days and then we'll decide. You'd made your mistake, and you were in prison, and it's not terrible and it's not great, and you feel a little crappy because you were not in the presence of God.” [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes purgatory as a metaphorical detention where one reflects on mistakes and absence from the divine. **In simple terms:** Purgatory is like a waiting room for reflection after errors. Key Takeaway Use setbacks as time for introspection and growth. Themes reflection mistake spirituality waiting Mood contemplative somber Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal failure - moral dilemmas - spiritual crises - creative writing Key Concepts redemption self‑assessment faith Questions to Reflect On - What does your “purgatory” look like after a mistake? - How can you find meaning in periods of waiting? A Different Perspective May not resonate with non‑religious perspectives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chicago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chicago/) [Detention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detention/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [End Of Days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-days/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Presence of god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presence-of-god/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Purgatory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purgatory/) [Purgatory Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purgatory-maybe-4110620/) [Purgatory Sit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purgatory-sit-3822994/) [Screwed Purgatory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screwed-purgatory-4110621/) [Screwed up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/screwed-up/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) [The end of the day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-end-of-the-day/) [Understood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understood/) [Understood Purgatory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understood-purgatory-4110619/) [Versions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/versions/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [He shrugged. "I was...thinking." "About what?" "The fires of purgatory." She had to sit down. He wasn't making any sense now. "What does that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-garwood/he-shrugged-i-was-thinking-about-what-the-fires-of-purgatory-she-had/) [Julie Garwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-garwood/) > [“Gregory writes of Armageddon as if the Devil is getting off on using him literally to write that iniquitous beast into existence, into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-k-kuykendall/gregory-writes-of-armageddon-as-if-the-devil-is-getting-off-on-using/) [A.K. Kuykendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-k-kuykendall/) > [“During the year that the atrocities in the Ukraine occurred, a young Turkish Jew of arresting personality and magnetism announced himself as the Messiah…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-ausubel/during-the-year-that-the-atrocities-in-the-ukraine-occurred-a-young/) [Nathan Ausubel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-ausubel/) > [“Dark night lay on my eyes, like a veil of black cloves - dust on my feet, at the beginning of the path of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/dark-night-lay-on-my-eyes-like-a-veil-of-black-cloves-dust-on-my-feet/) [Sir Kristian Goldmund Aumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-kristian-goldmund-aumann/) > [“I’m taking my mortal as my mate. You love me, I love you, we’re connected, what we have is beautiful and that’s all it’ll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/i-m-taking-my-mortal-as-my-mate-you-love-me-i-love-you-we-re/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) > [“And so, here at the end of days, you are as you’ve always been. Willing to die. Not willing to quit”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-stover/and-so-here-at-the-end-of-days-you-are-as-you-ve-always-been-willing/) [Matthew Stover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-stover/) > [I believe every day when I wake up and go to bed and during my dreaming time there's some moment of truth that's in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-keitel/i-believe-every-day-when-i-wake-up-and-go-to-bed-and-during-my/) [Harvey Keitel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-keitel/) > [“Some of the leaders of the backlash said their name was an acronym for “Taxed Enough Already.” Maybe this was true at first. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-litt/some-of-the-leaders-of-the-backlash-said-their-name-was-an-acronym/) [David Litt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-litt/) > [“Through Rohan over fen and field where the long grass grows The West Wind goes walking, and about the walls it goes. What news…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/through-rohan-over-fen-and-field-where-the-long-grass-grows-the-west/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [“Sarah Palin appears to have no testable core conviction except the belief (which none of her defenders denies that she holds, or at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/sarah-palin-appears-to-have-no-testable-core-conviction-except-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [“Even at the End of Days, there will be lap dancing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rose/even-at-the-end-of-days-there-will-be-lap-dancing/) [Chris Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rose/) > [“Alex slept in Darlington's bed and dreamed that he was curled behind her on the narrow mattress. He pulled her close, his fingers digging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-bardugo/alex-slept-in-darlington-s-bed-and-dreamed-that-he-was-curled-behind/) [Leigh Bardugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-bardugo/) > [“I think,' said the little Queen, smiling, 'that your friend must be the richest man in all the world.' 