--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: there she is, and I am watching her…" description: "\"“there she is, and I am watching her through Plexiglas, and she looks like Margo Roth Spiegelman, this girl I have known since I was two–this girl who ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/john-green-12_believe_there-she-is-and-i-am-watching-her-throu_954922.jpg" --- # there she is, and I am watching her through Plexiglas, and… ![“there she is, and I am watching her through Plexiglas, and she looks like Margo Roth Spiegelman, this girl I have known since I was two–this girl who was an idea that I loved. And it is only now, when she closes her notebook and places it inside a backpack next to her and then stands up and walks…” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/john-green-12_believe_there-she-is-and-i-am-watching-her-throu_954922.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/john-green-12_believe_there-she-is-and-i-am-watching-her-throu_954922.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/john-green-12_believe_there-she-is-and-i-am-watching-her-throu_954922.jpg) > ““there she is, and I am watching her through Plexiglas, and she looks like Margo Roth Spiegelman, this girl I have known since I was two–this girl who was an idea that I loved. And it is only now, when she closes her notebook and places it inside a backpack next to her and then stands up and walks toward us, that I realize that the idea is not only wrong by dangerous. What a treacherous thing it is to believe that a person is more than a person.”” [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 realizes that idealizing someone can be dangerous, as the real person may differ from the imagined ideal. **In simple terms:** Idealizing people can be risky. Key Takeaway Question the gap between image and reality. Themes identity idealization danger reality perception Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - personal growth - self-reflection Key Concepts psychology self-awareness fiction Questions to Reflect On - How do you distinguish between a person and the idea of them? - What risks arise from projecting fantasies onto others? A Different Perspective Idealization can blind us to true character. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Margo roth spiegelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/margo-roth-spiegelman/) [Notebook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notebook/) ## Related quotes > [“Like me. Margo Roth Spiegelman was a person, too. And I had never quite thought of her that way, not really; it was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/like-me-margo-roth-spiegelman-was-a-person-too-and-i-had-never-quite/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“In the end, you could not say that Margo Roth Spiegelman was fat, or that she was skinny, any more than you can say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/in-the-end-you-could-not-say-that-margo-roth-spiegelman-was-fat-or/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Everything's uglier close up -Margo Roth Spiegelman”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/everything-s-uglier-close-up-margo-roth-spiegelman/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [To find Margo Roth Spiegelman, you must become Margo Roth Spiegelman. And I had done many of the things she might have done: I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/to-find-margo-roth-spiegelman-you-must-become-margo-roth-spiegelman/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“And all at once I knew how Margo Roth Spiegelman felt when she wasn't being Margo Roth Spiegelman: she felt empty. She felt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-all-at-once-i-knew-how-margo-roth-spiegelman-felt-when-she-wasn-t/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [But my miracle was different. My miracle was this: out of all the houses in all the subdivisions in all of Florida, I ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/but-my-miracle-was-different-my-miracle-was-this-out-of-all-the/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“You see how fake it all is. It's not even hard enough to be made out of plastic. It's a paper town. I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-see-how-fake-it-all-is-it-s-not-even-hard-enough-to-be-made-out-2/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Whether or not I am with a girl will never be known on social media, because I want to keep my private life private.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jannik-sinner/whether-or-not-i-am-with-a-girl-will-never-be-known-on-social-media/) [Jannik Sinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jannik-sinner/) > [I don't go on that many dates, because the truth is, anytime you go out in public with a girl when you're well-known, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/i-don-t-go-on-that-many-dates-because-the-truth-is-anytime-you-go-out/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [“I was very aware that you were a girl, Ash. I was just scared because the one person in the world who knew every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-glines/i-was-very-aware-that-you-were-a-girl-ash-i-was-just-scared-because/) [Abbi Glines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-glines/) > [“I couldn’t figure out which of these ideas, if any, was at the core of the poem. But thinking about the grass and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-couldn-t-figure-out-which-of-these-ideas-if-any-was-at-the-core-of/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“You know your problem, Quentin? You keep expecting people not to be themselves. I mean, I could hate you for being massively unpunctual and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-know-your-problem-quentin-you-keep-expecting-people-not-to-be/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Margo was so beautiful that even her fake smiles were convincing. (54)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/margo-was-so-beautiful-that-even-her-fake-smiles-were-convincing-54/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“As we walked, I kept taking glances at her through the crowd, quick snapshots: a photographic series entitled Perfection Stands Still While Mortals Walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/as-we-walked-i-kept-taking-glances-at-her-through-the-crowd-quick/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Tonight, darling, we are going to right a lot of wrongs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/tonight-darling-we-are-going-to-right-a-lot-of-wrongs/) [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 Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“there she is, and I am watching her through Plexiglas, and she looks like Margo Roth Spiegelman, this girl I have known since I was two–this girl who was an idea that I loved. And it is only now, when she closes her notebook and places it inside a backpack next to her and then stands up and walks toward us, that I realize that the idea is not only wrong by dangerous. What a treacherous thing it is to believe that a person is more than a person.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/there-she-is-and-i-am-watching-her-through-plexiglas-and-she-looks/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/there-she-is-and-i-am-watching-her-through-plexiglas-and-she-looks/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/john-green-12_believe_there-she-is-and-i-am-watching-her-throu_954922.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/john-green-12_believe_there-she-is-and-i-am-watching-her-throu_954922.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cdb/john-green-12_believe_there-she-is-and-i-am-watching-her-throu_954922.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“there she is, and I am watching her through Plexiglas, and she looks like Margo Roth Spiegelman, this girl 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": "“there she is, and I am...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/there-she-is-and-i-am-watching-her-through-plexiglas-and-she-looks/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/there-she-is-and-i-am-watching-her-through-plexiglas-and-she-looks/#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 } } ] } ```