--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The city glitters past us with its sharp…" description: "\"The city glitters past us with its sharp edges, reminding us of how tiny, how weak, how totally unimportant we are.\" — Joe Meno" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/joe-meno-7831_cities_the-city-glitters-past-us-with-its-sharp_1262849.jpg" --- # The city glitters past us with its sharp edges, reminding… ![“The city glitters past us with its sharp edges, reminding us of how tiny, how weak, how totally unimportant we are.” quote by Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/joe-meno-7831_cities_the-city-glitters-past-us-with-its-sharp_1262849.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/joe-meno-7831_cities_the-city-glitters-past-us-with-its-sharp_1262849.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/joe-meno-7831_cities_the-city-glitters-past-us-with-its-sharp_1262849.jpg) > “The city glitters past us with its sharp edges, reminding us of how tiny, how weak, how totally unimportant we are.” [Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The glittering city highlights human insignificance, reminding us of our fragility and smallness. **In simple terms:** Cities make us feel tiny. Key Takeaway Remember humility amid grandeur. Themes humility existence urban life Mood melancholic thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - travel - city living - career moves - personal reflection Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does city life affect your self‑worth? - What grounds you when feeling overwhelmed? A Different Perspective Urban awe can also inspire ambition, not just insignificance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Glitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glitter/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) ## Related quotes > [“But she was wrong; it was what gave her away; she had not taken into account that this fragmentary detail of the truth had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/but-she-was-wrong-it-was-what-gave-her-away-she-had-not-taken-into/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > ['What is REAL?' asked the Rabbit one day, 'Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?''Real isn't how you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margery-williams/what-is-real-asked-the-rabbit-one-day-does-it-mean-having-things-that/) [Margery Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margery-williams/) > [“Sweet, yet maddening, Kate yearned to take control and deepen the kiss, but he broke off every time she tried before catching her lower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allie-a-burrow/sweet-yet-maddening-kate-yearned-to-take-control-and-deepen-the-kiss/) Allie A Burrow > [“On the pavement by the side of the road was planted a banner two storeys high. Even in the blow-up the celebrity appeared stunted.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manu-joseph/on-the-pavement-by-the-side-of-the-road-was-planted-a-banner-two/) [Manu Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manu-joseph/) > [“Familiarity has a way of filing the sharp edges off our feelings for other people. You'll see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-lynch/familiarity-has-a-way-of-filing-the-sharp-edges-off-our-feelings-for/) [Scott Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lynch/) > [Economic problems have no sharp edges. They shade off imperceptibly into politics, sociology, and ethics. Indeed, it is hardly an exaggeration to say that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-e-boulding/economic-problems-have-no-sharp-edges-they-shade-off-imperceptibly/) [Kenneth E. Boulding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-e-boulding/) > [Who wants a bag of bones?” he said, with absolute sincerity. “I don’t want to hurt myself on the sharp edges of the woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/who-wants-a-bag-of-bones-he-said-with-absolute-sincerity-i-don-t-want/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [Don't necessarily avoid sharp edges. Occasionally they are necessary to leadership.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/don-t-necessarily-avoid-sharp-edges-occasionally-they-are-necessary/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [“During those times, they'd stand there watching me watching them. I'd pray, please. Put a pillow to my face. Clench a hand around my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-anne-peters/during-those-times-they-d-stand-there-watching-me-watching-them-i-d/) [Julie Anne Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-anne-peters/) > [“That's right." He threaded both hands through her hair to hold her in place. "You like it like this. Dirty and rough, getting fucked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-rocha/that-s-right-he-threaded-both-hands-through-her-hair-to-hold-her-in/) [Kit Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-rocha/) > [“Write down everything you remember. You’ll want to have it written down to look back on later, when your mind sands all the sharp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dexter-palmer/write-down-everything-you-remember-you-ll-want-to-have-it-written/) [Dexter Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dexter-palmer/) > [Virtue often trips and falls over the sharp edge of poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-sue/virtue-often-trips-and-falls-over-the-sharp-edge-of-poverty/) [Eugene Sue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-sue/) > [“And I wished I could believe him. I wished with all that I had. And when you're eleven, you're on the cusp between still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-j-klune/and-i-wished-i-could-believe-him-i-wished-with-all-that-i-had-and/) [T.J. Klune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-j-klune/) > [It is the property of things seen for the first time, or for the first time after long, like the flowers in spring, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/it-is-the-property-of-things-seen-for-the-first-time-or-for-the-first/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“I'm going to write to you about the emptiness that was left when you took my boy away. I'm going to write so you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cleave/i-m-going-to-write-to-you-about-the-emptiness-that-was-left-when-you/) [Chris Cleave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cleave/) ## More by Joe Meno > [Our worlds are so momentary. We are along all our