--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I lived five years in the Midwest, and I…" description: "\"I lived five years in the Midwest, and I loved it. The people were so nice. The people were so open.\" — John Irving" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/john-irving-337_five_i-lived-five-years-in-the-midwest-and-i_1260500.png" --- # I lived five years in the Midwest, and I loved it. The… ![“I lived five years in the Midwest, and I loved it. The people were so nice. The people were so open.” quote by John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/john-irving-337_five_i-lived-five-years-in-the-midwest-and-i_1260500.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/john-irving-337_five_i-lived-five-years-in-the-midwest-and-i_1260500.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eed/john-irving-337_five_i-lived-five-years-in-the-midwest-and-i_1260500.png) > “I lived five years in the Midwest, and I loved it. The people were so nice. The people were so open.” [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Expresses deep affection for the Midwest, emphasizing its friendly and open community. **In simple terms:** Loved Midwest for its nice, open people. Key Takeaway Appreciate welcoming environments. Themes community affection place‑attachment Mood warm nostalgic reflective Type descriptive personal inspirational When to use this quote - travel writing - memoir - urban planning - social work Key Concepts sociology regional culture personal narrative Questions to Reflect On - What makes a community feel open? - How can you foster openness elsewhere? A Different Perspective May romanticize the region. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Midwest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/midwest/) [Nice people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nice-people/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [I'm from the Midwest, and I loved my family. I had a very good time as a child, but I was also - I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-balaban/i-m-from-the-midwest-and-i-loved-my-family-i-had-a-very-good-time-as/) [Bob Balaban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-balaban/) > [“The midwest is full of these types of people. The nice enoughs but with a soul made of plastic. Easy to mold, easy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/the-midwest-is-full-of-these-types-of-people-the-nice-enoughs-but/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“The Midwest is full of these types of people: the nice-enoughs. Nice enough but with a soul made of plastic—easy to mold, easy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/the-midwest-is-full-of-these-types-of-people-the-nice-enoughs-nice/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [Nice people are often not good people and good people are often not nice people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-j-zelinski/nice-people-are-often-not-good-people-and-good-people-are-often-not/) [Ernie J Zelinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-j-zelinski/) > [“She must not know about me. A lot of people were nice...at first. No, they were all nice people. But...I saw the disappointment growing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuki-midorikawa/she-must-not-know-about-me-a-lot-of-people-were-nice-at-first-no-they/) [Yuki Midorikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuki-midorikawa/) > [Presidents are nice people. They're nice, fun-loving people who have great jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jenkins/presidents-are-nice-people-they-re-nice-fun-loving-people-who-have/) [Dan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jenkins/) > [The weight of the world isn't on their shoulders as much in Canada as opposed to America. Americans' perception of it is, "Oh, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-kinane/the-weight-of-the-world-isn-t-on-their-shoulders-as-much-in-canada-as/) [Kyle Kinane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-kinane/) > [Nice people are not those who get bullied around... These are weak people... I am one of those nice people but others treat me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nice-people-are-not-those-who-get-bullied-around-these-are-weak/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Make 2012 the year that you were nice.. because people don't like not nice people.. so be nice.. all the time!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-styles/make-2012-the-year-that-you-were-nice-because-people-don-t-like-not/) [Harry Styles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-styles/) > [What are friends? Some people are nice. Some people aren't. 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People who are nice to others, simply because they understand that people matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-like-genuinely-nice-people-people-who-are-nice-to-others-simply/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I tell everyone that works for me not to look down on people. If you're nice to people and take a minute to talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-harrison/i-tell-everyone-that-works-for-me-not-to-look-down-on-people-if-you/) [Rick Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-harrison/) > [Good people are found not changed. Recently I read a headline that said, 'We don't teach people to be nice. We simply hire nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/good-people-are-found-not-changed-recently-i-read-a-headline-that/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) ## More by John Irving > [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/) > [Our memory is a monster; you forget it - it does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/our-memory-is-a-monster-you-forget-it-it-does-not/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [… and so he tried to accept the ache in his heart as what Dr. Larch would call the common symptoms of normal life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/and-so-he-tried-to-accept-the-ache-in-his-heart-as-what-dr-larch/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Watch out for people who call themselves religious; make sure you know what they mean––make sure they know what they mean!