'I am,' returned the Scarecrow;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-frank-baum/i-think-said-the-little-queen-smiling-that-your-friend-must-be-the/) [L. Frank Baum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-frank-baum/) > [“I would like to say that all the while I waited to break out, but the truth is, I'm afraid I might have floated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-miller/i-would-like-to-say-that-all-the-while-i-waited-to-break-out-but-the/) [Madeline Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-miller/) > [“Megiddo, the hillock where, according to the Book of Revelation, Christ and Satan would wage a climactic duel that would bring about the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-silva/megiddo-the-hillock-where-according-to-the-book-of-revelation-christ/) [Daniel Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-silva/) ## More by George Saunders > [Success is like a mountain in front of you that keeps growing. If you're not careful, it will take up your whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/success-is-like-a-mountain-in-front-of-you-that-keeps-growing-if-you/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Wow wow wow is all I can say! Remember how I always buy lunchtime Scratch-Off ticket? Have I said? Maybe did not say? Well,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/wow-wow-wow-is-all-i-can-say-remember-how-i-always-buy-lunchtime/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“None of it was real; nothing was real. Everything was real; inconceivably real, infinitely dear. These and all things started as nothing, latent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/none-of-it-was-real-nothing-was-real-everything-was-real/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“We must see God not as a Him (some linear rewarding fellow) but an IT, a great beast beyond our understanding, who wants something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-must-see-god-not-as-a-him-some-linear-rewarding-fellow-but-an-it-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [America, to me, should be shouting all the time, a bunch of shouting voices, most of them wrong, some of them nuts, but please,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/america-to-me-should-be-shouting-all-the-time-a-bunch-of-shouting/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [In my case, when I am trying to be "kind" I often default in a sort of toothless loving-all stance that is, actually, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/in-my-case-when-i-am-trying-to-be-kind-i-often-default-in-a-sort-of/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [Whatever your supposed politics are - left, right - if you put it in a human connection, most people will rise to the occasion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/whatever-your-supposed-politics-are-left-right-if-you-put-it-in-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“A Clinton staffer tells me his theory. Think about Frank Sinatra, he says: born to sing. Think about Willie Mays: born to play ball.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/a-clinton-staffer-tells-me-his-theory-think-about-frank-sinatra-he/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [We try, we fail, we posture, we aspire, we pontificate - and then we age, shrink, die, and vanish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-try-we-fail-we-posture-we-aspire-we-pontificate-and-then-we-age/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. "But of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-were-torturing-a-cat-she-says-with-a-freaking-prod-a-prod-i-built/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Rachel got up and did this happy little shuffle, like she was some cheerful farmer chick who'd just stepped outside to find the hick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/rachel-got-up-and-did-this-happy-little-shuffle-like-she-was-some/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [What America is, to me, is a guy doesn't want to buy, you let him not buy, you respect his not buying. A guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-america-is-to-me-is-a-guy-doesn-t-want-to-buy-you-let-him-not/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [What good the prophet in the wilderness may do is incremental and personal. It's good for us to hear someone speak the irrational truth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/what-good-the-prophet-in-the-wilderness-may-do-is-incremental-and/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [We're in the transition between birth and death. But the one that people often know about is the transition between the moment of death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-re-in-the-transition-between-birth-and-death-but-the-one-that/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [You don't want to be that parent - the one who dresses his kid in a cloth sack when all the other kids are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-don-t-want-to-be-that-parent-the-one-who-dresses-his-kid-in-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) [Explore all 690 George Saunders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) ## 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": "The way I understood purgatory - and maybe you've got a different version - but in Chicago in the '70s, the idea was it was like detention. You had screwed up and you go over there in purgatory and you sit there until the end of days and then we'll decide. You'd made your mistake, and you were in prison, and it's not terrible and it's not great, and you feel a little crappy because you were not in the presence of God.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Saunders" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/the-way-i-understood-purgatory-and-maybe-you-ve-got-a-different/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chicago" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/the-way-i-understood-purgatory-and-maybe-you-ve-got-a-different/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f09/george-saunders-317_chicago_the-way-i-understood-purgatory-and-maybe_2087690.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f09/george-saunders-317_chicago_the-way-i-understood-purgatory-and-maybe_2087690.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f09/george-saunders-317_chicago_the-way-i-understood-purgatory-and-maybe_2087690.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The way I understood purgatory - and maybe you've got a different version - but in Chicago in the '70s, the…” — George Saunders", "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": "George Saunders", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The way I understood purgatory -...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/the-way-i-understood-purgatory-and-maybe-you-ve-got-a-different/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/the-way-i-understood-purgatory-and-maybe-you-ve-got-a-different/#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 } } ] } ```