--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When we were little, Eric and Fitz and I…" description: "\"“When we were little, Eric and Fitz and I invented a language. I've forgotten most of it, with the exception of a few words: valyango, which meant pira..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/jodi-picoult-45_coming-together_when-we-were-little-eric-and-fitz-and-i_968518.jpg" --- # When we were little, Eric and Fitz and I invented a… ![“When we were little, Eric and Fitz and I invented a language. I've forgotten most of it, with the exception of a few words: valyango, which meant pirate; palapala, which meant rain; and ruskifer, which had no translation to English but described the dimpled bottom of a woven basket, all the reeds…” quote by Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/jodi-picoult-45_coming-together_when-we-were-little-eric-and-fitz-and-i_968518.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/jodi-picoult-45_coming-together_when-we-were-little-eric-and-fitz-and-i_968518.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5a1/jodi-picoult-45_coming-together_when-we-were-little-eric-and-fitz-and-i_968518.jpg) > ““When we were little, Eric and Fitz and I invented a language. I've forgotten most of it, with the exception of a few words: valyango, which meant pirate; palapala, which meant rain; and ruskifer, which had no translation to English but described the dimpled bottom of a woven basket, all the reeds coming together to form one joint spot, and that we sometimes used to explain our friendship.”” [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Childhood imagination can forge unique languages that capture shared experiences. **In simple terms:** Kids create secret codes for friendship. Key Takeaway Value and preserve creative bonds from youth. Themes friendship creativity language nostalgia Mood warm nostalgic Type inspirational literary When to use this quote - family gatherings - writing workshops - team building - cultural preservation Key Concepts linguistics memory imagination Questions to Reflect On - What symbols best represent your friendships? - How can shared rituals strengthen bonds? A Different Perspective The invented language may not translate universally. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Coming together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-together/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) ## Related quotes > [To create a past that seemed authentic but would be a fiction, you need an invented language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/to-create-a-past-that-seemed-authentic-but-would-be-a-fiction-you/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I hardly ever talk- words seem such a waste, and they are none of them true. No one has yet invented a language from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleister-crowley/i-hardly-ever-talk-words-seem-such-a-waste-and-they-are-none-of-them/) [Aleister Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleister-crowley/) > [Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/man-invented-language-to-satisfy-his-deep-need-to-complain/) [Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/) > [“Oftentimes, I feel that man invented language solely to satisfy his deep need to complain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-e-basye/oftentimes-i-feel-that-man-invented-language-solely-to-satisfy-his/) Dale E. Basye > [“She invented her own language to say what everyone else could only feel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-kent/she-invented-her-own-language-to-say-what-everyone-else-could-only/) [Hannah Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-kent/) > [This sign I give you: every people speaks its tongue of good and evil, which the neighbor does not understand. It has invented its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/this-sign-i-give-you-every-people-speaks-its-tongue-of-good-and-evil/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Creativity represents a miraculous coming together of the uninhibited energy of the child with its apparent opposite and enemy, the sense of order imposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-podhoretz/creativity-represents-a-miraculous-coming-together-of-the-uninhibited/) [Norman Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-podhoretz/) > [“I was going to make a confession. Then I remembered I don't make them very well. We still need to see the monkeys." "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/i-was-going-to-make-a-confession-then-i-remembered-i-don-t-make-them/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [The word religion comes from an origin which means "coming together." But priesthood has been doing just the opposite, it has created splits in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-word-religion-comes-from-an-origin-which-means-coming-together/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Religion is no longer a connection point for most people. Our communities were built on coming together in physical locations once a week or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-mckelvey/religion-is-no-longer-a-connection-point-for-most-people-our/) [Miguel McKelvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-mckelvey/) > [“All of the experiences he’d had with the band so far, watching other bands at work, reading, getting into Iggy and Throbbing Gristle, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-of-the-experiences-he-d-had-with-the-band-so-far-watching-other/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Out in the field I try not to hold expectations. I try to achieve an openness. The senses heighten so that I am totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-lazelle/out-in-the-field-i-try-not-to-hold-expectations-i-try-to-achieve-an/) Keith Lazelle > [ The parts of the \[Civil Right\] Movement we recognize so well now were not born from a single decision, but were a complicated and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/the-parts-of-the-civil-right-movement-we-recognize-so-well-now-were/) [Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) ## More by Jodi Picoult > [You get through it, you just never get over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-get-through-it-you-just-never-get-over-it/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Let me guess," Eric says, "You never meant for it to happen." "Hell, yes, I did. I've wanted her since you two started dating."