--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I did not matter what distant iron city…" description: "\"“I did not matter what distant iron city had raised him. He had been made by Sorry-in-the-Vale, his bones as much a part of it as the valley and the wo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/sarah-rees-brennan-994_mattered_i-did-not-matter-what-distant-iron-city_1033954.png" --- # I did not matter what distant iron city had raised him. He… ![“I did not matter what distant iron city had raised him. He had been made by Sorry-in-the-Vale, his bones as much a part of it as the valley and the woods. It was as if she had the whole town spread underneath her. Or the whole world, since right then he was the only part of it that mattered.” quote by Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/sarah-rees-brennan-994_mattered_i-did-not-matter-what-distant-iron-city_1033954.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/sarah-rees-brennan-994_mattered_i-did-not-matter-what-distant-iron-city_1033954.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/sarah-rees-brennan-994_mattered_i-did-not-matter-what-distant-iron-city_1033954.png) > ““I did not matter what distant iron city had raised him. He had been made by Sorry-in-the-Vale, his bones as much a part of it as the valley and the woods. It was as if she had the whole town spread underneath her. Or the whole world, since right then he was the only part of it that mattered.”” [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) ## 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 feels wholly connected to his homeland, as if the land itself defines his identity and purpose. **In simple terms:** He belongs completely to his valley. Key Takeaway Recognize how place shapes self. Themes identity belonging nature connection Mood reflective poetic Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - travel writing - personal reflection - community building Key Concepts regionalism environmental identity spiritual geography Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your environment define you? - Can you feel whole without a specific place? A Different Perspective Identity can be limiting if tied only to place. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Did Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-matter-540567/) [Distant Iron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distant-iron-2378874/) [Iron City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/iron-city-2378873/) [Mattered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mattered/) [Romantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romantic/) [Sorry Vale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorry-vale-1166084/) [Whole world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-world/) ## Related quotes > [Sorry-in-the-Vale, Sorriest River, Crying Pools," said Jared. "Is the quarry called Really Depressed Quarry?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/sorry-in-the-vale-sorriest-river-crying-pools-said-jared-is-the/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [“Did it matter? George thought perhaps it did, and not in terms of finding truth or of any hope of discovering what really happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/did-it-matter-george-thought-perhaps-it-did-and-not-in-terms-of/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [“To whom did it matter? Did those to whom it mattered matter?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/to-whom-did-it-matter-did-those-to-whom-it-mattered-matter/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [“Actually the contents of these books mattered little. What did matter was what they first felt when they went into the library, where they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/actually-the-contents-of-these-books-mattered-little-what-did-matter/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [...much of what was said did not matter, and that much of what mattered could not be said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-boo/much-of-what-was-said-did-not-matter-and-that-much-of-what-mattered/) [Katherine Boo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-boo/) > [Nothing else ever mattered to me, and you weren’t even real. All I ever wanted was you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/nothing-else-ever-mattered-to-me-and-you-weren-t-even-real-all-i-ever/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [“What did it matter where you lay once you were dead? In a dirty sump or in a marble tower on top of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/what-did-it-matter-where-you-lay-once-you-were-dead-in-a-dirty-sump-2/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [“What did it matter where you lay once you were dead? In a dirty sump or in a marble tower on top of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/what-did-it-matter-where-you-lay-once-you-were-dead-in-a-dirty-sump/) [raymond chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [If youth did not matter so much to itself, it would never have the heart to go on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/if-youth-did-not-matter-so-much-to-itself-it-would-never-have-the/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [What if we found ourselves building something that nobody wanted? In that case what did it matter if we did it on time and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/what-if-we-found-ourselves-building-something-that-nobody-wanted-in/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [It did not matter, after all. He was only one man. One man's fate is not important. "If it is not, what is?" He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/it-did-not-matter-after-all-he-was-only-one-man-one-man-s-fate-is-not/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“What was I was dying for? The sins of the past? The wrongs of the present? Did it even matter?