--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To an outsider, Abilene was like a small…" description: "\"To an outsider, Abilene was like a small landfall in the Sargasso Sea - remote, laconic, and forever closed to strangers.\" — Lawrence Wright" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af1/lawrence-wright-5166_forever_to-an-outsider-abilene-was-like-a-small_1739887.png" --- # To an outsider, Abilene was like a small landfall in the… ![“To an outsider, Abilene was like a small landfall in the Sargasso Sea - remote, laconic, and forever closed to strangers.” quote by Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af1/lawrence-wright-5166_forever_to-an-outsider-abilene-was-like-a-small_1739887.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af1/lawrence-wright-5166_forever_to-an-outsider-abilene-was-like-a-small_1739887.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af1/lawrence-wright-5166_forever_to-an-outsider-abilene-was-like-a-small_1739887.png) > “To an outsider, Abilene was like a small landfall in the Sargasso Sea - remote, laconic, and forever closed to strangers.” [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage portrays Abilene as an isolated, quiet place that feels inaccessible to outsiders. **In simple terms:** Abilene seems remote and closed to strangers. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden isolation in unfamiliar settings. Themes isolation place perception culture otherness Mood reflective melancholic curious Type descriptive analytical literary When to use this quote - travel writing - anthropology - cultural analysis - personal reflection Key Concepts geography social distance identity exclusion Questions to Reflect On - How does perceived isolation affect outsider interactions? - What aspects of a place become invisible to outsiders? A Different Perspective The description may romanticize isolation, overlooking local complexities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Outsider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outsider/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Strangers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strangers/) ## Related quotes > [For my parents, leaving the close social quarters of Abilene was like getting out of jail. They were not true West Texans; they had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/for-my-parents-leaving-the-close-social-quarters-of-abilene-was-like/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [“The “Bus to Abilene” anecdote reveals our tendency to follow those who initiate action—any action.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/the-bus-to-abilene-anecdote-reveals-our-tendency-to-follow-those-who/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [The proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/the-proudest-thing-i-can-claim-is-that-i-am-from-abilene/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [I was always an outsider, proud of being an outsider. I always reveled in the outsiders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-was-always-an-outsider-proud-of-being-an-outsider-i-always-reveled/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I am an outsider looking in, absolutely. You're not going to see me at the Academy Awards 'Vanity Fair' party any time soon. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-griffin/i-am-an-outsider-looking-in-absolutely-you-re-not-going-to-see-me-at/) [Kathy Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-griffin/) > [I've always been an outsider kid. But I had always wanted to be in a group - growing up, I loved bands like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-angelique/i-ve-always-been-an-outsider-kid-but-i-had-always-wanted-to-be-in-a/) [Dawn Angelique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-angelique/) > [So tell me, as an outsider, what do you think of the human race?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-tell-me-as-an-outsider-what-do-you-think-of-the-human-race/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've always been an outsider everywhere I go - I don't fit in with the Swedish rap community or the American rap community. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yung-lean/i-ve-always-been-an-outsider-everywhere-i-go-i-don-t-fit-in-with-the/) [Yung Lean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yung-lean/) > [“I assure you; while I look like a ghost, I'm no spirit or demon. I'm nothing but a girl struggling to make her way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leanna-renee-hieber/i-assure-you-while-i-look-like-a-ghost-i-m-no-spirit-or-demon-i-m/) [Leanna Renee Hieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leanna-renee-hieber/) > [I always felt like an outsider of the industry, and now I feel quite comfortable as an independent artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-nash/i-always-felt-like-an-outsider-of-the-industry-and-now-i-feel-quite/) [Kate Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-nash/) > [“She felt the warmth of Peter's arm under her neck, and it almost felt like he was an extension of her, and like if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-lynn-anderson/she-felt-the-warmth-of-peter-s-arm-under-her-neck-and-it-almost-felt/) [Jodi Lynn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-lynn-anderson/) > [It is harder for an outsider to make an entry into the industry, but that also does not mean star kids have it easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nidhhi-agerwal/it-is-harder-for-an-outsider-to-make-an-entry-into-the-industry-but/) [Nidhhi Agerwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nidhhi-agerwal/) > [“I used to be a mddle-of-the-road kid, but now with my freaky looks I'm definately an outsider. Hooray.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-kuhlman/i-used-to-be-a-mddle-of-the-road-kid-but-now-with-my-freaky-looks-i-m/) [Evan Kuhlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-kuhlman/) > [I don't think like Raj Thackeray... that anyone from Uttar Pradesh or Bihar or anywhere who comes to Mumbai is an outsider.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakhi-sawant/i-don-t-think-like-raj-thackeray-that-anyone-from-uttar-pradesh-or/) [Rakhi Sawant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakhi-sawant/) > [I know always that I am an outsider; a stranger in this century and among those who are still men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-always-that-i-am-an-outsider-a-stranger-in-this-century-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Lawrence Wright > [Every medium has its advantages and weaknesses and there are many things I can put down on paper that I might not be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/every-medium-has-its-advantages-and-weaknesses-and-there-are-many/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [Contempt for men pervades the most obscure strata of our society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/contempt-for-men-pervades-the-most-obscure-strata-of-our-society/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [Look at what Jimmy Carter did. Look at the risks he took for a country that wasn't his. Israel has benefited unbelievably from that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/look-at-what-jimmy-carter-did-look-at-the-risks-he-took-for-a-country/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [Hubbard set up the Church of Scientology in Hollywood in 1954 for a reason. He understood that celebrity was increasingly a feature of American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/hubbard-set-up-the-church-of-scientology-in-hollywood-in-1954-for-a/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [Religions prosper in large part because of the communities that they create.