--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That was the thing about Simon and all…" description: "\"“That was the thing about Simon and all the others, so pleasant on the surface, always knowing what to say, but underneath there was something else, th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/philipp-meyer-4254_simon_that-was-the-thing-about-simon-and-all-t_605734.png" --- # That was the thing about Simon and all the others, so… ![“That was the thing about Simon and all the others, so pleasant on the surface, always knowing what to say, but underneath there was something else, there were not the kind to sacrifice themselves- they've all been taught they have too much to lose.” quote by Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/philipp-meyer-4254_simon_that-was-the-thing-about-simon-and-all-t_605734.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/philipp-meyer-4254_simon_that-was-the-thing-about-simon-and-all-t_605734.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/philipp-meyer-4254_simon_that-was-the-thing-about-simon-and-all-t_605734.png) > ““That was the thing about Simon and all the others, so pleasant on the surface, always knowing what to say, but underneath there was something else, there were not the kind to sacrifice themselves- they've all been taught they have too much to lose. ”” [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People may appear charming but hide self‑preservation motives, avoiding sacrifice due to fear of loss. **In simple terms:** Surface charm hides fear of loss and lack of sacrifice. Key Takeaway Beware superficial charm; value genuine sacrifice. Themes trust self‑preservation fear authenticity Mood cautious analytical Type literary observational When to use this quote - personal relationships - team dynamics - leadership decisions - conflict resolution - self‑reflection Key Concepts human nature social masks risk of loss Questions to Reflect On - How do you discern genuine intent? - When have you seen sacrifice valued over safety? A Different Perspective Charm can mask dangerous selfishness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [I was never taught to lose or take losing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyler-murray/i-was-never-taught-to-lose-or-take-losing/) [Kyler Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyler-murray/) > [“You taught me how to live. How to trust people. How to feel like I belonged somewhere. You taught me how to have fun.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-dischler/you-taught-me-how-to-live-how-to-trust-people-how-to-feel-like-i/) [Heidi Dischler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-dischler/) > [“That kind of devotion, that kind of sacrifice, came from a deeply selfless soul. 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Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > ['Simon' was such a charmed experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-albertalli/simon-was-such-a-charmed-experience/) [Becky Albertalli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-albertalli/) > [In my own work, I don't have favorite characters, but I have characters that I relate to the most. And I relate the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/in-my-own-work-i-don-t-have-favorite-characters-but-i-have-characters/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [He shone all over. Only Magnus, Simon thought resignedly, would have access to sequined battle armor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/he-shone-all-over-only-magnus-simon-thought-resignedly-would-have/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“She watches Simon's profile as he drives, concentrating, but he keeps turning to her, and every time he does so, he is smiling. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rayner/she-watches-simon-s-profile-as-he-drives-concentrating-but-he-keeps/) [Sarah Rayner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rayner/) > [Something inside Clary cracked and broke, and words came pouring out. 'What do you want me to tell you? The truth? The truth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/something-inside-clary-cracked-and-broke-and-words-came-pouring-out/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I have a feeling you're right, Sherwin.' 'Simon. My name is Simon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-have-a-feeling-you-re-right-sherwin-simon-my-name-is-simon/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Simon had been all lined up and he’d managed to throw away the best girl he’d ever meet. “What a dumbass,” Beck muttered. “No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jana-oliver/simon-had-been-all-lined-up-and-he-d-managed-to-throw-away-the-best/) [Jana Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jana-oliver/) > [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## More by Philipp Meyer > [Your job as a writer is to find storylines, narrative structures, and characters to show the things that you believe rather than saying them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/your-job-as-a-writer-is-to-find-storylines-narrative-structures-and/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [After I finished college, I got a job on Wall Street as a derivatives trader, but after a couple years of it, I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/after-i-finished-college-i-got-a-job-on-wall-street-as-a-derivatives/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“but I rarely did anything I didn't feel like doing, and maybe this was the main difference between the whites and the Comanches, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/but-i-rarely-did-anything-i-didn-t-feel-like-doing-and-maybe-this-was/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [When novels deal in abstractions, they generally go off the rails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/when-novels-deal-in-abstractions-they-generally-go-off-the-rails/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“resacas have all gone dry. The entire earth, it seems, is being slowly transformed into”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/resacas-have-all-gone-dry-the-entire-earth-it-seems-is-being-slowly/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [I just assume that I'll fail at something for several years - that I'll try my hardest and still fail for several years. With…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/i-just-assume-that-i-ll-fail-at-something-for-several-years-that-i-ll/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“They all want to be rich, same as we do, but they do not admit to themselves that you only get rich by taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/they-all-want-to-be-rich-same-as-we-do-but-they-do-not-admit-to/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“The strong took from the weak, only the weak believed otherwise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/the-strong-took-from-the-weak-only-the-weak-believed-otherwise/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“Of course you wanted your children to have it better than you had. But at what point was it not better at all?