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-michelle-burnett/what-was-i-was-dying-for-the-sins-of-the-past-the-wrongs-of-the/) [Dana Michelle Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-michelle-burnett/) > [“God, what did any of it matter, in the end? You lived; you died. You were as indistinguishable from a distance as one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/god-what-did-any-of-it-matter-in-the-end-you-lived-you-died-you-were/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [“What did it matter what she wrote about a dead Swedish girl, when people in other parts of the world did nothing but kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-marklund/what-did-it-matter-what-she-wrote-about-a-dead-swedish-girl-when/) [Liza Marklund](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-marklund/) > [“What did it matter if something scared you, when it simply had to be done?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-quinn/what-did-it-matter-if-something-scared-you-when-it-simply-had-to-be/) [Kate Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-quinn/) ## More by Sarah Rees Brennan > [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [I wish," Jared began, and stopped, breathing in. "Do you remember how you used to believe I wasn't real? Sometimes I wish that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/i-wish-jared-began-and-stopped-breathing-in-do-you-remember-how-you/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [“I saw strangers’ faces passing me, a brief sympathetic glance, a wolf whistle from a car at the soaking-wet girl. No help was to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/i-saw-strangers-faces-passing-me-a-brief-sympathetic-glance-a-wolf/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [Nick looked vaguely homicidal, but that was sort of his default expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/nick-looked-vaguely-homicidal-but-that-was-sort-of-his-default/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [“You should wear whatever clothing you feel most comfortable in. Being comfortable in yourself is the best way to be attractive to others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-should-wear-whatever-clothing-you-feel-most-comfortable-in-being/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [Jared glared. Some people, Kami knew, had bedroom eyes. She was saddened to have to admit that Jared had filthy alleyway eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/jared-glared-some-people-kami-knew-had-bedroom-eyes-she-was-saddened/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [“There was silence in her head and silence beneath her window, and still she could not sleep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/there-was-silence-in-her-head-and-silence-beneath-her-window-and/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [“I'm not doing much, said Jared, warm in her mind, the amusement lingering. Just stuck in an elevator with this creepy Asian girl giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/i-m-not-doing-much-said-jared-warm-in-her-mind-the-amusement/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [“The most annoying thing, perhaps, was that the elven troop were obviously good people and were being kind to them, and yet Elliot felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/the-most-annoying-thing-perhaps-was-that-the-elven-troop-were/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [She clenched her fist in his T-shirt, put her other arm around those too-broad, too-real shoulders. When he tried to pull away, she held…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/she-clenched-her-fist-in-his-t-shirt-put-her-other-arm-around-those/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [“You existing in the world is all I need.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-existing-in-the-world-is-all-i-need/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [I don't want to seem ungrateful when you have given me this thoughtful, homemade and totally terrifying gift," Jamie told him. "But you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/i-don-t-want-to-seem-ungrateful-when-you-have-given-me-this/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [She was kind of in love with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/she-was-kind-of-in-love-with-him/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [Kami'd always retold her fairy tales to make the fair maidens braver and more self-sufficient, but she had never had any real objection to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/kami-d-always-retold-her-fairy-tales-to-make-the-fair-maidens-braver/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > ["Lay the knife at the tips of your fingers," Rob commanded. "So close youcan feel the blade against your skins. Then cut the shadow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/lay-the-knife-at-the-tips-of-your-fingers-rob-commanded-so-close/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) [Explore all 313 Sarah Rees Brennan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) ## More Mattered quotes > [“History mattered. But it could not guarantee what might happen next.