---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I dunno, remember when we were in East…"
description: "\"“I dunno, remember when we were in East St. Louis with George, and Jack you said you'd love those beautiful dancing girls if you knew they would live f..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d8/jack-kerouac-182_beauty_i-dunno-remember-when-we-were-in-east-st_523893.jpg"
---

#  I dunno, remember when we were in East St. Louis with…

![“I dunno, remember when we were in East St. Louis with George, and Jack you said you'd love those beautiful dancing girls if you knew they would live forever as beautiful as they are?&quot; (p. 173)” quote by Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d8/jack-kerouac-182_beauty_i-dunno-remember-when-we-were-in-east-st_523893.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d8/jack-kerouac-182_beauty_i-dunno-remember-when-we-were-in-east-st_523893.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d8/jack-kerouac-182_beauty_i-dunno-remember-when-we-were-in-east-st_523893.jpg)

> ““I dunno, remember when we were in East St. Louis with George, and Jack you said you'd love those beautiful dancing girls if you knew they would live forever as beautiful as they are?" (p. 173)””

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

## About This Quote

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

A nostalgic longing for timeless beauty and youthful freedom, reflecting on fleeting moments that feel eternal.

**In simple terms:** Longing for timeless beauty and freedom.

Key Takeaway

Cherish fleeting moments.

Themes

nostalgia beauty freedom

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- travel memories
- first love
- artistic inspiration

Key Concepts

existential longing impermanence

Questions to Reflect On

- What moments do you wish could last forever?
- How does nostalgia shape your present choices?

A Different Perspective

Beauty is fleeting; idealizing permanence can cause disappointment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Live forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-forever/)

## Related quotes

> [Celebration has many different outfits but she always wears the same beautiful dancing shoes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-anne-radmacher/celebration-has-many-different-outfits-but-she-always-wears-the-same/)

[Mary Anne Radmacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-anne-radmacher/)

> [“I remember, in former East Berlin, how startling it was to see the wall cut some streets. The street would go straight into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josip-novakovich/i-remember-in-former-east-berlin-how-startling-it-was-to-see-the-wall/)

[Josip Novakovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josip-novakovich/)

> [Remember, you can always find East by staring directly at the sun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-cartwright/remember-you-can-always-find-east-by-staring-directly-at-the-sun/)

[Nancy Cartwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-cartwright/)

> [ My mom has always told me that beauty fades but inner beauty is forever. There's nothing more beautiful than a woman \[who\] takes care… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/my-mom-has-always-told-me-that-beauty-fades-but-inner-beauty-is/)

[Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/)

> [Beauty doesnt last forever, but a beautiful personality does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/beauty-doesnt-last-forever-but-a-beautiful-personality-does/)

Azgraybebly Joslan

> [Wearing Make ups only makes you look beautiful for a while. But you will look forever beautiful when you smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mbuko/wearing-make-ups-only-makes-you-look-beautiful-for-a-while-but-you/)

[Michael Mbuko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mbuko/)

> [“She is forever beautiful just like the roses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/she-is-forever-beautiful-just-like-the-roses/)

[Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/)

> [“My whole heart Will be yours forever This is a beautiful start To a lifelong love letter. Tell the world that we finally got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-bareilles/my-whole-heart-will-be-yours-forever-this-is-a-beautiful-start-to-a/)

[Sara Bareilles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-bareilles/)

> [“Forever Beautiful, Forever Mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-griffo/forever-beautiful-forever-mine/)

Michael Griffo

> [His hair has the long jesuschrist look. He is wearing the costume clothes. But most of all, he now has a very tolerant and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/his-hair-has-the-long-jesuschrist-look-he-is-wearing-the-costume/)

[Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/)

> [A good character is the best tombstone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/a-good-character-is-the-best-tombstone/)

[Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/)

> [But earthlier happy is the rose distill'd Than that which withering on the virgin thorn Grows, lives, and dies in single blessedness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/but-earthlier-happy-is-the-rose-distill-d-than-that-which-withering/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [But it seems that the wind is setting East, and the withering of all Woods may be drawing near.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/but-it-seems-that-the-wind-is-setting-east-and-the-withering-of-all/)

