--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I never went home, what exactly would…" description: "\"If I never went home, what exactly would I be missing? I pictured my cold cavernous house, my friendless town full of bad memories, the utterly unremar..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/ransom-riggs-1816_bad-memories_if-i-never-went-home-what-exactly-would_2877213.png" --- # If I never went home, what exactly would I be missing? I… ![“If I never went home, what exactly would I be missing? I pictured my cold cavernous house, my friendless town full of bad memories, the utterly unremarkable life that had been mapped out for me. It had never once occurred to me, I realized, to refuse it.” quote by Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/ransom-riggs-1816_bad-memories_if-i-never-went-home-what-exactly-would_2877213.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/ransom-riggs-1816_bad-memories_if-i-never-went-home-what-exactly-would_2877213.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/ransom-riggs-1816_bad-memories_if-i-never-went-home-what-exactly-would_2877213.png) > “If I never went home, what exactly would I be missing? I pictured my cold cavernous house, my friendless town full of bad memories, the utterly unremarkable life that had been mapped out for me. It had never once occurred to me, I realized, to refuse it.” [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character wonders what they'd miss by never returning home, confronting fear of a mundane, lonely life. **In simple terms:** Considering staying away raises fear of missing a simple, lonely existence. Key Takeaway Face fears about staying or leaving home. Themes identity home fear Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - life decisions - mental health - personal growth Key Concepts existential reflection loneliness choice Questions to Reflect On - What does “home” mean to you? - How do you define a meaningful life? A Different Perspective Avoiding home may not solve underlying issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-memories/) [Cold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cold/) [Friendless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendless/) [Friendless Town](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendless-town-3968003/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [House Friendless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house-friendless-3968004/) [I realized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-realized/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Missing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/missing/) [Refuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuse/) [Towns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/towns/) [Unremarkable Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unremarkable-life-3455299/) ## Related quotes > [“And Oscar would tell the old man his only regret: that he was living the unremarkable life his parents had always expected from him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-wood/and-oscar-would-tell-the-old-man-his-only-regret-that-he-was-living/) [Benjamin Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-wood/) > [“Eric Fortrell lived a perfectly unremarkable life until he happened to have a very extraordinary dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-harmon/eric-fortrell-lived-a-perfectly-unremarkable-life-until-he-happened/) [Brian Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-harmon/) > [Stars, too, were time travelers. How many of these ancient points of light were the last echoes of suns now dead? How many had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/stars-too-were-time-travelers-how-many-of-these-ancient-points-of/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [“Because if I'm weird And ostracized and friendless It's not personal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-prendergast/because-if-i-m-weird-and-ostracized-and-friendless-it-s-not-personal/) [Gabrielle Prendergast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-prendergast/) > [“Loneliness wasn't just a state of mind, was it? It was tactile. She could feel it. It was a sixth sense, not in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/loneliness-wasn-t-just-a-state-of-mind-was-it-it-was-tactile-she/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [Poem by Howard A. Walter (Character) I would be true, for there are those who trust me; I would be pure, for there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/poem-by-howard-a-walter-character-i-would-be-true-for-there-are-those/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [Don't you worry about that, Mr. Adamsson. Why don't you head back to Reykjavik and spend some of that extortionate fee you charged me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/don-t-you-worry-about-that-mr-adamsson-why-don-t-you-head-back-to/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [Would you rather be a friendless loser with self confidence or a popular person with low self-esteem?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/would-you-rather-be-a-friendless-loser-with-self-confidence-or-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“...anyone looking for friends without faults shall remain friendless. The choice is yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-lynn-payne/anyone-looking-for-friends-without-faults-shall-remain-friendless-the/) [Holly Lynn Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-lynn-payne/) > [We're chipping away at our capacity for wonder. When hologram TVs eventually go on sale, they'll cost £20,000 and be bought only by those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-baynham/we-re-chipping-away-at-our-capacity-for-wonder-when-hologram-tvs/) [Peter Baynham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-baynham/) > [“Bright and wild like fire. Ha. Friendless and alone like a pathetic loser was more like it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-peter-hughes/bright-and-wild-like-fire-ha-friendless-and-alone-like-a-pathetic/) [Mark Peter Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-peter-hughes/) > [He who is great must make humility his base. He who is high must make lowliness his foundation. Thus, princes and kings in speaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/he-who-is-great-must-make-humility-his-base-he-who-is-high-must-make/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [“No person can ever be called friendless for he has the company of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-r-shankar/no-person-can-ever-be-called-friendless-for-he-has-the-company-of/) [I.R. Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/i-r-shankar/) > [I would rather be friendless than been lied to by fake friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-wishick/i-would-rather-be-friendless-than-been-lied-to-by-fake-friends/) [Rosie Wishick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosie-wishick/) > [“It is easy to criticize the antisocial, but hard to get close to know what keeps them at bay.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/it-is-easy-to-criticize-the-antisocial-but-hard-to-get-close-to-know/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) ## More by Ransom Riggs > [“Maybe I could use a little metal on the inside, I thought. If I'd kept my heart better armored, where would I be now?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/maybe-i-could-use-a-little-metal-on-the-inside-i-thought-if-i-d-kept/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [“To have endured horrors, to have seen the worst of humanity and have your life made unrecognizable by it, to come out of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/to-have-endured-horrors-to-have-seen-the-worst-of-humanity-and-have/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [“When it comes to big things in life, there are no accidents. Everything happens for a reason.