--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: idea. I told Mom we should empty out each…" description: "\"“idea. I told Mom we should empty out each room, clean it thoroughly, and put back only the things that were essential. That was the one way, it seemed..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/jeannette-walls-1378_dirty-clothes_idea-i-told-mom-we-should-empty-out-each_2678740.jpg" --- # idea. I told Mom we should empty out each room, clean it… ![“idea. I told Mom we should empty out each room, clean it thoroughly, and put back only the things that were essential. That was the one way, it seemed to me, to get rid of the clutter. But Mom said my idea was too time-consuming, so all we ended up doing was straightening piles of paper into…” quote by Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/jeannette-walls-1378_dirty-clothes_idea-i-told-mom-we-should-empty-out-each_2678740.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/jeannette-walls-1378_dirty-clothes_idea-i-told-mom-we-should-empty-out-each_2678740.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/jeannette-walls-1378_dirty-clothes_idea-i-told-mom-we-should-empty-out-each_2678740.jpg) > ““idea. I told Mom we should empty out each room, clean it thoroughly, and put back only the things that were essential. That was the one way, it seemed to me, to get rid of the clutter. But Mom said my idea was too time-consuming, so all we ended up doing was straightening piles of paper into stacks and stuffing dirty clothes into the chest of drawers. Mom insisted that we chant Hail Marys while we worked. “It’s a way of cleansing our souls while we’re cleaning house,” she said. “We’re killing two birds with one stone.” The”” [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A mother’s ritual of cleaning as spiritual cleansing, but practical constraints intervene **In simple terms:** Cleaning as a spiritual act, but time‑consuming Key Takeaway Balance ritual with practicality Themes family spirituality organization Mood thoughtful inspirational Type personal reflective When to use this quote - home decluttering - family chores - spiritual practices - time‑saving hacks Key Concepts Ritual minimalism time management Questions to Reflect On - How can you make cleaning both meaningful and efficient? - What rituals help you stay organized? A Different Perspective May idealize ritual over efficiency ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cleaning House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cleaning-house/) [Clutter Mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clutter-mom-2563101/) [Dirty clothes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dirty-clothes/) [Drawers Mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drawers-mom-2563102/) [Hail mary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hail-mary/) [Mom Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mom-said/) [Told Mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/told-mom/) [Two birds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two-birds/) ## Related quotes > [Stark left me with the dishes and joined the guys in the living room. When I was done I walked in there to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/stark-left-me-with-the-dishes-and-joined-the-guys-in-the-living-room/) [Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/) > [As much as I love Christmas, there is something so gratifying about taking it all down and deep cleaning the house!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-much-as-i-love-christmas-there-is-something-so-gratifying-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Spring cleaning the house is easy. Spring cleaning life is tough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/spring-cleaning-the-house-is-easy-spring-cleaning-life-is-tough/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It was very hard for me to put my life on paper. It was a very intimate process, very psychological, but at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thalia/it-was-very-hard-for-me-to-put-my-life-on-paper-it-was-a-very/) [Thalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thalia/) > [My thing is, get Jesus to come and live inside, and let Him start cleaning house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-welch/my-thing-is-get-jesus-to-come-and-live-inside-and-let-him-start/) [Brian Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-welch/) > [“Why would he call the cops if you’re just cleaning his house?” “Because I’m stalking him. I gotta go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-l-martin/why-would-he-call-the-cops-if-you-re-just-cleaning-his-house-because/) [T.L. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-l-martin/) > [I do hot oil treatments at home while I'm cleaning my house or whatever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karrueche-tran/i-do-hot-oil-treatments-at-home-while-i-m-cleaning-my-house-or/) [Karrueche Tran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karrueche-tran/) > [Whether you are cooking, cleaning house, or planting flowers, try to concentrate on the textures, the smells, colors, tastes, sounds, all Zen moments of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lynch/whether-you-are-cooking-cleaning-house-or-planting-flowers-try-to/) [Jerry Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-lynch/) > [I love to cook and really enjoy cleaning my house. People always tease me about getting a maid. My girlfriend tells me that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-weber/i-love-to-cook-and-really-enjoy-cleaning-my-house-people-always-tease/) [Amy Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-weber/) > [“I've seen women insist on cleaning everything in the house before they could sit down to write... and you know it's a funny thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/i-ve-seen-women-insist-on-cleaning-everything-in-the-house-before/) [Clarissa Pinkola Estés](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/) > [I think that we are in a very strange time, when everybody is thinking about what is going to happen, and everybody is kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alber-elbaz/i-think-that-we-are-in-a-very-strange-time-when-everybody-is-thinking/) [Alber Elbaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alber-elbaz/) > [The darn trouble with cleaning the house is it gets dirty the next day anyway, so skip a week if you have to. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-bush/the-darn-trouble-with-cleaning-the-house-is-it-gets-dirty-the-next/) [Barbara Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-bush/) > [“Even the ordinary business of cleaning house seemed somehow to have become sacramental.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/even-the-ordinary-business-of-cleaning-house-seemed-somehow-to-have/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [I think cleaning house at the CIA needed to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hoekstra/i-think-cleaning-house-at-the-cia-needed-to-happen/) [Pete Hoekstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hoekstra/) > [“It’s often said that cleaning your house is like polishing yourself. I think that this is a golden rule. It isn’t just dust and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fumio-sasaki/it-s-often-said-that-cleaning-your-house-is-like-polishing-yourself-i/) [Fumio Sasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fumio-sasaki/) ## More by Jeannette Walls > [You should never hate anyone, even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You have to find the redeeming quality and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-should-never-hate-anyone-even-your-worst-enemies-everyone-has/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [“You should never hate anyone, not even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You had to find the redeeming quality and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-should-never-hate-anyone-not-even-your-worst-enemies-everyone-has/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [With a complicated childhood, you can either focus on the positive or the negative, and I chose to focus on the positive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/with-a-complicated-childhood-you-can-either-focus-on-the-positive-or/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [She never felt sorry for herself, and that was something I decided I admired most in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/she-never-felt-sorry-for-herself-and-that-was-something-i-decided-i/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [“If you want to live in the farmland, haul your sorry hide off to Pennsylvania.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/if-you-want-to-live-in-the-farmland-haul-your-sorry-hide-off-to/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [“I WAS SITTING IN a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/i-was-sitting-in-a-taxi-wondering-if-i-had-overdressed-for-the/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [I had the big shoulders; I had the big hair. I loved the '80s. It was all about power women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/i-had-the-big-shoulders-i-had-the-big-hair-i-loved-the-80s-it-was-all/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [Things usually work out in the end." "What if they don't?" "That just means you haven't come to the end yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/things-usually-work-out-in-the-end-what-if-they-don-t-that-just-means/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [“That was the way man was meant to live, he’d say, in harmony with the wild, like the Indians, not this lords-of-the-earth crap, trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/that-was-the-way-man-was-meant-to-live-he-d-say-in-harmony-with-the/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [Sometimes you need a little crisis to get your adrenaline flowing and help you realize your potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/sometimes-you-need-a-little-crisis-to-get-your-adrenaline-flowing-and/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [“Don’t be afraid of your dark places,” Mom told her. “If you can shine a light on them, you’ll find treasure there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/don-t-be-afraid-of-your-dark-places-mom-told-her-if-you-can-shine-a/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [I hate Erma," I told Mom... "You have to show compassion for her..." She added that you should never hate anyone, even your worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/i-hate-erma-i-told-mom-you-have-to-show-compassion-for-her-she-added/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [“Sad state to spend your life in. Being afraid of your own self." Rex Walls”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/sad-state-to-spend-your-life-in-being-afraid-of-your-own-self-rex/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [I was so worried that people wouldn't like me or my story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/i-was-so-worried-that-people-wouldn-t-like-me-or-my-story/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [“the surest way to feel rich was to invest in quality nonessentials.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/the-surest-way-to-feel-rich-was-to-invest-in-quality-nonessentials/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) [Explore all 247 Jeannette Walls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) ## More Dirty clothes quotes > [It's hard to be a clubhouse guy without being a great guy. I mean, the nature of the job is, you know, you're picking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-francona/it-s-hard-to-be-a-clubhouse-guy-without-being-a-great-guy-i-mean-the/) [Terry Francona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-francona/) > [She paints her nails and she don't know He's got her best friend on the phone She'll wash her hair, his dirty clothes Are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/american-hi-fi/she-paints-her-nails-and-she-don-t-know-he-s-got-her-best-friend-on/) [American Hi Fi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/american-hi-fi/) > [“Our