--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thirty or forty years ago, in one those…" description: "\"Thirty or forty years ago, in one those grey towns along the Burlington railroad which are so much greyer to-day than they were then, there was a house..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/willa-cather-634_atmosphere_thirty-or-forty-years-ago-in-one-those-g_3105381.png" --- # Thirty or forty years ago, in one those grey towns along… ![“Thirty or forty years ago, in one those grey towns along the Burlington railroad which are so much greyer to-day than they were then, there was a house well know from Omaha to Denver for its hospitality and for a certain charm of atmosphere.” quote by Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/willa-cather-634_atmosphere_thirty-or-forty-years-ago-in-one-those-g_3105381.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/willa-cather-634_atmosphere_thirty-or-forty-years-ago-in-one-those-g_3105381.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/willa-cather-634_atmosphere_thirty-or-forty-years-ago-in-one-those-g_3105381.png) > “Thirty or forty years ago, in one those grey towns along the Burlington railroad which are so much greyer to-day than they were then, there was a house well know from Omaha to Denver for its hospitality and for a certain charm of atmosphere.” [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A once‑famous, welcoming house along the Burlington railroad once embodied hospitality and charm, contrasting past vibrancy with present greyness. **In simple terms:** A historic house once symbolized warm hospitality. Key Takeaway Seek community and warmth in changing places. Themes community hospitality nostalgia change place Mood nostalgic thoughtful Type literary reflective When to use this quote - traveling - historical tours - neighborhood revitalization - storytelling events Key Concepts social history urban decay cultural memory Questions to Reflect On - How can you recreate welcoming spaces today? - What does this house teach about community resilience? A Different Perspective May idealize past without addressing current needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atmosphere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atmosphere/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Burlington Railroad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burlington-railroad-1624253/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Charm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charm/) [Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denver/) [Forty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forty/) [Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grey/) [Grey Towns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grey-towns-5399590/) [Hospitality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hospitality/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Omaha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/omaha/) [Railroad Greyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/railroad-greyer-5399591/) [Railroads](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/railroads/) [Thirty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirty/) [Thirty years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thirty-years/) [Towns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/towns/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/) ## Related quotes > [I come from a line of railroad men. My great-grandfather was a surveyor for the Burlington Railroad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moseley/i-come-from-a-line-of-railroad-men-my-great-grandfather-was-a/) [Bill Moseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moseley/) > [“Omaha, Nebraska. Sac City, Iowa. Alexandria, Indiana. Darwin, Minnesota. Hollywood, California. Alliance, Nebraska.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/omaha-nebraska-sac-city-iowa-alexandria-indiana-darwin-minnesota/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Whether we’re talking about socks or stocks, I like buying quality merchandise when it is marked down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/whether-we-re-talking-about-socks-or-stocks-i-like-buying-quality/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [To me the biggest waste of time is commuting. First, there is no place that is less than a two-hour commute from New York.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-lebowitz/to-me-the-biggest-waste-of-time-is-commuting-first-there-is-no-place/) [Fran Lebowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-lebowitz/) > [THE FACT THAT MY DAD IS A PREACHER HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING. HE PROBABLY WOULDN'T AGREE WITH SOME OF MY MATERIAL BUT…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-the-cable-guy/the-fact-that-my-dad-is-a-preacher-has-nothing-to-do-with-anything-he/) [Larry the Cable Guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-the-cable-guy/) > [Important days don't look like anything special when they start. Invariably, the sun rises and people wake up. Coffee is swilled and eggs are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-lieb/important-days-don-t-look-like-anything-special-when-they-start/) [Josh Lieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-lieb/) > [If I'm lucky, in a month from now, best-case scenario, I'm managing a Cinnabon in Omaha.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul/if-i-m-lucky-in-a-month-from-now-best-case-scenario-i-m-managing-a/) [Saul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul/) > [You think we got it bad in Omaha, or in any city in the United States, and then you go to a different country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-crawford/you-think-we-got-it-bad-in-omaha-or-in-any-city-in-the-united-states/) [Terence Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-crawford/) > [You try to tell me anything about the newspaper business! Sir, I have been through it from Alpha to Omaha, and I tell you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/you-try-to-tell-me-anything-about-the-newspaper-business-sir-i-have/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Omaha is a little like Newark, without Newark's glamour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/omaha-is-a-little-like-newark-without-newark-s-glamour/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [Omaha, like Rome, is built on seven hills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-payne/omaha-like-rome-is-built-on-seven-hills/) [Alexander Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-payne/) > [Well, when people ask where I'm from, I usually say the Midwest, because that covers both homes, in a way. Obviously I was born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-buffett/well-when-people-ask-where-i-m-from-i-usually-say-the-midwest-because/) [Peter Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-buffett/) > [I think you should read everything you can. In my case, by the age of 10, I'd read every book in the Omaha public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/i-think-you-should-read-everything-you-can-in-my-case-by-the-age-of/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [Edmonton is Canada's answer to Omaha. Solid, unassuming, and surrounded by a whole lot of nothing. It's a place that makes you think of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-reichs/edmonton-is-canada-s-answer-to-omaha-solid-unassuming-and-surrounded/) [Kathy Reichs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-reichs/) > [I try to do what I call the three E's - educate, entertain, and enlighten. If you don't entertain, no one will show up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hanks/i-try-to-do-what-i-call-the-three-e-s-educate-entertain-and-enlighten/) [Tom Hanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hanks/) ## More by Willa Cather > [The end is nothing; the road is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-end-is-nothing-the-road-is-all/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Success is less interesting than struggle. There is great pleasure in the effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/success-is-less-interesting-than-struggle-there-is-great-pleasure-in/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“I only knew the schoolbooks said he "died in the wilderness, of a broken heart." "More than him has done that," said Antonia sadly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/i-only-knew-the-schoolbooks-said-he-died-in-the-wilderness-of-a/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“Have the last word ma'm," he said cheerfully. "It's a lady's privilege.