--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the old days I could walk down every…" description: "\"“In the old days I could walk down every single street, past every house, in about an hour. I’d try to remember the people who lived in each one, and w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/marilynne-robinson-602_people-lived_in-the-old-days-i-could-walk-down-every_2888923.png" --- # In the old days I could walk down every single street… ![“In the old days I could walk down every single street, past every house, in about an hour. I’d try to remember the people who lived in each one, and whatever I knew about them, which was often quite a lot, since many of the ones who weren’t mine were Boughton’s. And I’d pray for them. And I’d…” quote by Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/marilynne-robinson-602_people-lived_in-the-old-days-i-could-walk-down-every_2888923.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/marilynne-robinson-602_people-lived_in-the-old-days-i-could-walk-down-every_2888923.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/marilynne-robinson-602_people-lived_in-the-old-days-i-could-walk-down-every_2888923.png) > ““In the old days I could walk down every single street, past every house, in about an hour. I’d try to remember the people who lived in each one, and whatever I knew about them, which was often quite a lot, since many of the ones who weren’t mine were Boughton’s. And I’d pray for them. And I’d imagine peace they didn’t expect and couldn’t account for descending on their illness or their quarreling or their dreams.”” [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator reflects on intimate knowledge of a community, empathizing with each resident’s hidden struggles and hopes. **In simple terms:** Knowing neighbors deeply creates compassion. Key Takeaway Cultivate empathy for those around you. Themes community empathy memory faith Mood reflective quiet thoughtful Type literary philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - neighborhood walks - listening to stories - praying for others - considering unseen hardships Key Concepts human connection compassion intimacy Questions to Reflect On - How can you learn about others without intruding? - What does empathy look like in daily life? A Different Perspective The perspective may idealize familiarity, overlooking privacy concerns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boughton Pray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boughton-pray-4045514/) [Imagine Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine-peace-1702845/) [Past House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-house-2457284/) [People Lived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-lived/) [Street Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/street-past-4045515/) ## Related quotes > [I passed by the brothel as though past the house of a beloved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/i-passed-by-the-brothel-as-though-past-the-house-of-a-beloved/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“When I returned, I never once walked past the house where my mother, aunt, and I lved together...It was as if the past would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/when-i-returned-i-never-once-walked-past-the-house-where-my-mother/) [Howard Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/) > [IMAGINE PEACE: Think PEACE, Act PEACE, Spread # PEACE .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoko-ono/imagine-peace-think-peace-act-peace-spread-peace/) [Yoko Ono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoko-ono/) > [“Imagine becoming at peace with yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-grabatin/imagine-becoming-at-peace-with-yourself/) [Emily Grabatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-grabatin/) > [“I want to imagine there will be peace when I am gone, that I will see all of the people I have loved and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/i-want-to-imagine-there-will-be-peace-when-i-am-gone-that-i-will-see/) [Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/) > [More generally, people who lived in a period when maternal, infant and childhood mortality were still high would have been tougher than most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/more-generally-people-who-lived-in-a-period-when-maternal-infant-and/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“History is not a dead thing or a sure thing. It lived with our choices and our dreams. It is the story of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-nestle/history-is-not-a-dead-thing-or-a-sure-thing-it-lived-with-our-choices/) [Joan Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-nestle/) > [“Anywhere people lived memory collected like sediment on the bed of a river, dropping from the flow of time to become fixed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-haslett/anywhere-people-lived-memory-collected-like-sediment-on-the-bed-of-a/) [Adam Haslett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-haslett/) > [“It was laid out much like any other town—thoughtlessly, and in haste. Here is where the rich people lived, and here the workers. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-wallace/it-was-laid-out-much-like-any-other-town-thoughtlessly-and-in-haste/) [Daniel Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-wallace/) > [My family actually lived in the same village for about 400 years. They had great stability until the last century. People lived and intermarried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/my-family-actually-lived-in-the-same-village-for-about-400-years-they/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [I was a tried seaman when, for the first time, I set foot upon the soil of my country, and took up my residence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sergeant-wise/i-was-a-tried-seaman-when-for-the-first-time-i-set-foot-upon-the-soil/) [John Sergeant Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sergeant-wise/) > [“I guess some people lived like Reader's Digest, but I hadn't met any and at that time it seemed doubtful that I ever would”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/i-guess-some-people-lived-like-reader-s-digest-but-i-hadn-t-met-any/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [We are second-hand people. We have lived on what we have been told, either guided by our inclinations, our tendencies, or compelled to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/we-are-second-hand-people-we-have-lived-on-what-we-have-been-told/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [“Many other inhabitants of the city were similarly afflicted. Every day, more and more people took to saving time, and the more they did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende-momo/many-other-inhabitants-of-the-city-were-similarly-afflicted-every-day/) [Michael Ende, Momo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende-momo/) > [I think observers, like me, sometimes know more about a place than the people who have lived there all their lives. People are always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marsh/i-think-observers-like-me-sometimes-know-more-about-a-place-than-the/) [Jean Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marsh/) ## More by Marilynne Robinson > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [For our purposes as human beings, the mind is the center of everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/for-our-purposes-as-human-beings-the-mind-is-the-center-of-everything/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“I think sometimes there might be an advantage in making people aware how worn and stale these old transgressions are. It might take some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-think-sometimes-there-might-be-an-advantage-in-making-people-aware/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [There are two occasions when the sacred beauty of Creation becomes dazzlingly apparent, and they occur together. One is when we feel our mortal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/there-are-two-occasions-when-the-sacred-beauty-of-creation-becomes/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [My Calvinism persuades me that we are open to God, in the sense that we are not delimited, not organisms with fixed attributes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/my-calvinism-persuades-me-that-we-are-open-to-god-in-the-sense-that/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“You can know a thing to death and be for all purposes completely ignorant of it. A man can know his father, or his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/you-can-know-a-thing-to-death-and-be-for-all-purposes-completely/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [I listen to Bach a great deal. In general I like to listen to hymns and liturgical music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-listen-to-bach-a-great-deal-in-general-i-like-to-listen-to-hymns/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Every writer I know, when asked how to become a writer, responds with one word:Read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/every-writer-i-know-when-asked-how-to-become-a-writer-responds-with/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Faith for her was habit and family loyalty, a reverence for the Bible which was also literary, admiration for her mother and father. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/faith-for-her-was-habit-and-family-loyalty-a-reverence-for-the-bible/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Prayer is a discipline in truthfulness, in honesty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/prayer-is-a-discipline-in-truthfulness-in-honesty/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.’ There are pleasures to be found where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/the-full-soul-loatheth-an-honeycomb-but-to-the-hungry-soul-every/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [I sometimes am discouraged by what seems to be a sort of conventional disparagement of humankind. I think often people feel that they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/i-sometimes-am-discouraged-by-what-seems-to-be-a-sort-of-conventional/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [Now that I look back, it seems to me that in all that deep darkness a miracle was preparing. So I am right to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/now-that-i-look-back-it-seems-to-me-that-in-all-that-deep-darkness-a/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“My grandfather once told her if you couldn't read with cold feet, there wouldn't be a literate soul in the state of Maine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/my-grandfather-once-told-her-if-you-couldn-t-read-with-cold-feet/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“Cranky old Leviticus gave us—gave Christ—not only “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” but also the rather forgotten “Thou shalt love the stranger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/cranky-old-leviticus-gave-us-gave-christ-not-only-thou-shalt-love-thy/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Explore all 450 Marilynne Robinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) ## More People Lived quotes > [I think observers, like me, sometimes know more about a place than the people who have lived there all their lives. People are always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-marsh/i-think-observers-like-me-sometimes-know-more-about-a-place-than-the/) [Jean Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-marsh/) > [“Many other inhabitants of the city were similarly afflicted. Every day, more and more people took to saving time, and the more they did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ende-momo/many-other-inhabitants-of-the-city-were-similarly-afflicted-every-day/) [Michael