--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I thought,” Eleanor said carefully, “that…" description: "\"“I thought,” Eleanor said carefully, “that I might even look around. Old houses are usually cheap, you know, and it’s fun to make them over.” “Not arou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/shirley-jackson-1526_first-time_i-thought-eleanor-said-carefully-that-i_1890982.jpg" --- # I thought,” Eleanor said carefully, “that I might even… ![“I thought,” Eleanor said carefully, “that I might even look around. Old houses are usually cheap, you know, and it’s fun to make them over.” “Not around here,” the girl said. “Then,” Eleanor said, “there are no old houses around here? Back in the hills?” “Nope.” The man rose, taking change from…” quote by Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/shirley-jackson-1526_first-time_i-thought-eleanor-said-carefully-that-i_1890982.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/shirley-jackson-1526_first-time_i-thought-eleanor-said-carefully-that-i_1890982.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ba4/shirley-jackson-1526_first-time_i-thought-eleanor-said-carefully-that-i_1890982.jpg) > ““I thought,” Eleanor said carefully, “that I might even look around. Old houses are usually cheap, you know, and it’s fun to make them over.” “Not around here,” the girl said. “Then,” Eleanor said, “there are no old houses around here? Back in the hills?” “Nope.” The man rose, taking change from his pocket, and spoke for the first time. “People leave this town,” he said. “They don’t come here.”” [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Eleanor seeks cheap old houses to renovate, but discovers none exist, highlighting false hopes. **In simple terms:** Eleanor’s house‑hunting hopes are crushed. Key Takeaway Check reality before investing effort. Themes hope disappointment realism Mood cautious realistic Type advice observational When to use this quote - real estate hunting - renovation projects - relocation plans Key Concepts expectation vs. reality urban decay Questions to Reflect On - How do you verify opportunities before committing? - What signs indicate a venture may be a mirage? A Different Perspective Idealizing opportunities can lead to wasted resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eleanor Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eleanor-said-1046048/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Old house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-house/) [Old houses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-houses/) [People Leave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-leave/) [Said Eleanor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-eleanor-2616050/) [Thought Eleanor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-eleanor-1145923/) [Town Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/town-said-360738/) ## Related quotes > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [“He would not chance arrest by crawling into a corner of one of the old houses on Lower Broadway where the cops swept through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kennedy/he-would-not-chance-arrest-by-crawling-into-a-corner-of-one-of-the/) [William Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kennedy/) > [Put in hours and hours of planning, figure everything down to the last detail, then what? Burglar alarms start going off all overthe place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-maddow/put-in-hours-and-hours-of-planning-figure-everything-down-to-the-last/) [Ben Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-maddow/) > [I think the perception of me can be, you know, confused. But thats only because people only see that side of me when Im…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-kerr/i-think-the-perception-of-me-can-be-you-know-confused-but-thats-only/) [Miranda Kerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-kerr/) > [And there were times when one yielded quite shamelessly to the sentimental. They were more likely to be times of crickets, I think, than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-gray-otis-dwight/and-there-were-times-when-one-yielded-quite-shamelessly-to-the/) [Harrison Gray Otis Dwight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-gray-otis-dwight/) > [Old houses, I thought, do not belong to people ever, not really, people belong to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gladys-taber/old-houses-i-thought-do-not-belong-to-people-ever-not-really-people/) [Gladys Taber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-taber/) > [And so we stayed out in the garden of the old house until we couldn't kick a ball, laughing in the gathering twilight, making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-parsons/and-so-we-stayed-out-in-the-garden-of-the-old-house-until-we-couldn-t/) [Tony Parsons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-parsons/) > [We don't have to remain in this radically destructive mind-set and institutional-set. We can change, and the natural order of things could emerge in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-hock/we-don-t-have-to-remain-in-this-radically-destructive-mind-set-and/) [Dee Hock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-hock/) > [Old houses mended, Cost little less than new before they're ended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/old-houses-mended-cost-little-less-than-new-before-they-re-ended/) [Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/) > [Traditional dinosaur theory is full of short circuits. Like the antiquated wiring in an old house, the details sputter and burn out when specific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-t-bakker/traditional-dinosaur-theory-is-full-of-short-circuits-like-the/) [Robert T. Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-t-bakker/) > [Famous old houses seem to have an intuitive perception of the value of corner lots. If it is a possible thing, they always set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bailey-aldrich/famous-old-houses-seem-to-have-an-intuitive-perception-of-the-value/) [Thomas Bailey Aldrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bailey-aldrich/) > [An old house with its windows gone always makes me think of something dead with its eyes picked out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/an-old-house-with-its-windows-gone-always-makes-me-think-of-something/) [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/) > [My first job was in a nursing home - a terrible place in retrospect. It was in an old house, and the residents were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-edwards/my-first-job-was-in-a-nursing-home-a-terrible-place-in-retrospect-it/) [Kim Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-edwards/) > [When you stroll through Munich it can happen that you suddenly