---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I walk around New York now, there…"
description: "\"When I walk around New York now, there are so many ghosts. I find it very uncomfortable. There were many hard years, and I never really achieved any ki..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36c/michael-gira-15235_associates_when-i-walk-around-new-york-now-there-ar_341102.jpg"
---

#  When I walk around New York now, there are so many ghosts…

![“When I walk around New York now, there are so many ghosts. I find it very uncomfortable. There were many hard years, and I never really achieved any kind of comfortable financial success, so I just associate it with struggle. When I had a chance to get out, I was elated.” quote by Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36c/michael-gira-15235_associates_when-i-walk-around-new-york-now-there-ar_341102.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36c/michael-gira-15235_associates_when-i-walk-around-new-york-now-there-ar_341102.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36c/michael-gira-15235_associates_when-i-walk-around-new-york-now-there-ar_341102.jpg)

> “When I walk around New York now, there are so many ghosts. I find it very uncomfortable. There were many hard years, and I never really achieved any kind of comfortable financial success, so I just associate it with struggle. When I had a chance to get out, I was elated.”

[Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/)

## About This Quote

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

Walking New York evokes ghostly reminders of past struggles and financial lack, yet escape brings elation.

**In simple terms:** City feels haunted by past hardships.

Key Takeaway

Find freedom beyond struggle.

Themes

memory struggle escape

Mood

melancholic hopeful

Type

personal urban

When to use this quote

- travel
- financial stress
- mental health
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

psychology urban life

Questions to Reflect On

- What ghosts haunt your city?
- How can you transform struggle into growth?

A Different Perspective

Nostalgia may trap you in past pain.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Financial success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/financial-success/) [Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) [Ghosts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghosts/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Uncomfortable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uncomfortable/)

## Related quotes

> [“A determined struggle always has the chance of victory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush-institute/a-determined-struggle-always-has-the-chance-of-victory/)

George W. Bush Institute

> [It's been a struggle for me because I had a chance to be white and refused.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-pryor/it-s-been-a-struggle-for-me-because-i-had-a-chance-to-be-white-and/)

[Richard Pryor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-pryor/)

> [“She'd faced some hard knocks in life - one really hard one five years ago - and had managed to cultivate a protective shell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-wade/she-d-faced-some-hard-knocks-in-life-one-really-hard-one-five-years/)

[Becky Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-wade/)

> [“What I think is you’ve worked so hard over the years to resign yourself to the worst that you don’t really believe He intends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jagears/what-i-think-is-you-ve-worked-so-hard-over-the-years-to-resign/)

[Melissa Jagears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jagears/)

> [The truth is I worked really hard over the years, and I had some stop/starts along the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-sebastian/the-truth-is-i-worked-really-hard-over-the-years-and-i-had-some-stop/)

[Guy Sebastian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-sebastian/)

> [The successful editor is one who is constantly finding newwriters, nurturing their talents, and publishing them with critical and financial success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-scott-berg/the-successful-editor-is-one-who-is-constantly-finding-newwriters/)

[A. Scott Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-scott-berg/)

> [The single biggest difference between financial success and financial failure is how well you manage your money. It's simple: to master money, you must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-harv-eker/the-single-biggest-difference-between-financial-success-and-financial/)

[T. Harv Eker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-harv-eker/)

> [All that glitters is not gold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/all-that-glitters-is-not-gold/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [If you create incredible value and information for others that can change their lives - and you always stay focused on that service -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendon-burchard/if-you-create-incredible-value-and-information-for-others-that-can/)

[Brendon Burchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendon-burchard/)

> [With certain ideas, you can predict commercial success. So with a 'Toy Story 3' or a 'Cars 2,' you know the idea is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-catmull/with-certain-ideas-you-can-predict-commercial-success-so-with-a-toy/)

[Edwin Catmull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-catmull/)

> [“Passion isn't enough for financial success. Your passion needs to make you money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/passion-isn-t-enough-for-financial-success-your-passion-needs-to-make/)

[Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/)

> [“People should value a new year as a mental start of a new beginning to aim for pursuing their educational, social or financial success,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saaif-alam/people-should-value-a-new-year-as-a-mental-start-of-a-new-beginning/)

