--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But then one evening in November, 1939…" description: "\"“But then one evening in November, 1939, the Smiths were returning from Johnson City, where they had been attending a declamation contest, and as they ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/robert-a-caro-15999_lyndon-johnson_but-then-one-evening-in-november-1939-th_2886347.jpg" --- # But then one evening in November, 1939, the Smiths were… ![“But then one evening in November, 1939, the Smiths were returning from Johnson City, where they had been attending a declamation contest, and as they neared their farmhouse, something was different. “Oh my God,” her mother said. “The house is on fire!” But as they got closer, they saw the light…” quote by Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/robert-a-caro-15999_lyndon-johnson_but-then-one-evening-in-november-1939-th_2886347.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/robert-a-caro-15999_lyndon-johnson_but-then-one-evening-in-november-1939-th_2886347.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/robert-a-caro-15999_lyndon-johnson_but-then-one-evening-in-november-1939-th_2886347.jpg) > ““But then one evening in November, 1939, the Smiths were returning from Johnson City, where they had been attending a declamation contest, and as they neared their farmhouse, something was different. “Oh my God,” her mother said. “The house is on fire!” But as they got closer, they saw the light wasn’t fire. “No, Mama,” Evelyn said. “The lights are on.” They were on all over the Hill Country. “And all over the Hill Country,” Stella Gliddon says, “people began to name their kids for Lyndon Johnson.”” [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A misinterpreted emergency turned into a communal celebration, illustrating how perception shapes reality. **In simple terms:** Perception can alter events. Key Takeaway Question assumptions before reacting. Themes perception community interpretation Mood cautious inquisitive Type journalistic philosophical When to use this quote - crisis management - media reporting - public relations - community building Key Concepts psychology social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify information? - What role does media play in shaping narratives? A Different Perspective Misreading can cause panic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hill Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hill-country-891790/) [Lyndon johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyndon-johnson/) [Mother Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-said/) [November 1939](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/november-1939-4029488/) [Oh my god](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oh-my-god/) [People Began](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-began-330316/) ## Related quotes > [I was trying to learn about Lyndon Johnson when he was young and creating his first political machine in the Texas hill country. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/i-was-trying-to-learn-about-lyndon-johnson-when-he-was-young-and/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [“allotments, 8 f in the hill country, in the lowland,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/allotments-8-f-in-the-hill-country-in-the-lowland/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the hill country, civilization steals in last, and the people retain much of the crude but vigorous mode of expression of the colonial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/in-the-hill-country-civilization-steals-in-last-and-the-people-retain/) [Robert E. 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And I get on my mountain bike, just cruise the hills, get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-amendola/here-in-austin-texas-we-live-in-sort-of-rolling-hill-country-and-i/) [Danny Amendola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-amendola/) > [When I started playing music it was around Austin and the Hill Country area in Texas and there were always campfires and picking circles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/when-i-started-playing-music-it-was-around-austin-and-the-hill/) [Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/) > [It was not until after the coming of Christ that time and humans could breathe freely. It was not until after him that people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boris-pasternak/it-was-not-until-after-the-coming-of-christ-that-time-and-humans/) [Boris Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boris-pasternak/) > [Once the festival achieved a certain level of notoriety, then people began to come here with agendas that were not the same as ours.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-redford/once-the-festival-achieved-a-certain-level-of-notoriety-then-people/) [Robert Redford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-redford/) > [Leftism should be about the people. That's how it began.