---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We felt so small with the city lights…"
description: "\"“We felt so small with the city lights stretching forever below us, and we yelled at the top of our lungs because we were just these small humans but w..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/nina-lacour-2768_city-lights_we-felt-so-small-with-the-city-lights-st_3128531.jpg"
---

#  We felt so small with the city lights stretching forever…

![“We felt so small with the city lights stretching forever below us, and we yelled at the top of our lungs because we were just these small humans but we felt more longing than could ever fit inside us.” quote by Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/nina-lacour-2768_city-lights_we-felt-so-small-with-the-city-lights-st_3128531.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/nina-lacour-2768_city-lights_we-felt-so-small-with-the-city-lights-st_3128531.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/nina-lacour-2768_city-lights_we-felt-so-small-with-the-city-lights-st_3128531.jpg)

> ““We felt so small with the city lights stretching forever below us, and we yelled at the top of our lungs because we were just these small humans but we felt more longing than could ever fit inside us.””

[Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

## About This Quote

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

Standing beneath endless city lights, we recognize our smallness yet feel an overwhelming yearning that exceeds our capacity.

**In simple terms:** We feel tiny but deeply longing.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the awe and channel longing into purpose.

Themes

humility longing wonder human scale

Mood

awe melancholy inspired

Type

poetic reflective

When to use this quote

- night walks
- travel moments
- creative brainstorming
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

existential awe psychology of awe urban experience

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you transform awe into action?
- What does this longing reveal about your deeper desires?

A Different Perspective

The feeling can be paralyzing if not directed constructively.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[City lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city-lights/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/)

## Related quotes

> [How small we humans are. All our scrambling around, trying to buttress ourselves against death. All our efforts to insulate ourselves against uncertainty with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-horan/how-small-we-humans-are-all-our-scrambling-around-trying-to-buttress/)

[Nancy Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-horan/)

> [“Then she sat as if paralyzed, thinking. She had never in her life felt such a longing. She wanted Mikael Blomkvist to ring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stieg-larsson-translated-from-the-swedish-by-reg-keeland/then-she-sat-as-if-paralyzed-thinking-she-had-never-in-her-life-felt/)

Stieg Larsson translated from the Swedish by Reg Keeland

> [“Humans did not want to know about non-humans. Funny thing was most non-humans felt the same way, happy to hide their abilities and talents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-buckham/humans-did-not-want-to-know-about-non-humans-funny-thing-was-most-non/)

Mary Buckham

> [I think humans have always felt watched back by whatever is out there flickering in the distance. What excites me is what the imagination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-k-smith/i-think-humans-have-always-felt-watched-back-by-whatever-is-out-there/)

[Tracy K. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-k-smith/)

> [In fact her maturity and blood kinship converted her passion to fever, so it was more affliction than affection. It literally knocked her down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/in-fact-her-maturity-and-blood-kinship-converted-her-passion-to-fever/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [At night I would lie in bed and watch the show, how bees squeezed through the cracks of my bedroom wall and flew circles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/at-night-i-would-lie-in-bed-and-watch-the-show-how-bees-squeezed/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“Aron said slowly. “I wouldn’t want to know that. I’d like to know why you do it. You’re always at something. I just wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/aron-said-slowly-i-wouldn-t-want-to-know-that-i-d-like-to-know-why/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“Who has not in his great grief felt a longing to look upon the outward features of the universal Mother; to lie on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-rider-haggard/who-has-not-in-his-great-grief-felt-a-longing-to-look-upon-the/)

[H. Rider Haggard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-rider-haggard/)

> [I felt a longing to compose a radical or root poem that would speak to what has its back turned to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/i-felt-a-longing-to-compose-a-radical-or-root-poem-that-would-speak/)

[Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/)

> [I had to babysit a lot when I was in high school, and I missed a lot of parties. I felt this longing, like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-shannon/i-had-to-babysit-a-lot-when-i-was-in-high-school-and-i-missed-a-lot/)

[Molly Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-shannon/)

