--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: New York was no mere city. It was instead…" description: "\"New York was no mere city. It was instead an infinitely romantic notion, the mysterious nexus of all love and money and power, the shining and perishab..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/joan-didion-497_city_new-york-was-no-mere-city-it-was-instead_2377606.jpg" --- # New York was no mere city. It was instead an infinitely… ![“New York was no mere city. It was instead an infinitely romantic notion, the mysterious nexus of all love and money and power, the shining and perishable dream itself.” quote by Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/joan-didion-497_city_new-york-was-no-mere-city-it-was-instead_2377606.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/joan-didion-497_city_new-york-was-no-mere-city-it-was-instead_2377606.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b19/joan-didion-497_city_new-york-was-no-mere-city-it-was-instead_2377606.jpg) > “New York was no mere city. It was instead an infinitely romantic notion, the mysterious nexus of all love and money and power, the shining and perishable dream itself.” [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. New York is portrayed as a timeless, idealized symbol embodying love, wealth, and power, reflecting humanity's aspirations and fragility. **In simple terms:** New York is an endless romantic symbol of love, money, and power. Key Takeaway Recognize the mythic allure but stay grounded. Themes city romance power wealth dreams Mood nostalgic reflective Type literary descriptive When to use this quote - travel writing - real estate investment - personal ambition - creative inspiration Key Concepts urban mythology symbolism idealism Questions to Reflect On - How does the city's myth shape your goals? - What truths lie behind the allure? A Different Perspective The romance can obscure harsh realities and inequality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Infinitely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinitely/) [Infinitely Romantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinitely-romantic-2702391/) [Instead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instead/) [Itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/itself/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love and money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-and-money/) [Mere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mere/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Money and power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money-and-power/) [Mysterious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysterious/) [New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Notion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notion/) [Perishable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perishable/) [Perishable Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perishable-dream-5878149/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Romantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romantic/) [Romantic Notion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romantic-notion-725111/) [Shining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining/) [York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/york/) ## Related quotes > [New York was no mere city. 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To relate to what we're going through today is fine and dandy, but it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufus-wainwright/opera-needs-to-be-a-total-escape-from-real-life-to-relate-to-what-we/) [Rufus Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufus-wainwright/) > [“Liberty is a romantic notion to me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-mccullough-white/liberty-is-a-romantic-notion-to-me/) [Dawn McCullough-White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-mccullough-white/) > [I had a kind of romantic notion about being a Hollywood Errol Flynn type.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsey-grammer/i-had-a-kind-of-romantic-notion-about-being-a-hollywood-errol-flynn-2/) [Kelsey Grammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsey-grammer/) > [The American Dream is a romantic notion but it's newer - not as pretty. 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I think it's as vital as air and water, and so I think that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-brown/i-don-t-think-of-community-as-being-a-romantic-notion-i-think-it-s-as/) [Greg Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-brown/) ## More by Joan Didion > [To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-shift-the-structure-of-a-sentence-alters-the-meaning-of-that/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I work every day. 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I recognize it in myself - there is a basic indifference toward people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-m-not-very-interested-in-people-i-recognize-it-in-myself-there-is-a/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Was there ever in anyone's life span a point free in time, devoid of memory, a point when choice was any more than sum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/was-there-ever-in-anyone-s-life-span-a-point-free-in-time-devoid-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Research to date has shown that, like many other stressors, grief frequently leads to changes in the endocrine, immune, autonomic nervous, and cardiovascular systems;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/research-to-date-has-shown-that-like-many-other-stressors-grief/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“By the end of the week she was thinking constantly about where her body stopped and the air began about the exact point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking-constantly-about-where-her/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“I just can't see the upside in this," I heard myself say by way of explanation. 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I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [To those of us who remained committed mainly to the exploration of moral distinctions and ambiguities, the feminist analysis may have seemed a particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-those-of-us-who-remained-committed-mainly-to-the-exploration-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) [Explore all 515 Joan Didion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) ## More City quotes > [I've seen a lot of people come out of Carol City, but I had this distinct vision for Carol City, just me coming out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-curry/i-ve-seen-a-lot-of-people-come-out-of-carol-city-but-i-had-this/) [Denzel Curry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-curry/) > [I always say if you put someone from a small town into a big city for ten years, then when they go back, they'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-colter/i-always-say-if-you-put-someone-from-a-small-town-into-a-big-city-for/) [Mike Colter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-colter/) > [I've been to Manchester enough to know it's a real place. 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