--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ah, those days...for many years…" description: "\"“Ah, those days...for many years afterwards their happiness haunted me. Sometimes, listening to music, I drift back and nothing has changed. The long e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/j-l-carr-39640_end-of-summer_ah-those-days-for-many-years-afterwards_910353.jpg" --- # Ah, those days...for many years afterwards their happiness… ![“Ah, those days...for many years afterwards their happiness haunted me. Sometimes, listening to music, I drift back and nothing has changed. The long end of summer. Day after day of warm weather, voices calling as night came on and lighted windows pricked the darkness and, at day-break, the murmur…” quote by J.L. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/j-l-carr-39640_end-of-summer_ah-those-days-for-many-years-afterwards_910353.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/j-l-carr-39640_end-of-summer_ah-those-days-for-many-years-afterwards_910353.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc4/j-l-carr-39640_end-of-summer_ah-those-days-for-many-years-afterwards_910353.jpg) > ““Ah, those days...for many years afterwards their happiness haunted me. Sometimes, listening to music, I drift back and nothing has changed. The long end of summer. Day after day of warm weather, voices calling as night came on and lighted windows pricked the darkness and, at day-break, the murmur of corn and the warm smell of fields ripe for harvest. And being young. If I'd stayed there, would I always have been happy? No, I suppose not. People move away, grow older, die, and the bright belief that there will be another marvelous thing around each corner fades. It is now or never; we must snatch at happiness as it flies.”” [J.L. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-carr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Nostalgia for youthful summers fades, urging us to seize fleeting happiness before it disappears. **In simple terms:** Youthful joy fades; act now. Key Takeaway Capture joy while it lasts. Themes nostalgia impermanence joy memory time seizing opportunities Mood bitanchored reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - summer evenings - listening to music - reflecting on past - making present choices Key Concepts ephemeral happiness reflection life cycles future regret Questions to Reflect On - What present moments can you cherish now? - How do you balance nostalgia with present action? A Different Perspective Life’s transience limits how long happiness can be held. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [End of summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-summer/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Listening to music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/listening-to-music/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Warm weather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warm-weather/) ## Related quotes > [“If I’d stayed there, would I always have been happy? No, I suppose not. People move away, grow older, die, and the bright belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-carr/if-i-d-stayed-there-would-i-always-have-been-happy-no-i-suppose-not/) [J.L. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-carr/) > [“End of summer comes falling like a waterfall of midnight stars and I'm crawling out of this nymphal skeleton leaving you like cicada do”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alisha-christensen/end-of-summer-comes-falling-like-a-waterfall-of-midnight-stars-and-i/) Alisha Christensen > [“Sober. So that’s what I’m here to become. And suddenly, this word fills me with a brand of sadness I haven’t felt since childhood.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/sober-so-that-s-what-i-m-here-to-become-and-suddenly-this-word-fills/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [You choose the end of the summer to fall in love with this guy because secretly, you don’t want it to last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bushnell/you-choose-the-end-of-the-summer-to-fall-in-love-with-this-guy/) [Candace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bushnell/) > [Farewell, my old fan. / Having scribbled on it, / What could I do but tear it / At the end of summer?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/farewell-my-old-fan-having-scribbled-on-it-what-could-i-do-but-tear/) [Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/) > [It was one of the warm nights at the end of summer that makes promises that won't be kept.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cinda-williams-chima/it-was-one-of-the-warm-nights-at-the-end-of-summer-that-makes/) [Cinda Williams Chima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cinda-williams-chima/) > [The end-of-summer winds make people restless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-faulks/the-end-of-summer-winds-make-people-restless/) [Sebastian Faulks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-faulks/) > [“I was not prepared: sunset, end of summer. Demonstrations of time as a continuum, as something coming to an end, not a suspension: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-gl-ck/i-was-not-prepared-sunset-end-of-summer-demonstrations-of-time-as-a/) [Louise Glück](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-gl-ck/) > [Thanks to the catastrophic greenhouse effect, Labor Day no longer signifies the end of summer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thanks-to-the-catastrophic-greenhouse-effect-labor-day-no-longer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Suddenly, this word fills me with a sense of sadness I haven't felt since childhood. The kind of sadness you feel at the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/suddenly-this-word-fills-me-with-a-sense-of-sadness-i-haven-t-felt/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“Darren’s been quiet since we stripped down to our bathing suits and waded into the water, like his mind is somewhere else. I make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-rae/darren-s-been-quiet-since-we-stripped-down-to-our-bathing-suits-and/) [Kristin Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-rae/) > [“At that moment, I knew we could last past the end of summer. That with Parker, I could make a long-distance relationship work.That relationships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/at-that-moment-i-knew-we-could-last-past-the-end-of-summer-that-with/) [Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/) > [Every Summer: 'Let's make this the best one yet!' ...End of Summer: 'Wow, this summer sucked!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-summer-let-s-make-this-the-best-one-yet-end-of-summer-wow-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To say it was a beautiful day would not begin to explain it. It was that day when the end of summer intersects perfectly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/to-say-it-was-a-beautiful-day-would-not-begin-to-explain-it-it-was/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [“I never understood those commercials with the parents celebrating the end of summer. Now I understand that around mid-August, all the summer camps are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/i-never-understood-those-commercials-with-the-parents-celebrating-the/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) ## More by J.L. Carr > [“During any prolonged activity one tends to forget original intentions. But I believe that, when making a start on A Month in the Country,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-carr/during-any-prolonged-activity-one-tends-to-forget-original-intentions/) [J.L. