--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As a kid, I sensed history going on all…" description: "\"As a kid, I sensed history going on all around me, but the basic thrust of it didn't move me.\" — James Ellroy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b0/james-ellroy-2967_history_as-a-kid-i-sensed-history-going-on-all-a_3049471.jpg" --- # As a kid, I sensed history going on all around me, but the… ![“As a kid, I sensed history going on all around me, but the basic thrust of it didn't move me.” quote by James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b0/james-ellroy-2967_history_as-a-kid-i-sensed-history-going-on-all-a_3049471.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b0/james-ellroy-2967_history_as-a-kid-i-sensed-history-going-on-all-a_3049471.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b0/james-ellroy-2967_history_as-a-kid-i-sensed-history-going-on-all-a_3049471.jpg) > “As a kid, I sensed history going on all around me, but the basic thrust of it didn't move me.” [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. History surrounds us, yet without personal resonance it feels distant and unengaging. **In simple terms:** History feels empty without personal connection. Key Takeaway Find personal relevance in history. Themes history personal relevance engagement Mood curious reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - family stories - museum visits - travel experiences Key Concepts narrative connection empathy Questions to Reflect On - What historical event resonates with you? - How can you make history personal? A Different Perspective It can be overwhelming to relate. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) ## Related quotes > [Then I thought, Whoa. If there are no photographs, then there is no history. I'm going to get in there. I'm going to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-meyerowitz/then-i-thought-whoa-if-there-are-no-photographs-then-there-is-no/) [Joel Meyerowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-meyerowitz/) > [You never know what your history is going to be like until long after you're gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/you-never-know-what-your-history-is-going-to-be-like-until-long-after/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [I think it is vitally important to study History. If we are going to lead Britain safely into the future, it is essential that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/i-think-it-is-vitally-important-to-study-history-if-we-are-going-to/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [“We’re always talking about following your passion. But we’re all part of the flow of history… you’ve got to put something back into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/we-re-always-talking-about-following-your-passion-but-we-re-all-part/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [L.A. prides itself on newness or being the last frontier or just not liking old things and tearing them down to build new things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-gordon/l-a-prides-itself-on-newness-or-being-the-last-frontier-or-just-not/) [Kim Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-gordon/) > [“I know that history is going to be dominated by an improbable event, I just don’t know what that event will be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/i-know-that-history-is-going-to-be-dominated-by-an-improbable-event-i/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [I never had the vaguest idea whether any of it had anything to do with me, especially being a sixth grader. When I got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/i-never-had-the-vaguest-idea-whether-any-of-it-had-anything-to-do/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [It appears history is going to keep happening, despite our hopes for retirement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/it-appears-history-is-going-to-keep-happening-despite-our-hopes-for/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [“You can't make history going incognito.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/utkarsh-sharma/you-can-t-make-history-going-incognito/) [Utkarsh Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/utkarsh-sharma/) > [When you look back, history is not going to be kind to these last 16 years from 2000 to 2016.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-t-flynn/when-you-look-back-history-is-not-going-to-be-kind-to-these-last-16/) [Michael T. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-t-flynn/) > [If history is going to repeat itself I should think we can expect the same thing again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-venables/if-history-is-going-to-repeat-itself-i-should-think-we-can-expect-the/) [Terry Venables](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-venables/) > [I believe truly that Canada is a living history and we're going through some of the most important time in this country's short 150 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-boyden/i-believe-truly-that-canada-is-a-living-history-and-we-re-going/) [Joseph Boyden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-boyden/) > [I love things that have one foot in history - I was going to be a history professor before I sold out and went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-taylor/i-love-things-that-have-one-foot-in-history-i-was-going-to-be-a/) [Alan Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-taylor/) > [I am imprinted with the whole sense of European history, especially German history, going back to World War I, which really destroyed all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisel-mueller/i-am-imprinted-with-the-whole-sense-of-european-history-especially/) [Lisel Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisel-mueller/) > [The closer you can get to your setting and to primary sources, the more authentic your history is going to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-coe/the-closer-you-can-get-to-your-setting-and-to-primary-sources-the/) [David B. Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-coe/) ## More by James Ellroy > [“Fear and I played peek-a-boo - it always seemed to grab my balls and twist just when it felt like something inside me could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/fear-and-i-played-peek-a-boo-it-always-seemed-to-grab-my-balls-and/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [My father actually went to college, and my mother went to nursing school, so, you know. I wouldn't... They were actually too square and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/my-father-actually-went-to-college-and-my-mother-went-to-nursing/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [I've created a narrative of the world. I live in the world - tenuously, most times. I've avoided the digital world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-ve-created-a-narrative-of-the-world-i-live-in-the-world-tenuously/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [Some men get the world, some men get ex-hookers and a trip to Arizona. You're in with the former, but my God I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/some-men-get-the-world-some-men-get-ex-hookers-and-a-trip-to-arizona/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [In the time just before the bombing of Pearl Harbor, when Perfidia opens, we were pre-psychologized. There were no concepts of identity, no politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/in-the-time-just-before-the-bombing-of-pearl-harbor-when-perfidia/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [“It all came down to money - the great equalizer and common denominator.