> [“Abra looked at his sunny hair, tight-curled now, and at the eyes that seemed so near to tears, and she felt the longing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/abra-looked-at-his-sunny-hair-tight-curled-now-and-at-the-eyes-that/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [“As regularly as the new moon searched for the tide, Hagar looked for a weapon and then slipped out of her house and went…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/as-regularly-as-the-new-moon-searched-for-the-tide-hagar-looked-for-a/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [Have you ever felt the longing for someone you could admire? For something, not to look down at, but up to?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/have-you-ever-felt-the-longing-for-someone-you-could-admire-for/)

[Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/)

> [I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-armstrong/i-didn-t-feel-like-a-giant-i-felt-very-very-small/)

[Neil Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-armstrong/)

> [“Linda felt small. The houses aroung her were mostly two-stories, not big by any means, but it wasn't her surroundings making her feel this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beck-sherman/linda-felt-small-the-houses-aroung-her-were-mostly-two-stories-not/)

[Beck Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beck-sherman/)

## More by Nina LaCour

> [“No," I say. "I didn't know that," and as I say it I feel flooded with bitterness at all the things Ingrid kept secret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/no-i-say-i-didn-t-know-that-and-as-i-say-it-i-feel-flooded-with/)

[Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

> [I want to tell you about everything but I can't because I couldn't stand for you to have that look on your face all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/i-want-to-tell-you-about-everything-but-i-can-t-because-i-couldn-t/)

[Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

> [“We all want to be feel something, we want to be someone to one another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/we-all-want-to-be-feel-something-we-want-to-be-someone-to-one-another/)

[Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

> [“I know," I say. "It sucks. Let's go get tacos and sit on the beach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/i-know-i-say-it-sucks-let-s-go-get-tacos-and-sit-on-the-beach/)

[Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

> [“I sleep through the next day. Each time I go to the bathroom, I try not to look in the mirror. Once, I catch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/i-sleep-through-the-next-day-each-time-i-go-to-the-bathroom-i-try-not/)

[Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

> [“Crushes are supposed to be fun, aren't they? They definitely aren't supposed to be so torturous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/crushes-are-supposed-to-be-fun-aren-t-they-they-definitely-aren-t/)

[Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

> [“Maybe it doesn't matter, maybe if we all force ourselves to act like we're okay even if we're not, eventually things will get better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/maybe-it-doesn-t-matter-maybe-if-we-all-force-ourselves-to-act-like/)

[Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

> [“My room is so quiet and empty it hurts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/my-room-is-so-quiet-and-empty-it-hurts/)

[Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

> [“That's what friends do: they notice things. They're there for each other. They see what parents don't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/that-s-what-friends-do-they-notice-things-they-re-there-for-each/)

[Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

> [“I don't want to hurt you or anybody so please forget about me. Just try. Find yourself a better friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/i-don-t-want-to-hurt-you-or-anybody-so-please-forget-about-me-just/)

[Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

> [“I don't know if any of this would have happened if we had been at home... Would we have crammed ourselves into the bathroom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/i-don-t-know-if-any-of-this-would-have-happened-if-we-had-been-at/)

[Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

> [“I can't believe that we could be so impermanent”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/i-can-t-believe-that-we-could-be-so-impermanent/)

[Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

> [“Whenever Ingrid and I got out of the suburbs, into Berkeley or San Francisco, and saw how other people lived, Ingrid would cry at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/whenever-ingrid-and-i-got-out-of-the-suburbs-into-berkeley-or-san/)

[Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

> [ “She \[Ava\] was never something waiting to be solved. All she is—all she’s ever been—is a person trying to live a life.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/she-ava-was-never-something-waiting-to-be-solved-all-she-is-all-she-s/)

[Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

> [“My mom says Ingrid's name and I start to hum, not the melody to a song, just one drawn-out note. I know it makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/my-mom-says-ingrid-s-name-and-i-start-to-hum-not-the-melody-to-a-song/)

[Nina LaCour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

[Explore all 141 Nina LaCour quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/)

## More City lights quotes

> [What an immense impression Paris made upon me. It is the most extraordinary place in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/what-an-immense-impression-paris-made-upon-me-it-is-the-most/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“In the baby’s room The city lights are Milky In the curtains… Breath Gentle as rain, Sleep Quiet as snowflakes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-j-geddes/in-the-baby-s-room-the-city-lights-are-milky-in-the-curtains-breath/)

