--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But in Hiroshima, some people were wiped…" description: "\"But in Hiroshima, some people were wiped clean away, leaving only a wristwatch or a diary page. So no matter that I have inhibitions to fill all my poc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/sarah-kay-3508_be-proud_but-in-hiroshima-some-people-were-wiped_3031132.png" --- # But in Hiroshima, some people were wiped clean away… ![“But in Hiroshima, some people were wiped clean away, leaving only a wristwatch or a diary page. So no matter that I have inhibitions to fill all my pockets, I keep trying, hoping that one day I'll write a poem I can be proud to let sit in a museum exhibit as the only proof I existed.” quote by Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/sarah-kay-3508_be-proud_but-in-hiroshima-some-people-were-wiped_3031132.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/sarah-kay-3508_be-proud_but-in-hiroshima-some-people-were-wiped_3031132.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/sarah-kay-3508_be-proud_but-in-hiroshima-some-people-were-wiped_3031132.png) > “But in Hiroshima, some people were wiped clean away, leaving only a wristwatch or a diary page. So no matter that I have inhibitions to fill all my pockets, I keep trying, hoping that one day I'll write a poem I can be proud to let sit in a museum exhibit as the only proof I existed.” [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on loss and the desire for lasting legacy, using Hiroshima as a stark image of how fleeting life can be, and vows to create art that endures beyond mortality. **In simple terms:** Wants lasting art despite life's fragility. Key Takeaway Create meaningful work now. Themes legacy art mortality memory creativity Mood reflective determined Type poetic inspirational When to use this quote - writing poetry - museum curation - personal reflection - historical remembrance Key Concepts existentialism impermanence self-expression Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to leave a mark? - How do we balance personal ambition with humility? A Different Perspective Art may never guarantee lasting recognition or may be misinterpreted. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Be proud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-proud/) [Clean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clean/) [Diaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diaries/) [Exhibits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exhibits/) [Hiroshima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hiroshima/) [Hiroshima People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hiroshima-people-3961881/) [Hopeful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hopeful/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Inhibitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inhibitions/) [Keep trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keep-trying/) [Leaving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaving/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Museums](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/museums/) [One day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/one-day/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Wiped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-wiped-2613796/) [Pockets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pockets/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poignant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poignant/) [Proof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proof/) [Proud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proud/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Wiped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wiped/) [Wiped Clean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wiped-clean-2763769/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“When they bombed Hiroshima, the explosion formed a mini-supernova, so every living animal, human or plant that received direct contact with the rays from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/when-they-bombed-hiroshima-the-explosion-formed-a-mini-supernova-so/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [We are still living in the aftershock of Hiroshima, people are still the scars of history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bond/we-are-still-living-in-the-aftershock-of-hiroshima-people-are-still/) [Edward Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bond/) > [Hiroshima”, I find a few of the lines to be very poignant yet hopeful. These lines are: “But in Hiroshima, some people were wiped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/hiroshima-i-find-a-few-of-the-lines-to-be-very-poignant-yet-hopeful/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“People wiped away their tears. That was the American way. Grieve, and then get up and fight. These people were ready to do just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sansbury-smith/people-wiped-away-their-tears-that-was-the-american-way-grieve-and/) [Nicholas Sansbury Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sansbury-smith/) > [“so at least she could feel less singled out, less repulsed by herself, less like a spot on the world that should have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/so-at-least-she-could-feel-less-singled-out-less-repulsed-by-herself/) [Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/) > [“Oh what 1happy progress one makes with the weight of sin and guilt removed and one’s slate wiped clean!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-ois-du-toit/oh-what-1happy-progress-one-makes-with-the-weight-of-sin-and-guilt/) [François Du Toit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-ois-du-toit/) > [Nothing bubbled up from the depths. For once, the present was so alive and captivating that the past was not even an echo or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/nothing-bubbled-up-from-the-depths-for-once-the-present-was-so-alive/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [Sunday Morning is like having the week's slate wiped clean so that I can start again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sunday-morning-is-like-having-the-week-s-slate-wiped-clean-so-that-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“So many dreams wiped out in one split second”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-linn/so-many-dreams-wiped-out-in-one-split-second/) [A.J Linn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-linn/) > [Until I was on Twitter, trust me: I was completely wiped off everybody's consciousness in Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lexi-alexander/until-i-was-on-twitter-trust-me-i-was-completely-wiped-off-everybody/) [Lexi Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lexi-alexander/) > [Statistics are human beings with the tears wiped off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-brodeur/statistics-are-human-beings-with-the-tears-wiped-off/) [Paul Brodeur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-brodeur/) > [“He didn’t just give you a pretty screen saver, ignoring all the viruses, porn and spyware on your hard drive. He wiped the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-crowder/he-didn-t-just-give-you-a-pretty-screen-saver-ignoring-all-the/) [John Crowder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-crowder/) > [“I could tell we were going to get along from the way he wiped his ass—on my tie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-could-tell-we-were-going-to-get-along-from-the-way-he-wiped-his-ass/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [When I was first introduced to CrossFit, I found it to be the hardest workout that I'd ever done. It wiped the floor with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-harper/when-i-was-first-introduced-to-crossfit-i-found-it-to-be-the-hardest/) [Bob Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-harper/) > [“When I wiped you from the book of memory, I did not know I was striking out half my life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nizar-qabbani/when-i-wiped-you-from-the-book-of-memory-i-did-not-know-i-was/) [Nizar Qabbani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nizar-qabbani/) ## More by Sarah Kay > [It’s not just the adage ‘write what you know,’ it’s about gathering up all of the knowledge and experience you’ve collected up to now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/it-s-not-just-the-adage-write-what-you-know-it-s-about-gathering-up/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [Thinking about writing as an act of celebration is sometimes a helpful