Ende, Momo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ende-momo/) > [We are second-hand people. We have lived on what we have been told, either guided by our inclinations, our tendencies, or compelled to accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/we-are-second-hand-people-we-have-lived-on-what-we-have-been-told/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [“I guess some people lived like Reader's Digest, but I hadn't met any and at that time it seemed doubtful that I ever would”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brautigan/i-guess-some-people-lived-like-reader-s-digest-but-i-hadn-t-met-any/) [Richard Brautigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brautigan/) > [I was a tried seaman when, for the first time, I set foot upon the soil of my country, and took up my residence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sergeant-wise/i-was-a-tried-seaman-when-for-the-first-time-i-set-foot-upon-the-soil/) [John Sergeant Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sergeant-wise/) > [My family actually lived in the same village for about 400 years. They had great stability until the last century. People lived and intermarried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/my-family-actually-lived-in-the-same-village-for-about-400-years-they/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [“It was laid out much like any other town—thoughtlessly, and in haste. Here is where the rich people lived, and here the workers. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-wallace/it-was-laid-out-much-like-any-other-town-thoughtlessly-and-in-haste/) [Daniel Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-wallace/) > [“Anywhere people lived memory collected like sediment on the bed of a river, dropping from the flow of time to become fixed in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-haslett/anywhere-people-lived-memory-collected-like-sediment-on-the-bed-of-a/) [Adam Haslett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-haslett/) > [“History is not a dead thing or a sure thing. It lived with our choices and our dreams. It is the story of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-nestle/history-is-not-a-dead-thing-or-a-sure-thing-it-lived-with-our-choices/) [Joan Nestle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-nestle/) > [“Most people lived under the illusion that they were in control of their lives, but that wasn’t completely true. Yeah, you could decide what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/most-people-lived-under-the-illusion-that-they-were-in-control-of/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [I grew up in poverty on the edge of a golf course. I saw how people lived on the other side of the tracks,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/i-grew-up-in-poverty-on-the-edge-of-a-golf-course-i-saw-how-people/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [“It was the comfort of knowing that she was not quite so strange, that there were other people who found delight in private challenges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-kalotay/it-was-the-comfort-of-knowing-that-she-was-not-quite-so-strange-that/) [Daphne Kalotay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-kalotay/) > [As a young man, I was very interested in how people lived in earlier times; how they got from place to place, lighted their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/as-a-young-man-i-was-very-interested-in-how-people-lived-in-earlier/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [I'm interested in people who have lived, who are searching and questioning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bello/i-m-interested-in-people-who-have-lived-who-are-searching-and/) [Maria Bello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bello/) > [Some of the stupidest brilliant people who ever lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-noonan/some-of-the-stupidest-brilliant-people-who-ever-lived/) [Peggy Noonan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-noonan/) [Browse all 80 People Lived quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-lived/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In the old days I could walk down every single street, past every house, in about an hour. I’d try to remember the people who lived in each one, and whatever I knew about them, which was often quite a lot, since many of the ones who weren’t mine were Boughton’s. And I’d pray for them. And I’d imagine peace they didn’t expect and couldn’t account for descending on their illness or their quarreling or their dreams.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marilynne Robinson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/in-the-old-days-i-could-walk-down-every-single-street-past-every/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "People Lived" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/in-the-old-days-i-could-walk-down-every-single-street-past-every/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/marilynne-robinson-602_people-lived_in-the-old-days-i-could-walk-down-every_2888923.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/marilynne-robinson-602_people-lived_in-the-old-days-i-could-walk-down-every_2888923.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c4a/marilynne-robinson-602_people-lived_in-the-old-days-i-could-walk-down-every_2888923.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In the old days I could walk down every single street, past every house, in about an hour. I’d try to…” — Marilynne Robinson", "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": "Marilynne Robinson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In the old days I could...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/in-the-old-days-i-could-walk-down-every-single-street-past-every/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/in-the-old-days-i-could-walk-down-every-single-street-past-every/#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 } } ] } ```