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/it-all-came-down-to-money-the-great-equalizer-and-common-denominator/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [I think the great unspoken theme in noir fiction is male self-pity. It pervades noir movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-think-the-great-unspoken-theme-in-noir-fiction-is-male-self-pity-it/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [“Don't make a career out of underestimating me." — Claire de Haven”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/don-t-make-a-career-out-of-underestimating-me-claire-de-haven/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [“I didn't care who we were. I required no consummation. I knew that whoever we were and whatever we had would never stop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-didn-t-care-who-we-were-i-required-no-consummation-i-knew-that/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [Where’s your sketch pad?” I asked. … “I gave that up,” Kay said. “I wasn’t very good, so I changed my major.” “To what?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/where-s-your-sketch-pad-i-asked-i-gave-that-up-kay-said-i-wasn-t-very/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [I am a master of fiction. I am also the greatest crime novelist who ever lived. I am to the crime novel in specific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-am-a-master-of-fiction-i-am-also-the-greatest-crime-novelist-who/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [ I don't want to recover from writing this book \[The Onion\]. I feel very poised. I feel like I'm with my mother for the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-don-t-want-to-recover-from-writing-this-book-the-onion-i-feel-very/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [Rock and rollers can get you the youth buzz, and younger people are fanatical readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/rock-and-rollers-can-get-you-the-youth-buzz-and-younger-people-are/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [I don't know anybody in the underworld. I make this stuff up. I don't know any criminals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/i-don-t-know-anybody-in-the-underworld-i-make-this-stuff-up-i-don-t/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) > [“He took three shots a night-no more, no less. He switched from whisky to straight gin. The bum compensated for the scant volume. Three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/he-took-three-shots-a-night-no-more-no-less-he-switched-from-whisky/) [James Ellroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) [Explore all 143 James Ellroy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/) ## More History quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [The NBA is my history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/the-nba-is-my-history/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. It moved people to overcome their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/history-has-often-showed-us-the-strength-of-the-forces-that-are/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [What is history after all? History is facts which become lies in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/what-is-history-after-all-history-is-facts-which-become-lies-in-the/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [Things live and die, and then someone processes them into edible portions. This is a complete telling of the story, 'Food.' The basic plot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fahrenthold/things-live-and-die-and-then-someone-processes-them-into-edible/) [David Fahrenthold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fahrenthold/) > [History is a certain way, but you just change the point of view a little bit, and you discover a whole new side of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-schroeder/history-is-a-certain-way-but-you-just-change-the-point-of-view-a/) [Allison Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-schroeder/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [Today is a reality, tomorrow's a promise, and yesterday's history!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-blanks/today-is-a-reality-tomorrow-s-a-promise-and-yesterday-s-history/) [Billy Blanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-blanks/) > [Truth be told from compulsive liars with a history/Everything must change 2nd chances are a mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-dash/truth-be-told-from-compulsive-liars-with-a-history-everything-must/) C-DASH > [Every army in the history of the world has always had some deserters, usually much greater than we have today, because once again every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-hilferty/every-army-in-the-history-of-the-world-has-always-had-some-deserters/) [Bryan Hilferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-hilferty/) > [“To those great geniuses now in petticoats, who shall write novels for the beloved reader's children, these men and things will be as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/to-those-great-geniuses-now-in-petticoats-who-shall-write-novels-for/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) [Browse all 27,263 History quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As a kid, I sensed history going on all around me, but the basic thrust of it didn't move me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Ellroy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/as-a-kid-i-sensed-history-going-on-all-around-me-but-the-basic-thrust/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "History" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/as-a-kid-i-sensed-history-going-on-all-around-me-but-the-basic-thrust/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b0/james-ellroy-2967_history_as-a-kid-i-sensed-history-going-on-all-a_3049471.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b0/james-ellroy-2967_history_as-a-kid-i-sensed-history-going-on-all-a_3049471.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b0/james-ellroy-2967_history_as-a-kid-i-sensed-history-going-on-all-a_3049471.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As a kid, I sensed history going on all around me, but the basic thrust of it didn't move me.” — James Ellroy", "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": "James Ellroy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ellroy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As a kid, I sensed history...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/as-a-kid-i-sensed-history-going-on-all-around-me-but-the-basic-thrust/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ellroy/as-a-kid-i-sensed-history-going-on-all-around-me-but-the-basic-thrust/#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 } } ] } ```