--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Through a bombed cemetery, long-forgotten…" description: "\"“Through a bombed cemetery, long-forgotten Londoners unearthed and flung into trees, grinning in rotted formal wear. A curlicued swing set in a cratere..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f5/ransom-riggs-1816_bombed_through-a-bombed-cemetery-long-forgotten_1816695.jpg" --- # Through a bombed cemetery, long-forgotten Londoners… ![“Through a bombed cemetery, long-forgotten Londoners unearthed and flung into trees, grinning in rotted formal wear. A curlicued swing set in a cratered playground. The horrors piled up, incomprehensible, the bombers now and then dropping flares to light it all with the pure, shining white of a…” quote by Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f5/ransom-riggs-1816_bombed_through-a-bombed-cemetery-long-forgotten_1816695.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f5/ransom-riggs-1816_bombed_through-a-bombed-cemetery-long-forgotten_1816695.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f5/ransom-riggs-1816_bombed_through-a-bombed-cemetery-long-forgotten_1816695.jpg) > ““Through a bombed cemetery, long-forgotten Londoners unearthed and flung into trees, grinning in rotted formal wear. A curlicued swing set in a cratered playground. The horrors piled up, incomprehensible, the bombers now and then dropping flares to light it all with the pure, shining white of a thousand camera flashes. As if to say: Look. Look what we made.”” [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. The aftermath of destruction is portrayed with eerie, almost celebratory imagery, highlighting humanity’s capacity to create both horror and art, prompting reflection on our legacy. **In simple terms:** Destruction can inspire dark artistic expression. Key Takeaway Recognize the impact of our actions on future generations. Themes war memory art legacy human nature Mood somber thoughtful Type literary visual reflective When to use this quote - museums - film - education - urban exploration Key Concepts history visual storytelling psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does this scene say about human resilience? - How can we honor victims while learning from history? A Different Perspective Romanticizing devastation can trivialize suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Formal Wear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/formal-wear/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) ## Related quotes > [I am going to get political on you. Because I am the most shallow person in the world, my mission is to see men's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cojocaru/i-am-going-to-get-political-on-you-because-i-am-the-most-shallow/) [Steven Cojocaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cojocaru/) > [“Shop for women's wedges at NIVARAH. Available in many designs and styles, wedges for ladies work well with everything from formal wear to casual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wedges-for-women-womens-wedges-wedge-sandals-wedges-shoes/shop-for-women-s-wedges-at-nivarah-available-in-many-designs-and/) Wedges for women \| womens wedges \| wedge sandals \| wedges shoes > [You need to have one element about your outfit that is imperfect, that says you live in it and you're not letting it control…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/you-need-to-have-one-element-about-your-outfit-that-is-imperfect-that/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [Rental formal wear of the sky-blue, brocade and shiny varieties is favored by upwardly mobile young gangsters drafted as groomsmen for weddings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-v-higgins/rental-formal-wear-of-the-sky-blue-brocade-and-shiny-varieties-is/) [George V. Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-v-higgins/) > [Men turn to formal wear when they want a new job or when they think their current one is in danger. They try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-york/men-turn-to-formal-wear-when-they-want-a-new-job-or-when-they-think/) [Peter York](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-york/) > [“This was a boy who could make a school uniform look good. What he did to formal wear was damn near criminal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/this-was-a-boy-who-could-make-a-school-uniform-look-good-what-he-did/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [“i'm off to an island nation where formal wear consists of a leaf tired around a penis.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-maarten-troost/i-m-off-to-an-island-nation-where-formal-wear-consists-of-a-leaf/) [J. Maarten Troost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-maarten-troost/) > [“Both of us widened our eyes and said, "Whoa." Then I immediately blushed. Oh my God, had I just looked at Archer and said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/both-of-us-widened-our-eyes-and-said-whoa-then-i-immediately-blushed/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [“Ballet aficionados are just sports fans in formal wear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-l-price/ballet-aficionados-are-just-sports-fans-in-formal-wear/) S. L. Price > [What is it about wearing a tuxedo or that little black dress, that makes us feel confident, beautiful, splendid, even invincible? We put on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/what-is-it-about-wearing-a-tuxedo-or-that-little-black-dress-that/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [“We sat out there in silence for a minute and then Gus said, " I wish we had that swing set sometimes." "The one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/we-sat-out-there-in-silence-for-a-minute-and-then-gus-said-i-wish-we/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Come on in, I’ve got a sale on scratch and dent dreams, whole cases of imperfect ambitions stuff the idealists couldn't sell. Yeah, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-darby/come-on-in-i-ve-got-a-sale-on-scratch-and-dent-dreams-whole-cases-of/) Eric Darby > [“Only two weeks since he had left, and it was already happening. Time, blunting the edges of those sharp memories. Laila bore down mentally.