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/leftism-should-be-about-the-people-that-s-how-it-began/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [“and that she had shown marked abilities in that direction, so that many people began to say that she was no better than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/and-that-she-had-shown-marked-abilities-in-that-direction-so-that/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [“ One hundred and fifty years ago , the monster began, this country had become a place of industry. Factories grew on the landscape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/one-hundred-and-fifty-years-ago-the-monster-began-this-country-had/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [Human relationships didn't work anyhow. Only the first two weeks had any zing, then the participants lost their interest. Masks dropped away and real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/human-relationships-didn-t-work-anyhow-only-the-first-two-weeks-had/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [“villages grew into towns, towns into cities. And people began to live on the earth rather than within it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/villages-grew-into-towns-towns-into-cities-and-people-began-to-live/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [The boys of my people began very young to learn the ways of men, and no one taught us; we just learned by doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-elk/the-boys-of-my-people-began-very-young-to-learn-the-ways-of-men-and/) [Black Elk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-elk/) > [“It wasn't long after the discovery of modern anesthesia that people began to die of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolf-pascoe/it-wasn-t-long-after-the-discovery-of-modern-anesthesia-that-people/) [Wolf Pascoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolf-pascoe/) ## More by Robert A. Caro > [“And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country” that they summoned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/and-so-my-fellow-americans-ask-not-what-your-country-can-do-for-you/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [“And, in fact, had Johnson’s plan succeeded, in many ways it would indeed have been “just the way it was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/and-in-fact-had-johnson-s-plan-succeeded-in-many-ways-it-would-indeed/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [“As one 1935 study put it, boys and girls who were 15 or 16 in 1929 when the Depression began are no longer children;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/as-one-1935-study-put-it-boys-and-girls-who-were-15-or-16-in-1929/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [“On the rare occasions on which a movie was shown, there was as much suspense in the audience over whether the electricity would hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/on-the-rare-occasions-on-which-a-movie-was-shown-there-was-as-much/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [“Abraham Lincoln struck off the chains of black Americans, but it was Lyndon Johnson who led them into voting booths, closed democracy’s sacred curtain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/abraham-lincoln-struck-off-the-chains-of-black-americans-but-it-was/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [“I, sir, take a different view of the whole matter. I look upon Ohio and South Carolina to be parts of one whole—parts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/i-sir-take-a-different-view-of-the-whole-matter-i-look-upon-ohio-and/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [“A newcomer could ascertain the identity of a town's true leaders – which storekeeper was respected, which farmer was listened to other farmers –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/a-newcomer-could-ascertain-the-identity-of-a-town-s-true-leaders/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [“MR. CALHOUN.   Never, never. MR. WEBSTER.   What he means he is very apt to say. MR. CALHOUN.   Always, always. MR. WEBSTER.   And I honor him for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/mr-calhoun-never-never-mr-webster-what-he-means-he-is-very-apt-to-say/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [“When Silent Cal Coolidge noted that “You don’t have to explain something you haven’t said,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/when-silent-cal-coolidge-noted-that-you-don-t-have-to-explain/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [“...his success in public relations had been due primarily to his masterful utilization of a single public relations technique: identifying himself with a popular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/his-success-in-public-relations-had-been-due-primarily-to-his/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [“With a note of sadness, Wicker wrote in 1983 that “the reverence, the childlike dependence, the willingness to follow where the President leads, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/with-a-note-of-sadness-wicker-wrote-in-1983-that-the-reverence-the/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [“He won that election in the byways,” Bill Deason says. Ava Cox says: “That’s what made Lyndon Johnson be elected the first time.… He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/he-won-that-election-in-the-byways-bill-deason-says-ava-cox-says-that/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [“IS WHERE POWER GOES”: the most significant factor in any equation that adds up to political power, Lyndon Johnson had assured his allies, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/is-where-power-goes-the-most-significant-factor-in-any-equation-that/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [“A candidate who, night after night, tries “to capitalize on the emotion of honest patriotism, cheapens the impulse.… It is like playing on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/a-candidate-who-night-after-night-tries-to-capitalize-on-the-emotion/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [“Ask not what you have done for Lyndon Johnson, but what you have done for him lately.