---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Long before it legally served me, the bar…"
description: "\"Long before it legally served me, the bar saved me. It restored my faith when I was a boy, tended me as a teenager, and when I was a young man the bar ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bb/j-r-moehringer-22759_bars_long-before-it-legally-served-me-the-bar_44054.jpg"
---

#  Long before it legally served me, the bar saved me. It…

![“Long before it legally served me, the bar saved me. It restored my faith when I was a boy, tended me as a teenager, and when I was a young man the bar embraced me.” quote by J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bb/j-r-moehringer-22759_bars_long-before-it-legally-served-me-the-bar_44054.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bb/j-r-moehringer-22759_bars_long-before-it-legally-served-me-the-bar_44054.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bb/j-r-moehringer-22759_bars_long-before-it-legally-served-me-the-bar_44054.jpg)

> “Long before it legally served me, the bar saved me. It restored my faith when I was a boy, tended me as a teenager, and when I was a young man the bar embraced me.”

[J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

## About This Quote

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

The bar, as a community hub, provided support and belonging throughout the speaker’s life stages, reinforcing personal resilience and identity.

**In simple terms:** Community spaces nurture growth.

Key Takeaway

Safe places foster lifelong belonging.

Themes

community resilience identity growth belonging

Mood

nostalgic hopeful reflective

Type

personal narrative testimonial

When to use this quote

- adolescence
- young adulthood
- career transitions
- social isolation

Key Concepts

social support personal development place attachment

Practical Applications

- mental health support
- community building initiatives

Questions to Reflect On

- How does a local gathering place shape personal identity?
- What role do shared spaces play in coping with adversity?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Teenager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teenager/)

## Related quotes

> [In Christ the original image of God is restored, by faith in this world and by sight in the world to come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lang/in-christ-the-original-image-of-god-is-restored-by-faith-in-this/)

[Walter Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lang/)

> [Restored my faith in humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/restored-my-faith-in-humanity/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Traveling to the Middle East and playing music for people on the street, for soldiers, for people in hospitals, and for people who lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-franti/traveling-to-the-middle-east-and-playing-music-for-people-on-the/)

[Michael Franti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-franti/)

> [“A candy bar saved is a candy bar earned”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-fors/a-candy-bar-saved-is-a-candy-bar-earned/)

Gavin Fors

> [After a decade this glum, we deserved a shot of 'Glee,' a show that restored our faith in the power of song, the beauty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolcott/after-a-decade-this-glum-we-deserved-a-shot-of-glee-a-show-that/)

[James Wolcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolcott/)

> [While we destroyed the Centre Party, we have not only brought thousands of priests back into the Church, but to millions of respectable people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/while-we-destroyed-the-centre-party-we-have-not-only-brought/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [The living prophet and the apostles today are as lighthouses in the storm. Steer towards the light of the restored gospel and the inspired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/the-living-prophet-and-the-apostles-today-are-as-lighthouses-in-the/)

[Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/)

> [Then the album created a tremendous furor and got me kicked off Christian television for two months, and then restored after they settled down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-boone/then-the-album-created-a-tremendous-furor-and-got-me-kicked-off/)

[Pat Boone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-boone/)

> [We always think, 'Well, for a person who's blind, it must be an amazing, joyful miracle if by some chance their sight is restored…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/we-always-think-well-for-a-person-who-s-blind-it-must-be-an-amazing/)

[Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/)

> [“Repent, be restored.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/repent-be-restored/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [“All along it was not by stunts of glory, but by touch and laughter and tears that Jesus has healed and restored.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayla-mcclurg/all-along-it-was-not-by-stunts-of-glory-but-by-touch-and-laughter-and/)

Kayla McClurg

> [This restored church stands as a symbol of peace and forgiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eberhard-burger/this-restored-church-stands-as-a-symbol-of-peace-and-forgiveness/)

Eberhard Burger

> [Many things complicated by nature are restored by reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livy/many-things-complicated-by-nature-are-restored-by-reason/)

[Livy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livy/)

> [On foreign policy, President Obama has kept our nation safe from terrorism and restored our standing in the world. When it comes to one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-schumer/on-foreign-policy-president-obama-has-kept-our-nation-safe-from/)

[Chuck Schumer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-schumer/)

> [He got the notion into his head that if he restored the old house where they had come that night, Allie would find a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-notebook/he-got-the-notion-into-his-head-that-if-he-restored-the-old-house/)

The Notebook

## More by J. R. Moehringer

> [Your best is whatever you can do comfortably without having a breakdown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/your-best-is-whatever-you-can-do-comfortably-without-having-a/)

[J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

> [The greatest players use anger as fuel. Michael Jordan played every night with something like road rage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/the-greatest-players-use-anger-as-fuel-michael-jordan-played-every/)

[J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

> [In Manhasset you were either Yankees or Mets, rich or poor, sober or drunk...You were 'Gaelic' or 'garlic," as one schoolmate told me, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/in-manhasset-you-were-either-yankees-or-mets-rich-or-poor-sober-or/)

[J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

> [I'm a big fan of the poet Mary Jo Salter, and although she doesn't need to be discovered at all - she's widely admired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/i-m-a-big-fan-of-the-poet-mary-jo-salter-and-although-she-doesn-t/)

[J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

> [I've been trying to write a book since before I was old enough to vote, and I've collected many rejection slips from publishers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/i-ve-been-trying-to-write-a-book-since-before-i-was-old-enough-to/)

[J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

> [Baseball always gets credit for the foundational part of masculinity - the father thing. The eternal game of backyard catch, 'Field of Dreams', the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/baseball-always-gets-credit-for-the-foundational-part-of-masculinity/)

