---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once upon a time wasn't as long ago as it…"
description: "\"Once upon a time wasn't as long ago as it used to be.\" — Laurell K. Hamilton"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/laurell-k-hamilton-199_fairy_once-upon-a-time-wasn-t-as-long-ago-as-i_2153199.png"
---

#  Once upon a time wasn't as long ago as it used to be.

![“Once upon a time wasn't as long ago as it used to be.” quote by Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/laurell-k-hamilton-199_fairy_once-upon-a-time-wasn-t-as-long-ago-as-i_2153199.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/laurell-k-hamilton-199_fairy_once-upon-a-time-wasn-t-as-long-ago-as-i_2153199.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/laurell-k-hamilton-199_fairy_once-upon-a-time-wasn-t-as-long-ago-as-i_2153199.png)

> “Once upon a time wasn't as long ago as it used to be.”

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Nostalgia fades as time passes, making past moments feel more distant than they were.

**In simple terms:** Past feels farther away now.

Key Takeaway

Cherish present moments.

Themes

nostalgia time memory

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- reflecting on personal history
- writing memoirs
- celebrating anniversaries

Key Concepts

impermanence subjective perception

Questions to Reflect On

- How does nostalgia shape your view of the past?
- What present moments can you savor now?

A Different Perspective

Memory can be unreliable and romanticized.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fairy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Once upon a time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/once-upon-a-time/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Many years ago, I used to say, 'I haven't lived long enough to be great.' Now I don't say that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ladd/many-years-ago-i-used-to-say-i-haven-t-lived-long-enough-to-be-great/)

[Diane Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ladd/)

> [I wanted to be a doctor once upon a time, but it turns out you've got to study, and that wasn't going to happen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-murray/i-wanted-to-be-a-doctor-once-upon-a-time-but-it-turns-out-you-ve-got/)

[Bill Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-murray/)

> [I wasn't there long enough to hear them say what they were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-huston/i-wasn-t-there-long-enough-to-hear-them-say-what-they-were/)

[John Huston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-huston/)

> [I sold burglar alarms for four weeks, which wasn't very long, but it was long enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-bonnar/i-sold-burglar-alarms-for-four-weeks-which-wasn-t-very-long-but-it/)

[Mark Bonnar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-bonnar/)

> [“He glanced through the kitchen door at Tori sitting in front of his laptop. Would they be together in two months? Two years? Two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-l-rubart/he-glanced-through-the-kitchen-door-at-tori-sitting-in-front-of-his/)

[James L. Rubart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-l-rubart/)

> [“He was lucky in a way. It wasn’t long and drawn-out. No months in a hospital hooked up to machines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/he-was-lucky-in-a-way-it-wasn-t-long-and-drawn-out-no-months-in-a/)

[Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/)

> [It wasn't long but it felt like a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allie-mclaughlin/it-wasn-t-long-but-it-felt-like-a-lifetime/)

Allie McLaughlin

> [Years ago, fairy tales all began with Once upon a time... now we know they all begin with, If I am elected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-warner/years-ago-fairy-tales-all-began-with-once-upon-a-time-now-we-know/)

[Carolyn Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-warner/)

> [Once upon a time is now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilie-autumn/once-upon-a-time-is-now/)

[Emilie Autumn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilie-autumn/)

> [When I was little, I made up my own fairy tales, and the ghostly echo of Once upon a time shapes all the fiction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-larbalestier/when-i-was-little-i-made-up-my-own-fairy-tales-and-the-ghostly-echo/)

[Justine Larbalestier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-larbalestier/)

> [Once upon a time, something happened, and it was better than something not happening. The end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-harmon/once-upon-a-time-something-happened-and-it-was-better-than-something/)

[Dan Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-harmon/)

> [Every photo, every 'ONCE' in time is also the beginning of a story starting 'once upon a time...' Every photo is the first frame…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wim-wenders/every-photo-every-once-in-time-is-also-the-beginning-of-a-story/)

