--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I tore open the closet door and began…" description: "\"I tore open the closet door and began feverishly sorting through the shirts piled on the floor in the vain hope that inside that pile there might be so..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ab/john-green-12_abiding_i-tore-open-the-closet-door-and-began-fe_2915670.jpg" --- # I tore open the closet door and began feverishly sorting… ![“I tore open the closet door and began feverishly sorting through the shirts piled on the floor in the vain hope that inside that pile there might be some wondrously perfect shirt down there, a nice and tough but I'm also a surprisingly good listener with a true and abiding passion for cheers and…” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ab/john-green-12_abiding_i-tore-open-the-closet-door-and-began-fe_2915670.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ab/john-green-12_abiding_i-tore-open-the-closet-door-and-began-fe_2915670.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ab/john-green-12_abiding_i-tore-open-the-closet-door-and-began-fe_2915670.jpg) > “I tore open the closet door and began feverishly sorting through the shirts piled on the floor in the vain hope that inside that pile there might be some wondrously perfect shirt down there, a nice and tough but I'm also a surprisingly good listener with a true and abiding passion for cheers and those who lead them.” [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 searches for an ideal shirt, reflecting a broader quest for perfection and meaning while acknowledging their own listening skill and enthusiasm for leadership. **In simple terms:** Seeking perfection while recognizing personal strengths. Key Takeaway Embrace imperfections and use your listening gift. Themes search for self-awareness leadership Mood reflective hopeful determined Type personal inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - shopping - personal reflection - team leadership - creative projects Key Concepts existential yearning personal growth idealism Questions to Reflect On - What does the perfect shirt symbolize for you? - How can listening enhance leadership? A Different Perspective Perfection can be paralyzing and unrealistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good listener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-listener/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Passion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passion/) [Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain/) ## Related quotes > [Most guys open their closet and tend to wear about 10% of what they own - and they wear that 10% over and over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bastian/most-guys-open-their-closet-and-tend-to-wear-about-10-of-what-they/) [Michael Bastian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bastian/) > [Everybody's got skeletons in the closets. Every once in a while, you've got to open up the closet and the let the skeletons breathe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everybody-s-got-skeletons-in-the-closets-every-once-in-a-while-you-ve/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If they want to see me, here I am. If they want to see my clothes, open my closet and show them my suits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/if-they-want-to-see-me-here-i-am-if-they-want-to-see-my-clothes-open/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [My goal in life is to be your best friend when you open your closet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/my-goal-in-life-is-to-be-your-best-friend-when-you-open-your-closet/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [We cannot treat people with a right to asylum the same way as people from a safe country. They need to be sent back.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-gentiloni/we-cannot-treat-people-with-a-right-to-asylum-the-same-way-as-people/) [Paolo Gentiloni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-gentiloni/) > [The lawyers doing the sorting for Secretary Clinton in 2014 did not individually read the content of all of her e-mails, as we did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-comey/the-lawyers-doing-the-sorting-for-secretary-clinton-in-2014-did-not/) [James Comey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-comey/) > [But if it matters to you, you'll be able to choose Gryffindor over Slytherin. The Sorting Hat takes your choice into account." "Really?" "It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-if-it-matters-to-you-you-ll-be-able-to-choose-gryffindor-over/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It was not death or dying that frightened him, but the unexpectedness of both. In sorting it all out, he hit on the notion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/it-was-not-death-or-dying-that-frightened-him-but-the-unexpectedness/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Dad always said that he had enough trouble sorting the fiction out of so-called facts, without reading fiction. He always said that science was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-thompson/dad-always-said-that-he-had-enough-trouble-sorting-the-fiction-out-of/) [Jim Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-thompson/) > [“In our country they do not permit any information to be X-rayed through and through, nor any discussion to encompass all the facets of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-our-country-they-do-not-permit-any-information-to-be-x-rayed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Sorting papers Rule of thumb—discard everything Once”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-kondo/sorting-papers-rule-of-thumb-discard-everything-once/) [Marie Kondō](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-kondo/) > [I haven't been sorting through each and every aspect of this. Here's what I know: Hillary Clinton was an outstanding Secretary of State. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-haven-t-been-sorting-through-each-and-every-aspect-of-this-here-s/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Any fool can bomb a train, but just try sorting out the mess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/any-fool-can-bomb-a-train-but-just-try-sorting-out-the-mess/) [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aleksandr-solzhenitsyn/) > [In terms of talking about what our politics has become, it now seems as if Barack Obama is starting to stand outside of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-borger/in-terms-of-talking-about-what-our-politics-has-become-it-now-seems/) Gloria Borger > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) ## More by John Green > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. 