--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But there was so much that one had to…" description: "\"“But there was so much that one had to pretend not to see the incredible clutter that threatened to overtake the entire flat save for those few narrow ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0a/michael-bedard-74302_hoarder_but-there-was-so-much-that-one-had-to-pr_988992.jpg" --- # But there was so much that one had to pretend not to see… ![“But there was so much that one had to pretend not to see the incredible clutter that threatened to overtake the entire flat save for those few narrow paths that the old man moved on; the acrid odor of dirt and neglect that pervaded the place and worked its way into your pores so that you carried…” quote by Michael Bedard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0a/michael-bedard-74302_hoarder_but-there-was-so-much-that-one-had-to-pr_988992.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0a/michael-bedard-74302_hoarder_but-there-was-so-much-that-one-had-to-pr_988992.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0a/michael-bedard-74302_hoarder_but-there-was-so-much-that-one-had-to-pr_988992.jpg) > ““But there was so much that one had to pretend not to see the incredible clutter that threatened to overtake the entire flat save for those few narrow paths that the old man moved on; the acrid odor of dirt and neglect that pervaded the place and worked its way into your pores so that you carried it with you after you had left; his odd ways,born of living so long in an absence of mirrors.”” Michael Bedard ## 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 describes a cluttered, oppressive living space where only narrow, familiar routes offer escape, and the lingering smell of neglect becomes internalized. **In simple terms:** A messy environment can infiltrate your mind and body. Key Takeaway Seek clarity and fresh air. Themes environment perception memory Mood reflective melancholic Type descriptive literary When to use this quote - home organization - mental health - creative work - personal boundaries Key Concepts psychology sensory overload Questions to Reflect On - How does your environment affect your mood? - What paths help you navigate chaos? A Different Perspective The quote may romanticize neglect, ignoring practical solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hoarding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hoarding/) [Old man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-man/) ## Related quotes > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) > [We are hoarding potentials so great they are just about unimaginable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-t-schwartz/we-are-hoarding-potentials-so-great-they-are-just-about-unimaginable/) Jacob T. Schwartz > [I don't have the slightest interest in gold. I like understanding what works and what doesn't in human systems. To me that's not optional;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/i-don-t-have-the-slightest-interest-in-gold-i-like-understanding-what/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [I have a hoarding problem because my mom is from a third-world country. And she taught me that you can never throw away anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-wong/i-have-a-hoarding-problem-because-my-mom-is-from-a-third-world/) [Ali Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-wong/) > [We are not cistern made for hoarding, we are channels made for sharing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/we-are-not-cistern-made-for-hoarding-we-are-channels-made-for-sharing/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [It's not about you, it's about the next person. The single best use of a business book is to help someone else. Sharing what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/it-s-not-about-you-it-s-about-the-next-person-the-single-best-use-of/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If economic catastrophe does come, will it be a time that draws Christians together to share every resource we have, or will it drive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/if-economic-catastrophe-does-come-will-it-be-a-time-that-draws/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) > [Americans want action for their money. They are fascinated by its self- reproducing qualities if it's put to work. Gold- hoarding goes against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-nelson/americans-want-action-for-their-money-they-are-fascinated-by-its-self/) [Paula Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-nelson/) > [“This flirting is all well and good, but I mean it when I tell you, I cant have you leaving me again. It almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-lauren/this-flirting-is-all-well-and-good-but-i-mean-it-when-i-tell-you-i/) [Christina Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-lauren/) > [Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-morgan/knowledge-is-power-information-is-power-the-secreting-or-hoarding-of/) [Robin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-morgan/) > [Earthly goods are given to be used, not to be collected… Hoarding is idolatry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/earthly-goods-are-given-to-be-used-not-to-be-collected-hoarding-is/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“I knew then that the fewer items I was acquiring, dusting, packing, moving, and lugging around in life would free up my energy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-breininger/i-knew-then-that-the-fewer-items-i-was-acquiring-dusting-packing/) Dorothy Breininger > [“Hoarding kings are to be pitied in their lifetime when they can't take their riches to the grave. - Gwallawg is Other ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taliesin/hoarding-kings-are-to-be-pitied-in-their-lifetime-when-they-can-t/) [Taliesin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taliesin/) > [Hoarding knowledge ultimately erodes your power. If you know something important, the way to get power is by sharing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-badaracco/hoarding-knowledge-ultimately-erodes-your-power-if-you-know-something/) [Joseph Badaracco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-badaracco/) > [She felt as if she were brimming, always producing and hoarding more love inside her. But there was no release.