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/let-me-guess-eric-says-you-never-meant-for-it-to-happen-hell-yes-i/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“It’s the difference between dancing along the eggshell crust of acquaintance and diving into the messy center of a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-s-the-difference-between-dancing-along-the-eggshell-crust-of/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Because hate's just the flip side of love. Like heads and tails on a dime. If you don't know what it feels like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/because-hate-s-just-the-flip-side-of-love-like-heads-and-tails-on-a/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Some women are meant to change the world, while others are meant to hold it together. And then there are those of us who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/some-women-are-meant-to-change-the-world-while-others-are-meant-to/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I love feeling loved. I don't love knowing that I will always come in second place. I love the fact that at least sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-love-feeling-loved-i-don-t-love-knowing-that-i-will-always-come-in/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Music is the language of memory”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/music-is-the-language-of-memory/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [But there is a different between mending someone who's broken and finding someone who makes you complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-there-is-a-different-between-mending-someone-who-s-broken-and/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“sometimes words are not big enough to contain all the feelings you are trying to pour into them. My”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/sometimes-words-are-not-big-enough-to-contain-all-the-feelings-you/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“The age wasn't as important as the milestones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-age-wasn-t-as-important-as-the-milestones/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The night is falling down around us. Meteors rain like fireworks, quick rips in the seam of the dark... Every second, another streak of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/the-night-is-falling-down-around-us-meteors-rain-like-fireworks-quick/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“When she had packed all the artifacts that made up their personal history into liquor store boxes, the house became strictly a feminine place.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/when-she-had-packed-all-the-artifacts-that-made-up-their-personal/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/maybe-who-we-are-isn-t-so-much-about-what-we-do-but-rather-what-we-re/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [“Here's what I hadn't realized : the mother you haven't seen for almost 36 years isn't your mother. She is a stranger. Sharing DNA…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/here-s-what-i-hadn-t-realized-the-mother-you-haven-t-seen-for-almost/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [My brother believed in all sorts of mythical creatures: pixies, dragons, werewolves, honest men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/my-brother-believed-in-all-sorts-of-mythical-creatures-pixies-dragons/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) [Explore all 2,062 Jodi Picoult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More Coming together quotes > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [What is accurately portrayed is the rich humanity not just of Martin Luther King but of the movement, which was a multiracial movement. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/what-is-accurately-portrayed-is-the-rich-humanity-not-just-of-martin/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [ The parts of the \[Civil Right\] Movement we recognize so well now were not born from a single decision, but were a complicated and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/the-parts-of-the-civil-right-movement-we-recognize-so-well-now-were/) [Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/) > [Out in the field I try not to hold expectations. I try to achieve an openness. The senses heighten so that I am totally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-lazelle/out-in-the-field-i-try-not-to-hold-expectations-i-try-to-achieve-an/) Keith Lazelle > [“All of the experiences he’d had with the band so far, watching other bands at work, reading, getting into Iggy and Throbbing Gristle, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-of-the-experiences-he-d-had-with-the-band-so-far-watching-other/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Religion is no longer a connection point for most people. Our communities were built on coming together in physical locations once a week or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-mckelvey/religion-is-no-longer-a-connection-point-for-most-people-our/) [Miguel McKelvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-mckelvey/) > [The word religion comes from an origin which means "coming together." But priesthood has been doing just the opposite, it has created splits in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-word-religion-comes-from-an-origin-which-means-coming-together/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“I was going to make a confession. Then I remembered I don't make them very well. We still need to see the monkeys." "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/i-was-going-to-make-a-confession-then-i-remembered-i-don-t-make-them/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [Creativity represents a miraculous coming together of the uninhibited energy of the child with its apparent opposite and enemy, the sense of order imposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-podhoretz/creativity-represents-a-miraculous-coming-together-of-the-uninhibited/) [Norman Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-podhoretz/) > [When you win a Grand Prix, it's the culmination of everything coming together. Not just trackside, but behind the scenes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-horner/when-you-win-a-grand-prix-it-s-the-culmination-of-everything-coming/) [Christian Horner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-horner/) > [I am a firm believer in serendipity- all the random pieces coming together in one wonderful moment, when suddenly you see what their purpose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-am-a-firm-believer-in-serendipity-all-the-random-pieces-coming/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The neighbourhood is a place of...intrigue and emotional espionage, where when two people stop to talk on the street their tongues are like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/the-neighbourhood-is-a-place-of-intrigue-and-emotional-espionage/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/coming-together-is-a-beginning-keeping-together-is-progress-working/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Anyone who believes in good government and our Constitution should support coming together as a country to set some modern-day standards for not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-tarlov/anyone-who-believes-in-good-government-and-our-constitution-should/) [Jessica Tarlov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-tarlov/) > [Whats great about The Avengers is that its the next step. Its not just superhero fights super-villain and superhero wins. Its about superheroes that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-leterrier/whats-great-about-the-avengers-is-that-its-the-next-step-its-not-just/) [Louis Leterrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-leterrier/) [Browse all 391 Coming together quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coming-together/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When we were little, Eric and Fitz and I invented a language. 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