---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But the real interesting stuff is in the…"
description: "\"But the real interesting stuff is in the cellar and the attic.\" — Sherman Alexie"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/sherman-alexie-444_attic_but-the-real-interesting-stuff-is-in-the_404762.png"
---

#  But the real interesting stuff is in the cellar and the…

![“But the real interesting stuff is in the cellar and the attic.” quote by Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/sherman-alexie-444_attic_but-the-real-interesting-stuff-is-in-the_404762.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/sherman-alexie-444_attic_but-the-real-interesting-stuff-is-in-the_404762.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/sherman-alexie-444_attic_but-the-real-interesting-stuff-is-in-the_404762.png)

> “But the real interesting stuff is in the cellar and the attic.”

[Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Suggests that hidden, unexpected places hold the most intriguing discoveries.

**In simple terms:** The best stuff is often hidden.

Key Takeaway

Explore overlooked areas.

Themes

curiosity discovery depth

Mood

reflective inquisitive

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- research
- creative brainstorming
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

hidden layers unexpected insight exploration

Questions to Reflect On

- What 'cellars' have you ignored?
- How can you seek value in the mundane?

A Different Perspective

May ignore obvious solutions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Interesting stuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interesting-stuff/)

## Related quotes

> [“Originally, the cellar served primarily as a coal store. Today it holds the boiler, idle suitcases, out-of-season sporting equipment, and many sealed cardboard boxes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/originally-the-cellar-served-primarily-as-a-coal-store-today-it-holds/)

[Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/)

> [People don't tend to notice, but in the past 10 years especially there's been a lot of growth in how I write songs and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-darnielle/people-don-t-tend-to-notice-but-in-the-past-10-years-especially-there/)

[John Darnielle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-darnielle/)

> [Nanotechnology is really interesting to me. Stuff to sort of make our world a better place, and a cleaner place, through science. And it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-alba/nanotechnology-is-really-interesting-to-me-stuff-to-sort-of-make-our/)

[Jessica Alba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-alba/)

> [There's a grand tradition of a lot of interesting stuff that happens to these post-presidents. Especially in this day and age where you leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mandel/there-s-a-grand-tradition-of-a-lot-of-interesting-stuff-that-happens/)

[David Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mandel/)

> [To paraphrase president Kennedy's inaugural, the torch has been passed to a new generation of cartoonists and they are doing really interesting stuff, taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mankoff/to-paraphrase-president-kennedy-s-inaugural-the-torch-has-been-passed/)

[Robert Mankoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mankoff/)

> [I think some of the most interesting stuff was seeing how the Dark Web works and seeing how easy it is for hackers to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-eastwood/i-think-some-of-the-most-interesting-stuff-was-seeing-how-the-dark/)

[Scott Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-eastwood/)

> [So many movies are so formulaic because you've got to get it done in an hour and a half. On a TV series, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-campbell/so-many-movies-are-so-formulaic-because-you-ve-got-to-get-it-done-in/)

[Billy Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-campbell/)

> [Never try to get your kid to eat anything she doesn't already want to eat. Just eat interesting stuff in front of her while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bourdain/never-try-to-get-your-kid-to-eat-anything-she-doesn-t-already-want-to/)

[Anthony Bourdain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bourdain/)

> [As a kid, I was always into art at the same time as computers, and eventually I realised I was making more interesting stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-koblin/as-a-kid-i-was-always-into-art-at-the-same-time-as-computers-and/)

[Aaron Koblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-koblin/)

> [I have been able to watch the Clintons and The Clinton Foundation; Al Gore and what he did post-losing the whole Florida thing. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mandel/i-have-been-able-to-watch-the-clintons-and-the-clinton-foundation-al/)

[David Mandel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mandel/)

> [If you directly try to write about an idea, it will never be what you imagined. But if you're imagining through the building of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-spiotta/if-you-directly-try-to-write-about-an-idea-it-will-never-be-what-you/)

[Dana Spiotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-spiotta/)

> [I've made it clear to my agents that I want more interesting stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wopat/i-ve-made-it-clear-to-my-agents-that-i-want-more-interesting-stuff/)

