--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How sociable the garden was. We ate and…" description: "\"How sociable the garden was. We ate and talked in given light. The children put their toys to grass All the warm wakeful August night.\" — Thom Gunn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/thom-gunn-15259_august_how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-t_79218.png" --- # How sociable the garden was. We ate and talked in given… ![“How sociable the garden was. We ate and talked in given light. The children put their toys to grass All the warm wakeful August night.” quote by Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/thom-gunn-15259_august_how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-t_79218.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/thom-gunn-15259_august_how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-t_79218.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/thom-gunn-15259_august_how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-t_79218.png) > “How sociable the garden was. We ate and talked in given light. The children put their toys to grass All the warm wakeful August night.” [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A vivid scene of a lively garden gathering, highlighting communal warmth and the innocent joy of children playing under a summer night sky. **In simple terms:** Garden gathering in summer night Key Takeaway Community thrives in shared, simple moments Themes community nature summer family joy Mood nostalgic tranquil warm Type descriptive scene-setting reflective When to use this quote - family dinner outdoors - children playing after sunset - friends sharing a meal Key Concepts social interaction seasonal atmosphere Practical Applications - event planning for outdoor gatherings - writing evocative scene descriptions Questions to Reflect On - How does setting influence the mood of a gathering? - What role do children play in shaping the atmosphere? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/august/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garden/) [Gardening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gardening/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Summer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer/) [Toys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toys/) ## Related quotes > [“And right there on the soft grass, in the warm sunlight, our three hearts beat as one once again and we share every breath,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sierra-simone/and-right-there-on-the-soft-grass-in-the-warm-sunlight-our-three/) [Sierra Simone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sierra-simone/) > [As for being sociable, I hate the phoniness in the showbiz world. I know this will be taken wrong, but I don't like clubs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/as-for-being-sociable-i-hate-the-phoniness-in-the-showbiz-world-i/) [Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/) > [My opinions are aggressive, I admit that. But not my personality. I'm sociable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-sharon/my-opinions-are-aggressive-i-admit-that-but-not-my-personality-i-m/) [Ariel Sharon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-sharon/) > [Be civil to all; serviceable to many; familiar with few; friend to one; enemy to none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/be-civil-to-all-serviceable-to-many-familiar-with-few-friend-to-one/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“The truly creative mind is hardly ever so much alone as when it is trying to be sociable. The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-hofstadter/the-truly-creative-mind-is-hardly-ever-so-much-alone-as-when-it-is/) [Richard Hofstadter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-hofstadter/) > [The older I get, the more of a recluse I turn into. I love the social aspect of my work. It’s like a commune…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-daniels/the-older-i-get-the-more-of-a-recluse-i-turn-into-i-love-the-social/) [Ben Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-daniels/) > [Holmes has become the dark side of the moon for me. He is moody and solitary and underneath I am really sociable and gregarious.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-brett/holmes-has-become-the-dark-side-of-the-moon-for-me-he-is-moody-and/) [Jeremy Brett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-brett/) > [“We are born to talk to other people, ... we are born to be sociable and to sit together with others in the shade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/we-are-born-to-talk-to-other-people-we-are-born-to-be-sociable-and-to/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [She and my uncle were very sociable and would have a lot of people over at night to play cards or whatever. The high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-fletcher/she-and-my-uncle-were-very-sociable-and-would-have-a-lot-of-people/) [Louise Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-fletcher/) > [“To be sociable is a risky thing—even fatal—because it means being in contact with people, most of whom are dull, perverse and ignorant and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/to-be-sociable-is-a-risky-thing-even-fatal-because-it-means-being-in/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [On the internet: Ugh I hate people so much! Applying for a job: I love working with people and I'm very sociable. :](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/on-the-internet-ugh-i-hate-people-so-much-applying-for-a-job-i-love/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“When you are alone in the wilderness, opinions or beliefs of any kind are dropped as the absurd accoutrements they are. But after being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/when-you-are-alone-in-the-wilderness-opinions-or-beliefs-of-any-kind/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [Nature's prime favourites were the Pelicans; High-fed, long-lived, and sociable and free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-montgomery/nature-s-prime-favourites-were-the-pelicans-high-fed-long-lived-and/) [James Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-montgomery/) > [More and more I like to take a train. I understand why the French prefer it to automobiling it is so much more sociable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/more-and-more-i-like-to-take-a-train-i-understand-why-the-french/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [HERMIT, n. A person whose vices and follies are not sociable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/hermit-n-a-person-whose-vices-and-follies-are-not-sociable/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) ## More by Thom Gunn > [It was difficult being a teacher and out of the closet in the '50s. By the time I retired, the English department was proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/it-was-difficult-being-a-teacher-and-out-of-the-closet-in-the-50s-by/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [We tend to put poems into factions. And it restricts our reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/we-tend-to-put-poems-into-factions-and-it-restricts-our-reading/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [We control the content of our dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/we-control-the-content-of-our-dreams/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [Deep feeling doesn't make for good poetry. A way with language would be a bit of help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/deep-feeling-doesn-t-make-for-good-poetry-a-way-with-language-would/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [My old teacher's definition of poetry is an attempt to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/my-old-teacher-s-definition-of-poetry-is-an-attempt-to-understand/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [I admired what my students were writing, but I think their improvement doesn't directly result from me but from being in a class, being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/i-admired-what-my-students-were-writing-but-i-think-their-improvement/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [One joins the movement in a valueless world, Choosing it, till both hurler and the hurled, One moves as well, always toward, toward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/one-joins-the-movement-in-a-valueless-world-choosing-it-till-both/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [As humans we look at things and think about what we've looked at. We treasure it in a kind of private art gallery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/as-humans-we-look-at-things-and-think-about-what-we-ve-looked-at-we/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [I was at a benefit for some imprisoned students in the '60s at San Francisco State, and there were lots of poets reading for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/i-was-at-a-benefit-for-some-imprisoned-students-in-the-60s-at-san/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [“At worse, one is in motion; and at best, Reaching no absolute, in which to rest, One is always nearer by not keeping still.