--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They’ve not forgotten him: worse, they…" description: "\"“They’ve not forgotten him: worse, they never heard of him.”\" — John Updike" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/john-updike-396_fame_they-ve-not-forgotten-him-worse-they-nev_2427420.png" --- # They’ve not forgotten him: worse, they never heard of him. ![“They’ve not forgotten him: worse, they never heard of him.” quote by John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/john-updike-396_fame_they-ve-not-forgotten-him-worse-they-nev_2427420.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/john-updike-396_fame_they-ve-not-forgotten-him-worse-they-nev_2427420.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/john-updike-396_fame_they-ve-not-forgotten-him-worse-they-nev_2427420.png) > ““They’ve not forgotten him: worse, they never heard of him.”” [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights how people can be indifferent or unaware of someone’s existence, emphasizing neglect and anonymity. **In simple terms:** People often ignore or never learn about others. Key Takeaway Recognize and remember those overlooked. Themes neglect anonymity memory Mood reflective somber Type observational critical When to use this quote - community building - historical research - personal relationships - education - media coverage Key Concepts social invisibility human connection Questions to Reflect On - Who have you unintentionally ignored? - How can you bring hidden stories to light? A Different Perspective It may overlook systemic reasons why some voices are silenced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) [Reputation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reputation/) ## Related quotes > [Being forgotten is worse then not being noticed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-forgotten-is-worse-then-not-being-noticed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We've been speaking English as a second language so long that we've forgotten it as our first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-ve-been-speaking-english-as-a-second-language-so-long-that-we-ve/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [People do everything for me, and I've forgotten how.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-zeta-jones/people-do-everything-for-me-and-i-ve-forgotten-how/) [Catherine Zeta-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-zeta-jones/) > [“Not wonderful that you've forgotten, mind you. Wonderful that you have so much to discover.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/not-wonderful-that-you-ve-forgotten-mind-you-wonderful-that-you-have/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) > [I thought, I might not look my best, I've forgotten half the words to my songs and I'm suffering from post-traumatic stress, but I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-almond/i-thought-i-might-not-look-my-best-i-ve-forgotten-half-the-words-to/) [Marc Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-almond/) > [“Lost things never like to be found until they've been forgotten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-j-mellow/lost-things-never-like-to-be-found-until-they-ve-been-forgotten/) E.J. Mellow > [It occurred to me at some point that what really links us to the past is memory, and there's so much we've forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-cameron/it-occurred-to-me-at-some-point-that-what-really-links-us-to-the-past/) [Sharon Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-cameron/) > [You all say the same thing. When something bad happens, everyone tells you to forget about it. But, I don't think you can forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fuyumi-soryo/you-all-say-the-same-thing-when-something-bad-happens-everyone-tells/) [Fuyumi Soryo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fuyumi-soryo/) > [“You're so busy running here and there that you've forgotten that the goal of life is learning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-verge-higgins/you-re-so-busy-running-here-and-there-that-you-ve-forgotten-that-the/) [Lisa Verge Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-verge-higgins/) > [Don't ask me about my career - I've forgotten most of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-dalton/don-t-ask-me-about-my-career-i-ve-forgotten-most-of-it/) [Timothy Dalton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-dalton/) > [All that I've learned, I've forgotten. 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The only way you can be forgotten is if you want to be, and sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-floyd/if-you-feel-like-you-ve-been-forgotten-your-wrong-the-only-way-you/) Arianna Floyd > [I've forgotten most of what I've read and, frankly, it never seemed very important to me or to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-ve-forgotten-most-of-what-i-ve-read-and-frankly-it-never-seemed/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) ## More by John Updike > [Life is a roller coaster, you have your ups and downs unless you fall off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/life-is-a-roller-coaster-you-have-your-ups-and-downs-unless-you-fall/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Children are not a zoo of entertainingly exotic creatures, but an array of mirrors in which the human predicament leaps out at us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/children-are-not-a-zoo-of-entertainingly-exotic-creatures-but-an/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I assume my stance, and take back the club, low, slowly; at the top, my eyes fog over, and my joints dip and swirl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-assume-my-stance-and-take-back-the-club-low-slowly-at-the-top-my/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The New England spirit does not seek solutions in a crowd; raw light and solitariness are less dreaded than welcomed as enhancers of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-new-england-spirit-does-not-seek-solutions-in-a-crowd-raw-light/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I imagine most of that stuff on the information highway is roadkill anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-imagine-most-of-that-stuff-on-the-information-highway-is-roadkill/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Families, doing everything for each other out of imagined obligation and always getting in each other's way, what a tangle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/families-doing-everything-for-each-other-out-of-imagined-obligation/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The fucking world is running out of gas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-fucking-world-is-running-out-of-gas/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The theme of old age doesn't seem to fascinate Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-theme-of-old-age-doesn-t-seem-to-fascinate-hollywood/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The mind cannot fall asleep as long as it watches itself. Only when the mind moves unwatched and becomes absorbed in images that tug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-mind-cannot-fall-asleep-as-long-as-it-watches-itself-only-when/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“it