[Tom Wopat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wopat/)

> [I've had some interesting stuff happen to me - so why doesn't anyone ask me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-marshall/i-ve-had-some-interesting-stuff-happen-to-me-so-why-doesn-t-anyone/)

[Amanda Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-marshall/)

> [I'm into the vampire stuff. I think it's really fascinating and interesting. There's a lot of history behind all of that, and if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-votsis/i-m-into-the-vampire-stuff-i-think-it-s-really-fascinating-and/)

[Gloria Votsis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-votsis/)

> [I think the most interesting stuff comes from people who've just got nothing to lose. You know, let's kamikaze this thing - just throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-ruscha/i-think-the-most-interesting-stuff-comes-from-people-who-ve-just-got/)

[Edward Ruscha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-ruscha/)

## More by Sherman Alexie

> [“He says the earth is an oval marble that nobody can win. He says the sky is not blue and the grass is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/he-says-the-earth-is-an-oval-marble-that-nobody-can-win-he-says-the/)

[Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

> [“Now, in the old days, Indians used to be forgiving of any kind of eccentricity. In fact, weird people were often celebrated. Epileptics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/now-in-the-old-days-indians-used-to-be-forgiving-of-any-kind-of/)

[Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

> [Since Jesus was human then he most assuredly farted and burped. And if God did create us in God's image then God must fart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/since-jesus-was-human-then-he-most-assuredly-farted-and-burped-and-if/)

[Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

> [“A century ago she might have been beautiful, her face reflected in the river instead of a mirror. But all the years have changed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/a-century-ago-she-might-have-been-beautiful-her-face-reflected-in-the/)

[Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

> [“In all those stories, I could fly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/in-all-those-stories-i-could-fly/)

[Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

> [I don't think there's a whole lot of class literature at all. I think most of that has become racially based, and people don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-whole-lot-of-class-literature-at-all-i-think/)

[Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

> [She wanted to be buried in a coffin filled with used paperbacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/she-wanted-to-be-buried-in-a-coffin-filled-with-used-paperbacks/)

[Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

> [“Is there really a difference between that killing and this killing? Does God approve of some killing and not other killing? If I kill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/is-there-really-a-difference-between-that-killing-and-this-killing/)

[Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

> [“Son, things have never been like how you think they used to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/son-things-have-never-been-like-how-you-think-they-used-to-be/)

[Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

> [My parents banned nothing, though the Christian fundamentalists in my tribe held book-and-record burnings every now and again. So, yes, fundamentalist assholes can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/my-parents-banned-nothing-though-the-christian-fundamentalists-in-my/)

[Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

> [“Or maybe I could have anesthetized myself with homework and extra credit and binge-reading.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/or-maybe-i-could-have-anesthetized-myself-with-homework-and-extra/)

[Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

> [“Dear wife, I'm sorry that I am mysteriously incapable of folding clean laundry, but I iron, oh, I iron. Sweetheart, I'll make your white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/dear-wife-i-m-sorry-that-i-am-mysteriously-incapable-of-folding-clean/)

[Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

> [“Gordy,” I said. “I need to talk to you." "I don't have time," he said. "Mr. Orcutt and I have to debug some PCs.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/gordy-i-said-i-need-to-talk-to-you-i-don-t-have-time-he-said-mr/)

[Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

> [“The United States wants all of us to forget the crimes it committed against the indigenous. The United States wants us to forget. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/the-united-states-wants-all-of-us-to-forget-the-crimes-it-committed/)

[Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

> [I think that white women are more apt to read laterally. So I think there's some strong identification for women, and their political and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/i-think-that-white-women-are-more-apt-to-read-laterally-so-i-think/)

[Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

[Explore all 546 Sherman Alexie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/)

## More Attic quotes

> [About two years into living in Toronto, my apartment burned to the ground. My husband and I ended up living in his grandparents' attic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-murphy/about-two-years-into-living-in-toronto-my-apartment-burned-to-the/)

[Annie Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-murphy/)