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/when-it-comes-to-big-things-in-life-there-are-no-accidents-everything/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [“Hugh and Fiona stood off to one side, their hands linked and foreheads touching, saying goodbye in their own quiet way. Finally, we'd all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/hugh-and-fiona-stood-off-to-one-side-their-hands-linked-and-foreheads/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [I grew up feeling like a weirdo like many kids do. But I was lucky to find my own home for peculiar children. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/i-grew-up-feeling-like-a-weirdo-like-many-kids-do-but-i-was-lucky-to/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [“Then I was face to face with it. Tongues fanned from its gaping, bladed mouth. Its eyes were black and weeping more black and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/then-i-was-face-to-face-with-it-tongues-fanned-from-its-gaping-bladed/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [“It's not about destiny but i do think there's balance in the world and forces we don't understand intervene to tip the scales the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/it-s-not-about-destiny-but-i-do-think-there-s-balance-in-the-world/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [“Oh, thank heavens! Someone remembered the bath mat," Enoch deadpanned. "We are saved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/oh-thank-heavens-someone-remembered-the-bath-mat-enoch-deadpanned-we/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [“You tread a precariously thin line between being charmingly headstrong and insufferably pigheaded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/you-tread-a-precariously-thin-line-between-being-charmingly/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [“I did love her, of course, but mostly because loving your mom is mandatory, not because she was someone I think I'd like very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/i-did-love-her-of-course-but-mostly-because-loving-your-mom-is/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [“ ‘You don’t strike me as a quitter.’ ‘Then you don’t know me very well,’ I replied.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/you-don-t-strike-me-as-a-quitter-then-you-don-t-know-me-very-well-i/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [“I came to enjoy communicating by hand. There was something sweet about holding a tangible thing that had been touched and marked upon by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/i-came-to-enjoy-communicating-by-hand-there-was-something-sweet-about/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [“Bombs are falling and we're reading stories, I thought. I have entered the realm of the insane. -Jacob”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/bombs-are-falling-and-we-re-reading-stories-i-thought-i-have-entered/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [“Yo no sabía como llamar a aquello que sucedía entre nosotros, pero me gustaba. Me proporcionaba una sensación estúpida, frágil y agradable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/yo-no-sab-a-como-llamar-a-aquello-que-suced-a-entre-nosotros-pero-me/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [“I think they worried that my grandfather would infect me with some incurable dreaminess from which I’d never recover – that these fantasies were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/i-think-they-worried-that-my-grandfather-would-infect-me-with-some/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) [Explore all 201 Ransom Riggs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) ## More Bad memories quotes > [Take responsibily for your past, the bad memories of poor decisions you took were your choices once, and you liked them for the moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aruho-marvin/take-responsibily-for-your-past-the-bad-memories-of-poor-decisions/) [Aruho Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aruho-marvin/) > [“You must learn to release and let go of the hurt of the past it serves you no purpose you are only hurting yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-cooney/you-must-learn-to-release-and-let-go-of-the-hurt-of-the-past-it/) [Marian Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-cooney/) > [Start everyday with a new hope leave bad memories behind and have faith for a better tomorrow …](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-dolmo/start-everyday-with-a-new-hope-leave-bad-memories-behind-and-have/) [Alexa Dolmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-dolmo/) > [“I felt my heart skip a beat, just one, but it was enough that I took notice. It was nice to know that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-m-stunich/i-felt-my-heart-skip-a-beat-just-one-but-it-was-enough-that-i-took/) [C.M. Stunich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-m-stunich/) > [I want the same one, the way she always is, without failures, without fights, without bad memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-want-the-same-one-the-way-she-always-is-without-failures-without/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“When pain inspires you, your thoughts scream its lungs out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/when-pain-inspires-you-your-thoughts-scream-its-lungs-out/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“In a war between races, nobody wins,” Vincent sighed, “and Agatha lost dearly . As we all did, on all sides. You were guilty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-forrest/in-a-war-between-races-nobody-wins-vincent-sighed-and-agatha-lost/) [Bella Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-forrest/) > [“Life is this one gigantic ball full of heartaches, breakups, both good and bad memories, make-up and falling love. it's messy but it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-this-one-gigantic-ball-full-of-heartaches-breakups-both-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always remember all the beautiful things happened, that gives big smile in our face,. Especially don't forget the bad memories,,that give us strenght and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ailenecaballero/always-remember-all-the-beautiful-things-happened-that-gives-big/) [Ailenecaballero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ailenecaballero/) > [Live in the moment, where everything is just right, take your time and limit your bad memories and you'll get wherever it is you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-redmerski/live-in-the-moment-where-everything-is-just-right-take-your-time-and/) [J.A. Redmerski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-redmerski/) > [I've got a prostate the size of a honeydew and a head full of bad memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stiller/i-ve-got-a-prostate-the-size-of-a-honeydew-and-a-head-full-of-bad/) [Jerry Stiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stiller/) > [“Time made apologies and absolution unnecessary. 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We can create new Christmas memories in the present for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-north/we-don-t-have-to-relive-the-sad-and-bad-memories-of-christmas-past-we/) [Tom North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-north/) > [“I have always had a bad memory, as far back as I can remember.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-thomas/i-have-always-had-a-bad-memory-as-far-back-as-i-can-remember/) [Lewis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-thomas/) [Browse all 141 Bad memories quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-memories/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If I never went home, what exactly would I be missing? I pictured my cold cavernous house, my friendless town full of bad memories, the utterly unremarkable life that had been mapped out for me. 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