[J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/)

> [“There are those who merely dabble in withering looks, but Kyogokudo was a widely recognized master of the art. He favored me with one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuhiko-kyogoku/there-are-those-who-merely-dabble-in-withering-looks-but-kyogokudo/)

[Natsuhiko Kyogoku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuhiko-kyogoku/)

> [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/)

[Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/)

## More by Jack Kerouac

> [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [But, outside of being a sweet little girl, she was awfully dumb and capable of doing horrible things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/but-outside-of-being-a-sweet-little-girl-she-was-awfully-dumb-and/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“For when you realized that God is Everything you know that you've got to love everything no matter how bad it is, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/for-when-you-realized-that-god-is-everything-you-know-that-you-ve-got/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“I'm an idealist who has outgrown my idealism I have nothing to do the rest of my life but do it and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-an-idealist-who-has-outgrown-my-idealism-i-have-nothing-to-do-the/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“Most of them were running away from something―usually the law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/most-of-them-were-running-away-from-something-usually-the-law/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“Non lo so, non importa e non fa nessuna differenza.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/non-lo-so-non-importa-e-non-fa-nessuna-differenza/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“And in the flush of the first few days of joy I confidently tell myself (not expecting what I'll do in three weeks only)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/and-in-the-flush-of-the-first-few-days-of-joy-i-confidently-tell/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [I want a blaze of light to flame in me forever in a timeless, dear love of everything. And why should I pretend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-want-a-blaze-of-light-to-flame-in-me-forever-in-a-timeless-dear/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“For the next week that was all I heard - manana, a lovely word and one that probably means heaven.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/for-the-next-week-that-was-all-i-heard-manana-a-lovely-word-and-one/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“O how wonderful life is, how miraculous, God made this and God made that", "how do you know he doesn't hate what He did:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/o-how-wonderful-life-is-how-miraculous-god-made-this-and-god-made/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [Notoriety and public confession in the literary form is a frazzler of the heart you were born with, believe me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/notoriety-and-public-confession-in-the-literary-form-is-a-frazzler-of/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [I promise I shall never give up, and that I'll die yelling &amp; laughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-promise-i-shall-never-give-up-and-that-i-ll-die-yelling-laughing/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [“The hot water pools are steaming, Fagan and Monsanto and the others are all sitting peacefully up to their necks, they're all naked, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-hot-water-pools-are-steaming-fagan-and-monsanto-and-the-others/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

[Explore all 936 Jack Kerouac quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

## More Beauty quotes

> [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/)

[John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/)

> [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/)

[Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/)

> [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/)

[Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/)

> [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

> [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/)

[Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/)

> [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/)

[Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/)

> [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/)

Tumblr

> [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/)

[Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/)

> [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/)

[Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/)

[Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I dunno, remember when we were in East St. Louis with George, and Jack you said you'd love those beautiful dancing girls if you knew they would live forever as beautiful as they are?\" (p. 173)”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jack Kerouac"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-dunno-remember-when-we-were-in-east-st-louis-with-george-and-jack/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beauty"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-dunno-remember-when-we-were-in-east-st-louis-with-george-and-jack/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d8/jack-kerouac-182_beauty_i-dunno-remember-when-we-were-in-east-st_523893.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d8/jack-kerouac-182_beauty_i-dunno-remember-when-we-were-in-east-st_523893.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d8/jack-kerouac-182_beauty_i-dunno-remember-when-we-were-in-east-st_523893.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I dunno, remember when we were in East St. Louis with George, and Jack you said you'd love those beautiful…” — Jack Kerouac",
                "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": "Jack Kerouac",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I dunno, remember when we were...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-dunno-remember-when-we-were-in-east-st-louis-with-george-and-jack/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-dunno-remember-when-we-were-in-east-st-louis-with-george-and-jack/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