> [“The attic of your beautiful throat is laced with owl and cobweb. Night sings north, the need of winter. Look up and know what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-france/the-attic-of-your-beautiful-throat-is-laced-with-owl-and-cobweb-night/)

Linda France

> [“A book is like a trapdoor that leads to a secret attic: You can open it and go inside. And your world is different.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-iturbe/a-book-is-like-a-trapdoor-that-leads-to-a-secret-attic-you-can-open/)

[Antonio Iturbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-iturbe/)

> [“The Citizen's attic was, objectively, breathtaking. The place was littered with trunks and old clothes and wardrobes and pieces of furniture and strange metal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-genevieve-tucholke/the-citizen-s-attic-was-objectively-breathtaking-the-place-was/)

[April Genevieve Tucholke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/april-genevieve-tucholke/)

> [“Before she knew it, she was just another set of eyes in a dusty attic, waiting for the stairs to creak.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-moran/before-she-knew-it-she-was-just-another-set-of-eyes-in-a-dusty-attic/)

[Kelly Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-moran/)

> [By the year 1670, wooden chimneys and log houses of the Plymouth and Bay colonies were replaced by more sightly houses of two stories,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-morse-earle/by-the-year-1670-wooden-chimneys-and-log-houses-of-the-plymouth-and/)

[Alice Morse Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-morse-earle/)

> [“Nothing is more charming than the glow of happiness amid squalor. There is a rose-tinted attic in all our lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/nothing-is-more-charming-than-the-glow-of-happiness-amid-squalor/)

[Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/)

> [American journalism's crazy old aunt in the attic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-thomas/american-journalism-s-crazy-old-aunt-in-the-attic/)

[Helen Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-thomas/)

> [I always kinda liked our attic ghost. When I was a kid, I used to go up there and read stories to it. Show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudia-gray/i-always-kinda-liked-our-attic-ghost-when-i-was-a-kid-i-used-to-go-up/)

[Claudia Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudia-gray/)

> [For my seventh birthday, my parents gave me a plain, unfinished wooden dollhouse. It had six empty rooms, two floors, a staircase, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-courtney-sullivan/for-my-seventh-birthday-my-parents-gave-me-a-plain-unfinished-wooden/)

[J. Courtney Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-courtney-sullivan/)

> [“Sara!" she cried, aghast. "Mamma Sara!" She was aghast because the attic was so bare and ugly and seemed so far away from all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/sara-she-cried-aghast-mamma-sara-she-was-aghast-because-the-attic-was/)

[Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/)

> [“Turning fifty is an entirely different matter altogether. “At fifty, the madwoman in the attic breaks loose, stomps down the stairs, and sets fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/turning-fifty-is-an-entirely-different-matter-altogether-at-fifty-the/)

[Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/)

> [“We all have a secret buried under lock and key in the attic of our soul”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/we-all-have-a-secret-buried-under-lock-and-key-in-the-attic-of-our/)

[Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/)

> [You may be embarrassed about the way you looked and the wacky clothes you wore when you were young, but normally, at least it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-oates/you-may-be-embarrassed-about-the-way-you-looked-and-the-wacky-clothes/)

[John Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-oates/)

> [“You don't ask questions of an attic”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/you-don-t-ask-questions-of-an-attic/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

Browse all 72 Attic quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "But the real interesting stuff is in the cellar and the attic.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sherman Alexie"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/but-the-real-interesting-stuff-is-in-the-cellar-and-the-attic/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Attic"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/but-the-real-interesting-stuff-is-in-the-cellar-and-the-attic/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/sherman-alexie-444_attic_but-the-real-interesting-stuff-is-in-the_404762.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/sherman-alexie-444_attic_but-the-real-interesting-stuff-is-in-the_404762.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9d/sherman-alexie-444_attic_but-the-real-interesting-stuff-is-in-the_404762.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But the real interesting stuff is in the cellar and the attic.” — Sherman Alexie",
                "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": "Sherman Alexie",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "But the real interesting stuff is...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/but-the-real-interesting-stuff-is-in-the-cellar-and-the-attic/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/but-the-real-interesting-stuff-is-in-the-cellar-and-the-attic/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
