--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was home, traditionally since I…" description: "\"When I was home, traditionally since I was young, I'd write in cafés. That was the romantic notion in 1963. Café atmospheres back then were different. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/patti-smith-394_atmosphere_when-i-was-home-traditionally-since-i-wa_1178688.jpg" --- # When I was home, traditionally since I was young, I'd… ![“When I was home, traditionally since I was young, I'd write in cafés. That was the romantic notion in 1963. Café atmospheres back then were different. The café life really stemmed from the Parisians' idea of it, with poets struggling over their poems and drinking coffee. No music, no sounds, maybe…” quote by Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/patti-smith-394_atmosphere_when-i-was-home-traditionally-since-i-wa_1178688.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/patti-smith-394_atmosphere_when-i-was-home-traditionally-since-i-wa_1178688.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/patti-smith-394_atmosphere_when-i-was-home-traditionally-since-i-wa_1178688.jpg) > “When I was home, traditionally since I was young, I'd write in cafés. That was the romantic notion in 1963. Café atmospheres back then were different. The café life really stemmed from the Parisians' idea of it, with poets struggling over their poems and drinking coffee. No music, no sounds, maybe a little jazz, or soul, but mostly nothing. Now you go into a café and the music is really loud, people are having business meetings, they are on their cellphones. It changes from generation to generation.” [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on how café culture has shifted from quiet, artistic spaces to noisy, commercial environments, affecting creativity and atmosphere. **In simple terms:** Cafés used to be quiet creative hubs; now they’re noisy and business‑oriented. Key Takeaway Seek quieter spaces for creative work. Themes culture change creativity environment generational shift Mood nostalgic reflective critical Type observational personal When to use this quote - writing in cafés - reading - meeting friends - working remotely - seeking inspiration Key Concepts Urban sociology creative spaces gentrification Questions to Reflect On - How does environment shape your creative process? - Can you find quiet moments in noisy places? A Different Perspective The nostalgia may romanticize the past and overlook past inclusivity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atmosphere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atmosphere/) [Business meeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business-meeting/) [Café Atmospheres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caf-atmospheres-3448084/) [Café Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caf-life-3448086/) [Café Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caf-music-3448087/) [Cafés Romantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caf-s-romantic-3448088/) [Cellphone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cellphone/) [Coffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coffee/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Drinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drinking/) [Drinking coffee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drinking-coffee/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Loud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loud/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Meetings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meetings/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Music is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-is/) [Notion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/notion/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Write Cafés](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-caf-s-3448085/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) ## Related quotes > [I write in cafes, never at home. I cannot focus at home, am forever getting off my chair to do other things. In a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-jewell/i-write-in-cafes-never-at-home-i-cannot-focus-at-home-am-forever/) [Lisa Jewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-jewell/) > [“Magnus deeply disliked people who were early to business meetings. It was just as bad as being late, since it put everyone out, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/magnus-deeply-disliked-people-who-were-early-to-business-meetings-it/) [cassandra clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [A single moment spent in a business meeting or at a pub is more than enough to reveal the basic human truth that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/a-single-moment-spent-in-a-business-meeting-or-at-a-pub-is-more-than/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) > [I was watching the TV broadcasts interviewing people stranded at airports for days on end, losing their holidays, their important business meetings and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/i-was-watching-the-tv-broadcasts-interviewing-people-stranded-at/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [“Most business meetings involve one party elaborately suppressing a wish to shout at the other: 'just give us the money'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/most-business-meetings-involve-one-party-elaborately-suppressing-a/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [I 've got this weird day that changed my life. I woke up one Wednesday, and my wife's a lawyer, she was off to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-manuel-miranda/i-ve-got-this-weird-day-that-changed-my-life-i-woke-up-one-wednesday/) [Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-manuel-miranda/) > [“Sophie raised her head. Light filtering through the trees dappled her face. “Hawk.” Charlotte looked up as well. A bird of prey soared above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/sophie-raised-her-head-light-filtering-through-the-trees-dappled-her/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [I