--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My family originally lived in Brooklyn…" description: "\"My family originally lived in Brooklyn. Our first apartment was a little place above my father and uncle's hardware store in Coney Island. Now, don't g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/gilbert-gottfried-7822_apartment_my-family-originally-lived-in-brooklyn-o_1179977.jpg" --- # My family originally lived in Brooklyn. Our first… ![“My family originally lived in Brooklyn. Our first apartment was a little place above my father and uncle's hardware store in Coney Island. Now, don't get the impression that we were surrounded by merry-go-rounds, roller coasters and Ferris wheels. Nope, this was a little side street.” quote by Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/gilbert-gottfried-7822_apartment_my-family-originally-lived-in-brooklyn-o_1179977.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/gilbert-gottfried-7822_apartment_my-family-originally-lived-in-brooklyn-o_1179977.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/gilbert-gottfried-7822_apartment_my-family-originally-lived-in-brooklyn-o_1179977.jpg) > “My family originally lived in Brooklyn. Our first apartment was a little place above my father and uncle's hardware store in Coney Island. Now, don't get the impression that we were surrounded by merry-go-rounds, roller coasters and Ferris wheels. Nope, this was a little side street.” [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Recalls humble beginnings in a modest Brooklyn setting, contrasting expectations with reality. **In simple terms:** Started small in a simple neighborhood. Key Takeaway Value modest origins and stay grounded. Themes humility origin expectation Mood nostalgic introspective Type memoir reflective When to use this quote - career storytelling - community outreach - historical research Key Concepts urban life family history social mobility Questions to Reflect On - What lessons did your early environment teach you? - How does this memory shape your current values? A Different Perspective Nostalgia may idealize past hardships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brooklyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brooklyn/) [Coney island](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coney-island/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Ferris wheel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ferris-wheel/) [Ferris wheels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ferris-wheels/) [Islands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islands/) [Merry go round](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/merry-go-round/) [Roller coaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roller-coaster/) [Roller Coasters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roller-coasters/) [Streets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/streets/) ## Related quotes > [Back when I lived in Brooklyn, I'd sometimes take the Q train all the way out to Coney Island and back, and work on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-foer/back-when-i-lived-in-brooklyn-i-d-sometimes-take-the-q-train-all-the/) [Joshua Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-foer/) > [They can't hurt me. Sure, they can crush you and kill you. They can lay you out on 42nd and Broadway and put hoses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/they-can-t-hurt-me-sure-they-can-crush-you-and-kill-you-they-can-lay/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [It was always a funny thing when someone would ask me my name and I would say "Brooklyn." They would always think that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooklyn-sudano/it-was-always-a-funny-thing-when-someone-would-ask-me-my-name-and-i/) [Brooklyn Sudano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooklyn-sudano/) > [I've lived most of my life in Manhattan, but I lived in Brooklyn for a while as a kid. I went to junior high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patty-smyth/i-ve-lived-most-of-my-life-in-manhattan-but-i-lived-in-brooklyn-for-a/) [Patty Smyth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patty-smyth/) > [I lived in Brooklyn for a year and I moved out to Rockaway Beach. I've been living here for two years now. I put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-demarco/i-lived-in-brooklyn-for-a-year-and-i-moved-out-to-rockaway-beach-i-ve/) [Mac DeMarco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-demarco/) > [I lived in Brooklyn from 2007 to 2012 but for the last few years have resided in Austin, Texas, where my world - especially…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-mahajan/i-lived-in-brooklyn-from-2007-to-2012-but-for-the-last-few-years-have/) [Karan Mahajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-mahajan/) > [I think a rotisserie is like a really morbid ferris wheel for chickens. It’s a strange piece of machinery . . . We will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-think-a-rotisserie-is-like-a-really-morbid-ferris-wheel-for/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [A Boat O beautiful was the werewolf in his evil forest. We took him to the carnival and he started crying when he saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/a-boat-o-beautiful-was-the-werewolf-in-his-evil-forest-we-took-him-to/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [The first lights of the evening were springing into pale existence. The Ferris wheel, pricked out now in lights, revolved leisurely through the dusk;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/the-first-lights-of-the-evening-were-springing-into-pale-existence/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [It's always the guy who gets the diarrhea on the commercial at an inconvenient moment. As if you've ever been in a situation: 'You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-jeni/it-s-always-the-guy-who-gets-the-diarrhea-on-the-commercial-at-an/) [Richard