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 Abiding quotes > [If there is an abiding theme in 'The Pursuit of Happiness,' it is the idea that you come into the world already shaped by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-kennedy/if-there-is-an-abiding-theme-in-the-pursuit-of-happiness-it-is-the/) [Douglas Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-kennedy/) > [Why is it, my shadow-striding friend, that we don't fear dreams? We lose consciousness, lose control, things happen with no apparent logic and abiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-weeks/why-is-it-my-shadow-striding-friend-that-we-don-t-fear-dreams-we-lose/) [Brent Weeks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-weeks/) > [I think that there is just a deep and abiding sexism that's part of your life from the moment that you're conscious as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-w-garcia/i-think-that-there-is-just-a-deep-and-abiding-sexism-that-s-part-of/) [Liz W. Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-w-garcia/) > [Faith is the capacity of the soul to perceive the abiding, the invisible in the visible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-baeck/faith-is-the-capacity-of-the-soul-to-perceive-the-abiding-the/) [Leo Baeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-baeck/) > [I think we have two conflicting traditions in this country. I think it's important for us to recognize that we've got a tradition of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-think-we-have-two-conflicting-traditions-in-this-country-i-think-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [A wicked mortal is not the idea of God. He is little else than the expression of error. To suppose that sin, lust, hatred,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-baker-eddy/a-wicked-mortal-is-not-the-idea-of-god-he-is-little-else-than-the/) [Mary Baker Eddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-baker-eddy/) > [When the penalty for a policeman's mistake is to put a criminal back out on the street, then we are hurting America; we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/when-the-penalty-for-a-policeman-s-mistake-is-to-put-a-criminal-back/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) > [The value of a dollar is to buy just things; a dollar goes on increasing in value with all the genius and all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-value-of-a-dollar-is-to-buy-just-things-a-dollar-goes-on/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [The aims of these three groups are entirely irreconcilable. The aim of the High is to remain where they are. The aim of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/the-aims-of-these-three-groups-are-entirely-irreconcilable-the-aim-of/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [After more than two decades of trying to destroy the firearms rights of more than 80 million law-abiding American gun owners - and statistically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-gottlieb/after-more-than-two-decades-of-trying-to-destroy-the-firearms-rights/) Alan Gottlieb > [When you defile the pleasant streams, And the wild bird's abiding place, You massacre a million dreams, And cast your spittle in God's face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-drinkwater/when-you-defile-the-pleasant-streams-and-the-wild-bird-s-abiding/) [John Drinkwater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-drinkwater/) > [How can we hope to retain our freedom through the generations if we fail to teach our young that our liberty springs from an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-falwell/how-can-we-hope-to-retain-our-freedom-through-the-generations-if-we/) [Jonathan Falwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-falwell/) > [Love and friendship, two of life's abiding rewards, are endangered species in Hollywood. People crave both, mistaking alliance for friendship, lust for love, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-obst/love-and-friendship-two-of-life-s-abiding-rewards-are-endangered/) [Lynda Obst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-obst/) > [In a government like ours, the Crown is the abiding and unshakable element in government; politicians may come and go, but the Crown remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/in-a-government-like-ours-the-crown-is-the-abiding-and-unshakable/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [I sometimes forget that life is fragile. The fact that I have more time to dream my dreams and take my ease is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luci-swindoll/i-sometimes-forget-that-life-is-fragile-the-fact-that-i-have-more/) [Luci Swindoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luci-swindoll/) Browse all 387 Abiding quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I tore open the closet door and began feverishly sorting through the shirts piled on the floor in the vain hope that inside that pile there might be some wondrously perfect shirt down there, a nice and tough but I'm also a surprisingly good listener with a true and abiding passion for cheers and those who lead them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-tore-open-the-closet-door-and-began-feverishly-sorting-through-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abiding" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-tore-open-the-closet-door-and-began-feverishly-sorting-through-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ab/john-green-12_abiding_i-tore-open-the-closet-door-and-began-fe_2915670.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ab/john-green-12_abiding_i-tore-open-the-closet-door-and-began-fe_2915670.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ab/john-green-12_abiding_i-tore-open-the-closet-door-and-began-fe_2915670.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I tore open the closet door and began feverishly sorting through the shirts piled on the floor in the vain…” — John Green", "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": "John Green", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I tore open the closet door...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-tore-open-the-closet-door-and-began-feverishly-sorting-through-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-tore-open-the-closet-door-and-began-feverishly-sorting-through-the/#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 } } ] } ```