---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Each photo is like a novel I can never…"
description: "\"“Each photo is like a novel I can never open, Gary had explained once. I can hold it in my hand and only begin to imagine what's inside -- the lives th..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/jennifer-mcmahon-16596_books_each-photo-is-like-a-novel-i-can-never-o_3207935.png"
---

#  Each photo is like a novel I can never open, Gary had…

![“Each photo is like a novel I can never open, Gary had explained once. I can hold it in my hand and only begin to imagine what's inside -- the lives these people might have led. Sometimes if there was a little clue on the photo - a name, date, or place - he'd try to research it...” quote by Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/jennifer-mcmahon-16596_books_each-photo-is-like-a-novel-i-can-never-o_3207935.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/jennifer-mcmahon-16596_books_each-photo-is-like-a-novel-i-can-never-o_3207935.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/jennifer-mcmahon-16596_books_each-photo-is-like-a-novel-i-can-never-o_3207935.png)

> ““Each photo is like a novel I can never open, Gary had explained once. I can hold it in my hand and only begin to imagine what's inside -- the lives these people might have led. Sometimes if there was a little clue on the photo - a name, date, or place - he'd try to research it...””

[Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/)

## About This Quote

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

Photos are mysterious stories that invite speculation, prompting research to uncover hidden narratives.

**In simple terms:** Photos are untold stories waiting to be explored.

Key Takeaway

Seek context behind images.

Themes

memory curiosity storytelling history investigation

Mood

thoughtful inquisitive

Type

literary reflective

When to use this quote

- family albums
- historical archives
- social media
- museum collections

Key Concepts

visual narrative personal history archival research

Questions to Reflect On

- What assumptions do you make from images?
- How can you verify photo stories?

A Different Perspective

Not all clues lead to truth; speculation can mislead.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Clue Photo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clue-photo-5982563/) [Gary Explained](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gary-explained-5982564/) [Like Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-novel/) [Novel Open](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-open-5982565/) [Novel-quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-quotes/) [Photo Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photo-like-1204351/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Photography-quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography-quotes/)

## Related quotes

> [For me making a digital photo is like making a watercolor... It's not a painting, and it's not a photo. It's something altogether new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-wolfe/for-me-making-a-digital-photo-is-like-making-a-watercolor-it-s-not-a/)

[Art Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-wolfe/)

> [ \[My mom\] has a few choice words to calm me down. I think it's beautiful that I sometimes, weirdly, see myself in a photo… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jillian-hervey/my-mom-has-a-few-choice-words-to-calm-me-down-i-think-it-s-beautiful/)

[Jillian Hervey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jillian-hervey/)

> [A photo is like a map, a way of giving me a foot into a kind of reality I want... I'm not trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-doig/a-photo-is-like-a-map-a-way-of-giving-me-a-foot-into-a-kind-of/)

[Peter Doig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-doig/)

> [The moment when I press the shutter is fantastic, orgasmic, so charged with the hope that this will be a great, original, interesting, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-pigozzi/the-moment-when-i-press-the-shutter-is-fantastic-orgasmic-so-charged/)

[Jean Pigozzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-pigozzi/)

> [There was a company that I did a photo shoot for once that manipulated the photo so much, I was like, "That's not even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-kunis/there-was-a-company-that-i-did-a-photo-shoot-for-once-that/)

[Mila Kunis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-kunis/)

> [Look, we all know how hard it is for us to - I'm going to speak for myself - find a still photo of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mapother/look-we-all-know-how-hard-it-is-for-us-to-i-m-going-to-speak-for/)

[William Mapother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mapother/)

> [I've been collecting photos for a long time, I mean since I started making money. But what you have had to go through to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-oseary/i-ve-been-collecting-photos-for-a-long-time-i-mean-since-i-started/)

[Guy Oseary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-oseary/)

> [In some way, a photo is like a stolen kiss. In fact a kiss is always stolen, even if the woman is consenting. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edouard-boubat/in-some-way-a-photo-is-like-a-stolen-kiss-in-fact-a-kiss-is-always/)

[Edouard Boubat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edouard-boubat/)

> [“Why are you behaving like this? You know how much I love you … and I believe you love me as much, so why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santonu-kumar-dhar/why-are-you-behaving-like-this-you-know-how-much-i-love-you-and-i/)

[santonu Kumar Dhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santonu-kumar-dhar/)

> [“The moment I close my eyes, I see you and sleep vanishes. I’m awake the entire night, revisiting our memories together. The night seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santonu-kumar-dhar/the-moment-i-close-my-eyes-i-see-you-and-sleep-vanishes-i-m-awake-the/)

[Santonu Kumar Dhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santonu-kumar-dhar/)

> [“I guess it’s true: it’s difficult for men to understand women.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santonu-kumar-dhar/i-guess-it-s-true-it-s-difficult-for-men-to-understand-women/)