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-gable/history-mattered-but-it-could-not-guarantee-what-might-happen-next/) [Michelle Gable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-gable/) > [“Climbing mattered. The danger bathed the world in a halogen glow that caused everything—the sweep of the rock, the orange and yellow lichens, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/climbing-mattered-the-danger-bathed-the-world-in-a-halogen-glow-that/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“Knowing you don’t have much time left changes things. You get kind of philosophical. And you figure things out—more like, they figure themselves out—and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/knowing-you-don-t-have-much-time-left-changes-things-you-get-kind-of/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) > [“There it was, Hema must have thought; it was both the sorry and the thank-you that was so long overdue, and the funny thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/there-it-was-hema-must-have-thought-it-was-both-the-sorry-and-the/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [Death mattered not -- It was a mere puncutation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-huggins/death-mattered-not-it-was-a-mere-puncutation/) [Nathan Huggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-huggins/) > [Why was it that they could never shout like that about anything that mattered?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/why-was-it-that-they-could-never-shout-like-that-about-anything-that/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [“I don't. If it mattered to me even one bit, I wouldn't be here with you, Nakano-san!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maki-murakami/i-don-t-if-it-mattered-to-me-even-one-bit-i-wouldn-t-be-here-with-you/) [Maki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maki-murakami/) > [His face was in my neck and he was breathing hard. Was he grieving me? Already? Would he miss me? Had I, in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/his-face-was-in-my-neck-and-he-was-breathing-hard-was-he-grieving-me/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [He was the closest thing I'd ever had to something, or someone, that mattered. But in the end, close didn't count. You were either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/he-was-the-closest-thing-i-d-ever-had-to-something-or-someone-that/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“Your first kiss isn’t as important as your last. The math test really didn’t matter. The pie really did. The stuff you’re good at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-wate/your-first-kiss-isn-t-as-important-as-your-last-the-math-test-really/) [Ethan Wate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-wate/) > [At this point in my life I'd like to live as if only love mattered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chapman/at-this-point-in-my-life-i-d-like-to-live-as-if-only-love-mattered/) [Tracy Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chapman/) > [ All I cared about was the music, like hearing Townes \[ Van Zandt\] talking about "For the sake of the song"; it's all that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-young/all-i-cared-about-was-the-music-like-hearing-townes-van-zandt-talking/) [Steve Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-young/) > [We'd grown up without any money. I mean, everything was a struggle; our lives were a struggle, and dancing changed all of that. Nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlene-phillips/we-d-grown-up-without-any-money-i-mean-everything-was-a-struggle-our/) [Arlene Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlene-phillips/) > [“She had realized something over the recent months: it didn’t matter who you were or what you’d accomplished in life; none of that mattered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindy-zart/she-had-realized-something-over-the-recent-months-it-didn-t-matter/) [Lindy Zart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindy-zart/) > [It was a recession when I graduated, but I was so unequipped to have a job anyway, I don't think it would have mattered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/it-was-a-recession-when-i-graduated-but-i-was-so-unequipped-to-have-a/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) [Browse all 263 Mattered quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mattered/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I did not matter what distant iron city had raised him. He had been made by Sorry-in-the-Vale, his bones as much a part of it as the valley and the woods. It was as if she had the whole town spread underneath her. Or the whole world, since right then he was the only part of it that mattered.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Rees Brennan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/i-did-not-matter-what-distant-iron-city-had-raised-him-he-had-been/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Mattered" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/i-did-not-matter-what-distant-iron-city-had-raised-him-he-had-been/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/sarah-rees-brennan-994_mattered_i-did-not-matter-what-distant-iron-city_1033954.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/sarah-rees-brennan-994_mattered_i-did-not-matter-what-distant-iron-city_1033954.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a6/sarah-rees-brennan-994_mattered_i-did-not-matter-what-distant-iron-city_1033954.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I did not matter what distant iron city had raised him. He had been made by Sorry-in-the-Vale, his bones as…” — Sarah Rees Brennan", "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": "Sarah Rees Brennan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I did not matter what distant...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/i-did-not-matter-what-distant-iron-city-had-raised-him-he-had-been/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/i-did-not-matter-what-distant-iron-city-had-raised-him-he-had-been/#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 } } ] } ```