lives and then go off that way as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/our-worlds-are-so-momentary-we-are-along-all-our-lives-and-then-go/) [Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) > [I was getting close to thirty and was trying on the idea of becoming more mature. I was reading more. I had gone out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/i-was-getting-close-to-thirty-and-was-trying-on-the-idea-of-becoming/) [Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) > [“wondered about what he said and then thought hard. I could never be a dick, not to Gretchen anyway, so I guess I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/wondered-about-what-he-said-and-then-thought-hard-i-could-never-be-a/) [Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) > [“Go to a goddamn priest if you wanna be lied to. I've seen too many of your kind slip back inside to fool myself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/go-to-a-goddamn-priest-if-you-wanna-be-lied-to-i-ve-seen-too-many-of/) [Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) > [Maybe that's why people have friends at all. Not because they like them so much but because they don't make them feel so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/maybe-that-s-why-people-have-friends-at-all-not-because-they-like/) [Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) > [“Madeline decides Jonathan is an immature, selfish asshole and that she is never talking to him again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/madeline-decides-jonathan-is-an-immature-selfish-asshole-and-that-she/) [Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) > [“-Are you ready to return to the outside world, Billy? -No, definitely not, sir. -Well, you can't stay here forever now, can you? -Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/are-you-ready-to-return-to-the-outside-world-billy-no-definitely-not/) [Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) > [“The more you like a girl, the less she likes you. It’s like fucking scientific.” “What about you and Kim?” “That’s what I’m talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/the-more-you-like-a-girl-the-less-she-likes-you-it-s-like-fucking/) [Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) > [“Jack: Well, I've never been to New York, but I hear it's for assholes. Odile: It's not. Jack: Well, that's what I heard. Cool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/jack-well-i-ve-never-been-to-new-york-but-i-hear-it-s-for-assholes/) [Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) > [“How’s life?” “That’s the stupidest question I’ve ever heard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/how-s-life-that-s-the-stupidest-question-i-ve-ever-heard/) [Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) > [We have fun acting like this, acting like we are incredibly offended. Really, we are just bored to tears with everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/we-have-fun-acting-like-this-acting-like-we-are-incredibly-offended/) [Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) > [“For years, Thisbe will later think of that one moment in the field as the only time she was ever sure about anything in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/for-years-thisbe-will-later-think-of-that-one-moment-in-the-field-as/) [Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) > [What I've learned is that there is nothing in this life that does not fail to disappoint us, even our own deaths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/what-i-ve-learned-is-that-there-is-nothing-in-this-life-that-does-not/) [Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) > [“And he says, “I’m trying to figure out what’s wrong with me. And I think I realized that I’m average, that there’s nothing remarkable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/and-he-says-i-m-trying-to-figure-out-what-s-wrong-with-me-and-i-think/) [Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) > [“Without death, there is hardly any threat strong enough to truly appreciate human life. He thinks: I am as good as dead--too afraid to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/without-death-there-is-hardly-any-threat-strong-enough-to-truly/) [Joe Meno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) [Explore all 87 Joe Meno quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/) ## More Cities quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Cities are 2% of the earth's crust, but they are 50% of the world's population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-ratti/cities-are-2-of-the-earth-s-crust-but-they-are-50-of-the-world-s/) [Carlo Ratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-ratti/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) James Cross Giblin > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/vienna-is-a-handsome-lively-city-and-pleases-me-exceedingly/) [Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 7,153 Cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The city glitters past us with its sharp edges, reminding us of how tiny, how weak, how totally unimportant we are.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joe Meno" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/the-city-glitters-past-us-with-its-sharp-edges-reminding-us-of-how/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cities" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/the-city-glitters-past-us-with-its-sharp-edges-reminding-us-of-how/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/joe-meno-7831_cities_the-city-glitters-past-us-with-its-sharp_1262849.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/joe-meno-7831_cities_the-city-glitters-past-us-with-its-sharp_1262849.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b26/joe-meno-7831_cities_the-city-glitters-past-us-with-its-sharp_1262849.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The city glitters past us with its sharp edges, reminding us of how tiny, how weak, how totally unimportant…” — Joe Meno", "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": "Joe Meno", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-meno/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The city glitters past us with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/the-city-glitters-past-us-with-its-sharp-edges-reminding-us-of-how/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-meno/the-city-glitters-past-us-with-its-sharp-edges-reminding-us-of-how/#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 } } ] } ```