[Saaif Alam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saaif-alam/)

> [When you make a movie outside the system and it's successful critically or a moderate financial success, you usually have to go back into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-de-palma/when-you-make-a-movie-outside-the-system-and-it-s-successful/)

[Brian De Palma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-de-palma/)

> [“The question I’m always asked when I tell our story about getting out and staying out of debt is “How did you do it?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-rocha/the-question-i-m-always-asked-when-i-tell-our-story-about-getting-out/)

[Carrie Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-rocha/)

> [“Advancement of Teaching uncovered a most important and significant fact - a fact later confirmed by additional studies made at the Carnegie Institute of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/advancement-of-teaching-uncovered-a-most-important-and-significant/)

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

## More by Michael Gira

> [I have my own record company. I have to answer to God, basically. I'm not young, so I want to make the best possible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/i-have-my-own-record-company-i-have-to-answer-to-god-basically-i-m/)

[Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/)

> [It's good that people come to the shows because there's nothing fashionable about Swans. Never has been, really. We've never been part of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/it-s-good-that-people-come-to-the-shows-because-there-s-nothing/)

[Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/)

> [The sexuality of children - there's a lot friction there. That tension interests me a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/the-sexuality-of-children-there-s-a-lot-friction-there-that-tension/)

[Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/)

> [I wanted to challenge myself and move into something new. I felt that using the name Swans and the sonic attitude that that engenders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/i-wanted-to-challenge-myself-and-move-into-something-new-i-felt-that/)

[Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/)

> [I'm just as comfortable performing solo with just my acoustic guitar and vocal as I am with a band. The main thing for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/i-m-just-as-comfortable-performing-solo-with-just-my-acoustic-guitar/)

[Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/)

> [I'm a producer in the old-school way - not just some slacker working on Pro Tools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/i-m-a-producer-in-the-old-school-way-not-just-some-slacker-working-on/)

[Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/)

> [I like loud electric guitars because I like how you can just lose your entire being in the sound. But I can't find myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/i-like-loud-electric-guitars-because-i-like-how-you-can-just-lose/)

[Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/)

> [“An oiled young stud does sit-ups on his Soloflex machine, eviscerates himself with an impossibly honed and gleaming kitchen knife, flings his dangling intestines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/an-oiled-young-stud-does-sit-ups-on-his-soloflex-machine-eviscerates/)

[Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/)

> [“I never could read Foucault. I find philosophy tedious. All of my knowledge comes from reading novels and some history. I read Being and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/i-never-could-read-foucault-i-find-philosophy-tedious-all-of-my/)

[Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/)

> [“I like Sade. I’m re-reading Juliette. I skip the philosophy and read the salacious bits. His descriptive imagination is incredible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/i-like-sade-i-m-re-reading-juliette-i-skip-the-philosophy-and-read/)

[Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/)

> [I don't throw my body down on the stage at all anymore because I'm sure I'd snap like a twig.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/i-don-t-throw-my-body-down-on-the-stage-at-all-anymore-because-i-m/)

[Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/)

> [Many of the songs were written as a way of paying tribute to specific people, but in the end the songs took on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/many-of-the-songs-were-written-as-a-way-of-paying-tribute-to-specific/)

[Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/)

> [I don't want to sound like everybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/i-don-t-want-to-sound-like-everybody-else/)

[Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/)

> [I'm pretty confident that people are going to come along for the ride. If they don't, tough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/i-m-pretty-confident-that-people-are-going-to-come-along-for-the-ride/)

[Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/)

> [I could never release something on the label I didn't personally love. The label's really an extension of my own musical career, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/i-could-never-release-something-on-the-label-i-didn-t-personally-love/)

[Michael Gira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/)

[Explore all 43 Michael Gira quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/)

## More Associates quotes

> [ The young man \[Turgot\] destined for an ecclesiastical career was placed within walls carefully designed to keep out all currents of new thought; his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-dickson-white/the-young-man-turgot-destined-for-an-ecclesiastical-career-was-placed/)

