--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I could spend the whole afternoon telling…" description: "\"“I could spend the whole afternoon telling you about him, but it's not gonna do much good, is it? You never smelled his hair after he just got out of t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/tom-perrotta-3008_being-a-parent_i-could-spend-the-whole-afternoon-tellin_1465412.jpg" --- # I could spend the whole afternoon telling you about him… ![“I could spend the whole afternoon telling you about him, but it's not gonna do much good, is it? You never smelled his hair after he just got out of the bath, or carried him from the car after he'd fallen asleep on the way home, or heard the way he laughed when someone tickled him. So you'll just…” quote by Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/tom-perrotta-3008_being-a-parent_i-could-spend-the-whole-afternoon-tellin_1465412.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/tom-perrotta-3008_being-a-parent_i-could-spend-the-whole-afternoon-tellin_1465412.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/tom-perrotta-3008_being-a-parent_i-could-spend-the-whole-afternoon-tellin_1465412.jpg) > ““I could spend the whole afternoon telling you about him, but it's not gonna do much good, is it? You never smelled his hair after he just got out of the bath, or carried him from the car after he'd fallen asleep on the way home, or heard the way he laughed when someone tickled him. So you'll just have to take my word for it: He was a great kid and he made you glad to be alive.”” [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) ## 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 emphasizes that personal experience of a loved one’s small, everyday moments conveys their value more than abstract description. **In simple terms:** Stories of daily life show a person’s worth better than facts. Key Takeaway Cherish and share simple moments. Themes memory family appreciation Mood nostalgic warm reflective Type narrative emotional conversational When to use this quote - family gatherings - caregiving - friendship - loss - celebration Key Concepts human connection intimacy presence Questions to Reflect On - How do everyday moments shape your view of someone? - What small actions make you feel alive? A Different Perspective Words alone cannot fully capture lived experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being a parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-a-parent/) [Glad to be alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glad-to-be-alive/) ## Related quotes > [“The birth of a child is a joy to the parent and the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/the-birth-of-a-child-is-a-joy-to-the-parent-and-the-world/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“And then there's Ireneo. I know I'll probably never see him again, but I'm not sad. The mark he left on me, the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assia-petricelli/and-then-there-s-ireneo-i-know-i-ll-probably-never-see-him-again-but/) Assia Petricelli > [“There are the girls we love, the men we look up to, the tenderness, the friendships, the opportunities, the pleasures! But the fact remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/there-are-the-girls-we-love-the-men-we-look-up-to-the-tenderness-the/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“A familiar melody suddenly drifts through the little living room. It makes me freeze, and I don't know why. And then I hear the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-jio/a-familiar-melody-suddenly-drifts-through-the-little-living-room-it/) [Sarah Jio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-jio/) > [He's a great kid. He hates the same way I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kennedy/he-s-a-great-kid-he-hates-the-same-way-i-do/) [Joseph P. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kennedy/) > [My son is a great kid and does super well in school. I couldn't be prouder of him. What I tell him is, 'You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kid-rock/my-son-is-a-great-kid-and-does-super-well-in-school-i-couldn-t-be/) [Kid Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kid-rock/) > [The little boy, Spencer Breslin, it was just so great to have a kid on set. He is talented, he's a pro. He's been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-dhavernas/the-little-boy-spencer-breslin-it-was-just-so-great-to-have-a-kid-on/) [Caroline Dhavernas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-dhavernas/) > [He's such a great kid and such a determined kid, and he's so strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nonito-donaire/he-s-such-a-great-kid-and-such-a-determined-kid-and-he-s-so-strong/) [Nonito Donaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nonito-donaire/) > ['Hocus Pocus' has a great following and was a great part of when I was a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-murray/hocus-pocus-has-a-great-following-and-was-a-great-part-of-when-i-was/) [Sean Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-murray/) > [“See what you've done? It's catching. That great kid, going an extra mile because you're a great kid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-gordon-west/see-what-you-ve-done-it-s-catching-that-great-kid-going-an-extra-mile/) Stanley Gordon West > [You can tell everybody that Eddie Robinson's out looking for a job right now, and believe me, he's a great kid. He's happy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-collier/you-can-tell-everybody-that-eddie-robinson-s-out-looking-for-a-job/) [Paul Collier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-collier/) > [We had a