--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Colonel explained to me that 1. this…" description: "\"The Colonel explained to me that 1. this was Alaska's room, and that 2. she had a single room because the girl who was supposed to be her roommate got ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/john-green-12_alaska_the-colonel-explained-to-me-that-1-this_2535811.jpg" --- # The Colonel explained to me that 1. this was Alaska's… ![“The Colonel explained to me that 1. this was Alaska's room, and that 2. she had a single room because the girl who was supposed to be her roommate got kicked out at the end of last year, and that 3. Alaska had cigarettes, although the Colonel neglected to ask whether 4. I smoked, which 5. I didn't.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/john-green-12_alaska_the-colonel-explained-to-me-that-1-this_2535811.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/john-green-12_alaska_the-colonel-explained-to-me-that-1-this_2535811.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2bb/john-green-12_alaska_the-colonel-explained-to-me-that-1-this_2535811.jpg) > “The Colonel explained to me that 1. this was Alaska's room, and that 2. she had a single room because the girl who was supposed to be her roommate got kicked out at the end of last year, and that 3. Alaska had cigarettes, although the Colonel neglected to ask whether 4. I smoked, which 5. I didn't.” [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 describes Alaska's cramped living situation and how the Colonel assumes the narrator smokes, revealing assumptions and social dynamics. **In simple terms:** Alaska's room is small; the Colonel assumes the narrator smokes. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about others. Themes assumptions social dynamics personal space Mood reflective empathetic Type observational conversational When to use this quote - college dorm life - roommate conflicts - social interactions - misunderstandings Key Concepts identity social perception communication Questions to Reflect On - Do you often assume others' habits? - How can you verify before judging? A Different Perspective The Colonel's assumption may overlook personal choices and privacy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alaska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alaska/) [Cigarette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cigarette/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Roommate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roommate/) ## Related quotes > [When I look at my room, I see a girl who loves books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/when-i-look-at-my-room-i-see-a-girl-who-loves-books/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“It was some time since I had gone to sleep in the same room with a girl. Of course, the room was large and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-macdonald/it-was-some-time-since-i-had-gone-to-sleep-in-the-same-room-with-a/) [Ross MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-macdonald/) > [Too pissed off to cry, I said, 'This is only making me hate her. I don't want to hate her. And what's the point,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/too-pissed-off-to-cry-i-said-this-is-only-making-me-hate-her-i-don-t/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [And we'll call you...hmmm. Pudge." "Huh?" "Pudge," the Colonel said. "Because you're skinny. It's called irony, Pudge. Heard of it? Now, let's go get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-we-ll-call-you-hmmm-pudge-huh-pudge-the-colonel-said-because-you/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She has great breasts," the Colonel said without looking up from the whale. "DO NOT OBJECTIFY WOMEN'S BODIES!" Alaska shouted. Now he looked up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-has-great-breasts-the-colonel-said-without-looking-up-from-the/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Could the two people who are making out please be quiet?" the Colonel asked loudly from his sleeping bag. "Those of us who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/could-the-two-people-who-are-making-out-please-be-quiet-the-colonel/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The labyrinth blows, but I choose it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-labyrinth-blows-but-i-choose-it/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The Colonel led all the cheers. Cornbread!" he screamed. CHICKEN!" the crowd responded. Rice!" PEAS!" And then, all together: "WE GOT HIGHER SATs." Hip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-colonel-led-all-the-cheers-cornbread-he-screamed-chicken-the/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The Colonel's hand was so little, and I grabbed it tight, his cold seeping into me and my warmth into him. 'I memorized the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-colonel-s-hand-was-so-little-and-i-grabbed-it-tight-his-cold/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [And then I screwed up and the Colonel screwed up and Takumi screwed up and she slipped through our fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-then-i-screwed-up-and-the-colonel-screwed-up-and-takumi-screwed/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I don't suppose I can wear the flamingo tie," he said as he pulled on black socks. "It's a bit festive, given the occasion,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-don-t-suppose-i-can-wear-the-flamingo-tie-he-said-as-he-pulled-on/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [And I will forget her, yes. That which came together will fall apart slowly, but she will forgive my forgetting, just as I