[Wim Wenders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wim-wenders/)

> [Had I been brighter, the ladies been gentler, the Scotch been weaker, had the gods been kinder, had the dice been hotter, this could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mickey-rooney/had-i-been-brighter-the-ladies-been-gentler-the-scotch-been-weaker/)

[Mickey Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mickey-rooney/)

> [So here is my story, may it bring Some smiles and a tear or so, It happened once upon a time, Far away, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-jacques/so-here-is-my-story-may-it-bring-some-smiles-and-a-tear-or-so-it/)

[Brian Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-jacques/)

> [Once upon a time. Ah forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-upon-a-time-ah-forget-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Laurell K. Hamilton

> [“Edward: I don't know whether to put my fingers in my ears and go la-la-la or find more of your guards so we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/edward-i-don-t-know-whether-to-put-my-fingers-in-my-ears-and-go-la-la/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [If you’re alive, don’t move, if you’re dead, don’t worry about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/if-you-re-alive-don-t-move-if-you-re-dead-don-t-worry-about-it/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [So many wonderful books to write, and not enough hours in the day. An embarrassment of riches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/so-many-wonderful-books-to-write-and-not-enough-hours-in-the-day-an/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [Money doesn't spend in hell… The devil deals in a different coin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/money-doesn-t-spend-in-hell-the-devil-deals-in-a-different-coin/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [There comes a point when you either embrace who and what you are, or condemn yourself to be miserable all your days. Other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/there-comes-a-point-when-you-either-embrace-who-and-what-you-are-or/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [“I slowed, just a little, one to save energy, and one to let Russell catch up sooner. I took a big breath and prepared.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/i-slowed-just-a-little-one-to-save-energy-and-one-to-let-russell/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [“It wasn't just my beast's hunger, but Jean-Claude's blood thirst and Richard's craving for flesh. It was all that and the ardeur running through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/it-wasn-t-just-my-beast-s-hunger-but-jean-claude-s-blood-thirst-and/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [I know that look, Blake. You are a drowning woman, and the only way out is down the aisle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/i-know-that-look-blake-you-are-a-drowning-woman-and-the-only-way-out/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [“Just another day in my life. This was one of those days when I thought that maybe a new life, a different life, wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/just-another-day-in-my-life-this-was-one-of-those-days-when-i-thought/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [“What is that old children’s rhyme, ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me’? Anyone who says that doesn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/what-is-that-old-children-s-rhyme-sticks-and-stones-may-break-my/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [...you don't need ghosts to be haunted. Memory does that just fine without any supernatural help at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/you-don-t-need-ghosts-to-be-haunted-memory-does-that-just-fine/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [I hated missing the end of anything. I was always convinced that the bit I'd miss would be the best part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/i-hated-missing-the-end-of-anything-i-was-always-convinced-that-the/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [He made a small sigh, as he swallowed the first blood, then his mouth closed over my earlobe, mouth working at the wound, tongue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/he-made-a-small-sigh-as-he-swallowed-the-first-blood-then-his-mouth/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [He gave a small nod, and I smiled back, and that was it. He understood that I'd understood that he'd understood. It took us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/he-gave-a-small-nod-and-i-smiled-back-and-that-was-it-he-understood/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

> [ \[T\]hese last few days where I've moped around damn near depressed for real, because of people who do not exist. Not really. I can… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/t-hese-last-few-days-where-i-ve-moped-around-damn-near-depressed-for/)

[Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

[Explore all 921 Laurell K. Hamilton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/)

## More Fairy quotes

> [Once upon a time. Ah forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-upon-a-time-ah-forget-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I know my hair is out of the '60's, my clothes are '50's and the shoes I wear are from the '40's. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/i-know-my-hair-is-out-of-the-60-s-my-clothes-are-50-s-and-the-shoes-i/)

[Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/)