Jeni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-jeni/) > [Wandering around back stage at a willie Nelson concert is a bit like being the parrot on the shoulder of the guy who's running…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinky-friedman/wandering-around-back-stage-at-a-willie-nelson-concert-is-a-bit-like/) [Kinky Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinky-friedman/) > [A breeze blows through the alley, pushing me to one side, and I think of scaling the Ferris wheel with Tobias. He kept me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/a-breeze-blows-through-the-alley-pushing-me-to-one-side-and-i-think/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“When I was little, I didn't understand why ferris wheels existed. They were just sluggish and went up high. I got bored with it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chica-umino/when-i-was-little-i-didn-t-understand-why-ferris-wheels-existed-they/) [Chica Umino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chica-umino/) > [You never know how great a kiss can feel, when you're stopped at the top of a Ferris wheel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddy-cannon/you-never-know-how-great-a-kiss-can-feel-when-you-re-stopped-at-the/) Freddy Cannon > [We're all carnies, though some people are in denial. They want to be above it all, above the mayhem of laughter and people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/we-re-all-carnies-though-some-people-are-in-denial-they-want-to-be/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) ## More by Gilbert Gottfried > [I can't even find someone for a platonic relationship, much less the kind where someone wants to see me naked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/i-can-t-even-find-someone-for-a-platonic-relationship-much-less-the/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) > [With Katrina, it's almost like the sequel that doesn't live up to the original. It's certainly a shocking event and a tragedy, but somehow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/with-katrina-it-s-almost-like-the-sequel-that-doesn-t-live-up-to-the/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) > [I've never been one of those who wanted to fill my calendar up 90 percent of the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/i-ve-never-been-one-of-those-who-wanted-to-fill-my-calendar-up-90/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) > [I predict one of these two teams will win the Super Bowl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/i-predict-one-of-these-two-teams-will-win-the-super-bowl/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) > [I think of Alan Thicke as Perry Como without the excitement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/i-think-of-alan-thicke-as-perry-como-without-the-excitement/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) > [I always wish the hotels were like they are in movies and TV shows, where if you're in Paris, right outside your window is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/i-always-wish-the-hotels-were-like-they-are-in-movies-and-tv-shows/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) > [If the police ever try to pick me up, Michael Jackson told me I can hide out at his house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/if-the-police-ever-try-to-pick-me-up-michael-jackson-told-me-i-can/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) > [I remember being at the premiere of 'Beverly Hills Cop II' and the tremendous reaction from the crowd outside, then going to a party…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/i-remember-being-at-the-premiere-of-beverly-hills-cop-ii-and-the/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) > [Unfortunately, I've never been mistaken as Johnny Depp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/unfortunately-i-ve-never-been-mistaken-as-johnny-depp/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) > [If someone else is paying for it, food just tastes a lot better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/if-someone-else-is-paying-for-it-food-just-tastes-a-lot-better/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) > [I just don't accept midgets as human beings. There's only so much political correctness I can accept.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/i-just-don-t-accept-midgets-as-human-beings-there-s-only-so-much/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) > [People have many theories about comedy, but being just plain funny is the one most important thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/people-have-many-theories-about-comedy-but-being-just-plain-funny-is/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) > [I found out about Jonathan Winters death a day after it happened. That seems wrong. A talent like his should be more revered. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/i-found-out-about-jonathan-winters-death-a-day-after-it-happened-that/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) > [There are certain things I don't want to joke about. If it's about somebody else, it's fine. If it's about me, I think it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/there-are-certain-things-i-don-t-want-to-joke-about-if-it-s-about/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) > [If you have the Old Testament at home, if you flip the corner pages, you can see Jesus riding a horse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/if-you-have-the-old-testament-at-home-if-you-flip-the-corner-pages/) [Gilbert Gottfried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) [Explore all 87 Gilbert Gottfried quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/) ## More Apartment quotes > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [When they started to drain a swamp where birds and fish had lived, for a new housing development down the road from his