[Santonu Kumar Dhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santonu-kumar-dhar/)

> [“I was angry at myself for my inclination to vice. I longed for the day when a state of frenzy would lead my mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/i-was-angry-at-myself-for-my-inclination-to-vice-i-longed-for-the-day/)

[Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/)

> [“Never did the world make a queen of a girl who hides in houses and dreams without traveling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roman-payne/never-did-the-world-make-a-queen-of-a-girl-who-hides-in-houses-and/)

[Roman Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roman-payne/)

> [“I know you would be watching over me all through this journey called life... whenever I look next to me, I feel like you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santonu-kumar-dhar/i-know-you-would-be-watching-over-me-all-through-this-journey-called/)

[Santonu Kumar Dhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santonu-kumar-dhar/)

> [“I love you so much. Our love is eternal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santonu-kumar-dhar/i-love-you-so-much-our-love-is-eternal/)

[Santonu Kumar Dhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santonu-kumar-dhar/)

## More by Jennifer McMahon

> [“There are angels walking among us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/there-are-angels-walking-among-us/)

[Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/)

> [“She was his great adventure; his love for her had taken him places he'd never dreamed of going.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/she-was-his-great-adventure-his-love-for-her-had-taken-him-places-he/)

[Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/)

> [If snow melts down to water, does it still remember being snow?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/if-snow-melts-down-to-water-does-it-still-remember-being-snow/)

[Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/)

> [“Think of me. Remember me. Love me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/think-of-me-remember-me-love-me/)

[Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/)

> [“We can't change things by wishing. Only by doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/we-can-t-change-things-by-wishing-only-by-doing/)

[Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/)

> [“Phoebe realized how very wrong she’d been about this house, this family. It was far darker, more dangerous than the places she’d grown up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/phoebe-realized-how-very-wrong-she-d-been-about-this-house-this/)

[Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/)

> [“Madness is always a wonderful excuse, don’t you think? For doing terrible things to other people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/madness-is-always-a-wonderful-excuse-don-t-you-think-for-doing/)

[Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/)

> [“Q: Bury deep, Pile on stones, Yet I will Dig up the bones. What am I? A: Memories — A FOLK RIDDLE”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/q-bury-deep-pile-on-stones-yet-i-will-dig-up-the-bones-what-am-i-a/)

[Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/)

> [“She closed her eyes. Said the four most comforting words she knew: "Once upon a time." An incantation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/she-closed-her-eyes-said-the-four-most-comforting-words-she-knew-once/)

[Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/)

> [What if things happened to you—special, magic things—because you’d been preparing for them?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/what-if-things-happened-to-you-special-magic-things-because-you-d/)

[Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/)

> [“Think of me,' she said because it seemed like something a girl in a fairy tale might say. Think of me. Remember me. Love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/think-of-me-she-said-because-it-seemed-like-something-a-girl-in-a/)

[Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/)

> [“the dead can blame”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/the-dead-can-blame/)

[Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/)

> [The world was full of dangers now that she was pregnant: mercury in tuna, hot tubs, beer, secondhand smoke, over-the-counter medicine. Not to mention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/the-world-was-full-of-dangers-now-that-she-was-pregnant-mercury-in/)

[Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/)

> [Ain't no point worrying about what's been or what's gonna be. You just gotta do your best right now. And trust everyone else is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/ain-t-no-point-worrying-about-what-s-been-or-what-s-gonna-be-you-just/)

[Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/)

> [“She places the orders for cases of frozen meat, huge cans of wax beans. She makes sure they stay”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/she-places-the-orders-for-cases-of-frozen-meat-huge-cans-of-wax-beans/)

[Jennifer McMahon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/)

[Explore all 39 Jennifer McMahon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

[Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

[Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/)

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Each photo is like a novel I can never open, Gary had explained once. I can hold it in my hand and only begin to imagine what's inside -- the lives these people might have led. Sometimes if there was a little clue on the photo - a name, date, or place - he'd try to research it...”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jennifer McMahon"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/each-photo-is-like-a-novel-i-can-never-open-gary-had-explained-once-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/each-photo-is-like-a-novel-i-can-never-open-gary-had-explained-once-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/jennifer-mcmahon-16596_books_each-photo-is-like-a-novel-i-can-never-o_3207935.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/jennifer-mcmahon-16596_books_each-photo-is-like-a-novel-i-can-never-o_3207935.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d08/jennifer-mcmahon-16596_books_each-photo-is-like-a-novel-i-can-never-o_3207935.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Each photo is like a novel I can never open, Gary had explained once. I can hold it in my hand and only…” — Jennifer McMahon",
                "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": "Jennifer McMahon",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-mcmahon/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Each photo is like a novel...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/each-photo-is-like-a-novel-i-can-never-open-gary-had-explained-once-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mcmahon/each-photo-is-like-a-novel-i-can-never-open-gary-had-explained-once-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