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/she-felt-as-if-she-were-brimming-always-producing-and-hoarding-more/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) ## More by Michael Bedard > [“He stood at the gateway between two worlds, at the place where imagination passed into creation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bedard/he-stood-at-the-gateway-between-two-worlds-at-the-place-where/) Michael Bedard > [“Words were few and failing between them as though the silence that sat with them had laid its old lips on theirs and sucked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bedard/words-were-few-and-failing-between-them-as-though-the-silence-that/) Michael Bedard Explore all 3 Michael Bedard quotes ## More Hoarding quotes > [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/) [Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/) > [Hoarding knowledge ultimately erodes your power. If you know something important, the way to get power is by sharing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-badaracco/hoarding-knowledge-ultimately-erodes-your-power-if-you-know-something/) [Joseph Badaracco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-badaracco/) > [“Hoarding kings are to be pitied in their lifetime when they can't take their riches to the grave. - Gwallawg is Other ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taliesin/hoarding-kings-are-to-be-pitied-in-their-lifetime-when-they-can-t/) [Taliesin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taliesin/) > [“I knew then that the fewer items I was acquiring, dusting, packing, moving, and lugging around in life would free up my energy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-breininger/i-knew-then-that-the-fewer-items-i-was-acquiring-dusting-packing/) Dorothy Breininger > [Earthly goods are given to be used, not to be collected… Hoarding is idolatry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/earthly-goods-are-given-to-be-used-not-to-be-collected-hoarding-is/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Knowledge is power. Information is power. The secreting or hoarding of knowledge or information may be an act of tyranny camouflaged as humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-morgan/knowledge-is-power-information-is-power-the-secreting-or-hoarding-of/) [Robin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-morgan/) > [“This flirting is all well and good, but I mean it when I tell you, I cant have you leaving me again. It almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-lauren/this-flirting-is-all-well-and-good-but-i-mean-it-when-i-tell-you-i/) [Christina Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-lauren/) > [Americans want action for their money. They are fascinated by its self- reproducing qualities if it's put to work. Gold- hoarding goes against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-nelson/americans-want-action-for-their-money-they-are-fascinated-by-its-self/) [Paula Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-nelson/) > [If economic catastrophe does come, will it be a time that draws Christians together to share every resource we have, or will it drive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-alcorn/if-economic-catastrophe-does-come-will-it-be-a-time-that-draws/) [Randy Alcorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-alcorn/) > [It's not about you, it's about the next person. The single best use of a business book is to help someone else. Sharing what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/it-s-not-about-you-it-s-about-the-next-person-the-single-best-use-of/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [We are not cistern made for hoarding, we are channels made for sharing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/we-are-not-cistern-made-for-hoarding-we-are-channels-made-for-sharing/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [I have a hoarding problem because my mom is from a third-world country. And she taught me that you can never throw away anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-wong/i-have-a-hoarding-problem-because-my-mom-is-from-a-third-world/) [Ali Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-wong/) > [I don't have the slightest interest in gold. I like understanding what works and what doesn't in human systems. To me that's not optional;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/i-don-t-have-the-slightest-interest-in-gold-i-like-understanding-what/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [We are hoarding potentials so great they are just about unimaginable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-t-schwartz/we-are-hoarding-potentials-so-great-they-are-just-about-unimaginable/) Jacob T. Schwartz > [She felt as if she were brimming, always producing and hoarding more love inside her. But there was no release.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/she-felt-as-if-she-were-brimming-always-producing-and-hoarding-more/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) [Browse all 102 Hoarding quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hoarding/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But there was so much that one had to pretend not to see the incredible clutter that threatened to overtake the entire flat save for those few narrow paths that the old man moved on; the acrid odor of dirt and neglect that pervaded the place and worked its way into your pores so that you carried it with you after you had left; his odd ways,born of living so long in an absence of mirrors.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Bedard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bedard/but-there-was-so-much-that-one-had-to-pretend-not-to-see-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hoarding" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bedard/but-there-was-so-much-that-one-had-to-pretend-not-to-see-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0a/michael-bedard-74302_hoarder_but-there-was-so-much-that-one-had-to-pr_988992.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0a/michael-bedard-74302_hoarder_but-there-was-so-much-that-one-had-to-pr_988992.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e0a/michael-bedard-74302_hoarder_but-there-was-so-much-that-one-had-to-pr_988992.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But there was so much that one had to pretend not to see the incredible clutter that threatened to overtake…” — Michael Bedard", "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": "Michael Bedard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bedard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But there was so much that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bedard/but-there-was-so-much-that-one-had-to-pretend-not-to-see-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bedard/but-there-was-so-much-that-one-had-to-pretend-not-to-see-the/#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 } } ] } ```