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/have-the-last-word-ma-m-he-said-cheerfully-it-s-a-lady-s-privilege/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > ["More than him has done that," said Antonia sadly, and the girls murmured assent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/more-than-him-has-done-that-said-antonia-sadly-and-the-girls-murmured/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Nothing mattered ... but writing books, and living the kind of life that made it possible to write them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/nothing-mattered-but-writing-books-and-living-the-kind-of-life-that/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“Money and office and success are the consolations of impotence. Fortune turns kind to such solid people and lets them suck their bone in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/money-and-office-and-success-are-the-consolations-of-impotence/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [But she still had that something which fires the imagination, could still stop one's breath for a moment by a look or gesture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/but-she-still-had-that-something-which-fires-the-imagination-could/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“You remember how homesick I used to get, and what long talks we used to have coming from school? We've someway always felt alike…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/you-remember-how-homesick-i-used-to-get-and-what-long-talks-we-used/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“He placed this book in my grandmother's hands, looked at her entreatingly, and said, with an earnestness which I shall never forget, "Te-e-ach, te-e-ach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/he-placed-this-book-in-my-grandmother-s-hands-looked-at-her/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [The sincerity of feeling that is possible between a writer and a reader is one of the finest things I know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/the-sincerity-of-feeling-that-is-possible-between-a-writer-and-a/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [One realizes that human relationships are the tragic necessity of human life; that they can never be wholly satisfactory, that every ego is half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/one-realizes-that-human-relationships-are-the-tragic-necessity-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Our tree became the talking tree of the fairy tale; legends and stories nestled like birds in its branches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/our-tree-became-the-talking-tree-of-the-fairy-tale-legends-and/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [“Isn’t it queer: there are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/isn-t-it-queer-there-are-only-two-or-three-human-stories-and-they-go/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) [Explore all 434 Willa Cather quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) ## More Atmosphere quotes > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [Man will not always stay on Earth; the pursuit of light and space will lead him to penetrate the bounds of the atmosphere, timidly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/man-will-not-always-stay-on-earth-the-pursuit-of-light-and-space-will/) [Konstantin Tsiolkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/) > [Pause before you get home and prepare your heart. A peaceful heart leads to a peaceful atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-burns/pause-before-you-get-home-and-prepare-your-heart-a-peaceful-heart/) [Jim Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-burns/) > [Sometimes a minute is really the difference between success and failure. There are times when you finish with ten seconds left, and one extra…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-symon/sometimes-a-minute-is-really-the-difference-between-success-and/) [Michael Symon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-symon/) > [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Washington bureaucrats have classified the very air we exhale as a pollutant and have gone unchallenged in this incredible assertion. The logical consequence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/washington-bureaucrats-have-classified-the-very-air-we-exhale-as-a/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [“Atmosphere" is a massive song. A lot of people say it's their favorite Joy Division song, but it's not mine; it reminds me too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hook/atmosphere-is-a-massive-song-a-lot-of-people-say-it-s-their-favorite/) [Peter Hook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hook/) > [Establish an atmosphere that energizes you. Some creative people flourish in confusion; others need to be free from interruption. Many prepare themselves for work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-leland/establish-an-atmosphere-that-energizes-you-some-creative-people/) [Nita Leland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-leland/) > [Each year we pump at least six billion tons of heat-trapping carbon into the innermost layer of our atmosphere, whose outer extent is only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-gelbspan/each-year-we-pump-at-least-six-billion-tons-of-heat-trapping-carbon/) [Ross Gelbspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-gelbspan/) > [It was clear to me that the White House's solemn atmosphere would not civilize Trump. But the merciless nepotism with which he conducts politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/it-was-clear-to-me-that-the-white-house-s-solemn-atmosphere-would-not/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [“Bjerknes had come up with equations capable of describing the behavior of the atmosphere. The state of the atmosphere at any point could be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-cullen/bjerknes-had-come-up-with-equations-capable-of-describing-the/) [Heidi Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-cullen/) > [What one thing does the world need most today-apart, that is, from the all-inclusive thing we call righteousness? Aren't you inclined to agree that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/what-one-thing-does-the-world-need-most-today-apart-that-is-from-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [ Jowett, in his day, did probably more than any other single man to let some fresh air into the exhausted atmosphere of the \[Oxford\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-jowett/jowett-in-his-day-did-probably-more-than-any-other-single-man-to-let/) [Benjamin Jowett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-jowett/) [Browse all 1,572 Atmosphere quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atmosphere/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Thirty or forty years ago, in one those grey towns along the Burlington railroad which are so much greyer to-day than they were then, there was a house well know from Omaha to Denver for its hospitality and for a certain charm of atmosphere.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Willa Cather" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/thirty-or-forty-years-ago-in-one-those-grey-towns-along-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atmosphere" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/thirty-or-forty-years-ago-in-one-those-grey-towns-along-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/willa-cather-634_atmosphere_thirty-or-forty-years-ago-in-one-those-g_3105381.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/willa-cather-634_atmosphere_thirty-or-forty-years-ago-in-one-those-g_3105381.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf9/willa-cather-634_atmosphere_thirty-or-forty-years-ago-in-one-those-g_3105381.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Thirty or forty years ago, in one those grey towns along the Burlington railroad which are so much greyer…” — Willa Cather", "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": "Willa Cather", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Thirty or forty years ago, in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/thirty-or-forty-years-ago-in-one-those-grey-towns-along-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/thirty-or-forty-years-ago-in-one-those-grey-towns-along-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 } } ] } ```