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/at-worse-one-is-in-motion-and-at-best-reaching-no-absolute-in-which/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [There have been two popular subjects for poetry in the last few decades: the Vietnam War and AIDS, about both of which almost all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/there-have-been-two-popular-subjects-for-poetry-in-the-last-few/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [I deliberately wrote a poem in my last book where I was suggesting that there are other passions as great as or more important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/i-deliberately-wrote-a-poem-in-my-last-book-where-i-was-suggesting/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [I was much influenced by Jean-Paul Sartre.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/i-was-much-influenced-by-jean-paul-sartre/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [I don't think of sex as a self-destructive impulse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/i-don-t-think-of-sex-as-a-self-destructive-impulse/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) > [Ginsberg's Collected Poems contains a wonderful poem about making it with Neal Cassady.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/ginsberg-s-collected-poems-contains-a-wonderful-poem-about-making-it/) [Thom Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) [Explore all 43 Thom Gunn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/) ## More August quotes > [On the McLaughlin Report, August 26, 1990: 'There are only two groups that are beating the drums for war in the middle East, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/on-the-mclaughlin-report-august-26-1990-there-are-only-two-groups/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [Meanwhile after failing the bar twice, I knew some people in New York and moved here in August '71.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-quine/meanwhile-after-failing-the-bar-twice-i-knew-some-people-in-new-york/) [Robert Quine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-quine/) > [I had the advantage, that I know Swedish. So I had the Swedish book and I had a lot of English translations, and German…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-ullmann/i-had-the-advantage-that-i-know-swedish-so-i-had-the-swedish-book-and/) [Liv Ullmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-ullmann/) > [I love the little garden in the back of my family's brownstone in Brooklyn. Digging out there in the dirt is a joy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/i-love-the-little-garden-in-the-back-of-my-family-s-brownstone-in/) [Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/) > [I can see that I imagine all kinds of rejection that never happens. I can see that I beg and plead for love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/i-can-see-that-i-imagine-all-kinds-of-rejection-that-never-happens-i/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [August depresses me a little. I don't even feel like eating. And when I don't eat, that's a sure sign of stagnation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willard-scott/august-depresses-me-a-little-i-don-t-even-feel-like-eating-and-when-i/) [Willard Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willard-scott/) > [August, the summer's last messenger of misery, is a hollow actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/august-the-summer-s-last-messenger-of-misery-is-a-hollow-actor/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [ It \[August 10th 1792\] was the bloodiest day of the Revolution so far, but also one of the most decisive. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-doyle/it-august-10th-1792-was-the-bloodiest-day-of-the-revolution-so-far/) William Doyle > [It's August, which means Congress is on recess and Mitch McConnell has shimmied back into the ocean to seek a mate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/it-s-august-which-means-congress-is-on-recess-and-mitch-mcconnell-has/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [I studied acting in NYU's graduate program, in which we covered everything from Ibsen and Chekov to August Wilson and David Mamet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/i-studied-acting-in-nyu-s-graduate-program-in-which-we-covered/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) > [There could be oil coming up until August.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-browner/there-could-be-oil-coming-up-until-august/) [Carol Browner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-browner/) > [The 6th of August in the morning we saw an opening in the land and we ran into it, and anchored in 7 and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-dampier/the-6th-of-august-in-the-morning-we-saw-an-opening-in-the-land-and-we/) [William Dampier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-dampier/) > [August creates as she slumbers, replete and satisfied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-wood-krutch/august-creates-as-she-slumbers-replete-and-satisfied/) [Joseph Wood Krutch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-wood-krutch/) > [I left for Petersburg in August, 1871 and stayed there until 1879.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-spitteler/i-left-for-petersburg-in-august-1871-and-stayed-there-until-1879/) Carl Spitteler > [“The first look I got of August, well, it made me want to cover my eyes and run away screaming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-palacio/the-first-look-i-got-of-august-well-it-made-me-want-to-cover-my-eyes/) [R.J. Palacio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-j-palacio/) [Browse all 448 August quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/august/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "How sociable the garden was. We ate and talked in given light. The children put their toys to grass All the warm wakeful August night.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thom Gunn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-talked-in-given-light-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "August" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-talked-in-given-light-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/thom-gunn-15259_august_how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-t_79218.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/thom-gunn-15259_august_how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-t_79218.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/865/thom-gunn-15259_august_how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-t_79218.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How sociable the garden was. We ate and talked in given light. The children put their toys to grass All the…” — Thom Gunn", "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": "Thom Gunn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-gunn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "How sociable the garden was. We...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-talked-in-given-light-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-gunn/how-sociable-the-garden-was-we-ate-and-talked-in-given-light-the/#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 } } ] } ```