--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mmmm,” I said after the waiter left, and…" description: "\"“Mmmm,” I said after the waiter left, and Augustus smiled crookedly as he stared down the canal while I stared up it. We had plenty to look at, so the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/john-green-12_hard-to-forget_mmmm-i-said-after-the-waiter-left-and-au_3074087.jpg" --- # Mmmm,” I said after the waiter left, and Augustus smiled… ![“Mmmm,” I said after the waiter left, and Augustus smiled crookedly as he stared down the canal while I stared up it. We had plenty to look at, so the silence didn’t feel awkward really, but I wanted everything to be perfect. It was perfect, I guess, but it felt like someone had tried to stage the…” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/john-green-12_hard-to-forget_mmmm-i-said-after-the-waiter-left-and-au_3074087.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/john-green-12_hard-to-forget_mmmm-i-said-after-the-waiter-left-and-au_3074087.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/john-green-12_hard-to-forget_mmmm-i-said-after-the-waiter-left-and-au_3074087.jpg) > ““Mmmm,” I said after the waiter left, and Augustus smiled crookedly as he stared down the canal while I stared up it. We had plenty to look at, so the silence didn’t feel awkward really, but I wanted everything to be perfect. It was perfect, I guess, but it felt like someone had tried to stage the Amsterdam of my imagination, which made it hard to forget that this dinner, like the trip itself, was a cancer perk. I just wanted us to be talking and joking comfortably, like we were on the couch together back home, but some tension underlay everything.”” [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 reflects on a tense dinner where attempts at perfection feel staged, revealing underlying discomfort and a desire for genuine connection. **In simple terms:** He feels the dinner is forced and wants real conversation. Key Takeaway Seek authenticity over perfection. Themes authenticity social anxiety performance Mood introspective thoughtful Type literary conversational When to use this quote - dinner parties - travel experiences - friendship gatherings Key Concepts interpersonal dynamics self-consciousness Questions to Reflect On - What makes a moment feel authentic? - How do you navigate social tension? A Different Perspective Perfectionism can mask true feelings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“He looked up at her and smiled crookedly, holding out a few sheets of paper. "Will you read this? i think maybe it sucks.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/he-looked-up-at-her-and-smiled-crookedly-holding-out-a-few-sheets-of/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [“I love you,” she whispered, gazing up into his pale gray eyes. He smiled crookedly, for a moment looking at her with a dazzled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-brockway/i-love-you-she-whispered-gazing-up-into-his-pale-gray-eyes-he-smiled/) [Connie Brockway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-brockway/) > [“You loved her, but you let her marry some other fella? Why’d you do a fool thing like that?” “Because it was best for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-heath/you-loved-her-but-you-let-her-marry-some-other-fella-why-d-you-do-a/) [Lorraine Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-heath/) > [I wanted her to to go on talking and understand without me saying anything. I wanted her to love me enough to leave him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/i-wanted-her-to-to-go-on-talking-and-understand-without-me-saying/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [“If she could have anything in the world, he'd asked her, what would it be? She'd answered that one without hesitation: a best friend.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/if-she-could-have-anything-in-the-world-he-d-asked-her-what-would-it/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [What I wanted to do in talking about basketball in 'Hoop Roots' was retrieve the game as something to participate in, not to watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/what-i-wanted-to-do-in-talking-about-basketball-in-hoop-roots-was/) [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) > [“I wanted a perfect man like the one in my imagination and a perfect love and I wasn’t going to abandon either of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nawal-el-saadawi-2/i-wanted-a-perfect-man-like-the-one-in-my-imagination-and-a-perfect/) Nawal El-Saadawi > [“It wasn't just that she let him down, and put him off, and continually left him waiting--It was that she'd tied him to her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/it-wasn-t-just-that-she-let-him-down-and-put-him-off-and-continually/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [I never said I wanted to be perfect, I just want to be good enough for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-monk/i-never-said-i-wanted-to-be-perfect-i-just-want-to-be-good-enough-for/) [Green Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-monk/) > [I wanted a perfect ending, now i've learned the hard way that not everything comes in perfect sense. That some stories don't have clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley/i-wanted-a-perfect-ending-now-i-ve-learned-the-hard-way-that-not/) [Shirley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley/) > [Ever since I was a little girl I always wanted to be so perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-ballas/ever-since-i-was-a-little-girl-i-always-wanted-to-be-so-perfect/) [Shirley Ballas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-ballas/) > [Truth is, something that I thought was perfect was taken away from me, and I never wanted perfect again. I wanted middle of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/truth-is-something-that-i-thought-was-perfect-was-taken-away-from-me/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [When I got married of course I wanted everything to be perfect. Youre nervous because you want it to be perfect. And in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-holmes/when-i-got-married-of-course-i-wanted-everything-to-be-perfect-youre/) [Katie Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-holmes/) > [“We