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/religions-prosper-in-large-part-because-of-the-communities-that-they/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [If you have great characters, then your reader becomes emotionally invested in those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/if-you-have-great-characters-then-your-reader-becomes-emotionally/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [“However, twelve former Sea Org members told me that Miscavige had assaulted them; twenty-one have told me or testified in court that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/however-twelve-former-sea-org-members-told-me-that-miscavige-had/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [I don't want to constantly be writing about terrorism and strife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/i-don-t-want-to-constantly-be-writing-about-terrorism-and-strife/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [The Israelis and the Palestinians don't know each other. They live right there, but they've become strangers. And it makes it much more difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/the-israelis-and-the-palestinians-don-t-know-each-other-they-live/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [“Miscavige keeps a number of dogs, including five beagles. He had blue vests made up for each of them, with four stripes on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/miscavige-keeps-a-number-of-dogs-including-five-beagles-he-had-blue/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [Every form has its merits. And I like to work in a lot of different forms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/every-form-has-its-merits-and-i-like-to-work-in-a-lot-of-different/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [To me the notion that Palestinians are actually Jews is, I think, quite revelatory and very radical and a possible bridge that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/to-me-the-notion-that-palestinians-are-actually-jews-is-i-think-quite/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [Science fiction invites the writer to grandly explore alternative worlds and pose questions about meaning and destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/science-fiction-invites-the-writer-to-grandly-explore-alternative/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [“Undersheriff McClanahan was so worried about the mental health of his investigative team that he assembled a team of psychologists to debrief them. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/undersheriff-mcclanahan-was-so-worried-about-the-mental-health-of-his/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) > [I was in Austin on 9/11, and there were no flights, so I couldn't get to New York to cover the story, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/i-was-in-austin-on-9-11-and-there-were-no-flights-so-i-couldn-t-get/) [Lawrence Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) [Explore all 103 Lawrence Wright quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/) ## More Forever quotes > [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [“I believe in forever, and that’s what you and I are. We define eternity. This may sound cheesy, but you make me go there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-mchugh/i-believe-in-forever-and-that-s-what-you-and-i-are-we-define-eternity/) [Gail McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-mchugh/) > [Contradictory precepts that have guided me for as long as I can remember: 1: I will live forever. 2: I will die tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/contradictory-precepts-that-have-guided-me-for-as-long-as-i-can/) [Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [When you find someone you want to spend forever with you, you don't let them go, whether forever turns out to be a day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/when-you-find-someone-you-want-to-spend-forever-with-you-you-don-t/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [What does forever mean to you? When you couldnt even keep it true You said were youd forever be there But were those just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fad-ibra/what-does-forever-mean-to-you-when-you-couldnt-even-keep-it-true-you/) [Fad Ibra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fad-ibra/) > [Forever is a really long time, you know? What do you do with forever?" "The same thing you do when you don't have forever."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/forever-is-a-really-long-time-you-know-what-do-you-do-with-forever/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) > [Whole scenes of your life slip away forever if you don't put them down in ink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silas-house/whole-scenes-of-your-life-slip-away-forever-if-you-don-t-put-them/) [Silas House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silas-house/) > [Tonight I feel like a prisoner on fire, waiting desperately... denied, sentenced forever more. Only your love can set me free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bolton/tonight-i-feel-like-a-prisoner-on-fire-waiting-desperately-denied/) [Michael Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bolton/) > [It all depends on you. You can go on sleeping forever, you can wake up right this moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/it-all-depends-on-you-you-can-go-on-sleeping-forever-you-can-wake-up/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [I want to do - I want to be putting out classic stuff that's gonna stick and last forever, you feel me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yg/i-want-to-do-i-want-to-be-putting-out-classic-stuff-that-s-gonna/) YG > [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/) Mennah al refaey Browse all 10,689 Forever quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To an outsider, Abilene was like a small landfall in the Sargasso Sea - remote, laconic, and forever closed to strangers.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lawrence Wright" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/to-an-outsider-abilene-was-like-a-small-landfall-in-the-sargasso-sea/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Forever" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/to-an-outsider-abilene-was-like-a-small-landfall-in-the-sargasso-sea/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af1/lawrence-wright-5166_forever_to-an-outsider-abilene-was-like-a-small_1739887.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af1/lawrence-wright-5166_forever_to-an-outsider-abilene-was-like-a-small_1739887.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af1/lawrence-wright-5166_forever_to-an-outsider-abilene-was-like-a-small_1739887.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To an outsider, Abilene was like a small landfall in the Sargasso Sea - remote, laconic, and forever closed…” — Lawrence Wright", "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": "Lawrence Wright", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wright/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To an outsider, Abilene was like...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/to-an-outsider-abilene-was-like-a-small-landfall-in-the-sargasso-sea/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wright/to-an-outsider-abilene-was-like-a-small-landfall-in-the-sargasso-sea/#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 } } ] } ```