--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We know our neighbors - so far as we have…" description: "\"We know our neighbors - so far as we have the right to know them. We hear of their joys and their sorrows, and hasten to make them ours so far as we ma..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/laura-e-richards-39353_cake_we-know-our-neighbors-so-far-as-we-have_552515.jpg" --- # We know our neighbors - so far as we have the right to… ![“We know our neighbors - so far as we have the right to know them. We hear of their joys and their sorrows, and hasten to make them ours so far as we may. Life in a small town is like a layer cake. One gets the whole of it, frosted top, lemon filling and all.” quote by Laura E. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/laura-e-richards-39353_cake_we-know-our-neighbors-so-far-as-we-have_552515.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/laura-e-richards-39353_cake_we-know-our-neighbors-so-far-as-we-have_552515.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/laura-e-richards-39353_cake_we-know-our-neighbors-so-far-as-we-have_552515.jpg) > “We know our neighbors - so far as we have the right to know them. We hear of their joys and their sorrows, and hasten to make them ours so far as we may. Life in a small town is like a layer cake. One gets the whole of it, frosted top, lemon filling and all.” [Laura E. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-e-richards/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding neighbors deeply creates a sense of belonging and shared experience in close communities. **In simple terms:** Knowing neighbors builds community. Key Takeaway Cultivate genuine connections. Themes community empathy shared experience Mood warm reflective Type observational philosophical When to use this quote - neighborhood gatherings - local events - community projects Key Concepts social bonds local culture interpersonal awareness Questions to Reflect On - How can you respect privacy while fostering closeness? - What barriers exist to genuine neighborly ties? A Different Perspective Assumes all neighbors are willing to share; privacy concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Lemons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lemons/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Neighbor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbor/) [Neighbors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neighbors/) [Small town](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-town/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) ## Related quotes > [For me, Los Angeles, New York, where I don't know my neighbors, where people don't necessarily care if they know their neighbors, I'm missing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sela-ward/for-me-los-angeles-new-york-where-i-don-t-know-my-neighbors-where/) [Sela Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sela-ward/) > [“We never know, do we, what our neighbors might be doing behind their fences, what love affairs and bloody rituals might be taking place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-parkhurst/we-never-know-do-we-what-our-neighbors-might-be-doing-behind-their/) [Carolyn Parkhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-parkhurst/) > [It's hard to describe how it feels to know that your neighbors - the people you fought for - hate you and everything you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mast/it-s-hard-to-describe-how-it-feels-to-know-that-your-neighbors-the/) [Brian Mast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mast/) > [The personal contact is a personal thing. The fact that some people don't know their neighbors, I don't think that technology is at fault.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-warnock/the-personal-contact-is-a-personal-thing-the-fact-that-some-people/) [John Warnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-warnock/) > [Become familiar with your home, but know also about your neighbors. The young man who never went anywhere thinks his mother is the greatest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/become-familiar-with-your-home-but-know-also-about-your-neighbors-the/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [I grew up in the Valley, and I didn't know any of our neighbors. I think when you grow up like that, there's always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sherman-palladino/i-grew-up-in-the-valley-and-i-didn-t-know-any-of-our-neighbors-i/) [Amy Sherman-Palladino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sherman-palladino/) > [To know one's self is wisdom, but not to know one's neighbors is genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minna-antrim/to-know-one-s-self-is-wisdom-but-not-to-know-one-s-neighbors-is-genius/) [Minna Antrim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minna-antrim/) > [Once you get to know your neighbors, you are no longer free, you are all tangled up, you have to stop and speak when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/once-you-get-to-know-your-neighbors-you-are-no-longer-free-you-are/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [Let me put it this way, I lived in L.A. for 10 years and did not know my neighbors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryse-mizanin/let-me-put-it-this-way-i-lived-in-l-a-for-10-years-and-did-not-know/) [Maryse Mizanin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryse-mizanin/) > [And