--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Before you ridicule, remember somebody on…" description: "\"Before you ridicule, remember somebody on a railway platform who seems to be train spotting may actually be writing poetry.\" — John Hegley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb0/john-hegley-75710_may_before-you-ridicule-remember-somebody-on_1613216.jpg" --- # Before you ridicule, remember somebody on a railway… ![“Before you ridicule, remember somebody on a railway platform who seems to be train spotting may actually be writing poetry.” quote by John Hegley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb0/john-hegley-75710_may_before-you-ridicule-remember-somebody-on_1613216.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb0/john-hegley-75710_may_before-you-ridicule-remember-somebody-on_1613216.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb0/john-hegley-75710_may_before-you-ridicule-remember-somebody-on_1613216.jpg) > “Before you ridicule, remember somebody on a railway platform who seems to be train spotting may actually be writing poetry.” [John Hegley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hegley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even those who seem obsessive, like train spotters, may be creating art. **In simple terms:** People often hide creativity in unexpected places. Key Takeaway Look beyond surface behaviors for hidden talent. Themes creativity perception stigma Mood curious open‑minded Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - public spaces - hobbies - creative writing Key Concepts poetry observation identity Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize hidden creativity? - What value does unconventional art hold? A Different Perspective Not all hidden talents are artistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Platform Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/platform-train-4130706/) [Platforms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/platforms/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Railway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/railway/) [Railway Platform](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/railway-platform-6152783/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Ridicule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridicule/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Somebody Railway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somebody-railway-6152781/) [Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train/) [Train Spotting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train-spotting-6152782/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-poetry/) ## Related quotes > [It was like the classic scene in the movies where one lover is on the train and one is on the platform and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/it-was-like-the-classic-scene-in-the-movies-where-one-lover-is-on-the/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [I have rather a strange objection to talking from the back platform of a train… It changes too often. It moves around and shifts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/i-have-rather-a-strange-objection-to-talking-from-the-back-platform/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [Clearly, there needs to be an increase in the capacity of the railway system. That's why there are these projections of increasing the capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/clearly-there-needs-to-be-an-increase-in-the-capacity-of-the-railway/) [Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/) > [An old wine-bibber having been smashed in a railway collision, some wine was poured on his lips to revive him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/an-old-wine-bibber-having-been-smashed-in-a-railway-collision-some/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“The emergency services had not yet been organized. Rosine could go where she wished. Her high heels made her stumble in the darkness, over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-renard/the-emergency-services-had-not-yet-been-organized-rosine-could-go/) [Maurice Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-renard/) > [Just as the sentence contains one idea in all its fullness, so the paragraph should embrace a distinct episode; and as sentences should follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/just-as-the-sentence-contains-one-idea-in-all-its-fullness-so-the/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [So, you can set up an orchestra down this end of the railway station playing one particular area, and simultaneously at the other end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-fripp/so-you-can-set-up-an-orchestra-down-this-end-of-the-railway-station/) [Robert Fripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-fripp/) > [Think of something you really care about. Then add hour to hour and calculate the fraction of your life that you've actually spent in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/think-of-something-you-really-care-about-then-add-hour-to-hour-and/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [In the decade before the Civil War various north and south lines of railway were projected and some of these were assisted by grants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-moody/in-the-decade-before-the-civil-war-various-north-and-south-lines-of/) [John Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-moody/) > [He has the vocal modulation of a railway-station announcer, the expressive power of a fence-post and the charisma of a week-old head of lettuce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fintan-o-toole/he-has-the-vocal-modulation-of-a-railway-station-announcer-the/) [Fintan O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fintan-o-toole/) > [We must play music quietly, talk quietly, weep in private, because I am the all-powerful Zahir, who lays down the rules and determines the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-must-play-music-quietly-talk-quietly-weep-in-private-because-i-am/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Solely in the world of languages is the amateur of value. Well-intentioned sentences full of mistakes can still build bridges between people. Asking in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kat-lomb/solely-in-the-world-of-languages-is-the-amateur-of-value-well/) [Kató Lomb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kat-lomb/) > [Railway termini are our gates to the glorious and the unknown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/railway-termini-are-our-gates-to-the-glorious-and-the-unknown/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [I lived at home and I cycled every morning to the railway station to travel by train to Johannesburg followed by a walk to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-brenner/i-lived-at-home-and-i-cycled-every-morning-to-the-railway-station-to/) [Sydney Brenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-brenner/) > [Man's endeavour to cross even the most difficult terrain with railway lines has produced some of the most stunning marvels of engineering of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prashant-bhushan/man-s-endeavour-to-cross-even-the-most-difficult-terrain-with-railway/) [Prashant Bhushan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prashant-bhushan/) ## More by John Hegley > [My grandmother used to say before you moan about the muck on someone else's glasses make sure you're not on about the muck on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hegley/my-grandmother-used-to-say-before-you-moan-about-the-muck-on-someone/) [John Hegley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hegley/) > [In the beginning was the dog the real name of Jehovah is Rover. Adam's rib is buried in the garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hegley/in-the-beginning-was-the-dog-the-real-name-of-jehovah-is-rover-adam-s/) [John Hegley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hegley/) [Explore all 3 John Hegley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hegley/) ## More May quotes > [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over Earth that lies somewhere out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-is-something-more-important-than-any-ultimate-weapon-that-is/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [You've touched people and known it. You've touched people and never may know it. Either way, you have something to give. It is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/you-ve-touched-people-and-known-it-you-ve-touched-people-and-never/) [Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [So many things beat upon us in a lifetime that simply enduring may seem almost beyond us… But the test a loving God has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/so-many-things-beat-upon-us-in-a-lifetime-that-simply-enduring-may/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [the appetite for thinking must be regulated, as all sensible people know, for it may stifle one's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/the-appetite-for-thinking-must-be-regulated-as-all-sensible-people/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [Then come to realize that you're making mountains out of molehills. Realize how petty you've become. Sure, it may feel like you can't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/then-come-to-realize-that-you-re-making-mountains-out-of-molehills/) [Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/) > [She smiled, if he could see that, and waited for him to ask the real question. But he was silent. He wanted her to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-shinn/she-smiled-if-he-could-see-that-and-waited-for-him-to-ask-the-real/) [Sharon Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-shinn/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [If you are well-mannered towards those whose views are similar to yours, you may be said to exhibit a fairly good character. But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The market may never coalesce around one basic design, or even around two or three dominant devices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/the-market-may-never-coalesce-around-one-basic-design-or-even-around/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Hard times may test me, they cannot destroy me,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-b-joshua/hard-times-may-test-me-they-cannot-destroy-me/) [T. B. Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-b-joshua/) [Browse all 33,019 May quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Before you ridicule, remember somebody on a railway platform who seems to be train spotting may actually be writing poetry.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Hegley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hegley/before-you-ridicule-remember-somebody-on-a-railway-platform-who-seems/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "May" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hegley/before-you-ridicule-remember-somebody-on-a-railway-platform-who-seems/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb0/john-hegley-75710_may_before-you-ridicule-remember-somebody-on_1613216.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb0/john-hegley-75710_may_before-you-ridicule-remember-somebody-on_1613216.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb0/john-hegley-75710_may_before-you-ridicule-remember-somebody-on_1613216.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Before you ridicule, remember somebody on a railway platform who seems to be train spotting may actually be…” — John Hegley", "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 Hegley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hegley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Before you ridicule, remember somebody on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hegley/before-you-ridicule-remember-somebody-on-a-railway-platform-who-seems/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hegley/before-you-ridicule-remember-somebody-on-a-railway-platform-who-seems/#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 } } ] } ```