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/of-course-you-wanted-your-children-to-have-it-better-than-you-had-but/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“I might be killed any day, by whites or hostile Indians, I might be run down by a grizzly or a pack of buffalo…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/i-might-be-killed-any-day-by-whites-or-hostile-indians-i-might-be-run/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“You could not measure yourself against the dead, they retained their perfection while your flesh got weaker and weaker.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/you-could-not-measure-yourself-against-the-dead-they-retained-their/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“I have always found it interesting that white children take so quickly to Indian ways, while Indian children, when brought to be raised in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/i-have-always-found-it-interesting-that-white-children-take-so/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [Life throws up enough road blocks to keep you from writing; you can't be adding to them yourself by saying you can only write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/life-throws-up-enough-road-blocks-to-keep-you-from-writing-you-can-t/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [“There had been a time when this was not unusual. A time when the wealthy were exemplars. When you held yourself to a higher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/there-had-been-a-time-when-this-was-not-unusual-a-time-when-the/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [You ought to be able to grow up in a place and not have to get the hell out of it when you turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/you-ought-to-be-able-to-grow-up-in-a-place-and-not-have-to-get-the/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) [Explore all 113 Philipp Meyer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) ## More Simon quotes > [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Simon had been all lined up and he’d managed to throw away the best girl he’d ever meet. “What a dumbass,” Beck muttered. “No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jana-oliver/simon-had-been-all-lined-up-and-he-d-managed-to-throw-away-the-best/) [Jana Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jana-oliver/) > [I have a feeling you're right, Sherwin.' 'Simon. My name is Simon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-have-a-feeling-you-re-right-sherwin-simon-my-name-is-simon/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Something inside Clary cracked and broke, and words came pouring out. 'What do you want me to tell you? The truth? The truth is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/something-inside-clary-cracked-and-broke-and-words-came-pouring-out/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“She watches Simon's profile as he drives, concentrating, but he keeps turning to her, and every time he does so, he is smiling. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rayner/she-watches-simon-s-profile-as-he-drives-concentrating-but-he-keeps/) [Sarah Rayner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rayner/) > [He shone all over. Only Magnus, Simon thought resignedly, would have access to sequined battle armor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/he-shone-all-over-only-magnus-simon-thought-resignedly-would-have/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [In my own work, I don't have favorite characters, but I have characters that I relate to the most. And I relate the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/in-my-own-work-i-don-t-have-favorite-characters-but-i-have-characters/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > ['Simon' was such a charmed experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-albertalli/simon-was-such-a-charmed-experience/) [Becky Albertalli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-albertalli/) > [You're staring at me," Simon said. "Why are you staring at me? Have I got something on my face?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/you-re-staring-at-me-simon-said-why-are-you-staring-at-me-have-i-got/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I can't touch Simon anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-jackson/i-can-t-touch-simon-anymore/) [Randy Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-jackson/) > [“OLIVIA DIDN’T WANT TO SEE SIMON. She didn’t know how to deal with what she felt. It was raw physical attraction with no emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-delinsky/olivia-didn-t-want-to-see-simon-she-didn-t-know-how-to-deal-with-what/) [Barbara Delinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-delinsky/) > [What did I get from Simon? An education - the thing my parents always wanted me to have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-barber/what-did-i-get-from-simon-an-education-the-thing-my-parents-always/) [Lynn Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-barber/) > [“Simon Cameron: “I loved my brother, as only the poor and lonely can love those with whom they have toiled and struggled up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/simon-cameron-i-loved-my-brother-as-only-the-poor-and-lonely-can-love/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“That's what I came back to tell you. I loved you before I met you, and I loved you more the moment I held…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/that-s-what-i-came-back-to-tell-you-i-loved-you-before-i-met-you-and/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [What's that thing you wrote about Simon once, that his eyes followed Baz 'like he was the brightest thing in the room, like he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/what-s-that-thing-you-wrote-about-simon-once-that-his-eyes-followed/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) Browse all 301 Simon quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That was the thing about Simon and all the others, so pleasant on the surface, always knowing what to say, but underneath there was something else, there were not the kind to sacrifice themselves- they've all been taught they have too much to lose. ”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philipp Meyer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/that-was-the-thing-about-simon-and-all-the-others-so-pleasant-on-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Simon" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/that-was-the-thing-about-simon-and-all-the-others-so-pleasant-on-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/philipp-meyer-4254_simon_that-was-the-thing-about-simon-and-all-t_605734.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/philipp-meyer-4254_simon_that-was-the-thing-about-simon-and-all-t_605734.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/philipp-meyer-4254_simon_that-was-the-thing-about-simon-and-all-t_605734.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That was the thing about Simon and all the others, so pleasant on the surface, always knowing what to say…” — Philipp Meyer", "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": "Philipp Meyer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“That was the thing about Simon...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/that-was-the-thing-about-simon-and-all-the-others-so-pleasant-on-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/that-was-the-thing-about-simon-and-all-the-others-so-pleasant-on-the/#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 } } ] } ```