was somehow wonderful of her to be, in every detail, herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/it-was-somehow-wonderful-of-her-to-be-in-every-detail-herself/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [In fiction, imaginary people become realer to us than any named celebrity glimpsed in a series of rumored events, whose causes and subtler ramifications…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/in-fiction-imaginary-people-become-realer-to-us-than-any-named/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Her hair had been going gray as long as he could remember; she bundled it behind in a bun held with hairpins that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/her-hair-had-been-going-gray-as-long-as-he-could-remember-she-bundled/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Possession diminishes perception of value, immediately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/possession-diminishes-perception-of-value-immediately/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I can't bear to finish things, beyond a certain point they get heavy. There's something so dead about a finished painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-can-t-bear-to-finish-things-beyond-a-certain-point-they-get-heavy/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Some people find fall depressing, others hate spring. I've always been a spring person myself. All that growth, you can feel Nature groaning, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/some-people-find-fall-depressing-others-hate-spring-i-ve-always-been/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) [Explore all 592 John Updike quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## More Fame quotes > [Most celebrated men live in a condition of prostitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/most-celebrated-men-live-in-a-condition-of-prostitution/) [Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-augustin-sainte-beuve/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) > [Some people say that 'Drag Race' is about glory and immortalizing yourself in the Hall of Fame. For me, it's about shaking RuPaul down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trixie-mattel/some-people-say-that-drag-race-is-about-glory-and-immortalizing/) [Trixie Mattel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trixie-mattel/) > [The News of the World made me more famous than being in Atomic Kitten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-katona/the-news-of-the-world-made-me-more-famous-than-being-in-atomic-kitten/) [Kerry Katona](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-katona/) > [Becoming famous is a really shocking thing, especially when you don't have aspirations to it. It got to the point where I would try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/becoming-famous-is-a-really-shocking-thing-especially-when-you-don-t/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [Five World Series rings, 3000-plus hits, the fame, the fortune and playing for the second most historic franchise in baseball... These are just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mookie-betts/five-world-series-rings-3000-plus-hits-the-fame-the-fortune-and/) [Mookie Betts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mookie-betts/) > [There's nothing like getting feedback that's positive and supportive. That's what I'm all about. I'm really just genuinely doing good music. I'm not looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-villarreal/there-s-nothing-like-getting-feedback-that-s-positive-and-supportive/) [Tiffany Villarreal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-villarreal/) > [Don't crave fame, do what you do and just apply. I don't think many of them here today are that interested in fashion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-wilson/don-t-crave-fame-do-what-you-do-and-just-apply-i-don-t-think-many-of/) [Louise Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-wilson/) > [If I had never gotten famous or rich, I think I'd be equally neurotic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-romano/if-i-had-never-gotten-famous-or-rich-i-think-i-d-be-equally-neurotic/) [Ray Romano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-romano/) > [Unfortunately, celebrity is a powerful thing. It can influence people, but if it can influence people in a good way, then that's a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-furnish/unfortunately-celebrity-is-a-powerful-thing-it-can-influence-people/) [David Furnish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-furnish/) > [I think you either live a real life or you live a weird celebrity pseudolife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-michelle-gellar/i-think-you-either-live-a-real-life-or-you-live-a-weird-celebrity/) [Sarah Michelle Gellar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-michelle-gellar/) > [I am uninterested in Jennifer Aniston's take on anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-dillon/i-am-uninterested-in-jennifer-aniston-s-take-on-anything/) [Tim Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-dillon/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [I don't want to have anything to do with that: just the fame without personal respect for your privacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-till/i-don-t-want-to-have-anything-to-do-with-that-just-the-fame-without/) [Lucas Till](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-till/) > [I wanted to have money; I wanted to be special; I wanted people to like me; I wanted to be famous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-wanted-to-have-money-i-wanted-to-be-special-i-wanted-people-to-like/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) [Browse all 6,971 Fame quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fame/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“They’ve not forgotten him: worse, they never heard of him.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Updike" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/they-ve-not-forgotten-him-worse-they-never-heard-of-him/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fame" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/they-ve-not-forgotten-him-worse-they-never-heard-of-him/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/john-updike-396_fame_they-ve-not-forgotten-him-worse-they-nev_2427420.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/john-updike-396_fame_they-ve-not-forgotten-him-worse-they-nev_2427420.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ee/john-updike-396_fame_they-ve-not-forgotten-him-worse-they-nev_2427420.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They’ve not forgotten him: worse, they never heard of him.” — John Updike", "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 Updike", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“They’ve not forgotten him: worse, they...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/they-ve-not-forgotten-him-worse-they-never-heard-of-him/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/they-ve-not-forgotten-him-worse-they-never-heard-of-him/#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 } } ] } ```