[john j geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-j-geddes/)

> [This how you ball if you a major guy (whoa). With alcohol and a hazy high, the city lights in the jaded sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jones/this-how-you-ball-if-you-a-major-guy-whoa-with-alcohol-and-a-hazy/)

[Jim Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jones/)

> [“I’d been reflecting on this--the drastic turn my life and my outlook on love had taken--more and more on the evenings Marlboro Man and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/i-d-been-reflecting-on-this-the-drastic-turn-my-life-and-my-outlook/)

[Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/)

> [What do I want for my birthday? I think I finally know. I want us to lay in bed together, stare out my window,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ljd/what-do-i-want-for-my-birthday-i-think-i-finally-know-i-want-us-to/)

LJD

> [“Last night, I spoke at one of the Circle Meetings of the Baptist Church. Afterward, a Kenyan friend, Wangari Waigwa-Stone, and I spoke about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-tempest-williams/last-night-i-spoke-at-one-of-the-circle-meetings-of-the-baptist/)

[Terry Tempest Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-tempest-williams/)

> [A walk about Paris will provide lessons in history, beauty, and in the point of Life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-walk-about-paris-will-provide-lessons-in-history-beauty-and-in-the/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [City lights and business nights. When you require streetcar desire for higher heights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade/city-lights-and-business-nights-when-you-require-streetcar-desire-for/)

[Sade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade/)

> [“I want to drive to the coast, away from city lights, and breathe in stars…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-a-white/i-want-to-drive-to-the-coast-away-from-city-lights-and-breathe-in/)

[Jeffrey A. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-a-white/)

> [At night, what you see is a city, because all you see is lights. By day, it doesn't look like a city at all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-raban/at-night-what-you-see-is-a-city-because-all-you-see-is-lights-by-day/)

[Jonathan Raban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-raban/)

> [“All over the city lights were coming on in the purple-blue dusk. The street lights looked delicate and frail, as though they might suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-enright/all-over-the-city-lights-were-coming-on-in-the-purple-blue-dusk-the/)

[Elizabeth Enright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-enright/)

> [Sleepless gliding over the city lights. Watch us flying over the streets tonight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaskade/sleepless-gliding-over-the-city-lights-watch-us-flying-over-the/)

[Kaskade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaskade/)

> [Here I am on the shore of Brittany. Let the cities light up in the evening. My day is done. I am leaving Europe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rimbaud/here-i-am-on-the-shore-of-brittany-let-the-cities-light-up-in-the/)

[Arthur Rimbaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rimbaud/)

> [“And give me some coffee. Black as midnight on a moonless night." Harga looked surprised. That wasn't like Vimes. "How black's that, then?" he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett-pratchett/and-give-me-some-coffee-black-as-midnight-on-a-moonless-night-harga/)

Terry Pratchett Pratchett

> [Me and my guitar tonight, singing to the city lights, tryna live on more than what I got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-mars/me-and-my-guitar-tonight-singing-to-the-city-lights-tryna-live-on/)

[Bruno Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-mars/)

[Browse all 67 City lights quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city-lights/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“We felt so small with the city lights stretching forever below us, and we yelled at the top of our lungs because we were just these small humans but we felt more longing than could ever fit inside us.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nina LaCour"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/we-felt-so-small-with-the-city-lights-stretching-forever-below-us-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "City lights"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/we-felt-so-small-with-the-city-lights-stretching-forever-below-us-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/nina-lacour-2768_city-lights_we-felt-so-small-with-the-city-lights-st_3128531.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/nina-lacour-2768_city-lights_we-felt-so-small-with-the-city-lights-st_3128531.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/nina-lacour-2768_city-lights_we-felt-so-small-with-the-city-lights-st_3128531.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We felt so small with the city lights stretching forever below us, and we yelled at the top of our lungs…” — Nina LaCour",
                "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": "Nina LaCour",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-lacour/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“We felt so small with the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/we-felt-so-small-with-the-city-lights-stretching-forever-below-us-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-lacour/we-felt-so-small-with-the-city-lights-stretching-forever-below-us-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