stand in front of an old house, an idyllically-dreaming church that smiles like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/when-you-stroll-through-munich-it-can-happen-that-you-suddenly-stand/) [Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/) > [I love antique architecture, so if I have any indulgences, I have owned and renovated and reconstructed a lot of old houses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-hall/i-love-antique-architecture-so-if-i-have-any-indulgences-i-have-owned/) [Daryl Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-hall/) ## More by Shirley Jackson > [I can't help it when people are frightened," says Merricat. "I always want to frighten them more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-can-t-help-it-when-people-are-frightened-says-merricat-i-always/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“She could not remember ever being truly happy in her adult life; her years with her mother had been built up devotedly around small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/she-could-not-remember-ever-being-truly-happy-in-her-adult-life-her/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Upstairs Margaret said abruptly, 'I suppose it starts to happen first in the suburbs,' and when Brad said, 'What starts to happen?' she said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/upstairs-margaret-said-abruptly-i-suppose-it-starts-to-happen-first/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“The beautiful clarity of all marked outlines occurred to her--there would be a deep satisfaction in strengthening fences, for instance, going along on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/the-beautiful-clarity-of-all-marked-outlines-occurred-to-her-there/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“And we held each other in the dark hall and laughed, with the tears running down our cheeks and echoes of our laughter going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/and-we-held-each-other-in-the-dark-hall-and-laughed-with-the-tears/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Why do people want to talk to each other? I mean, what are the things people always want to find out about other people?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/why-do-people-want-to-talk-to-each-other-i-mean-what-are-the-things/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/within-walls-continued-upright-bricks-met-neatly-floors-were-firm-and/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“It was as though the people needed the ugliness of the village, and fed on it. The houses and the stores seemed to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/it-was-as-though-the-people-needed-the-ugliness-of-the-village-and/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Eleanor—“I plan to stay up and read for a while.” “Are you still reading Pamela?” Eleanor asked the doctor. “Volume two. I have three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/eleanor-i-plan-to-stay-up-and-read-for-a-while-are-you-still-reading/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“Is everyone really crazy but me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/is-everyone-really-crazy-but-me/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [February, when the days of winter seem endless and no amount of wistful recollecting can bring back any air of summer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/february-when-the-days-of-winter-seem-endless-and-no-amount-of/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [“it’s quite a hazard, quite a hazard indeed, people knocking you down. Still, it’s a genuine pleasure to find one as willing as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/it-s-quite-a-hazard-quite-a-hazard-indeed-people-knocking-you-down/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [On the moon we have everything. Lettuce, and pumpkin pie and Amanita phalloides. We have cat-furred plants and horses dancing with their wings. All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/on-the-moon-we-have-everything-lettuce-and-pumpkin-pie-and-amanita/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [She walked quickly around her one-room apartment. After more than four years in this one home she knew all its possibilities, how it could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/she-walked-quickly-around-her-one-room-apartment-after-more-than-four/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [I very much dislike writing about myself or my work, and when pressed for autobiographical material can only give a bare chronological outline which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-very-much-dislike-writing-about-myself-or-my-work-and-when-pressed/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) [Explore all 224 Shirley Jackson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) ## More First time quotes > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. 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And for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/i-m-waiting-for-you-he-murmured-smiling-a-slow-familiar-grin-that/) [Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/) > [“Treat every natural beauty you met as if you see them for the first and last time!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/treat-every-natural-beauty-you-met-as-if-you-see-them-for-the-first/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“I won’t break your heart. For the first time in my life, I’ve found something worth fighting for, someone more important than me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelle-bliss/i-won-t-break-your-heart-for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-ve-found/) [Chelle Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelle-bliss/) > [Life is like a parachute jump: you have to get it right the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-is-like-a-parachute-jump-you-have-to-get-it-right-the-first-time/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [When I was in my twenties and just so sexually prolific, the first time I went to Machu Picchu, this guy, a spiritual teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-and-just-so-sexually-prolific-the-first/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [When my kids were in the school play for the first time, I decided I had to make the costumes from scratch and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-alexander/when-my-kids-were-in-the-school-play-for-the-first-time-i-decided-i/) [Sarah Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-alexander/) > [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/) [Mennah al refaey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mennah-al-refaey/) > [“Or maybe your magic isn't that destructive after all. 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