forgive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-i-will-forget-her-yes-that-which-came-together-will-fall-apart/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Hey Pudge," the Colonel said. "What do you think of a truce?" "It reminds me of when the Germans demanded that the U.S. surrender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/hey-pudge-the-colonel-said-what-do-you-think-of-a-truce-it-reminds-me/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I didn't know whether to trust Alaska, and I'd certainly had enough of her unpredictability - cold one day, sweet the next; irresistibly flirty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-didn-t-know-whether-to-trust-alaska-and-i-d-certainly-had-enough-of/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Oh, God, Alaska, I love you. I love you,' and the Colonel whispered, 'I'm so sorry, Pudge. I know you did,' and I said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/oh-god-alaska-i-love-you-i-love-you-and-the-colonel-whispered-i-m-so-2/) [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 Alaska quotes > [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/) > [“Grief is like an ocean. It comes in waves - some waves are bigger than others and you cannot prepare for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-lane/grief-is-like-an-ocean-it-comes-in-waves-some-waves-are-bigger-than/) [Summer Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-lane/) > [There's no doubt 'normal' is changing - spring actually came a month early in Alaska, for example, and we had to stop filming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-rice/there-s-no-doubt-normal-is-changing-spring-actually-came-a-month/) [Travis Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-rice/) > [Kids in Alaska don't know they're growing up on the Last Frontier. It's just what they see on the license plates, and it's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/kids-in-alaska-don-t-know-they-re-growing-up-on-the-last-frontier-it/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [What the hell is instant? Nothing is instant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/what-the-hell-is-instant-nothing-is-instant/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [They're our next-door neighbors, and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/they-re-our-next-door-neighbors-and-you-can-actually-see-russia-from/) [Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/) > [If the world were an orange with 18 segments meeting at the top (the North Pole), roughly 8 of them would be in Russia,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-shoumatoff/if-the-world-were-an-orange-with-18-segments-meeting-at-the-top-the/) [Alex Shoumatoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-shoumatoff/) > [And I just got the ghost, and I'm calling it Casper but that is so cold, it belong in Alaska.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicki-minaj/and-i-just-got-the-ghost-and-i-m-calling-it-casper-but-that-is-so/) [Nicki Minaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicki-minaj/) > [Like any traveler, I'm always looking for those experiences that are almost unique to any place, and watching films around Alaska of the skies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/like-any-traveler-i-m-always-looking-for-those-experiences-that-are/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [A changing environment will affect Alaska more than any other state, because of our location. I'm not one though who would attribute it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-palin/a-changing-environment-will-affect-alaska-more-than-any-other-state/) [Sarah Palin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-palin/) > [Mitt Romney understands the importance of Alaska as a leader in our country's energy production and I look forward to working with him on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-murkowski/mitt-romney-understands-the-importance-of-alaska-as-a-leader-in-our/) [Lisa Murkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-murkowski/) > [Why would even I say we can't stop drilling in the Gulf? Because we have no alternatives. Whether or not we drill in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-safina/why-would-even-i-say-we-can-t-stop-drilling-in-the-gulf-because-we/) [Carl Safina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-safina/) > [On the lip of the Grand Canyon. I've always wanted to do that. My very first TV special out of the Olympics was on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-boitano/on-the-lip-of-the-grand-canyon-i-ve-always-wanted-to-do-that-my-very/) [Brian Boitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-boitano/) > [“The canopy of trees overhead is so thick that only bits and pieces of blue sky can be seen overhead. Narrow rays of sunshine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-g-foster/the-canopy-of-trees-overhead-is-so-thick-that-only-bits-and-pieces-of/) Vanessa G. Foster > [Let's make a deal: You figure out what the labyrinth is and how to get out of it, and i'll get you laid. -Alaska…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/let-s-make-a-deal-you-figure-out-what-the-labyrinth-is-and-how-to-get/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Browse all 320 Alaska quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alaska/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Colonel explained to me that 1. this was Alaska's room, and that 2. she had a single room because the girl who was supposed to be her roommate got kicked out at the end of last year, and that 3. Alaska had cigarettes, although the Colonel neglected to ask whether 4. I smoked, which 5. 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