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/only-two-weeks-since-he-had-left-and-it-was-already-happening-time/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“Are you crying, Hazel Grace?" "Kind of?" "Why?" he asked. "'Cause I'm just-I want to go to Amsterdam, and I want him to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/are-you-crying-hazel-grace-kind-of-why-he-asked-cause-i-m-just-i-want/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I don’t need my heart anymore, you can have it. Cut it out, put it in a box, bury it in the hard ground,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-mckenzie/i-don-t-need-my-heart-anymore-you-can-have-it-cut-it-out-put-it-in-a/) [Catherine McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-mckenzie/) ## 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 Bombed quotes > [Hitler bombed London into submission but in fact it created a sense of national solidarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-paulin/hitler-bombed-london-into-submission-but-in-fact-it-created-a-sense/) [Tom Paulin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-paulin/) > [Hiroshima does not look like a bombed city. It looks as if a monster steamroller had passed over it and squashed it out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-burchett/hiroshima-does-not-look-like-a-bombed-city-it-looks-as-if-a-monster/) [Wilfred Burchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-burchett/) > [After Hiroshima was bombed, I saw a photograph of the side of a house with the shadows of the people who had lived there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/after-hiroshima-was-bombed-i-saw-a-photograph-of-the-side-of-a-house/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I wouldn't want to live in Berlin. It's bombed out and there's a lot of techno.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-wouldn-t-want-to-live-in-berlin-it-s-bombed-out-and-there-s-a-lot/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [“There’s a guy walking around a war-torn country, and he comes across a girl who’s been killed by a bomb. The guy drops to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ole-anderson/there-s-a-guy-walking-around-a-war-torn-country-and-he-comes-across-a/) Ole Anderson > [“I'm going out for a bottle of champagne. We're going to get bombed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/i-m-going-out-for-a-bottle-of-champagne-we-re-going-to-get-bombed/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bluto-in-animal-house/was-it-over-when-the-germans-bombed-pearl-harbor/) Bluto in Animal House > [I bombed the LSAT and quickly discovered that law school wasn't for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-schnatter/i-bombed-the-lsat-and-quickly-discovered-that-law-school-wasn-t-for-me/) [John Schnatter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-schnatter/) > [Israel bombed the Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007. What the Syrians did in response, nothing. Israel has killed a number of terrorist leaders in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/israel-bombed-the-syrian-nuclear-reactor-in-2007-what-the-syrians-did/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [How long will it take the citizens of the United States, one wonders, to recognize that the house their country bombed in Iraq is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/how-long-will-it-take-the-citizens-of-the-united-states-one-wonders/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [They bombed my granny's chippie, left it completely flat. I'll have her for that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-couch/they-bombed-my-granny-s-chippie-left-it-completely-flat-i-ll-have-her/) Jane Couch > [I bombed so much as a standup that messing up doesn't matter to me anymore. I kind of enjoy bombing sometimes - I try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-davidson/i-bombed-so-much-as-a-standup-that-messing-up-doesn-t-matter-to-me/) [Pete Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-davidson/) > [“In the summer of 1982, while Israeli armored tanks and gunships imposed a siege of another age on rampartless Beirut, cutting off the water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabih-alameddine/in-the-summer-of-1982-while-israeli-armored-tanks-and-gunships/) [Rabih Alameddine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabih-alameddine/) > [My theory is that Kurt had a lot of residual pain from his childhood. And when you pile that on top of his experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-j-shields/my-theory-is-that-kurt-had-a-lot-of-residual-pain-from-his-childhood/) [Charles J. Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-j-shields/) > [“I am glad we’ve been bombed,’ said the Queen famously. ‘It makes me feel I can look the East End in the face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-williams/i-am-glad-we-ve-been-bombed-said-the-queen-famously-it-makes-me-feel/) [Kate Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-williams/) Browse all 55 Bombed quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Through a bombed cemetery, long-forgotten Londoners unearthed and flung into trees, grinning in rotted formal wear. A curlicued swing set in a cratered playground. The horrors piled up, incomprehensible, the bombers now and then dropping flares to light it all with the pure, shining white of a thousand camera flashes. As if to say: Look. Look what we made.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ransom Riggs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/through-a-bombed-cemetery-long-forgotten-londoners-unearthed-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bombed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/through-a-bombed-cemetery-long-forgotten-londoners-unearthed-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f5/ransom-riggs-1816_bombed_through-a-bombed-cemetery-long-forgotten_1816695.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f5/ransom-riggs-1816_bombed_through-a-bombed-cemetery-long-forgotten_1816695.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f5/ransom-riggs-1816_bombed_through-a-bombed-cemetery-long-forgotten_1816695.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Through a bombed cemetery, long-forgotten Londoners unearthed and flung into trees, grinning in rotted…” — Ransom Riggs", "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": "Ransom Riggs", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Through a bombed cemetery, long-forgotten Londoners...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/through-a-bombed-cemetery-long-forgotten-londoners-unearthed-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/through-a-bombed-cemetery-long-forgotten-londoners-unearthed-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 } } ] } ```