[J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

> [In Zurich, in a cafe overlooking the Limmat, I ate butter-drenched white asparagus pulled from the ground that morning; it had the aftertaste of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/in-zurich-in-a-cafe-overlooking-the-limmat-i-ate-butter-drenched/)

[J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

> [There's that old journalism rule that sunshine is the great disinfectant - which is how reporters bust their way into meetings and such all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/there-s-that-old-journalism-rule-that-sunshine-is-the-great/)

[J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

> [Some of football's gaudiest displays of manliness are purely aesthetic. It's not what players do, it's how they look doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/some-of-football-s-gaudiest-displays-of-manliness-are-purely/)

[J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

> [If you can live in Vegas, or visit Vegas, and leave in one piece, still loving it and somehow laughing about it, you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/if-you-can-live-in-vegas-or-visit-vegas-and-leave-in-one-piece-still/)

[J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

> [“His current theory is that Sutton lived three separate lives. The one he remembered, the one he told people about, the one that really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/his-current-theory-is-that-sutton-lived-three-separate-lives-the-one/)

[J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

> [Basketball's eras are defined by teams - Celtics, Lakers, Bulls - and baseball's epochs are defined by players - Ruth, Robinson, Mantle - but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/basketball-s-eras-are-defined-by-teams-celtics-lakers-bulls-and/)

[J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

> [Write every day; never give up; it's supposed to be difficult; try to find some pleasure and reward in the act of writing, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/write-every-day-never-give-up-it-s-supposed-to-be-difficult-try-to/)

[J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

> [Like the Earth, the Web is a less appealing place than it used to be. If I want attitude and arguing and meanness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/like-the-earth-the-web-is-a-less-appealing-place-than-it-used-to-be/)

[J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

> [Tacked above my desk are photos of artists I admire - Hopper, Sargent, Twain - and postcards from beloved bookstores where I've spent all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/tacked-above-my-desk-are-photos-of-artists-i-admire-hopper-sargent/)

[J. R. Moehringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

[Explore all 26 J. R. Moehringer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/)

## More Bars quotes

> [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

> [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/)

[R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/)

> [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [Your thief looks Exactly like the rest, or rather better; 'Tis only at the bar, and in the dungeon, That wise men know your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/your-thief-looks-exactly-like-the-rest-or-rather-better-tis-only-at/)

[Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/)

> [While traveling, I love granola bars, trail mix nuts, dry cereal and fruit for on-the-go snacks. I also try and start the day with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-rampone/while-traveling-i-love-granola-bars-trail-mix-nuts-dry-cereal-and/)

[Christie Rampone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-rampone/)

> [3 people get stranded on a remote Island A Banker, a Daily Mail reader &amp; an Asylum seeker All they have to eat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-brookmyre/3-people-get-stranded-on-a-remote-island-a-banker-a-daily-mail-reader/)

[Christopher Brookmyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-brookmyre/)

> [Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house unless they have a well-stocked bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/thou-shalt-not-covet-thy-neighbor-s-house-unless-they-have-a-well/)

[W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/)

> [Meanwhile after failing the bar twice, I knew some people in New York and moved here in August '71.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-quine/meanwhile-after-failing-the-bar-twice-i-knew-some-people-in-new-york/)

[Robert Quine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-quine/)

> [If you look at coffee, tea, food and juice, we think there are inherent opportunities. If you look at health bars or grab-and-go products…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/if-you-look-at-coffee-tea-food-and-juice-we-think-there-are-inherent/)

[Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/)

> [At about 10 o'clock in the morning the sun threw a bright dust-laden bar through one of the side windows and in and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/at-about-10-o-clock-in-the-morning-the-sun-threw-a-bright-dust-laden/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [I bet a guy at a bar 50 bucks that I was more dysfunctional than he was. He raped me. So I tipped him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-a-guy-at-a-bar-50-bucks-that-i-was-more-dysfunctional-than-he/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I closed my own jazz bar so I could be a man who can write novels as I like. I was pleased about that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-closed-my-own-jazz-bar-so-i-could-be-a-man-who-can-write-novels-as/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [My parents were Orthodox Jews but not very regular Orthodox Jews. I was bar mitzvahed and all that. But God was hardly ever mentioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-parents-were-orthodox-jews-but-not-very-regular-orthodox-jews-i/)

[Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/)

> [I know a lot about Canadian politics. I lived in Canadian bars for six years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/i-know-a-lot-about-canadian-politics-i-lived-in-canadian-bars-for-six/)

[Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/)

> [History is the heavy traffic that prevents us from crossing the road. We're not especially interested in what it consists of. We wait, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/history-is-the-heavy-traffic-that-prevents-us-from-crossing-the-road/)

[Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/)

Browse all 1,768 Bars quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Long before it legally served me, the bar saved me. It restored my faith when I was a boy, tended me as a teenager, and when I was a young man the bar embraced me.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "J. R. Moehringer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/long-before-it-legally-served-me-the-bar-saved-me-it-restored-my/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bars"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/long-before-it-legally-served-me-the-bar-saved-me-it-restored-my/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bb/j-r-moehringer-22759_bars_long-before-it-legally-served-me-the-bar_44054.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bb/j-r-moehringer-22759_bars_long-before-it-legally-served-me-the-bar_44054.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bb/j-r-moehringer-22759_bars_long-before-it-legally-served-me-the-bar_44054.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Long before it legally served me, the bar saved me. It restored my faith when I was a boy, tended me as a…” — J. R. Moehringer",
                "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": "J. R. Moehringer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-moehringer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Long before it legally served me,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/long-before-it-legally-served-me-the-bar-saved-me-it-restored-my/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-moehringer/long-before-it-legally-served-me-the-bar-saved-me-it-restored-my/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
