--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He existed a step or two to one side of…" description: "\"He existed a step or two to one side of the common world, largely out of sight, a shadow, all but invisible. Whatever he owned, either he could hoist i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/james-sallis-19414_anonymity_he-existed-a-step-or-two-to-one-side-of_472050.png" --- # He existed a step or two to one side of the common world… ![“He existed a step or two to one side of the common world, largely out of sight, a shadow, all but invisible. Whatever he owned, either he could hoist it on his back and lug it along or he could walk away from it. Anonymity was the thing he loved most about the city, being a part of it and apart…” quote by James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/james-sallis-19414_anonymity_he-existed-a-step-or-two-to-one-side-of_472050.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/james-sallis-19414_anonymity_he-existed-a-step-or-two-to-one-side-of_472050.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/133/james-sallis-19414_anonymity_he-existed-a-step-or-two-to-one-side-of_472050.png) > “He existed a step or two to one side of the common world, largely out of sight, a shadow, all but invisible. Whatever he owned, either he could hoist it on his back and lug it along or he could walk away from it. Anonymity was the thing he loved most about the city, being a part of it and apart from it at the same time.” [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person lives on society's margins, invisible yet able to carry or abandon possessions, valuing anonymity while being part of the city. **In simple terms:** Living on the edge, carrying or leaving what you own, loving anonymity. Key Takeaway Embrace your role, but stay aware of connections. Themes identity anonymity urban life detachment belonging Mood reflective melancholic observational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - street life - urban exploration - personal reflection - social observation Key Concepts existentialism social marginality personal freedom Questions to Reflect On - How does anonymity affect your sense of self? - When do you choose to belong versus stay apart? A Different Perspective Anonymity can limit meaningful relationships and civic engagement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anonymity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anonymity/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Shadow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadow/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“Lina looked out at the lighted streets spreading away in every direction, the streets she knew so well. She loved her city, worn out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-duprau/lina-looked-out-at-the-lighted-streets-spreading-away-in-every/) [Jeanne DuPrau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-duprau/) > [I loved the city of St. Louis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-brodeur/i-loved-the-city-of-st-louis/) [Martin Brodeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-brodeur/) > [“After the storm, many citizens left New Orleans to live elsewhere, but those who stayed were determined to rebuild. They loved their city.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/after-the-storm-many-citizens-left-new-orleans-to-live-elsewhere-but/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [I can't with any conscience argue for New York with anyone. It's like Calcutta. But I love the city in an emotional, irrational way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-can-t-with-any-conscience-argue-for-new-york-with-anyone-it-s-like/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [“She loved this city. She just didn’t like it much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-martin/she-loved-this-city-she-just-didn-t-like-it-much/) [Faith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-martin/) > [“I loved the city. We were anonymous, and even then I had the sense that cities were yielding; that they moved over and made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheridan-hay/i-loved-the-city-we-were-anonymous-and-even-then-i-had-the-sense-that/) [Sheridan Hay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheridan-hay/) > [“We had heard that the people of Delhi loved their city as bees love flowers. But we could not believe that the child of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khushwant-singh/we-had-heard-that-the-people-of-delhi-loved-their-city-as-bees-love/) [Khushwant Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khushwant-singh/) > [Anonymity would be a fantastic umbrella. I don't like intrusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anonymity-would-be-a-fantastic-umbrella-i-don-t-like-intrusion/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People feel they can say nasty things and have anonymity behind the net - as they did with all the nasty comments about me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-roberts/people-feel-they-can-say-nasty-things-and-have-anonymity-behind-the/) [Nicola Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-roberts/) > [Both multiplayer games and online forums have this property of virtual anonymity. Other people can't really see you; they don't really know who you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sweeney/both-multiplayer-games-and-online-forums-have-this-property-of/) [Tim Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sweeney/) > [The internet's perfect for all manner of things, but productive discussion ain't one of them. It provides scant room for debate and infinite opportunities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-brooker/the-internet-s-perfect-for-all-manner-of-things-but-productive/) [Charlie Brooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-brooker/) > [Way before Watergate, senior administration officials hid behind anonymity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-woodward/way-before-watergate-senior-administration-officials-hid-behind/) [Bob Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-woodward/) > [For many people in the west, Afghanistan is synonymous with the Soviet war and the Taliban. I wanted to remind people that Afghans had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/for-many-people-in-the-west-afghanistan-is-synonymous-with-the-soviet/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [I value my anonymity. I'm happy to come in on the tube or the train and watch other people reading 'Fifty Shades.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/i-value-my-anonymity-i-m-happy-to-come-in-on-the-tube-or-the-train/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [For me, getting comfortable with being famous was hard - that whole side of it, the loss of anonymity, the loss of privacy. Giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-pfeiffer/for-me-getting-comfortable-with-being-famous-was-hard-that-whole-side/) [Michelle Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-pfeiffer/) ## More by James Sallis > [“You're not very good at this, are you?' 'At what I do, I'm the best. This isn't what I do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/you-re-not-very-good-at-this-are-you-at-what-i-do-i-m-the-best-this/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [“Rina’s always claimed that I expect too little from life,” Standard said. “Then at least you’ll never be disappointed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/rina-s-always-claimed-that-i-expect-too-little-from-life-standard/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [The best predictor of preschool children's physical activity is simply being outdoors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/the-best-predictor-of-preschool-children-s-physical-activity-is/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [“Some brainless comedy where actors with perfect white teeth spoke their lines then froze in place to let the laugh track unwind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/some-brainless-comedy-where-actors-with-perfect-white-teeth-spoke/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [ “In my junior year I discovered books. . . . Devoured \[them\] the way other kids did candy or sandwiches, spent days hunched over… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/in-my-junior-year-i-discovered-books-devoured-them-the-way-other-kids/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [“We're professionals. People make deals, they need to stick to them. That's the way it works, if it's going to work at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/we-re-professionals-people-make-deals-they-need-to-stick-to-them-that/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [Mostly what you lose with time, in memory, is the specificity of things, their exact sequence. It all runs together, becomes a watery soup.