framework for me. It allows me to prioritize what I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/thinking-about-writing-as-an-act-of-celebration-is-sometimes-a/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [I don't think it's about art being a career but it's about making sure that if art is something that you love, something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/i-don-t-think-it-s-about-art-being-a-career-but-it-s-about-making/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [I use poetry to help me work through what I don’t understand, but I show up to each new poem with a backpack full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/i-use-poetry-to-help-me-work-through-what-i-don-t-understand-but-i/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“Once, she fell off of a ladder when I was three. She says all she was worried about was my face as I watched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/once-she-fell-off-of-a-ladder-when-i-was-three-she-says-all-she-was/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“I love you as much as the ocean kisses the shore no matter how many times it is sent away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/i-love-you-as-much-as-the-ocean-kisses-the-shore-no-matter-how-many/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [I write poetry to figure things out. It's what I use as a navigating tool in my life, so when there's something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/i-write-poetry-to-figure-things-out-it-s-what-i-use-as-a-navigating/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [Not all poetry wants to be storytelling. And not all storytelling wants to be poetry. But great storytellers and great poets share something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/not-all-poetry-wants-to-be-storytelling-and-not-all-storytelling/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [Poetry makes people nervous. Especially in schools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/poetry-makes-people-nervous-especially-in-schools/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [There are parts of me I only recognize from photographs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/there-are-parts-of-me-i-only-recognize-from-photographs/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“What is it about immortality? With the right sword and shield, we think we can fend off anger, fear, and hatred. If our legs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/what-is-it-about-immortality-with-the-right-sword-and-shield-we-think/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“And the spaces that he never saw: the ones my parents had labeled private parts when I was still small enough to fit all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/and-the-spaces-that-he-never-saw-the-ones-my-parents-had-labeled/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [Think it's so unfair when people think that you're not a "real artist" unless you're getting paid for it…I personally know so many poets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/think-it-s-so-unfair-when-people-think-that-you-re-not-a-real-artist/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“There is a girl who still writes you; she doesn’t know how not to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/there-is-a-girl-who-still-writes-you-she-doesn-t-know-how-not-to/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [My first spoken word poem, packed with all the wisdom of a 14-year-old, was about the injustice of being seen as unfeminine. The poem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/my-first-spoken-word-poem-packed-with-all-the-wisdom-of-a-14-year-old/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) [Explore all 129 Sarah Kay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) ## More Be proud quotes > [At the end of night, before you close your eyes, be content with what you've done and be proud of who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-almond/at-the-end-of-night-before-you-close-your-eyes-be-content-with-what/) [Steve Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-almond/) > [Your aunt and uncle will be proud, though, won't they?" said Hermione as they got off the train and joined the crowd thronging toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-aunt-and-uncle-will-be-proud-though-won-t-they-said-hermione-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Do not be proud of your inconsistency. It is a pity, it is a pity that we should be equipped like this. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/do-not-be-proud-of-your-inconsistency-it-is-a-pity-it-is-a-pity-that/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [You just have to keep trying to do good work, and hope that it leads to more good work. I want to look back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/you-just-have-to-keep-trying-to-do-good-work-and-hope-that-it-leads/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [All of my decisions I made when I was a kid were decisions, would my mother and father be proud of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-venturi/all-of-my-decisions-i-made-when-i-was-a-kid-were-decisions-would-my/) [Ken Venturi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-venturi/) > [We had pathetically simple dreams: to do meaningful work that we could be proud of, to be together, and to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/we-had-pathetically-simple-dreams-to-do-meaningful-work-that-we-could/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) > [the Republicans love to say that the Democratic Party is ruled by 'special interests.' But when pressed to name these 'special interests,' the usual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-ferraro/the-republicans-love-to-say-that-the-democratic-party-is-ruled-by/) [Geraldine Ferraro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-ferraro/) > [You should never be proud of doing the right thing. You should just do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-smith/you-should-never-be-proud-of-doing-the-right-thing-you-should-just-do/) [Dean Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-smith/) > [I hate pride, but if I were going to be proud of anything it would have to be something I'd done myself. Race pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carroll-o-connor/i-hate-pride-but-if-i-were-going-to-be-proud-of-anything-it-would/) [Carroll O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carroll-o-connor/) > [What I have most learned from my son is to respect him and to love him unconditionally. I believe that if parents respect their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-angel-ruiz/what-i-have-most-learned-from-my-son-is-to-respect-him-and-to-love/) [Miguel Angel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-angel-ruiz/) > [I was a breed of people who aren't capable of doing anything, really. At college I began to get the idea that being macho…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-seymour-hoffman/i-was-a-breed-of-people-who-aren-t-capable-of-doing-anything-really/) [Philip Seymour Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-seymour-hoffman/) > [Any society that doesn't take care of its weaker younger members is not one to be proud of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-march/any-society-that-doesn-t-take-care-of-its-weaker-younger-members-is/) [Stephanie March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-march/) > [ The thing most worth doing in this modern world \[is to\] create jobs that men can work at, and be proud of, and make… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevil-shute/the-thing-most-worth-doing-in-this-modern-world-is-to-create-jobs/) [Nevil Shute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevil-shute/) > [I cannot understand how anyone can be an Indian and not be proud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-cannot-understand-how-anyone-can-be-an-indian-and-not-be-proud/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [...We are intensely proud of their noble record and are glad to have had the whole world see how irresistible they are in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/we-are-intensely-proud-of-their-noble-record-and-are-glad-to-have-had/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) [Browse all 563 Be proud quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-proud/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But in Hiroshima, some people were wiped clean away, leaving only a wristwatch or a diary page. 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