I always heard people in New York never get to know their neighbors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audrey-hepburn/and-i-always-heard-people-in-new-york-never-get-to-know-their/) [Audrey Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audrey-hepburn/) > [I'm from the Midwest. We like to know who our neighbors are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jami-attenberg/i-m-from-the-midwest-we-like-to-know-who-our-neighbors-are/) [Jami Attenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jami-attenberg/) > [The most revolutionary thing you can do is get to know your neighbors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-hess/the-most-revolutionary-thing-you-can-do-is-get-to-know-your-neighbors/) [Karl Hess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-hess/) > [We still have community, but we don't seem to have local community. Even in a small town where you know your neighbors and your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-fisher/we-still-have-community-but-we-don-t-seem-to-have-local-community/) [Helen Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-fisher/) > [When I go home to Iowa, people assume I live in this very big anonymous place where no one knows each other or wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hedges/when-i-go-home-to-iowa-people-assume-i-live-in-this-very-big/) [Peter Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hedges/) > [Don't wait for a disaster to get to know your neighbors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-brilliant/don-t-wait-for-a-disaster-to-get-to-know-your-neighbors/) [Ashleigh Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-brilliant/) ## More by Laura E. Richards > [I do not believe in confining children to things they understand. They want, and they need, the thing they do not understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-e-richards/i-do-not-believe-in-confining-children-to-things-they-understand-they/) [Laura E. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-e-richards/) > [I eat till, honest, I felt every button on all my clo'es. The folks where we were stayin' were the old-fashioned hospitable kind; they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-e-richards/i-eat-till-honest-i-felt-every-button-on-all-my-clo-es-the-folks/) [Laura E. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-e-richards/) > [Give the child good books, then let it alone! Don't plough and harrow its brain, or stretch it on Procrustes-beds of standardization, simplification, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-e-richards/give-the-child-good-books-then-let-it-alone-don-t-plough-and-harrow/) [Laura E. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-e-richards/) > [I would rather read poetry than eat my dinner any day. It has been so all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-e-richards/i-would-rather-read-poetry-than-eat-my-dinner-any-day-it-has-been-so/) [Laura E. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-e-richards/) > [And the storm went on. It roared, it bellowed, and it screeched: it thumped and it kerwhalloped. The great seas would come bunt agin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-e-richards/and-the-storm-went-on-it-roared-it-bellowed-and-it-screeched-it/) [Laura E. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-e-richards/) > [read the Bible to the children, until they are old enough to read for themselves ... The Bible, not nursery versions of it. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-e-richards/read-the-bible-to-the-children-until-they-are-old-enough-to-read-for/) [Laura E. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-e-richards/) > [ To thousands of elder women in the late sixties and early seventies \[the private women's club movement\] came like a new gospel ofactivity and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-e-richards/to-thousands-of-elder-women-in-the-late-sixties-and-early-seventies/) [Laura E. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-e-richards/) > [“...during the clear, calm days and years...we ought to be, laying by, as it were; storing up light and strength and happiness for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-e-richards/during-the-clear-calm-days-and-years-we-ought-to-be-laying-by-as-it/) [Laura E. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-e-richards/) > [Once there was an elephant Who tried to use the telephant. No! no! I mean an elephone Who tried to use the telephone. Dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-e-richards/once-there-was-an-elephant-who-tried-to-use-the-telephant-no-no-i-2/) [Laura E. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-e-richards/) > [You couldn't find nobody deader, not if you'd sarched for a week. Why, door nails, and Julius Caesar, and things o' that description, would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-e-richards/you-couldn-t-find-nobody-deader-not-if-you-d-sarched-for-a-week-why/) [Laura E. Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-e-richards/) [Explore all 11 Laura E. Richards quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-e-richards/) ## More Cake quotes > [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-erhard/a-compromise-is-the-art-of-dividing-a-cake-in-such-a-way-that/) Ludwig Erhard > [You can’t bake a cake without getting the kitchen messy. Halfway through surgery it looks like there’s been a murder in the operating room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/price-pritchett/you-can-t-bake-a-cake-without-getting-the-kitchen-messy-halfway/) [Price Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/price-pritchett/) > [Baby I love you like a fat kid loves cake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/baby-i-love-you-like-a-fat-kid-loves-cake/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A lot of people are programmed to think, 'Oh, I want to do this, but I also want this.' It's like they want everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/metro-boomin/a-lot-of-people-are-programmed-to-think-oh-i-want-to-do-this-but-i/) [Metro Boomin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/metro-boomin/) > [Happy Birthday To Me,I just turned twenty three(23),I want a new Puppy, And I'll name it Julie:) Chocolate cake anyone all I have leftover,,,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becka-miller/happy-birthday-to-me-i-just-turned-twenty-three-23-i-want-a-new-puppy/) [Becka Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becka-miller/) > [It's strange because pandan cake isn't hard to make but yet it can only be bought in Singapore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhao-wei/it-s-strange-because-pandan-cake-isn-t-hard-to-make-but-yet-it-can/) [Zhao Wei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhao-wei/) > [Let them eat cake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-antoinette/let-them-eat-cake/) [Marie Antoinette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-antoinette/) > [“I bring the leftovers to rehearsal, and Ms. Albright lets us have a cake picnic on the stage. And by cake picnic, I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-albertalli/i-bring-the-leftovers-to-rehearsal-and-ms-albright-lets-us-have-a/) [Becky Albertalli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-albertalli/) > [Your favorite kind of cake can't be birthday cake, that's like saying your favorite kind of cereal is breakfast cereal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aziz-ansari/your-favorite-kind-of-cake-can-t-be-birthday-cake-that-s-like-saying/) [Aziz Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aziz-ansari/) > [“We went for a walk on College Street and popped into Coco's for a snack. There, I revealed my future, much like the exquisitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-rosen/we-went-for-a-walk-on-college-street-and-popped-into-coco-s-for-a/) Amy Rosen > [The three of us just try put our heads down and stay creative. The awards truly are just cake. It's one of those things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-scott/the-three-of-us-just-try-put-our-heads-down-and-stay-creative-the/) [Hillary Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-scott/) > [Sam loved to listen to music and make his own songs, to wear soft velvets, to play in the castle kitchen beside the cooks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sam-loved-to-listen-to-music-and-make-his-own-songs-to-wear-soft/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Photographing a cake can be art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-penn/photographing-a-cake-can-be-art/) [Irving Penn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-penn/) > [What do you think they're going to do to us when they find us guilty?" she says after a few minutes of silence have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/what-do-you-think-they-re-going-to-do-to-us-when-they-find-us-guilty/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) Browse all 1,341 Cake quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We know our neighbors - so far as we have the right to know them. We hear of their joys and their sorrows, and hasten to make them ours so far as we may. Life in a small town is like a layer cake. One gets the whole of it, frosted top, lemon filling and all.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Laura E. Richards" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-e-richards/we-know-our-neighbors-so-far-as-we-have-the-right-to-know-them-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cake" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-e-richards/we-know-our-neighbors-so-far-as-we-have-the-right-to-know-them-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/laura-e-richards-39353_cake_we-know-our-neighbors-so-far-as-we-have_552515.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/laura-e-richards-39353_cake_we-know-our-neighbors-so-far-as-we-have_552515.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cca/laura-e-richards-39353_cake_we-know-our-neighbors-so-far-as-we-have_552515.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We know our neighbors - so far as we have the right to know them. We hear of their joys and their sorrows…” — Laura E. Richards", "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": "Laura E. Richards", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-e-richards/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We know our neighbors - so...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-e-richards/we-know-our-neighbors-so-far-as-we-have-the-right-to-know-them-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-e-richards/we-know-our-neighbors-so-far-as-we-have-the-right-to-know-them-we/#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 } } ] } ```