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/mostly-what-you-lose-with-time-in-memory-is-the-specificity-of-things/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [“We aren’t angels. Angels couldn’t breathe the air down here. They’d die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/we-aren-t-angels-angels-couldn-t-breathe-the-air-down-here-they-d-die/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [Bombs fall and wipe out civilization as we know it, two things come up out of the ashes: roaches and F-150s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/bombs-fall-and-wipe-out-civilization-as-we-know-it-two-things-come-up/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [Truth is, of course, relative. But then, so is relative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/truth-is-of-course-relative-but-then-so-is-relative/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [What critics might call eclectic, and Eastern folks quirky, we Southerners call cussedness-and it's the cornerstone of the American genius. As in: 'There's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/what-critics-might-call-eclectic-and-eastern-folks-quirky-we/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [“Find beauty, try to understand, survive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/find-beauty-try-to-understand-survive/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [“Maybe he should turn around. Go back and tell them that’s what life was, a long series of things that didn’t go down the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/maybe-he-should-turn-around-go-back-and-tell-them-that-s-what-life/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [“That you're Borges.' Manny laughed. 'Of course you are, you dumb shit. That's the whole point.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/that-you-re-borges-manny-laughed-of-course-you-are-you-dumb-shit-that/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) > [Life sends us messages all the time - then sits around laughing over how we're not gonna be able to figure them out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-sallis/life-sends-us-messages-all-the-time-then-sits-around-laughing-over/) [James Sallis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) [Explore all 32 James Sallis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-sallis/) ## More Anonymity quotes > [For me, getting comfortable with being famous was hard - that whole side of it, the loss of anonymity, the loss of privacy. Giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-pfeiffer/for-me-getting-comfortable-with-being-famous-was-hard-that-whole-side/) [Michelle Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-pfeiffer/) > [I value my anonymity. I'm happy to come in on the tube or the train and watch other people reading 'Fifty Shades.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james-2/i-value-my-anonymity-i-m-happy-to-come-in-on-the-tube-or-the-train/) [E. L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james-2/) > [For many people in the west, Afghanistan is synonymous with the Soviet war and the Taliban. I wanted to remind people that Afghans had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/for-many-people-in-the-west-afghanistan-is-synonymous-with-the-soviet/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Way before Watergate, senior administration officials hid behind anonymity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-woodward/way-before-watergate-senior-administration-officials-hid-behind/) [Bob Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-woodward/) > [The internet's perfect for all manner of things, but productive discussion ain't one of them. It provides scant room for debate and infinite opportunities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-brooker/the-internet-s-perfect-for-all-manner-of-things-but-productive/) [Charlie Brooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-brooker/) > [Both multiplayer games and online forums have this property of virtual anonymity. Other people can't really see you; they don't really know who you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-sweeney/both-multiplayer-games-and-online-forums-have-this-property-of/) [Tim Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-sweeney/) > [People feel they can say nasty things and have anonymity behind the net - as they did with all the nasty comments about me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-roberts/people-feel-they-can-say-nasty-things-and-have-anonymity-behind-the/) [Nicola Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-roberts/) > [Anonymity would be a fantastic umbrella. I don't like intrusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anonymity-would-be-a-fantastic-umbrella-i-don-t-like-intrusion/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wouldn't want to even try to begin to describe our customer, as I think she likes a certain amount of anonymity. I try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-philo/i-wouldn-t-want-to-even-try-to-begin-to-describe-our-customer-as-i/) [Phoebe Philo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-philo/) > [Most members of Gamergate, the alt-right movement best known for harassing women in the game industry, operate under a veil of anonymity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brianna-wu/most-members-of-gamergate-the-alt-right-movement-best-known-for/) [Brianna Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brianna-wu/) > [I came from anonymity, and I will continue to write as a private pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/i-came-from-anonymity-and-i-will-continue-to-write-as-a-private/) [W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/) > [The problem with losing your anonymity is that you can never go back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marla-maples/the-problem-with-losing-your-anonymity-is-that-you-can-never-go-back/) [Marla Maples](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marla-maples/) > [Human beings are not meant to lose their anonymity and privacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-chalke/human-beings-are-not-meant-to-lose-their-anonymity-and-privacy/) [Sarah Chalke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-chalke/) > [Privacy is important to me. But it's not just about sticking two fingers up and saying I don't want anyone to know my business.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-dormer/privacy-is-important-to-me-but-it-s-not-just-about-sticking-two/) [Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-dormer/) > [Anonymity, in some cases a key civil liberty, also enables society's worst actors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wil-wheaton/anonymity-in-some-cases-a-key-civil-liberty-also-enables-society-s/) [Wil Wheaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wil-wheaton/) [Browse all 285 Anonymity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anonymity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He existed a step or two to one side of the common world, largely out of sight, a shadow, all but invisible. Whatever he owned, either he could hoist it on his back and lug it along or he could walk away from it. 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