philosophy is that home decor shouldn’t be taken too seriously, because we want our homes to reflect who we are, no one else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jolie-sikes/our-philosophy-is-that-home-decor-shouldn-t-be-taken-too-seriously/) [Jolie Sikes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jolie-sikes/) > [Even though I was their captive, the Indians allowed me quite a bit of freedom. I could walk about freely, make my own meals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/even-though-i-was-their-captive-the-indians-allowed-me-quite-a-bit-of/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [“I was about to rush out the door when I realized that I’d be stealing his clothes. Frantically thinking of some quick way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priscilla-west/i-was-about-to-rush-out-the-door-when-i-realized-that-i-d-be-stealing/) [Priscilla West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priscilla-west/) > [“It is the same principle as washing dirty clothes - the more you clean the dirt away, the more it goes back to its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woo-myung/it-is-the-same-principle-as-washing-dirty-clothes-the-more-you-clean/) [Woo Myung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woo-myung/) > [“Lie there panning, looking, all ribs and elbows and dilated eyes. The awake floor is littered with gear and dirty clothes, blond hardwood with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/lie-there-panning-looking-all-ribs-and-elbows-and-dilated-eyes-the/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“Why,” he asked. “Why did you save her?” She dragged a hand through her hair. A white bandage around her upper arm peeked through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/why-he-asked-why-did-you-save-her-she-dragged-a-hand-through-her-hair/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [Bro she just called you dirty! OH HELL NO, Hold My dirty clothes...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrell-thomas/bro-she-just-called-you-dirty-oh-hell-no-hold-my-dirty-clothes/) [Terrell Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrell-thomas/) > [“I’ll throw some dirty clothes under your car and claim you ran over my anorexic friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-ll-throw-some-dirty-clothes-under-your-car-and-claim-you-ran-over/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“The ones that rip my heart from my chest are the little ones. The children, with tangled hair and dirty clothes, covering their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/the-ones-that-rip-my-heart-from-my-chest-are-the-little-ones-the/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [“I sighed and deleted the message, imagining the dirty clothes multiplying like rabbits, because that’s what they do when I’m not around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-owens/i-sighed-and-deleted-the-message-imagining-the-dirty-clothes/) [Alex Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-owens/) > [“The children are all crying in their pens and the surf carries their cries away. They are old men who have seen too much,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/the-children-are-all-crying-in-their-pens-and-the-surf-carries-their/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [“Bruno, this is my friend Pippa. Pippa, my cousin Bruno.” Bruno. The in-with-the-wrong-crowd Bruno. Divinely and supernaturally gorgeous Bruno. And he just winked at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-rae/bruno-this-is-my-friend-pippa-pippa-my-cousin-bruno-bruno-the-in-with/) [Kristin Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-rae/) > [“Well it seems to me that there are books that tell stories, and then there are books that tell truths...," I began. "Go on,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-donnelly/well-it-seems-to-me-that-there-are-books-that-tell-stories-and-then/) [Jennifer Donnelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-donnelly/) [Browse all 39 Dirty clothes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dirty-clothes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“idea. I told Mom we should empty out each room, clean it thoroughly, and put back only the things that were essential. That was the one way, it seemed to me, to get rid of the clutter. But Mom said my idea was too time-consuming, so all we ended up doing was straightening piles of paper into stacks and stuffing dirty clothes into the chest of drawers. Mom insisted that we chant Hail Marys while we worked. “It’s a way of cleansing our souls while we’re cleaning house,” she said. “We’re killing two birds with one stone.” The”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jeannette Walls" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/idea-i-told-mom-we-should-empty-out-each-room-clean-it-thoroughly-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dirty clothes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/idea-i-told-mom-we-should-empty-out-each-room-clean-it-thoroughly-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/jeannette-walls-1378_dirty-clothes_idea-i-told-mom-we-should-empty-out-each_2678740.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/jeannette-walls-1378_dirty-clothes_idea-i-told-mom-we-should-empty-out-each_2678740.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/jeannette-walls-1378_dirty-clothes_idea-i-told-mom-we-should-empty-out-each_2678740.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“idea. I told Mom we should empty out each room, clean it thoroughly, and put back only the things that were…” — Jeannette Walls", "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": "Jeannette Walls", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“idea. I told Mom we should...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/idea-i-told-mom-we-should-empty-out-each-room-clean-it-thoroughly-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/idea-i-told-mom-we-should-empty-out-each-room-clean-it-thoroughly-and/#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 } } ] } ```