lot of fun together. We really were in sync with each other, a lot.Madisyn Shipman is a great kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-joe-armstrong/we-had-a-lot-of-fun-together-we-really-were-in-sync-with-each-other-a/) [Billie Joe Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-joe-armstrong/) > [Sex is great until you die, but it's never as great as it was when you were a kid, when it was a mystery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/sex-is-great-until-you-die-but-it-s-never-as-great-as-it-was-when-you/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) ## More by Tom Perrotta > [I was also known as Frodo because I was an early adopter of 'The Lord of the Rings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-was-also-known-as-frodo-because-i-was-an-early-adopter-of-the-lord/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [“As far as I could tell, he earned his hundred thousand a year by wandering the hallway with a Styrofoam cup of coffee, smiling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/as-far-as-i-could-tell-he-earned-his-hundred-thousand-a-year-by/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [“thinking how good it was to be free, away from the baby and from Tom, too, the two people who couldn’t help reminding her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/thinking-how-good-it-was-to-be-free-away-from-the-baby-and-from-tom/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [It's like the human race has been programmed for misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/it-s-like-the-human-race-has-been-programmed-for-misery/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [“She took care of evyone with the same no-nonsense air of friendliness and good cheer that made her seem so paradoxically wholesome, as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/she-took-care-of-evyone-with-the-same-no-nonsense-air-of-friendliness/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [Back then, when everybody thought the world would last forever, nobody had time for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/back-then-when-everybody-thought-the-world-would-last-forever-nobody/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [“Stan and Rudy are grown men. It's too late to shape their minds, to teach them values and a sense of compassion. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/stan-and-rudy-are-grown-men-it-s-too-late-to-shape-their-minds-to/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I write about kids growing up, I write a lot about schools and parents, and all of my experiences with those things have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-write-about-kids-growing-up-i-write-a-lot-about-schools-and-parents/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [You could say that this book is ripped from the headlines, but that wouldn't be fair. Bret Anthony Johnston's riveting novel picks up where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/you-could-say-that-this-book-is-ripped-from-the-headlines-but-that/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [The interesting part about the writing process is that you can never see all the way to the end, not if something is happening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/the-interesting-part-about-the-writing-process-is-that-you-can-never/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [“Something had happened to him ove the past couple of years, something to do with being home with Aaron, sinking into the rhythm of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/something-had-happened-to-him-ove-the-past-couple-of-years-something/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [“They were good listeners, worldly yet easily shocked, hungry for details, curious and nonjudgmental at the same time, always happy to give advice, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/they-were-good-listeners-worldly-yet-easily-shocked-hungry-for/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I read 'The Great Gatsby' in high school and was hypnotized by the beauty of the sentences and moved by the story about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-read-the-great-gatsby-in-high-school-and-was-hypnotized-by-the/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [I no longer believe that just about everything is funny, if viewed from the proper angle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-no-longer-believe-that-just-about-everything-is-funny-if-viewed/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) > [“us, Will had invited his camp counselor buddy, Dylan, and Dylan had brought along his roommate, this annoying kid named Sanjay. I mean, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/us-will-had-invited-his-camp-counselor-buddy-dylan-and-dylan-had/) [Tom Perrotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) [Explore all 141 Tom Perrotta quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/) ## More Being a parent quotes > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [Being a parent and having two young kids, I buy Blu-rays and DVDs all the time. It's like buying a toy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-letterman/being-a-parent-and-having-two-young-kids-i-buy-blu-rays-and-dvds-all/) [Rob Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-letterman/) > [The absurd duty, too often inculcated, of obeying a parent only on account of his being a parent, shackles the mind, and prepares it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/the-absurd-duty-too-often-inculcated-of-obeying-a-parent-only-on/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [There are many important elements to being a parent. A lot of people don't have fathers but they might have someone in their life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-tyler/there-are-many-important-elements-to-being-a-parent-a-lot-of-people/) [Liv Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-tyler/) > [Has it ever occurred to you that parents are nothing but overgrown kids until their children drag them into adulthood? Usually kicking and screaming?