[Andrew Dickson White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-dickson-white/)

> [A free society depends upon a high degree of mutual trust. The public will not give that trust to officials who are not seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-cox/a-free-society-depends-upon-a-high-degree-of-mutual-trust-the-public/)

[Archibald Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-cox/)

> [Deliver me from all evildoers that talk nothing but sickness and failure. Grant me the companionship of men who think success and men who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-feather/deliver-me-from-all-evildoers-that-talk-nothing-but-sickness-and/)

[William Feather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-feather/)

> [I wanted to be a painter and an artist. And it's interesting that in some of my later musical works, I refer so often…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gunther-schuller/i-wanted-to-be-a-painter-and-an-artist-and-it-s-interesting-that-in/)

[Gunther Schuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gunther-schuller/)

> [I don't wear makeup. I don't wash my hair every day. It's not something that I associate with myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-kunis/i-don-t-wear-makeup-i-don-t-wash-my-hair-every-day-it-s-not-something/)

[Mila Kunis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-kunis/)

> [You can't really come into a concept record objectively, because you immediately associate it with Yes, stuff from the 1970s that punk rock kicked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-meloy/you-can-t-really-come-into-a-concept-record-objectively-because-you/)

[Colin Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-meloy/)

> [“Some of our friends are our friends only because we used to be friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-of-our-friends-are-our-friends-only-because-we-used-to-be-friends/)

[Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/)

> [In social networks, you gain and bestow status through those you associate with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/in-social-networks-you-gain-and-bestow-status-through-those-you/)

[Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/)

> [Men take on the nature and the habits and the power of thought of those with whom they associate in a spirit of sympathy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/men-take-on-the-nature-and-the-habits-and-the-power-of-thought-of/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [The less you associate with some people, the more your life will improve. Any time you tolerate mediocrity in others, it increases your mediocrity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/the-less-you-associate-with-some-people-the-more-your-life-will/)

[Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/)

> [No adversity is in kind or degree peculiar to us; but if we survey the conditions of other men (of our brethren everywhere, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/no-adversity-is-in-kind-or-degree-peculiar-to-us-but-if-we-survey-the/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [Tantra is not sexual yoga. When the word tantra is used in the West, very often people immediately associate it with some kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/tantra-is-not-sexual-yoga-when-the-word-tantra-is-used-in-the-west/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [There are certainly times in history where power associates itself closely with fields that we would call the humanities, like rulers surrounding themselves with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-colla/there-are-certainly-times-in-history-where-power-associates-itself/)

[Elliott Colla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-colla/)

> [Surround yourself with people of like mind and different talents and temperaments with the purpose of serving the goals of every member of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-olson/surround-yourself-with-people-of-like-mind-and-different-talents-and/)

[Jeff Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-olson/)

> [The goose that lays golden eggs has been considered a most valuable possession. But even more profitable is the privilege of taking the golden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-d-brandeis/the-goose-that-lays-golden-eggs-has-been-considered-a-most-valuable/)

[Louis D. Brandeis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-d-brandeis/)

Browse all 471 Associates quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When I walk around New York now, there are so many ghosts. I find it very uncomfortable. There were many hard years, and I never really achieved any kind of comfortable financial success, so I just associate it with struggle. When I had a chance to get out, I was elated.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael Gira"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/when-i-walk-around-new-york-now-there-are-so-many-ghosts-i-find-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Associates"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/when-i-walk-around-new-york-now-there-are-so-many-ghosts-i-find-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36c/michael-gira-15235_associates_when-i-walk-around-new-york-now-there-ar_341102.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36c/michael-gira-15235_associates_when-i-walk-around-new-york-now-there-ar_341102.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/36c/michael-gira-15235_associates_when-i-walk-around-new-york-now-there-ar_341102.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When I walk around New York now, there are so many ghosts. I find it very uncomfortable. There were many…” — Michael Gira",
                "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 Gira",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-gira/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When I walk around New York...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/when-i-walk-around-new-york-now-there-are-so-many-ghosts-i-find-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-gira/when-i-walk-around-new-york-now-there-are-so-many-ghosts-i-find-it/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
