--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I remember going to a theater once, and…" description: "\"I remember going to a theater once, and there was a stairway that wound its way out to the back. And I was very young, a small child, and I said to my ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/joe-r-lansdale-3119_children_i-remember-going-to-a-theater-once-and-t_1172300.jpg" --- # I remember going to a theater once, and there was a… ![“I remember going to a theater once, and there was a stairway that wound its way out to the back. And I was very young, a small child, and I said to my mom, 'Why are those people going up those stairs?' And she said, 'You know, I don't know how to tell you this, I don't know how to explain it, but…” quote by Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/joe-r-lansdale-3119_children_i-remember-going-to-a-theater-once-and-t_1172300.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/joe-r-lansdale-3119_children_i-remember-going-to-a-theater-once-and-t_1172300.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/joe-r-lansdale-3119_children_i-remember-going-to-a-theater-once-and-t_1172300.jpg) > “I remember going to a theater once, and there was a stairway that wound its way out to the back. And I was very young, a small child, and I said to my mom, 'Why are those people going up those stairs?' And she said, 'You know, I don't know how to tell you this, I don't know how to explain it, but it won't always be that way, because it's wrong.'” [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A child asks why people ascend stairs; the mother answers that it’s wrong and will change, hinting at societal norms and future shifts. **In simple terms:** Child questions norms; mother says change will come. Key Takeaway Question assumptions; expect change. Themes norms change childhood Mood curious thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - family dialogue - social justice - personal growth Key Concepts social critique future perspective Questions to Reflect On - What does “it won’t always be that way” imply? - How do we recognize when norms are wrong? A Different Perspective The answer is vague and may not fully explain the situation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Mom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mom/) [Stairway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stairway/) ## Related quotes > [The most important thing for old guys is never start going down the stairs sideways.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-van-dyke/the-most-important-thing-for-old-guys-is-never-start-going-down-the/) [Dick Van Dyke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-van-dyke/) > [When I go to my health club, and it's in the basement, you have to take the elevator down. And this drives me crazy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-i-go-to-my-health-club-and-it-s-in-the-basement-you-have-to-take/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The stairway is not a thing of gleaming strands a radiant evanescence for angels' feet that only glance in their tread, and need not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-levertov/the-stairway-is-not-a-thing-of-gleaming-strands-a-radiant-evanescence/) [Denise Levertov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-levertov/) > [Man's books are but a climbing stair, Lain step by step, like stairs of stone; The stairway here, the temple there - Man's lampad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-miller/man-s-books-are-but-a-climbing-stair-lain-step-by-step-like-stairs-of/) [Joaquin Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-miller/) > [“The life of a soldier seemed like a climb up a stairway without any stairs, only the wooden supporting spine of preagreed ritual. Step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-bass/the-life-of-a-soldier-seemed-like-a-climb-up-a-stairway-without-any/) [Cynthia Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-bass/) > [“Emma and I exchanged a glance, very aware that they were not going to sleep. And just to make it obvious, Sara leaned over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-donovan/emma-and-i-exchanged-a-glance-very-aware-that-they-were-not-going-to/) [Rebecca Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-donovan/) > [“I hate the small looking-glass on the stairs," said Jinny. "It shows our heads only; it cuts off our heads...So I skip up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/i-hate-the-small-looking-glass-on-the-stairs-said-jinny-it-shows-our/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [I climbed up the door and opened the stairs said my pajamas and put on my prayers, all because you kissed me good-night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-climbed-up-the-door-and-opened-the-stairs-said-my-pajamas-and-put/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He also says I tried to throw him down a flight of stairs that year. Really, we were fighting at the top of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/he-also-says-i-tried-to-throw-him-down-a-flight-of-stairs-that-year/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [“Nailed it. So okay. 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Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [My parents had become adults during the Great Depression, as had many of my aunts and uncles, so I got stories from all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/my-parents-had-become-adults-during-the-great-depression-as-had-many/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [I know the Pollock novel. Read it last year and liked it. Daniel Woodrell is awesome. I especially like the book Winter's Bone, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/i-know-the-pollock-novel-read-it-last-year-and-liked-it-daniel/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [My grandmother on my mother's side lived to nearly 100 years old, and she had seen Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show as a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/my-grandmother-on-my-mother-s-side-lived-to-nearly-100-years-old-and/) [Joe R. 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