write a book a year while creating TV and film projects. And being a writer isn't just writing: I have to chase down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-jenkins-reid/i-write-a-book-a-year-while-creating-tv-and-film-projects-and-being-a/) [Taylor Jenkins Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-jenkins-reid/) > [“My god, Anna,” he says. “I almost lost you.” He has me in his powerful grip. I’ve never felt this safe before. “Never let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-merkin/my-god-anna-he-says-i-almost-lost-you-he-has-me-in-his-powerful-grip/) [Fanny Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-merkin/) > [“Adventists urged to study women’s ordination for themselves Adventist Church President Ted N. C. Wilson appealed to members to study the Bible regarding the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/adventists-urged-to-study-women-s-ordination-for-themselves-adventist/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Playing all of these games, getting to know everything about the NBA, you realize that you are your own business. You have business meetings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-rose/playing-all-of-these-games-getting-to-know-everything-about-the-nba/) [Derrick Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-rose/) > [A missions conference is a business meeting to decide the fate of the heathen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-l-moody/a-missions-conference-is-a-business-meeting-to-decide-the-fate-of-the/) [Dwight L. Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-l-moody/) > [A man went to Istanbul, his first visit there. On his way to a business meeting, this man lost his way. He began raging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-beattie/a-man-went-to-istanbul-his-first-visit-there-on-his-way-to-a-business/) [Melody Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-beattie/) > [Introverts, in contrast, may have strong social skills and enjoy parties and business meetings, but after a while wish they were home in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/introverts-in-contrast-may-have-strong-social-skills-and-enjoy/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [It's weird to be called a celebrity or talk about it. I don't talk about being a celebrity in my business meetings. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kate-olsen/it-s-weird-to-be-called-a-celebrity-or-talk-about-it-i-don-t-talk/) [Mary-Kate Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kate-olsen/) ## More by Patti Smith > [I had a really happy childhood - my siblings were great, my mother was very fanciful, and I loved to read. But there was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-had-a-really-happy-childhood-my-siblings-were-great-my-mother-was/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [As a citizen, hopefully I'm humanist. As an artist, I'm free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/as-a-citizen-hopefully-i-m-humanist-as-an-artist-i-m-free/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [ Sometimes \[people\] seem to think I came out of the womb, you know, cursing, with an electric guitar. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/sometimes-people-seem-to-think-i-came-out-of-the-womb-you-know/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“Inside it he inscribed a few lines of poetry, portraying us as the gypsy and the fool, one creating silence; one listening closely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/inside-it-he-inscribed-a-few-lines-of-poetry-portraying-us-as-the/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Who can know the heart of youth but youth itself?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/who-can-know-the-heart-of-youth-but-youth-itself/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [“I clawed through a thick web of the culture’s consciousness that I hadn’t known existed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-clawed-through-a-thick-web-of-the-culture-s-consciousness-that-i/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Ultimately, we are not seeking others to bow to, but to reinforce our individual natures, to help us suffer our own choices, to guide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/ultimately-we-are-not-seeking-others-to-bow-to-but-to-reinforce-our/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [If I'm taking a picture of Brancusi's grave, I know that there's something of him, of his mortal remains, beneath my feet, and there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/if-i-m-taking-a-picture-of-brancusi-s-grave-i-know-that-there-s/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I'm certain, as we filled down the great staircase, that I appeared the same as ever, a moping twelve years-old, all arms and legs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-certain-as-we-filled-down-the-great-staircase-that-i-appeared-the/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may you proceed with balance and stealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/in-art-and-dream-may-you-proceed-with-abandon-in-life-may-you-proceed/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [New York is the thing that seduced me. New York is the thing that formed me. New York is the thing that deformed me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/new-york-is-the-thing-that-seduced-me-new-york-is-the-thing-that/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I don't wanna be equal with anybody. I wanna be above equal. I don't think most people are equal to me. I'd like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-don-t-wanna-be-equal-with-anybody-i-wanna-be-above-equal-i-don-t/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I think I'm constantly in a state of adjustment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-think-i-m-constantly-in-a-state-of-adjustment/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [Somehow I started