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-carr/) > [“I’m an apple expert. Apples are the only exam I could ever hope to pass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-carr/i-m-an-apple-expert-apples-are-the-only-exam-i-could-ever-hope-to-pass/) [J.L. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-carr/) > [“But that goes for most of us, doesn't it? We look blankly at each other. Here I am, here you are. What are we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-carr/but-that-goes-for-most-of-us-doesn-t-it-we-look-blankly-at-each-other/) [J.L. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-carr/) > [“Then he fetched a camera and photographed it from all sides. ‘For publication!’ he explained. ‘Against the day when I need a job at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-carr/then-he-fetched-a-camera-and-photographed-it-from-all-sides-for/) [J.L. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-carr/) > [“There was so much time that marvelous summer. Day after day, mist rose from the meadow as the sky lightened and hedges, barns and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-carr/there-was-so-much-time-that-marvelous-summer-day-after-day-mist-rose/) [J.L. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-carr/) > [“I never exchanged a word with the Colonel. He has no significance at all in what happened during my stay in Oxgodby. As far…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-carr/i-never-exchanged-a-word-with-the-colonel-he-has-no-significance-at/) [J.L. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-carr/) > [“We can ask and ask but we can't have again what once seemed ours for ever - the way things looked, that church alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-carr/we-can-ask-and-ask-but-we-can-t-have-again-what-once-seemed-ours-for/) [J.L. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-carr/) > [“If I’d stayed there, would I always have been happy? No, I suppose not. People move away, grow older, die, and the bright belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-carr/if-i-d-stayed-there-would-i-always-have-been-happy-no-i-suppose-not/) [J.L. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-carr/) > [“The trees had stripped down to their black bones and had heaped leaves in drifts against hedges and walls. Children played amongst them, tossing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-carr/the-trees-had-stripped-down-to-their-black-bones-and-had-heaped/) [J.L. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-carr/) > [“By the end of the second day a very fine head was revealed. Yes, a very fine head indeed, sharp beard, drooped mustache, heavy-lidded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-l-carr/by-the-end-of-the-second-day-a-very-fine-head-was-revealed-yes-a-very/) [J.L. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-carr/) [Explore all 11 J.L. Carr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-l-carr/) ## More End of summer quotes > [What a beautiful, sunny morning. It makes you happy to be alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takayuki-ikkaku/what-a-beautiful-sunny-morning-it-makes-you-happy-to-be-alive/) Takayuki Ikkaku > [Go to bed when summers ends, what a good idea; wake up bright and early when birds announce its spring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-norris-1st-earl-of-berkshire/go-to-bed-when-summers-ends-what-a-good-idea-wake-up-bright-and-early/) Francis Norris, 1st Earl of Berkshire > [I raised frogs every spring in our house from tadpoles and by end of summer our house was overrun with frogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-joyce/i-raised-frogs-every-spring-in-our-house-from-tadpoles-and-by-end-of/) [William Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-joyce/) > [Summer should get a speeding ticket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/summer-should-get-a-speeding-ticket/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I never understood those commercials with the parents celebrating the end of summer. Now I understand that around mid-August, all the summer camps are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/i-never-understood-those-commercials-with-the-parents-celebrating-the/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [Summer is almost over and I couldn't be happier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/summer-is-almost-over-and-i-couldn-t-be-happier/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The journey of a thousands suns begins today. Some may question whether the journey is worth the sacrifice and danger. To them I say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-marusek/the-journey-of-a-thousands-suns-begins-today-some-may-question/) [David Marusek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-marusek/) > [I am very optimistic about -- about Iraq. I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration. You're going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/i-am-very-optimistic-about-about-iraq-i-mean-this-could-be-one-of-the/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [When summer gathers up her robes of glory, and like a dream of beauty glides away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-helen-whitman/when-summer-gathers-up-her-robes-of-glory-and-like-a-dream-of-beauty/) Sarah Helen Whitman > [To say it was a beautiful day would not begin to explain it. It was that day when the end of summer intersects perfectly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/to-say-it-was-a-beautiful-day-would-not-begin-to-explain-it-it-was/) [Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/) > [the large black slugs ... come out at dusk. Enormous slugs. As big as crocodiles. So huge we need a gun to shoot them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nan-fairbrother/the-large-black-slugs-come-out-at-dusk-enormous-slugs-as-big-as/) [Nan Fairbrother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nan-fairbrother/) > [One must maintain a little bittle of summer, even in the middle of winter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/one-must-maintain-a-little-bittle-of-summer-even-in-the-middle-of/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [There's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 1 and 2, and Ratatouille. It's super surreal. We've been working on this for eight years nonstop.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-goldberg/there-s-cloudy-with-a-chance-of-meatballs-1-and-2-and-ratatouille-it/) [Evan Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-goldberg/) > [“Summer has always been good to me, even the bittersweet end, with the slanted yellow light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-monette/summer-has-always-been-good-to-me-even-the-bittersweet-end-with-the/) [Paul Monette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-monette/) > [Every Summer: 'Let's make this the best one yet!' ...End of Summer: 'Wow, this summer sucked!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-summer-let-s-make-this-the-best-one-yet-end-of-summer-wow-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 85 End of summer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-summer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Ah, those days...for many years afterwards their happiness haunted me. 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