--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I realize that this is not, like, boyish…" description: "\"“I realize that this is not, like, boyish. I realize that properly speaking guys should only think about sex and the acquisition of it, and that they s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/john-green-12_noticing_i-realize-that-this-is-not-like-boyish-i_2737903.jpg" --- # I realize that this is not, like, boyish. I realize that… ![“I realize that this is not, like, boyish. I realize that properly speaking guys should only think about sex and the acquisition of it, and that they should run crotch-first toward every girl who likes them and etc. But: The part I enjoy most is not the doing, but the noticing. Noticing the way she…” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/john-green-12_noticing_i-realize-that-this-is-not-like-boyish-i_2737903.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/john-green-12_noticing_i-realize-that-this-is-not-like-boyish-i_2737903.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2c/john-green-12_noticing_i-realize-that-this-is-not-like-boyish-i_2737903.jpg) > ““I realize that this is not, like, boyish. I realize that properly speaking guys should only think about sex and the acquisition of it, and that they should run crotch-first toward every girl who likes them and etc. But: The part I enjoy most is not the doing, but the noticing. Noticing the way she smells like oversugared coffee, and the difference between her smile and her photographed smile, and the way she bites her lower lip, and the pale skin of her back. I just want the pleasure of noticing these things at a safe distance—I don’t want to have to acknowledge that I am noticing. I don’t want to talk about it or do stuff about it.”” [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator enjoys observing details from a safe distance, avoiding personal involvement. **In simple terms:** Observing from afar feels safer. Key Takeaway Practice mindful observation without over‑identifying. Themes observation detachment self‑awareness Mood thoughtful reserved Type analytical introspective When to use this quote - social interactions - art critique - self‑reflection Key Concepts detail focus emotional safety personal boundaries Questions to Reflect On - Why prefer distance over engagement? - How can you balance observation with participation? A Different Perspective May hinder deep connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [The part I enjoy most is not the doing, but the noticing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-part-i-enjoy-most-is-not-the-doing-but-the-noticing/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Radar revs the engine as to say hustle, and we are running through the parking lot, Ben's robe flowing in the wind so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/radar-revs-the-engine-as-to-say-hustle-and-we-are-running-through-the/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The real heroes anyway aren't the people doing things; the real heroes are the people NOTICING things, paying attention. The guy who invented the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-real-heroes-anyway-aren-t-the-people-doing-things-the-real-heroes-2/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think inspiration is always around; it's just a question of whether or not you're noticing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-inspiration-is-always-around-it-s-just-a-question-of-whether/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The real heroes anyway aren't the people doing things; the real heroes are the people NOTICING things, paying attention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-real-heroes-anyway-aren-t-the-people-doing-things-the-real-heroes/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I just want the pleasure of noticing these things at a safe distance...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-the-pleasure-of-noticing-these-things-at-a-safe-distance/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [You could drive past it without noticing and from what I understand, you ought to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-could-drive-past-it-without-noticing-and-from-what-i-understand/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Ava propped a shoulder against the doorjamb and smiled to herself, watching. “Mmm, that’s what a girl likes to see first thing in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-gilley/ava-propped-a-shoulder-against-the-doorjamb-and-smiled-to-herself/) [Lauren Gilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-gilley/) > [What do I like in a girl? I like a girl that likes me, a girl that knows how to smile and see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lafferty/what-do-i-like-in-a-girl-i-like-a-girl-that-likes-me-a-girl-that/) [James Lafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lafferty/) > [I'm very much a girl that likes to have options. That's the way I am with fashion, and that's the way I am with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-greene/i-m-very-much-a-girl-that-likes-to-have-options-that-s-the-way-i-am/) [Ashley Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-greene/) > [I'm just like every other girl who likes to shop, likes to look good, likes to spend time with friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sharapova/i-m-just-like-every-other-girl-who-likes-to-shop-likes-to-look-good/) [Maria Sharapova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sharapova/) > [Not one girl likes another girl flirting, texting, or calling her man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-one-girl-likes-another-girl-flirting-texting-or-calling-her-man/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The more you like a girl, the less she likes you. 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Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More Noticing quotes > [It is worth noticing that those who assume an imposing demeanor and seek to pass themselves off for something beyond what they are, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/it-is-worth-noticing-that-those-who-assume-an-imposing-demeanor-and/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [I'm getting less good at faking it. People in my family are noticing and asking what's wrong. My friends give me invitations to talk,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-manning/i-m-getting-less-good-at-faking-it-people-in-my-family-are-noticing/) [Martha Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-manning/) > [When every day seems the same, it is because we have stopped noticing the good things that appear in our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-every-day-seems-the-same-it-is-because-we-have-stopped-noticing/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You could drive past it without noticing and from what I understand, you ought to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-could-drive-past-it-without-noticing-and-from-what-i-understand/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Everyone is skeptical. Only the media are not skeptical, but, then, they were also not skeptical when the administration put out the line that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-coulter/everyone-is-skeptical-only-the-media-are-not-skeptical-but-then-they/) [Ann Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-coulter/) > [I remember noticing, when I had my babies, how much I liked them, and not just loved them, but I was really into them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-remember-noticing-when-i-had-my-babies-how-much-i-liked-them-and/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [This is the secret of propaganda: To totally saturate the person, whom the propaganda wants to lay hold of, with the ideas of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watzlawick/this-is-the-secret-of-propaganda-to-totally-saturate-the-person-whom/) [Paul Watzlawick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watzlawick/) > [We'd been noticing how much more important the internet had become - once information is out there in the world now, anyone can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/we-d-been-noticing-how-much-more-important-the-internet-had-become/) [Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/) > [My pen.’ Funny, I wrote that without noticing. ‘The torch’, ‘the paper’, but ‘my pen’. That shows what writing means to me, I guess.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/my-pen-funny-i-wrote-that-without-noticing-the-torch-the-paper-but-my/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [Gail Anderson-Dargatz has a noticing eye, a voice as unique as the countryside she writes about, and a heart large enough to love her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hodgins/gail-anderson-dargatz-has-a-noticing-eye-a-voice-as-unique-as-the/) Jack Hodgins > [If a translation doesn't have obvious writing problems, it may seem quite all right at first glance. We readers, after all, quickly adapt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-davis/if-a-translation-doesn-t-have-obvious-writing-problems-it-may-seem/) [Lydia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-davis/) > [I think that people find that's a fresh look at a relationship between two best friends, between two soul mates, that people haven't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-zissis/i-think-that-people-find-that-s-a-fresh-look-at-a-relationship/) [Steve Zissis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-zissis/) > [There is much worth noticing that often escapes the eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/there-is-much-worth-noticing-that-often-escapes-the-eye/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) > [I started noticing a lot of big companies are bored with ads; they feel sort of lost in the advertising world. They're not into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-mcinnes/i-started-noticing-a-lot-of-big-companies-are-bored-with-ads-they/) [Gavin McInnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-mcinnes/) > [Intense, unexpected suffering passes more quickly than suffering that is apparently bearable; the latter goes on for years and, without our noticing, eats away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/intense-unexpected-suffering-passes-more-quickly-than-suffering-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) Browse all 360 Noticing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I realize that this is not, like, boyish. I realize that properly speaking guys should only think about sex and the acquisition of it, and that they should run crotch-first toward every girl who likes them and etc. But: The part I enjoy most is not the doing, but the noticing. Noticing the way she smells like oversugared coffee, and the difference between her smile and her photographed smile, and the way she bites her lower lip, and the pale skin of her back. I just want the pleasure of noticing these things at a safe distance—I don’t want to have to acknowledge that I am noticing. 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