> [I have always been fascinated by the supernatural elements in stories, whether fairy tales, myths, film or literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/i-have-always-been-fascinated-by-the-supernatural-elements-in-stories/)

[Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/)

> [“You can't get mad at a real ending. Some of them are ugly. It's the fake happily ever afters that should piss you off.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/you-can-t-get-mad-at-a-real-ending-some-of-them-are-ugly-it-s-the/)

[Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/)

> [“ Happily-ever-afters don't come in happily-every-days . They are found at the end of challenges-ever-met, promises-ever-kept, and tears-ever-wept.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/happily-ever-afters-don-t-come-in-happily-every-days-they-are-found/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [A real flame of love is a subtle thing. It burns as a will-o'-the-wisp, dancing onward to fairy lands of delight. It roars as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dreiser/a-real-flame-of-love-is-a-subtle-thing-it-burns-as-a-will-o-the-wisp/)

[Theodore Dreiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dreiser/)

> [“But even if they could go home it would be difficult for me to tell you what the moral of the story is. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/but-even-if-they-could-go-home-it-would-be-difficult-for-me-to-tell/)

[Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/)

> [One of the first houses we lived in was like out of a fairy story. We had a stream that ran through our garden,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilia-clarke/one-of-the-first-houses-we-lived-in-was-like-out-of-a-fairy-story-we/)

[Emilia Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilia-clarke/)

> [“If two people see a fairy appear, eat a starfish, and dive into the tile floor without so much as a splash, neither can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaydeon-k-moore/if-two-people-see-a-fairy-appear-eat-a-starfish-and-dive-into-the/)

Kaydeon K. Moore

> [Poems come from ordinary experiences and objects, I think. Out of memory - a dress I lent my daughter on her way back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/poems-come-from-ordinary-experiences-and-objects-i-think-out-of/)

[Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/)

> [Here is the world of imagination, hopes, and dreams. In this timeless land of enchantment, the age of chivalry, magic and make-believe are reborn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/here-is-the-world-of-imagination-hopes-and-dreams-in-this-timeless/)

[Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/)

> [In his anti-Darwinian book... (and eponymously named The Neck of the Giraffe ), Francis Hitching tells the story... "The need to survive by reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/in-his-anti-darwinian-book-and-eponymously-named-the-neck-of-the/)

[Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/)

> [Look at Jane Austen. Her characters derive in a reasonably straight line from fairy tales.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/look-at-jane-austen-her-characters-derive-in-a-reasonably-straight/)

[Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/)

> [Letters crossing in the post, unfamiliar tunes heard three times in one day, the way that blows of fate descend upon the same bowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/letters-crossing-in-the-post-unfamiliar-tunes-heard-three-times-in/)

[Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/)

> [I grew up watching monster movies and horror movies, which I felt were like fairy tales and I think this always spoke to me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/i-grew-up-watching-monster-movies-and-horror-movies-which-i-felt-were/)

[Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/)

[Browse all 1,977 Fairy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Once upon a time wasn't as long ago as it used to be.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Laurell K. Hamilton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/once-upon-a-time-wasn-t-as-long-ago-as-it-used-to-be/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fairy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/once-upon-a-time-wasn-t-as-long-ago-as-it-used-to-be/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/laurell-k-hamilton-199_fairy_once-upon-a-time-wasn-t-as-long-ago-as-i_2153199.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/laurell-k-hamilton-199_fairy_once-upon-a-time-wasn-t-as-long-ago-as-i_2153199.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d39/laurell-k-hamilton-199_fairy_once-upon-a-time-wasn-t-as-long-ago-as-i_2153199.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Once upon a time wasn't as long ago as it used to be.” — Laurell K. Hamilton",
                "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": "Laurell K. Hamilton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Once upon a time wasn't as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/once-upon-a-time-wasn-t-as-long-ago-as-it-used-to-be/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/once-upon-a-time-wasn-t-as-long-ago-as-it-used-to-be/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
