--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thing about a small town is that…" description: "\"The thing about a small town is that there are people who just remember me as a musician, as a high school football player.\" — Greg Iles" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/greg-iles-4609_ball-player_the-thing-about-a-small-town-is-that-the_754032.png" --- # The thing about a small town is that there are people who… ![“The thing about a small town is that there are people who just remember me as a musician, as a high school football player.” quote by Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/greg-iles-4609_ball-player_the-thing-about-a-small-town-is-that-the_754032.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/greg-iles-4609_ball-player_the-thing-about-a-small-town-is-that-the_754032.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/greg-iles-4609_ball-player_the-thing-about-a-small-town-is-that-the_754032.png) > “The thing about a small town is that there are people who just remember me as a musician, as a high school football player.” [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on how small towns remember individuals by limited roles, highlighting identity reduction. **In simple terms:** Small towns see people in narrow ways. Key Takeaway Embrace multiple facets of identity. Themes identity community memory nostalgia Mood reflective nostalgic Type personal social When to use this quote - career networking - personal branding - community events - family gatherings Key Concepts social perception role limitation Questions to Reflect On - How can one broaden how others see you? - What impact does a single label have on self-worth? A Different Perspective People may overlook broader talents. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ball player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ball-player/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Football player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football-player/) [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [High school football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school-football/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Musician High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musician-high-5860706/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Remember Musician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-musician-5860705/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [School Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school-football-303369/) [Small town](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-town/) [Town People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/town-people-918324/) ## Related quotes > [I'm by no means an expert at coaching high school football. I'm doing the best I can in Year 1. But I've already learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-mccaffrey/i-m-by-no-means-an-expert-at-coaching-high-school-football-i-m-doing/) [Ed McCaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-mccaffrey/) > [I'm on my high school football team and MUST show how much I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-breslin/i-m-on-my-high-school-football-team-and-must-show-how-much-i-know/) [Jimmy Breslin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-breslin/) > [I want to coach high school football, and that's always what I've wanted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-watt/i-want-to-coach-high-school-football-and-that-s-always-what-i-ve/) [J. J. Watt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-watt/) > [Both my brothers played football. My mother had season tickets as a school board member. I was in the band, my sister was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-lightfoot/both-my-brothers-played-football-my-mother-had-season-tickets-as-a/) [Lori Lightfoot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-lightfoot/) > [I miss high school football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gruden/i-miss-high-school-football/) [Jon Gruden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gruden/) > [I think the coaching and the emphasis being put on different aspects of the game is what makes Texas high school football the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-dalton/i-think-the-coaching-and-the-emphasis-being-put-on-different-aspects/) [Andy Dalton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-dalton/) > [I also played two years of high school football but I wasn't very, how shall I say it, talented.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-chandler/i-also-played-two-years-of-high-school-football-but-i-wasn-t-very-how/) [Kyle Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-chandler/) > [I say it all the time: Texas high school football. It's no joke. It's a big deal. And when you get good coaches like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baker-mayfield/i-say-it-all-the-time-texas-high-school-football-it-s-no-joke-it-s-a/) [Baker Mayfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baker-mayfield/) > [If you're going to play high school football, you do it in Texas or Florida or Georgia for the simple fact it's such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-martinez/if-you-re-going-to-play-high-school-football-you-do-it-in-texas-or/) [J. R. Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-martinez/) > [I grew up in a tiny town in Texas, so I understood the world of high school football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-plemons/i-grew-up-in-a-tiny-town-in-texas-so-i-understood-the-world-of-high/) [Jesse Plemons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-plemons/) > [My dad is a high school football coach in Texas so I've been around this game for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-amendola/my-dad-is-a-high-school-football-coach-in-texas-so-i-ve-been-around/) [Danny Amendola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-amendola/) > [Their high school football is some of the best in the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-croom/their-high-school-football-is-some-of-the-best-in-the-country/) [Sylvester Croom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-croom/) > [High school football in Detroit was not easy at all. There were talented players everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-gates/high-school-football-in-detroit-was-not-easy-at-all-there-were/) [Antonio Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-gates/) > [I think any football player always has a hard time coming out of it. The longer you're in, the harder it is. Even people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-allred/i-think-any-football-player-always-has-a-hard-time-coming-out-of-it/) [Colin Allred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-allred/) > [I was a football player. I liked it a lot...unfortunately that's where I first wrecked my knees. Playing high school football, getting cut across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mendoza/i-was-a-football-player-i-liked-it-a-lot-unfortunately-that-s-where-i/) [Mark Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mendoza/) ## More by Greg Iles > [“path of least resistance, or the walk over hot coals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/path-of-least-resistance-or-the-walk-over-hot-coals/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [Like my best friend, I asked for drums for Christmas, and got them. But when he moved on to guitar, I realized two things:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/like-my-best-friend-i-asked-for-drums-for-christmas-and-got-them-but/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“We do not just belong to this universe, we are it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/we-do-not-just-belong-to-this-universe-we-are-it/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“The mills of the gods grind slowly…but they grind to dust. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/the-mills-of-the-gods-grind-slowly-but-they-grind-to-dust/) [greg iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [...the larger world lay not across oceans but within the human mind and heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/the-larger-world-lay-not-across-oceans-but-within-the-human-mind-and/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [Experiences are like hoarded gold. Whenever I dole out a piece of my private suffering, that is when I get letters from all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/experiences-are-like-hoarded-gold-whenever-i-dole-out-a-piece-of-my/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“Because death is the end, and if a man doesn’t speak before it silences him, then the things he holds closest die with him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/because-death-is-the-end-and-if-a-man-doesn-t-speak-before-it/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [I deal with the human psychology and evil. They are my twin issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/i-deal-with-the-human-psychology-and-evil-they-are-my-twin-issues/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“When we reach the intersection with Homochitto Street, I turn right, into town, and soon we’re passing Dunleith, the antebellum mansion that I always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/when-we-reach-the-intersection-with-homochitto-street-i-turn-right/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [The South is the home of 'an eye for an eye.' 'Turning the other cheek'? The South can't see that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/the-south-is-the-home-of-an-eye-for-an-eye-turning-the-other-cheek/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [Some things we must pass over in silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/some-things-we-must-pass-over-in-silence/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [“Let me tell you a secret, Caitlin. We’re still in the cave. It’s just bigger, and we wear nicer clothes. We make alliances and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/let-me-tell-you-a-secret-caitlin-we-re-still-in-the-cave-it-s-just/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [I'll read anything that's good. I have no artificial barriers based on genre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/i-ll-read-anything-that-s-good-i-have-no-artificial-barriers-based-on/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [My father has always been the heart of my Penn Cage novels,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/my-father-has-always-been-the-heart-of-my-penn-cage-novels/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) > [I've learned as much about writing from songwriters as I have from other writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/i-ve-learned-as-much-about-writing-from-songwriters-as-i-have-from/) [Greg Iles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) [Explore all 106 Greg Iles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/) ## More Ball player quotes > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [There is no doubt in my mind and I know in my time, there will be a Canadian basketball player playing for Toronto Raptors, 100%](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/there-is-no-doubt-in-my-mind-and-i-know-in-my-time-there-will-be-a/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [I have friends in other industries but if I am training for a wrestling match, I would turn to the best wrestler to train,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-aries/i-have-friends-in-other-industries-but-if-i-am-training-for-a/) [Austin Aries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-aries/) > [And I want to do it the right way, like everybody else, not just a famous figurehead that gets a job because he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/and-i-want-to-do-it-the-right-way-like-everybody-else-not-just-a/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [I competed every day as a professional football player... You've got to like competing. That's how your team gets better, when you have competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/i-competed-every-day-as-a-professional-football-player-you-ve-got-to/) [Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/) > [“I can’t wait to knock you up and have a whole team of little baseball players around this place!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-sterling/i-can-t-wait-to-knock-you-up-and-have-a-whole-team-of-little-baseball/) [J. Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-sterling/) > [MOST AMAZING FOOTBALL PLAYER IN THE ENTIRE WORLD && IN REAL MADRID](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-amazing-football-player-in-the-entire-world-in-real-madrid/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My older brothers were both basketball players so I just grew up around the gym.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brook-lopez/my-older-brothers-were-both-basketball-players-so-i-just-grew-up/) [Brook Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brook-lopez/) > [I'm a basketball player, so I want to do whatever I've got to do to be on the floor and I'm prepared for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrese-haliburton/i-m-a-basketball-player-so-i-want-to-do-whatever-i-ve-got-to-do-to-be/) [Tyrese Haliburton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrese-haliburton/) > [“Seeing yourself in print is such an amazing concept: you can get so much attention without having to actually show up somewhere. While others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeing-yourself-in-print-is-such-an-amazing-concept-you-can-get-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People say baseball players should go out and have fun. No way. To me, baseball is pressure, I always feel it. This is work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-eckersley/people-say-baseball-players-should-go-out-and-have-fun-no-way-to-me/) [Dennis Eckersley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-eckersley/) > [Canada is a country whose main exports are hockey players and cold fronts. Our main imports are baseball players and acid rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/canada-is-a-country-whose-main-exports-are-hockey-players-and-cold/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [“The great thing about baseball players, from the point of view of personal hygiene, is how seldom they break a sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-great-thing-about-baseball-players-from-the-point-of-view-of/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [A lot of scouts and people are enamored with athleticism and youth. So they take that any day over mature, high-quality basketball players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-brogdon/a-lot-of-scouts-and-people-are-enamored-with-athleticism-and-youth-so/) [Malcolm Brogdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-brogdon/) > [I'm a baseball player. I've done this my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sale/i-m-a-baseball-player-i-ve-done-this-my-whole-life/) [Chris Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sale/) [Browse all 1,395 Ball player quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ball-player/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The thing about a small town is that there are people who just remember me as a musician, as a high school football player.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Greg Iles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/the-thing-about-a-small-town-is-that-there-are-people-who-just/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ball player" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/the-thing-about-a-small-town-is-that-there-are-people-who-just/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/greg-iles-4609_ball-player_the-thing-about-a-small-town-is-that-the_754032.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/greg-iles-4609_ball-player_the-thing-about-a-small-town-is-that-the_754032.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/greg-iles-4609_ball-player_the-thing-about-a-small-town-is-that-the_754032.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The thing about a small town is that there are people who just remember me as a musician, as a high school…” — Greg Iles", "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": "Greg Iles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-iles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The thing about a small town...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/the-thing-about-a-small-town-is-that-there-are-people-who-just/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-iles/the-thing-about-a-small-town-is-that-there-are-people-who-just/#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 } } ] } ```