--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: New York is the only real city-city." description: "\"New York is the only real city-city.\" — Truman Capote" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/007/truman-capote-376_cities_new-york-is-the-only-real-city-city-2599_2599771.jpg" --- # New York is the only real city-city. ![“New York is the only real city-city.” quote by Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/007/truman-capote-376_cities_new-york-is-the-only-real-city-city-2599_2599771.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/007/truman-capote-376_cities_new-york-is-the-only-real-city-city-2599_2599771.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/007/truman-capote-376_cities_new-york-is-the-only-real-city-city-2599_2599771.jpg) > “New York is the only real city-city.” [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. New York uniquely embodies authentic urban experience, unlike any other city. **In simple terms:** New York is the ultimate real city. Key Takeaway Explore the city's genuine character. Themes urban life authenticity identity Mood reflective nostalgic Type literary observational When to use this quote - travel - urban studies - literary analysis Key Concepts city culture personal identity Questions to Reflect On - What makes a city feel 'real' to you? - How does New York differ from other metropolises? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/) [Great cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-cities/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [New york city](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york-city/) ## Related quotes > [I'm going to show you the real New York - witty, smart, and international - like any metropolis. Tell me this: where in Europe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/i-m-going-to-show-you-the-real-new-york-witty-smart-and-international/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) > [There are so many things I'd like to do. I'd really like to be in a period piece that takes place in old New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-slate/there-are-so-many-things-i-d-like-to-do-i-d-really-like-to-be-in-a/) [Jenny Slate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-slate/) > [If there ever was an aviary overstocked with jays it is that Yaptown-on-the-Hudson, call New York. Cosmopolitan they call it, you bet. So's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/o-henry/if-there-ever-was-an-aviary-overstocked-with-jays-it-is-that-yaptown/) [O. Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/o-henry/) > [Old New York City is a friendly old town From Washington Heights to Harlem on down There's a-mighty many people all millin' all around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/old-new-york-city-is-a-friendly-old-town-from-washington-heights-to/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [“Gentrification had stopped dead several doors west of my spot overlooking Avenue B. You could actually see the line. That side of the line;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-ellis/gentrification-had-stopped-dead-several-doors-west-of-my-spot/) [Warren Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-ellis/) > [In New York you've got to have all the luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/in-new-york-you-ve-got-to-have-all-the-luck/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [Schlepping around from city to city is nothing I want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-mcvie/schlepping-around-from-city-to-city-is-nothing-i-want-to-do/) [Christine McVie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-mcvie/) > [Well, very long ago, on the spot where the Wild Wood waves now, before ever it had planted itself and grown up to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/well-very-long-ago-on-the-spot-where-the-wild-wood-waves-now-before-2/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [“It's never the same city. Your city isn't even the same as my city, I bet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/it-s-never-the-same-city-your-city-isn-t-even-the-same-as-my-city-i/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“in fact what makes the city a city is that it lets you hide the strangeness in your mind inside its teeming multitudes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/in-fact-what-makes-the-city-a-city-is-that-it-lets-you-hide-the/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [I am my city. Nobody from my city wants to hear about my city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-wayne/i-am-my-city-nobody-from-my-city-wants-to-hear-about-my-city/) [Lil Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-wayne/) > [In a city, the city lived in pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-a-city-the-city-lived-in-pain/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not a big fan of moving from city to city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hill/i-m-not-a-big-fan-of-moving-from-city-to-city/) [George Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hill/) > [New York has a trip-hammer vitality which drives you insane with restlessness if you have no inner stabilizer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/new-york-has-a-trip-hammer-vitality-which-drives-you-insane-with/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [There is no place like it, no place with an atom of its glory, pride, and exultancy. It lays its hand upon a man's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/there-is-no-place-like-it-no-place-with-an-atom-of-its-glory-pride/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) ## More by Truman Capote > [“You can beat your brains out for her, and she’ll hand you horseshit on a platter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/you-can-beat-your-brains-out-for-her-and-she-ll-hand-you-horseshit-on/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“The walls of the cell fell away, the sky came down, I saw the big yellow bird.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/the-walls-of-the-cell-fell-away-the-sky-came-down-i-saw-the-big/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“Don't wanna ride on the devil's side...just wanna ride with you”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/don-t-wanna-ride-on-the-devil-s-side-just-wanna-ride-with-you/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [Wrinkles and bones, white hair and diamonds: I can't wait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/wrinkles-and-bones-white-hair-and-diamonds-i-can-t-wait/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [You can't blame a writer for what the characters say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/you-can-t-blame-a-writer-for-what-the-characters-say/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [There is really no practical help that one can offer; it is a matter of self-discovery, of one's own convictions, or working with one's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/there-is-really-no-practical-help-that-one-can-offer-it-is-a-matter/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“...Narcissus was so egotist...he was merely another of us who, in our unshatterable isolation, recognized, on seeing his reflection, the beautiful comrade, the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/narcissus-was-so-egotist-he-was-merely-another-of-us-who-in-our/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“Is it - I'm not certain - possible to love someone if your first interest is the use you can make of him? Doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/is-it-i-m-not-certain-possible-to-love-someone-if-your-first-interest/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [One of the most difficult things in writing a novel or anything at all is to choose the point of view from which it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/one-of-the-most-difficult-things-in-writing-a-novel-or-anything-at/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [I've never worked for a newspaper. I've had some very bad reviews in newspapers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/i-ve-never-worked-for-a-newspaper-i-ve-had-some-very-bad-reviews-in/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [But, my dear, so few things are fulfilled: what are most lives but a series of incompleted episodes? 'We work in the dark, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/but-my-dear-so-few-things-are-fulfilled-what-are-most-lives-but-a/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“…she, glittery voyager of secure destination, steamed down the harbor with whistles whistling and confetti in the air.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/she-glittery-voyager-of-secure-destination-steamed-down-the-harbor/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“Because it's indeed difficult to portray, in any meaningful depth, another being, his appearance, speech, mentality, without to some degree, and often for quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/because-it-s-indeed-difficult-to-portray-in-any-meaningful-depth/) [truman capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“It's a bore, but the answer is good things only happen to you if you're good. Good? Honest is more what I mean. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/it-s-a-bore-but-the-answer-is-good-things-only-happen-to-you-if-you/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“In the courtyard there was an angel of black stone, and its angel head rose above giant elephant leaves; the stark glass angel eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/in-the-courtyard-there-was-an-angel-of-black-stone-and-its-angel-head/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) [Explore all 585 Truman Capote quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) ## More Cities quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Cities are 2% of the earth's crust, but they are 50% of the world's population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-ratti/cities-are-2-of-the-earth-s-crust-but-they-are-50-of-the-world-s/) [Carlo Ratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-ratti/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) James Cross Giblin > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/vienna-is-a-handsome-lively-city-and-pleases-me-exceedingly/) [Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 7,153 Cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "New York is the only real city-city.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Truman Capote" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/new-york-is-the-only-real-city-city/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cities" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/new-york-is-the-only-real-city-city/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/007/truman-capote-376_cities_new-york-is-the-only-real-city-city-2599_2599771.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/007/truman-capote-376_cities_new-york-is-the-only-real-city-city-2599_2599771.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/007/truman-capote-376_cities_new-york-is-the-only-real-city-city-2599_2599771.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“New York is the only real city-city.” — Truman Capote", "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": "Truman Capote", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "New York is the only real...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/new-york-is-the-only-real-city-city/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/new-york-is-the-only-real-city-city/#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 } } ] } ```