--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: .. I thought about him now and then, the…" description: "\"“.. I thought about him now and then, the things he had taught me about 'being human' and 'relating to others;, but it was always in the distance, as i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/mitch-albom-187_another-life_i-thought-about-him-now-and-then-the-thi_2085892.png" --- # .. I thought about him now and then, the things he had… ![“.. I thought about him now and then, the things he had taught me about 'being human' and 'relating to others;, but it was always in the distance, as if from another life.. .. The people who might have told me were long forgotten, their phone numbers buried in some packed-away box in the attic.” quote by Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/mitch-albom-187_another-life_i-thought-about-him-now-and-then-the-thi_2085892.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/mitch-albom-187_another-life_i-thought-about-him-now-and-then-the-thi_2085892.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/mitch-albom-187_another-life_i-thought-about-him-now-and-then-the-thi_2085892.png) > ““.. I thought about him now and then, the things he had taught me about 'being human' and 'relating to others;, but it was always in the distance, as if from another life.. .. The people who might have told me were long forgotten, their phone numbers buried in some packed-away box in the attic.”” [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We often reflect on past lessons and relationships that feel distant, yet they shape our understanding of humanity and connection. **In simple terms:** Past lessons feel distant but influence us. Key Takeaway Cherish and reconnect with forgotten mentors. Themes memory humanity connection reflection Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - grieving a loved one - seeking personal growth - writing a memoir - family history research Key Concepts existentialism nostalgia intergenerational wisdom Questions to Reflect On - Who from you could you reach out to today? - How can you honor past teachings in daily life? A Different Perspective The quote may romanticize loss, overlooking practical ways to preserve relationships now. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Another life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-life/) [Attic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attic/) [Buried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buried/) [Busy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/busy/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Human Relating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-relating-4097581/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Long Forgotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-forgotten-390836/) [Numbers Buried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers-buried-4097580/) [Phone number](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phone-number/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Thought Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-things-709708/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [An actor can remember his briefest notice well into senescence and long after he has forgotten his phone number and where he lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-kerr/an-actor-can-remember-his-briefest-notice-well-into-senescence-and/) [Jean Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-kerr/) > [As a kid I was enamored with fiction, most of it utterly forgettable and long forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bacevich/as-a-kid-i-was-enamored-with-fiction-most-of-it-utterly-forgettable/) [Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) > [“We were kissing like it was a long-forgotten language that we'd once been fluent in and were finding again”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-matson/we-were-kissing-like-it-was-a-long-forgotten-language-that-we-d-once/) [Morgan Matson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-matson/) > [All my life, my heart has sought a thing I cannot name. Remembered line from a long- forgotten poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/all-my-life-my-heart-has-sought-a-thing-i-cannot-name-remembered-line/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [He was consious of a thousand odours floating in the air, each one connected with a thousand thoughts, and hopes, and joys, and cares,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/he-was-consious-of-a-thousand-odours-floating-in-the-air-each-one/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“a tale of myth mystery, and a past long forgotten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-m-green/a-tale-of-myth-mystery-and-a-past-long-forgotten/) [Lisa M. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-m-green/) > [Man has too long forgotten that the earth was given to him for usufruct alone, not for consumption, still less for profligate waste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-perkins-marsh/man-has-too-long-forgotten-that-the-earth-was-given-to-him-for/) [George Perkins Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-perkins-marsh/) > [Labour have long since forgotten that people work hard to pay their taxes and support our welfare system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-shapps/labour-have-long-since-forgotten-that-people-work-hard-to-pay-their/) [Grant Shapps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-shapps/) > [“The world has long forgotten, but we mountain-dwellers live in the prayer wheel of time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/the-world-has-long-forgotten-but-we-mountain-dwellers-live-in-the/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [“Years from now, when all the junk they got is broken and long forgotten,” Dad said, “you’ll still have your stars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/years-from-now-when-all-the-junk-they-got-is-broken-and-long/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [Woman knows what man has long forgotten, that the ultimate economic and spiritual unit of any civilization is still the family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/woman-knows-what-man-has-long-forgotten-that-the-ultimate-economic/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Day by day and night by night we were together - all else has long been forgotten by me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/day-by-day-and-night-by-night-we-were-together-all-else-has-long-been/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > [In a series of articles beginning on Oct. 2, 1966, I wrote about the long-forgotten history of the Liberty Tree. To call attention to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/in-a-series-of-articles-beginning-on-oct-2-1966-i-wrote-about-the/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [It could be sweet like a long forgotten dream..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portishead/it-could-be-sweet-like-a-long-forgotten-dream/) [Portishead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/portishead/) > [Many memories were long forgotten, and many became ghosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blackmore-s-night/many-memories-were-long-forgotten-and-many-became-ghosts/) [Blackmore's Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blackmore-s-night/) ## More by Mitch Albom > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [the words people do not speak are louder than the ones they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-words-people-do-not-speak-are-louder-than-the-ones-they-do/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Once, lovers on faraway shores sat by candlelight and dipped ink to parchment, writing words that could not be erased. They took an evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/once-lovers-on-faraway-shores-sat-by-candlelight-and-dipped-ink-to/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Giving to other people makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not what I look like in the mirror. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/giving-to-other-people-makes-me-feel-alive-not-my-car-or-my-house-not/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Life goes quickly, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-goes-quickly-doesn-t-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [As children grow, they gravitate to their fates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/as-children-grow-they-gravitate-to-their-fates/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“If the only thing wrong with Moses is that he's not yours; if the only thing wrong with Jesus is that he's not yours;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/if-the-only-thing-wrong-with-moses-is-that-he-s-not-yours-if-the-only/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“whisper their good-byes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/whisper-their-good-byes/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“I had also developed my own culture. Work. Over the years, I had taken labor as my companion and had moved everything else to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-had-also-developed-my-own-culture-work-over-the-years-i-had-taken/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [When we are most alone is when we embrace another's loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/when-we-are-most-alone-is-when-we-embrace-another-s-loneliness/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-didn-t-get-it-sacrifice-is-a-part-of-life-it-s-supposed-to-be-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on the good things still in my life. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-give-myself-a-good-cry-if-i-need-it-but-then-i-concentrate-on-the/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [It was sad, the imbalance of it all. Why do kids assume so much from one parent and hold the other to a lower,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/it-was-sad-the-imbalance-of-it-all-why-do-kids-assume-so-much-from/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) [Explore all 962 Mitch Albom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## More Another life quotes > [“Small memories of another life flutter through my head like moths — all grey images and tearstains”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-kahler/small-memories-of-another-life-flutter-through-my-head-like-moths-all/) [A.R. Kahler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-kahler/) > [When you chopped logs with the ax and they split open they smelled beautiful, like Christmas. But when you split someone's head open it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/when-you-chopped-logs-with-the-ax-and-they-split-open-they-smelled/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“I love the dark hours of my being. My mind deepens into them. There I can find, as in old letters, the days of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/i-love-the-dark-hours-of-my-being-my-mind-deepens-into-them-there-i/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [In another life, I would be your girl. Capable of making promises. We would rule the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/in-another-life-i-would-be-your-girl-capable-of-making-promises-we/) [Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/) > [I couldn't even think about wanting to be something else; I wouldn't let myself visualize another life. But I wrote because I couldn't stop.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z/i-couldn-t-even-think-about-wanting-to-be-something-else-i-wouldn-t/) [Jay-Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z/) > [And whatever my life had been up to that day, it was another life after that. And that is the gospel truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-barry/and-whatever-my-life-had-been-up-to-that-day-it-was-another-life/) [Sebastian Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-barry/) > [Literature duplicates the experience of living in a way that nothing else can, drawing you so fully into another life that you temporarily forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/literature-duplicates-the-experience-of-living-in-a-way-that-nothing/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Whatever you have received more than others-in health, in talents, in ability, in success, in a pleasant childhood, in harmonious conditions of home life-all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/whatever-you-have-received-more-than-others-in-health-in-talents-in/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [“Let me give you a bit of advice.' the girl said bitterly, 'from one working girl to another; life isn't easy, no matter where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/let-me-give-you-a-bit-of-advice-the-girl-said-bitterly-from-one/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [“The vibrations he felt in his sleep had nothing to do with his soul easing out of his body as he dreamily thought; they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-poet-aberjhani/the-vibrations-he-felt-in-his-sleep-had-nothing-to-do-with-his-soul/) [Author-Poet Aberjhani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/author-poet-aberjhani/) > [I wasn't born with a tie or with Mark Shields stapled to my left hip. I have another life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/i-wasn-t-born-with-a-tie-or-with-mark-shields-stapled-to-my-left-hip/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [For many observers, a child who has known nothing but war, a child for whom the Kalashnikov is the only way to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-beah/for-many-observers-a-child-who-has-known-nothing-but-war-a-child-for/) [Ishmael Beah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-beah/) > [I mean, is there a chance for me? To have another life after this, a better one?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-mean-is-there-a-chance-for-me-to-have-another-life-after-this-a/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [We, all who live, have A life that is lived And another life that is thought, And the only life we have It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/we-all-who-live-have-a-life-that-is-lived-and-another-life-that-is/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [The death-change comes. Death is another life. We bow our heads At going out, we think, and enter straight Another golden chamber of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/the-death-change-comes-death-is-another-life-we-bow-our-heads-at/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) [Browse all 433 Another life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“.. I thought about him now and then, the things he had taught me about 'being human' and 'relating to others;, but it was always in the distance, as if from another life.. .. The people who might have told me were long forgotten, their phone numbers buried in some packed-away box in the attic.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mitch Albom" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-thought-about-him-now-and-then-the-things-he-had-taught-me-about/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Another life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-thought-about-him-now-and-then-the-things-he-had-taught-me-about/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/mitch-albom-187_another-life_i-thought-about-him-now-and-then-the-thi_2085892.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/mitch-albom-187_another-life_i-thought-about-him-now-and-then-the-thi_2085892.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22f/mitch-albom-187_another-life_i-thought-about-him-now-and-then-the-thi_2085892.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“.. I thought about him now and then, the things he had taught me about 'being human' and 'relating to…” — Mitch Albom", "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": "Mitch Albom", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“.. I thought about him now...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-thought-about-him-now-and-then-the-things-he-had-taught-me-about/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-thought-about-him-now-and-then-the-things-he-had-taught-me-about/#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 } } ] } ```