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/watch-out-for-people-who-call-themselves-religious-make-sure-you-know/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [The desire to never leave your side, the desire to never see you again. The desire to see your face asleep on the pillow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/the-desire-to-never-leave-your-side-the-desire-to-never-see-you-again/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [I had been a student in Vienna, and one of the neat little things I had found out was about that zoo. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-had-been-a-student-in-vienna-and-one-of-the-neat-little-things-i/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“God, I think I just hit a high E-flat - and I really held it!" Esmeralda said, after one of her more prolonged orgasms,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/god-i-think-i-just-hit-a-high-e-flat-and-i-really-held-it-esmeralda/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Nostalgia!" Miss Frost cried. "You´re nostalgic!" She repeated. "Just how old are you, William?" She asked. "Seventeen, " I told her. "Seventeen!" Miss Frost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/nostalgia-miss-frost-cried-you-re-nostalgic-she-repeated-just-how-old/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [ “JUST BECAUSE A BUNCH OF ATHEISTS ARE BETTER WRITERS THAN THE GUYS WHO WROTE THE BIBLE DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE THEM RIGHT!" \[Owen Meany\] said… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/just-because-a-bunch-of-atheists-are-better-writers-than-the-guys-who/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [It is much easier to be flexible about where a story begins than it ever was for me to change my mind about where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/it-is-much-easier-to-be-flexible-about-where-a-story-begins-than-it/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Only the chicken-lover will understand me. He will give me a kindly look, maybe mildly desirous. 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But they both must have known that you can know someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/you-re-nice-cushie-told-him-squeezing-his-hand-and-you-re-my-oldest/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Because of A Prayer for Owen Meany, many of my readers assume I am “religious.” I go to church only occasionally—like a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/because-of-a-prayer-for-owen-meany-many-of-my-readers-assume-i-am/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“Did anyone who was in love and was unsatisfied with how he was loved in return ever feel saved?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/did-anyone-who-was-in-love-and-was-unsatisfied-with-how-he-was-loved/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“I TRUST THAT GOD WILL HELP ME, BECAUSE WHAT I’M SUPPOSED TO DO LOOKS VERY HARD.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-trust-that-god-will-help-me-because-what-i-m-supposed-to-do-looks/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) [Explore all 641 John Irving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) ## More Five quotes > [I made, like, five movies while I was in college. 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A woman in Santa Barbara, California, sent a $40,000 check.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-abel/even-with-clothing-naked-animals-there-were-people-who-wanted-to-send/) [Alan Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-abel/) > [I remember my friend Johnny von Neumann used to say, 'with four parameters I can fit an elephant and with five I can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/i-remember-my-friend-johnny-von-neumann-used-to-say-with-four/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) > [That is the real problem of depression - a condition which will affect an estimated one in five of the population at some point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-andreae/that-is-the-real-problem-of-depression-a-condition-which-will-affect/) [Giles Andreae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-andreae/) > [I don't think you should ever say, 'This is the last time'. Music isn't like that. You'll be sitting there not wishing to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-don-t-think-you-should-ever-say-this-is-the-last-time-music-isn-t/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) > [I don't think we need a featuring though , because five of us are enough .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-hyun-joong/i-don-t-think-we-need-a-featuring-though-because-five-of-us-are-enough/) [Kim Hyun-joong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-hyun-joong/) > [People who are complaining about the Fed are people who've been predicting runaway inflation for five and six years, and it hasn't happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-krugman/people-who-are-complaining-about-the-fed-are-people-who-ve-been/) [Paul Krugman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-krugman/) > [I am naturally a thin person and I am 5'1" and putting on five or 10 pounds, that looks like a lot on me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-richie/i-am-naturally-a-thin-person-and-i-am-5-1-and-putting-on-five-or-10/) [Nicole Richie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-richie/) > [The official independence celebration was going to be held over four or five days, and a group of journalists from all over the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/the-official-independence-celebration-was-going-to-be-held-over-four/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [Man, you'd be surprised how much I'm learning - not only about myself, but about the musicians who came before me. 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