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/has-it-ever-occurred-to-you-that-parents-are-nothing-but-overgrown/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [There is nothing that can bring you closer to fearlessness about everything else in the world than being a parent - because everyday fears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/there-is-nothing-that-can-bring-you-closer-to-fearlessness-about/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [There's a marketing scheme that tells you that pregnancy and child rearing will make you into a moron, that your kids are only happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dar-williams/there-s-a-marketing-scheme-that-tells-you-that-pregnancy-and-child/) [Dar Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dar-williams/) > [We live in a society now where it's very rare for your parents to be around. It used to be like, your mother, grandmothers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-hahn/we-live-in-a-society-now-where-it-s-very-rare-for-your-parents-to-be/) [Kathryn Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-hahn/) > [My son was born somewhat late in my life and I just found myself really feeling like I didn't want to miss out on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-allen/my-son-was-born-somewhat-late-in-my-life-and-i-just-found-myself/) [Karen Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-allen/) > [Was it the act of giving birth that made you a mother? Did you lose that label when you relinquished your child? If people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/was-it-the-act-of-giving-birth-that-made-you-a-mother-did-you-lose/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [The Lord has directed, Bring up your children in light and truth. To me, there is no more important human effort. Being a father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/the-lord-has-directed-bring-up-your-children-in-light-and-truth-to-me/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [I believe everyone should have the same rights. They say gay marriage ruins families and hurts kids. Well, I've had the privilege of seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/i-believe-everyone-should-have-the-same-rights-they-say-gay-marriage/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [being a parent is not transaction ... we do not get what we give. It is the ultimate pay-it-forward endeavor: we are good parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/being-a-parent-is-not-transaction-we-do-not-get-what-we-give-it-is/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [I believe that children are, by nature, very forgiving. I don't think children expect their parents to be perfect. I think they demand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/i-believe-that-children-are-by-nature-very-forgiving-i-don-t-think/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [Infants and young children are not just sitting twiddling their thumbs, waiting for their parents to teach them to read and do math. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-elkind/infants-and-young-children-are-not-just-sitting-twiddling-their/) [David Elkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-elkind/) [Browse all 154 Being a parent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-a-parent/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I could spend the whole afternoon telling you about him, but it's not gonna do much good, is it? You never smelled his hair after he just got out of the bath, or carried him from the car after he'd fallen asleep on the way home, or heard the way he laughed when someone tickled him. So you'll just have to take my word for it: He was a great kid and he made you glad to be alive.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Perrotta" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-could-spend-the-whole-afternoon-telling-you-about-him-but-it-s-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being a parent" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-could-spend-the-whole-afternoon-telling-you-about-him-but-it-s-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/tom-perrotta-3008_being-a-parent_i-could-spend-the-whole-afternoon-tellin_1465412.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/tom-perrotta-3008_being-a-parent_i-could-spend-the-whole-afternoon-tellin_1465412.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/tom-perrotta-3008_being-a-parent_i-could-spend-the-whole-afternoon-tellin_1465412.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I could spend the whole afternoon telling you about him, but it's not gonna do much good, is it? You never…” — Tom Perrotta", "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": "Tom Perrotta", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perrotta/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I could spend the whole afternoon...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-could-spend-the-whole-afternoon-telling-you-about-him-but-it-s-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perrotta/i-could-spend-the-whole-afternoon-telling-you-about-him-but-it-s-not/#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 } } ] } ```