apartment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maile-meloy/when-they-started-to-drain-a-swamp-where-birds-and-fish-had-lived-for/) [Maile Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maile-meloy/) > [I've always been a late bloomer in some ways, and extremely precocious in other ways. When I was twenty I was living in New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-daum/i-ve-always-been-a-late-bloomer-in-some-ways-and-extremely-precocious/) [Meghan Daum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-daum/) > [As most New Yorkers have done, I have given serious and generous thought to the state of my apartment should I get killed during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/as-most-new-yorkers-have-done-i-have-given-serious-and-generous/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [I feel when you walk into somebody's apartment on Fifth Avenue or house in Malibu and you see a Basquiat, a Warhol, a Richard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-pigozzi/i-feel-when-you-walk-into-somebody-s-apartment-on-fifth-avenue-or/) [Jean Pigozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-pigozzi/) > [Every New Yorker spends a certain amount of nervous energy thinking, "How can I afford to stay here? What do I have to sell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-zukin/every-new-yorker-spends-a-certain-amount-of-nervous-energy-thinking/) [Sharon Zukin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-zukin/) > [Most of my work is, I get an idea, and, with the help of Wikipedia, I can write. I don't have to leave my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-rich/most-of-my-work-is-i-get-an-idea-and-with-the-help-of-wikipedia-i-can/) [Simon Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-rich/) > [Science and art may invent splendid modes of illuminating the apartments of the opulent; but these are all poor and worthless compared with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/science-and-art-may-invent-splendid-modes-of-illuminating-the/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [About 25 years ago, I was in an apartment, and next door, they put on the radio, so I struck the wall with my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/klaus-kinski/about-25-years-ago-i-was-in-an-apartment-and-next-door-they-put-on/) [Klaus Kinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/klaus-kinski/) > [I don't think taste is about money. As your career develops, you're able to decide what to spend your money on. I live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-finch/i-don-t-think-taste-is-about-money-as-your-career-develops-you-re/) [Charles Finch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-finch/) > [ My father would never have come to visit, he detested Eva's \[Braun\] choice in a man and the fact \[Adolf\] Hitler had set her… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/my-father-would-never-have-come-to-visit-he-detested-eva-s-braun/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [He had one uniform practice, and a very bad one it was, during the time of family worship, and just three or four seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hogg/he-had-one-uniform-practice-and-a-very-bad-one-it-was-during-the-time/) [James Hogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hogg/) > [No birth certificate is issued when friendship is born. There is nothing tangible. There is just a feeling that your life is different and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-tesich/no-birth-certificate-is-issued-when-friendship-is-born-there-is/) Steve Tesich > [Music will always be there. I own a piano. I have it in my apartment. I play it every day, and I have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lambert/music-will-always-be-there-i-own-a-piano-i-have-it-in-my-apartment-i/) [David Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lambert/) > [ For instance, \[Adolf Hitler\] would never have spent the night at the Widenmayerstraße apartment. He visited it before we moved the furniture in, he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/for-instance-adolf-hitler-would-never-have-spent-the-night-at-the/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) Browse all 884 Apartment quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My family originally lived in Brooklyn. Our first apartment was a little place above my father and uncle's hardware store in Coney Island. Now, don't get the impression that we were surrounded by merry-go-rounds, roller coasters and Ferris wheels. Nope, this was a little side street.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gilbert Gottfried" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/my-family-originally-lived-in-brooklyn-our-first-apartment-was-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Apartment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/my-family-originally-lived-in-brooklyn-our-first-apartment-was-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/gilbert-gottfried-7822_apartment_my-family-originally-lived-in-brooklyn-o_1179977.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/gilbert-gottfried-7822_apartment_my-family-originally-lived-in-brooklyn-o_1179977.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/383/gilbert-gottfried-7822_apartment_my-family-originally-lived-in-brooklyn-o_1179977.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My family originally lived in Brooklyn. Our first apartment was a little place above my father and uncle's…” — Gilbert Gottfried", "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": "Gilbert Gottfried", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-gottfried/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My family originally lived in Brooklyn....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/my-family-originally-lived-in-brooklyn-our-first-apartment-was-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-gottfried/my-family-originally-lived-in-brooklyn-our-first-apartment-was-a/#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 } } ] } ```