introducing writing into my drawings, and after a time, the language took over and I started getting very involved with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/somehow-i-started-introducing-writing-into-my-drawings-and-after-a/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) > [I'm okay with roaming around the world in my bunk for days on end. Maybe every third day I'll get a shower or stumble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/i-m-okay-with-roaming-around-the-world-in-my-bunk-for-days-on-end/) [Patti Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) [Explore all 595 Patti Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/) ## More Atmosphere quotes > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [Man will not always stay on Earth; the pursuit of light and space will lead him to penetrate the bounds of the atmosphere, timidly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/man-will-not-always-stay-on-earth-the-pursuit-of-light-and-space-will/) [Konstantin Tsiolkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/) > [Pause before you get home and prepare your heart. A peaceful heart leads to a peaceful atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-burns/pause-before-you-get-home-and-prepare-your-heart-a-peaceful-heart/) [Jim Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-burns/) > [Sometimes a minute is really the difference between success and failure. There are times when you finish with ten seconds left, and one extra…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-symon/sometimes-a-minute-is-really-the-difference-between-success-and/) [Michael Symon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-symon/) > [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“Atmosphere" is a massive song. A lot of people say it's their favorite Joy Division song, but it's not mine; it reminds me too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hook/atmosphere-is-a-massive-song-a-lot-of-people-say-it-s-their-favorite/) [Peter Hook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hook/) > [Establish an atmosphere that energizes you. Some creative people flourish in confusion; others need to be free from interruption. Many prepare themselves for work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-leland/establish-an-atmosphere-that-energizes-you-some-creative-people/) [Nita Leland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-leland/) > [Each year we pump at least six billion tons of heat-trapping carbon into the innermost layer of our atmosphere, whose outer extent is only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-gelbspan/each-year-we-pump-at-least-six-billion-tons-of-heat-trapping-carbon/) [Ross Gelbspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-gelbspan/) > [It was clear to me that the White House's solemn atmosphere would not civilize Trump. But the merciless nepotism with which he conducts politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/it-was-clear-to-me-that-the-white-house-s-solemn-atmosphere-would-not/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [“Bjerknes had come up with equations capable of describing the behavior of the atmosphere. The state of the atmosphere at any point could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-cullen/bjerknes-had-come-up-with-equations-capable-of-describing-the/) [Heidi Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-cullen/) > [What one thing does the world need most today-apart, that is, from the all-inclusive thing we call righteousness? Aren't you inclined to agree that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/what-one-thing-does-the-world-need-most-today-apart-that-is-from-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [ Jowett, in his day, did probably more than any other single man to let some fresh air into the exhausted atmosphere of the \[Oxford\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-jowett/jowett-in-his-day-did-probably-more-than-any-other-single-man-to-let/) [Benjamin Jowett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-jowett/) [Browse all 1,572 Atmosphere quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atmosphere/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was home, traditionally since I was young, I'd write in cafés. That was the romantic notion in 1963. Café atmospheres back then were different. The café life really stemmed from the Parisians' idea of it, with poets struggling over their poems and drinking coffee. No music, no sounds, maybe a little jazz, or soul, but mostly nothing. Now you go into a café and the music is really loud, people are having business meetings, they are on their cellphones. It changes from generation to generation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patti Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/when-i-was-home-traditionally-since-i-was-young-i-d-write-in-caf-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atmosphere" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/when-i-was-home-traditionally-since-i-was-young-i-d-write-in-caf-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/patti-smith-394_atmosphere_when-i-was-home-traditionally-since-i-wa_1178688.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/patti-smith-394_atmosphere_when-i-was-home-traditionally-since-i-wa_1178688.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8f/patti-smith-394_atmosphere_when-i-was-home-traditionally-since-i-wa_1178688.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was home, traditionally since I was young, I'd write in cafés. That was the romantic notion in 1963…” — Patti Smith", "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": "Patti Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was home, traditionally since...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/when-i-was-home-traditionally-since-i-was-young-i-d-write-in-caf-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-smith/when-i-was-home-traditionally-since-i-was-young-i-d-write-in-caf-s/#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 } } ] } ```