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/ask-not-what-you-have-done-for-lyndon-johnson-but-what-you-have-done/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) [Explore all 41 Robert A. Caro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) ## More Lyndon johnson quotes > [ \[Lyndon \] Johnson was responding to a black freedom movement that was tearing the country open and he did what he had to do… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/lyndon-johnson-was-responding-to-a-black-freedom-movement-that-was/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [Lyndon Johnson faced some clear moral issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/lyndon-johnson-faced-some-clear-moral-issues/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Everyone believed the Senate could not really be led. It used to take so long to rise up through seniority. In two years Lyndon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-caro/everyone-believed-the-senate-could-not-really-be-led-it-used-to-take/) [Robert Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-caro/) > [Like Lyndon Johnson, President Obama understands that timidity in a time of troubles is a prescription for failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-dallek/like-lyndon-johnson-president-obama-understands-that-timidity-in-a/) [Robert Dallek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-dallek/) > [“Abraham Lincoln struck off the chains of black Americans, but it was Lyndon Johnson who led them into voting booths, closed democracy’s sacred curtain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-caro/abraham-lincoln-struck-off-the-chains-of-black-americans-but-it-was/) [Robert A. Caro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-caro/) > [Originally, John Kennedy was going to come speak, and then Lyndon Johnson. Because it was October of '62, neither made it because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/originally-john-kennedy-was-going-to-come-speak-and-then-lyndon/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) > [The most intimidating world leader was Lyndon Johnson, who became U.S. President when John Kennedy was assassinated. He exulted in this power and liked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-johnson/the-most-intimidating-world-leader-was-lyndon-johnson-who-became-u-s/) [Paul Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-johnson/) > [Every politician - FDR, Lyndon Johnson, Abraham Lincoln, Barack Obama - they're all conservative by nature. They are part of the big thing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/every-politician-fdr-lyndon-johnson-abraham-lincoln-barack-obama-they/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [Lyndon Johnson rose above the doubt and fear to hold this Nation on course until we rediscovered our faith in ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/lyndon-johnson-rose-above-the-doubt-and-fear-to-hold-this-nation-on/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [ Years of concentration solely on work and individual success meant that in his retirement \[Lyndon Johnson\] could find no solace in family, in recreation,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/years-of-concentration-solely-on-work-and-individual-success-meant/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [Much of the conventional wisdom associated with Vietnam was highly inaccurate. Far from an inevitable result of the imperative to contain communism, the war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-r-mcmaster/much-of-the-conventional-wisdom-associated-with-vietnam-was-highly/) [H. R. McMaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-r-mcmaster/) > [I wasn't part of John Kennedy's vision of the world, or Lyndon Johnson's. I thought of them as anti-Communist imperial monsters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/i-wasn-t-part-of-john-kennedy-s-vision-of-the-world-or-lyndon-johnson/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [Lyndon Johnson may have escalated the war, but when I was drafted and shipped off to Vietnam, the signature on my orders was Nixon's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-gunton/lyndon-johnson-may-have-escalated-the-war-but-when-i-was-drafted-and/) [Bob Gunton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-gunton/) > [The American people on the ground need a clearer, stronger, Lyndon B. Johnson-type voice from their president. Obama has that voice. It has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-jackson/the-american-people-on-the-ground-need-a-clearer-stronger-lyndon-b/) [Jesse Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-jackson/) > [President Lyndon Johnson's high spirits were marked as he circulated among the many guests whom he had invited to witness an event he confidently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/president-lyndon-johnson-s-high-spirits-were-marked-as-he-circulated/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) [Browse all 144 Lyndon johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lyndon-johnson/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But then one evening in November, 1939, the Smiths were returning from Johnson City, where they had been attending a declamation contest, and as they neared their farmhouse, something was different. “Oh my God,” her mother said. “The house is on fire!” But as they got closer, they saw the light wasn’t fire. “No, Mama,” Evelyn said. “The lights are on.” They were on all over the Hill Country. “And all over the Hill Country,” Stella Gliddon says, “people began to name their kids for Lyndon Johnson.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert A. 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