First person Quote by Joan Didion
““…quite simply, I was in love with New York. I do not mean "love" in any colloquial way, I mean that I was in love with the city, the way you love the first person who ever touches you and you never love anyone quite that way again. I remember walking across Sixty-second Street one twilight that first spring, or the second spring, they were all alike for a while. I was late to meet someone but I stopped at Lexington Avenue and bought a peach and stood on the corner eating it and knew that I had come out out of the West and reached the mirage. I could taste the peach and feel the soft air blowing from a subway grating on my legs and I could smell lilac and garbage and expensive perfume and I knew that it would cost something sooner or later—because I did not belong there, did not come from there””
About This Quote
Source Essay: “On Self-Respect” in The White Album, 1979
A deep, sensory love for a city can feel like an intimate, singular connection that is both exhilarating and alienating.
In simple terms: Loving a place can feel like a unique, unforgettable bond.
Key Takeaway
Cherish moments, but stay aware of their fleeting nature.
Themes
love
city
identity
belonging
nostalgia
Mood
reflective
bittersweet
melancholic
Type
personal
descriptive
poetic
When to use this quote
- first visit
- late-night stroll
- street food
- sensory memory
- reflection
Key Concepts
urban romance
place attachment
transience
Questions to Reflect On
- How does a place shape your sense of self?
- What happens when that love turns into a feeling of not belonging?
A Different Perspective
The intensity may fade, and the city can become a source of longing or disillusionment.