just wanted a perfect life, with perfect smiles and perfect blue skies, but instead, we ended up with the gloomy grey clouds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shanora-williams/we-just-wanted-a-perfect-life-with-perfect-smiles-and-perfect-blue/) [Shanora Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shanora-williams/) > [I've always wanted a perfect life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrann-mathieu/i-ve-always-wanted-a-perfect-life/) [Tyrann Mathieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrann-mathieu/) ## 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 Hard to forget quotes > [In life's orchestra, the bike is the double bass. Hard to forget it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-fournel/in-life-s-orchestra-the-bike-is-the-double-bass-hard-to-forget-it/) Paul Fournel > [Dont be hard to get, be hard to forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana/dont-be-hard-to-get-be-hard-to-forget/) [Ana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana/) > [“You tried to so hard to forget me; you burnt the letters I made. Though my memory has been dying, I hope the feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-james/you-tried-to-so-hard-to-forget-me-you-burnt-the-letters-i-made-though/) Joshua James > [It's very hard to forget someone who has given me so much to remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jd/it-s-very-hard-to-forget-someone-who-has-given-me-so-much-to-remember/) JD > [Friends are easy to find, but once they left you,it's so hard to forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gracesel-collado/friends-are-easy-to-find-but-once-they-left-you-it-s-so-hard-to-forget/) [Gracesel Collado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gracesel-collado/) > [ “The practice of buying off the Vikings will always be associated with Æthelred in particular… \[but\] it was not something which proceeded from Æthelred… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-keynes/the-practice-of-buying-off-the-vikings-will-always-be-associated-with/) Simon Keynes > [Sometimes I hate this songs because they bring the past when you we tried hard to forget those memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushan-r-sharma/sometimes-i-hate-this-songs-because-they-bring-the-past-when-you-we/) [Sushan R Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushan-r-sharma/) > [No matter how I try hard to forget you, My eyes only remember you. Can you think of me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-how-i-try-hard-to-forget-you-my-eyes-only-remember-you-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hard to get hard to forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mctjc/hard-to-get-hard-to-forget/) Mctjc > [Truth is, everybody's going to hurt you, you just have to find the ones worth suffering for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/truth-is-everybody-s-going-to-hurt-you-you-just-have-to-find-the-ones/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's so hard to forget someone that had gave you soo much to remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-xx/it-s-so-hard-to-forget-someone-that-had-gave-you-soo-much-to-remember/) Sonia Xx > [“I've tried so hard to stop thinking about him. I've tried so hard to forget his face. I've tried so hard to get those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-ve-tried-so-hard-to-stop-thinking-about-him-i-ve-tried-so-hard-to/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [You're like the lyrics to my favorite song, hard to forget, and always on my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-re-like-the-lyrics-to-my-favorite-song-hard-to-forget-and-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Memories can be hard to forget and painful to remember that those who hate us now once loved us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice/memories-can-be-hard-to-forget-and-painful-to-remember-that-those-who/) [Oscar Auliq-Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-auliq-ice/) > [“Books are easily destroyed. But words will live as long as people can remember them. Tattoos, for example, are very hard to forget. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/books-are-easily-destroyed-but-words-will-live-as-long-as-people-can/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) Browse all 144 Hard to forget quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Mmmm,” I said after the waiter left, and Augustus smiled crookedly as he stared down the canal while I stared up it. We had plenty to look at, so the silence didn’t feel awkward really, but I wanted everything to be perfect. It was perfect, I guess, but it felt like someone had tried to stage the Amsterdam of my imagination, which made it hard to forget that this dinner, like the trip itself, was a cancer perk. I just wanted us to be talking and joking comfortably, like we were on the couch together back home, but some tension underlay everything.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/mmmm-i-said-after-the-waiter-left-and-augustus-smiled-crookedly-as-he/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hard to forget" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/mmmm-i-said-after-the-waiter-left-and-augustus-smiled-crookedly-as-he/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/john-green-12_hard-to-forget_mmmm-i-said-after-the-waiter-left-and-au_3074087.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/john-green-12_hard-to-forget_mmmm-i-said-after-the-waiter-left-and-au_3074087.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a0/john-green-12_hard-to-forget_mmmm-i-said-after-the-waiter-left-and-au_3074087.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Mmmm,” I said after the waiter left, and Augustus smiled crookedly as he stared down the canal while I…” — 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": "“Mmmm,” I said after the waiter...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/mmmm-i-said-after-the-waiter-left-and-augustus-smiled-crookedly-as-he/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/mmmm-i-said-after-the-waiter-left-and-augustus-smiled-crookedly-as-he/#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 } } ] } ```