--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Truly landlocked people know they are…" description: "\"“Truly landlocked people know they are. Know the occasional Bitter Creek or Powder River that runs through Wyoming; that the large tidy Salt Lake of Ut..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/toni-morrison-271_long-time_truly-landlocked-people-know-they-are-kn_3042054.jpg" --- # Truly landlocked people know they are. Know the occasional… ![“Truly landlocked people know they are. Know the occasional Bitter Creek or Powder River that runs through Wyoming; that the large tidy Salt Lake of Utah is all they have of the sea and that they must content themselves with bank, shore, beach because they cannot claim a coast. And having none…” quote by Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/toni-morrison-271_long-time_truly-landlocked-people-know-they-are-kn_3042054.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/toni-morrison-271_long-time_truly-landlocked-people-know-they-are-kn_3042054.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f50/toni-morrison-271_long-time_truly-landlocked-people-know-they-are-kn_3042054.jpg) > ““Truly landlocked people know they are. Know the occasional Bitter Creek or Powder River that runs through Wyoming; that the large tidy Salt Lake of Utah is all they have of the sea and that they must content themselves with bank, shore, beach because they cannot claim a coast. And having none, seldom dream of flight. But the people living in the Great Lakes region are confused by their place on the country’s edge - an edge that is border but not coast. They seem to be able to live a long time believing, as coastal people do, that they are at the frontier where final exit and total escape are the only journeys left. But those five Great Lakes which the St. Lawrence feeds with memories of the sea are themselves landlocked, in spite of the wandering river that connects them to the Atlantic. Once the people of the lake region discover this, the longing to leave becomes acute, and a break from the area, therefore, is necessarily dream-bitten, but necessary nonetheless.”” [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on how people in landlocked regions, especially the Great Lakes area, feel a paradoxical longing for escape despite being surrounded by water, highlighting a psychological tension between perceived frontier freedom and actual confinement. **In simple terms:** Landlocked people feel trapped yet crave escape. Key Takeaway Recognize and address the yearning for change. Themes identity place longing escape psychology Mood reflective melancholy Type philosophical observational literary When to use this quote - career decisions - relocation planning - personal growth - community development Key Concepts frontier myth regional identity psychological geography Questions to Reflect On - How does geography shape your sense of possibility? - What can you create locally to satisfy the urge to flee? A Different Perspective The desire for escape may overlook the value of local opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Landlocked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/landlocked-727581/) [Landlocked People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/landlocked-people-5020055/) [Landlocked Spite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/landlocked-spite-5020057/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Michigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/michigan/) [Sea Landlocked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea-landlocked-5020056/) [Truly Landlocked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truly-landlocked-5020058/) ## Related quotes > [“Truly landlocked people know they are. 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