---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People laughed less and grumbled more…"
description: "\"“People laughed less and grumbled more, sang less and shouted more, and the sounds they made grew louder and uglier. It became difficult to hear even t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34e/norton-juster-2113_grew-louder_people-laughed-less-and-grumbled-more-sa_2366552.png"
---

#  People laughed less and grumbled more, sang less and…

![“People laughed less and grumbled more, sang less and shouted more, and the sounds they made grew louder and uglier. It became difficult to hear even the birds or the breeze, and soon everyone stopped listening for them.” quote by Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34e/norton-juster-2113_grew-louder_people-laughed-less-and-grumbled-more-sa_2366552.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34e/norton-juster-2113_grew-louder_people-laughed-less-and-grumbled-more-sa_2366552.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34e/norton-juster-2113_grew-louder_people-laughed-less-and-grumbled-more-sa_2366552.png)

> ““People laughed less and grumbled more, sang less and shouted more, and the sounds they made grew louder and uglier. It became difficult to hear even the birds or the breeze, and soon everyone stopped listening for them.””

[Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/)

## About This Quote

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

Society’s noise drowns subtle beauty, leading to loss of listening to simple sounds.

**In simple terms:** Noise drowns gentle sounds.

Key Takeaway

Listen more, speak less.

Themes

society noise listening

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- urban planning
- educational settings
- personal mindfulness

Key Concepts

Cultural criticism environmental psychology communication

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you create quiet spaces?
- What simple sounds do you miss?

A Different Perspective

Noise may be unavoidable in modern life.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Grew Louder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew-louder-432031/) [Grumbled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grumbled-859872/) [Grumbled Sang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grumbled-sang-5813162/) [Sang Shouted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sang-shouted-5813164/) [Shouted Sounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shouted-sounds-5813163/)

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## More by Norton Juster

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