--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s not like I had some utterly…" description: "\"“It’s not like I had some utterly poignant, well-lit memory of a healthy father pushing a healthy child and the child saying higher higher higher or so..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/john-green-12_memory_it-s-not-like-i-had-some-utterly-poignan_876781.jpg" --- # It’s not like I had some utterly poignant, well-lit memory… ![“It’s not like I had some utterly poignant, well-lit memory of a healthy father pushing a healthy child and the child saying higher higher higher or some other metaphorically resonant moment. The swing set was just sitting there, abandoned, the two little swings hanging still and sad from a grayed…” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/john-green-12_memory_it-s-not-like-i-had-some-utterly-poignan_876781.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/john-green-12_memory_it-s-not-like-i-had-some-utterly-poignan_876781.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31e/john-green-12_memory_it-s-not-like-i-had-some-utterly-poignan_876781.jpg) > ““It’s not like I had some utterly poignant, well-lit memory of a healthy father pushing a healthy child and the child saying higher higher higher or some other metaphorically resonant moment. The swing set was just sitting there, abandoned, the two little swings hanging still and sad from a grayed plank of wood, the outline of the seats like a kid’s drawing of a smile.”” [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. Memories of parental guidance can be absent, leaving childhood experiences feeling empty and neglected. **In simple terms:** Sometimes we lack positive role models. Key Takeaway Find supportive mentors elsewhere. Themes family loneliness growth Mood melancholic hopeful Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - school - therapy - creative writing - friendships Key Concepts absence memory parental influence Questions to Reflect On - What mentors have you found? - How do you cope with missing role models? A Different Perspective Not all children have nurturing parents, which can affect self‑image. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hanging Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hanging-sad-1009349/) [Little Swings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-swings-1009348/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Saying hi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-hi/) [Swing Set](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swing-set/) [Swings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swings/) [Swings Hanging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swings-hanging-1009347/) ## Related quotes > [Headline?" he asked. "'Swing Set Needs Home,'" I said. "'Desperately Lonely Swing Set Needs Loving Home,'" he said. "'Lonely, Vaguely Pedophilic Swing Set Seeks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/headline-he-asked-swing-set-needs-home-i-said-desperately-lonely/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [ I'll remember the view out this window \[from Oval Cabinet\], because this is where we had our - the playground that we put in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-ll-remember-the-view-out-this-window-from-oval-cabinet-because-this/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [When I would sell encyclopedias, I would drive down the road looking for a house with a swing set in the back, and I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-nelson/when-i-would-sell-encyclopedias-i-would-drive-down-the-road-looking/) [Willie Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-nelson/) > [“Are you crying, Hazel Grace?" "Kind of?" "Why?" he asked. "'Cause I'm just-I want to go to Amsterdam, and I want him to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/are-you-crying-hazel-grace-kind-of-why-he-asked-cause-i-m-just-i-want/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Desperately Lonely Swing Set Needs Loving Home,'" he said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/desperately-lonely-swing-set-needs-loving-home-he-said/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [One swing set, well worn but structurally sound, seeks new home. Make memories with your kid or kids so that someday he or she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/one-swing-set-well-worn-but-structurally-sound-seeks-new-home-make/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Lonley, Vaguely pedophilic swing set seeks the butts of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/lonley-vaguely-pedophilic-swing-set-seeks-the-butts-of-children/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [We gotta do something about this frigging swing set,' he said. 'I'm telling you, it's ninety percent of the problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/we-gotta-do-something-about-this-frigging-swing-set-he-said-i-m/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Desperately Lonely Swing Set Needs Loving Home "One swing set, well worn but structually sound, seeks new home. Make memories with your kid or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/desperately-lonely-swing-set-needs-loving-home-one-swing-set-well/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Gus loaded this giveaway site called Free No Catch and together we wrote an ad. “Headline?” he asked. “‘Swing Set Needs Home,’” I said.“‘Desperately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/gus-loaded-this-giveaway-site-called-free-no-catch-and-together-we/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“When you date someone, you have the markers along the way, right: You kiss, you have The Talk, you say the Three Little Words,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/when-you-date-someone-you-have-the-markers-along-the-way-right-you/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“dear reader, but with this swing set, your child(ren) will be introduced to the ups and downs of human life gently and safely, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/dear-reader-but-with-this-swing-set-your-child-ren-will-be-introduced/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Its all fragile and fleeting, dear reader, but with this swing set, your child(ren) will be introduced to the ups and downs of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/its-all-fragile-and-fleeting-dear-reader-but-with-this-swing-set-your/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“We sat out there in silence for a minute and then Gus said, " I wish we had that swing set sometimes." "The one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/we-sat-out-there-in-silence-for-a-minute-and-then-gus-said-i-wish-we/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“A vaguely pedophilic swing set seeks butts of children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-vaguely-pedophilic-swing-set-seeks-butts-of-children/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## 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 Memory quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [“Maybe there is something when it all ends. Maybe there is memory, memory of the person you loved, when you lived. Maybe this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-ellison/maybe-there-is-something-when-it-all-ends-maybe-there-is-memory/) [Kate Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-ellison/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [Memory is funny. Once you hit a vein the problem is not how to remember but how to control the flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/memory-is-funny-once-you-hit-a-vein-the-problem-is-not-how-to/) [Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/) > [Once upon a time. Ah forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-upon-a-time-ah-forget-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am told many children block out the memory of trauma. In fact, the healing process can only truly begin when we are willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phoebe-stone/i-am-told-many-children-block-out-the-memory-of-trauma-in-fact-the/) [Phoebe Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phoebe-stone/) > [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I have a memory like an elephant. I remember every elephant I've ever met.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-caen/i-have-a-memory-like-an-elephant-i-remember-every-elephant-i-ve-ever/) [Herb Caen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-caen/) > [Your memory is a monster; you forget - it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/your-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-doesn-t-it-simply-files-things/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [My first Olympics memory was watching Haile Gebrselassie in Sydney 2000. His sprint finish to defend his title really moved me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-farah/my-first-olympics-memory-was-watching-haile-gebrselassie-in-sydney/) [Mo Farah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-farah/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [My greatest memories as a kid were playing sports with my dad and watching sports with my dad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-teixeira/my-greatest-memories-as-a-kid-were-playing-sports-with-my-dad-and/) [Mark Teixeira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-teixeira/) > [What’s the use of remembering anything? If it was unpleasant it was unpleasant and if it was pleasant it’s over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-dundy/what-s-the-use-of-remembering-anything-if-it-was-unpleasant-it-was/) [Elaine Dundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-dundy/) > [Always remember a little thing can change everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-remember-a-little-thing-can-change-everything/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If God knows me I will never forget him](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trunxbeats/if-god-knows-me-i-will-never-forget-him/) [Trunxbeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trunxbeats/) [Browse all 12,248 Memory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It’s not like I had some utterly poignant, well-lit memory of a healthy father pushing a healthy child and the child saying higher higher higher or some other metaphorically resonant moment. 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