---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Caen's San Francisco may not be the city…"
description: "\"Caen's San Francisco may not be the city we remember, but it is the city we want to remember.\" — Willie Brown"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea5/willie-brown-50260_bay-area_caen-s-san-francisco-may-not-be-the-city_222737.png"
---

#  Caen's San Francisco may not be the city we remember, but…

![“Caen's San Francisco may not be the city we remember, but it is the city we want to remember.” quote by Willie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea5/willie-brown-50260_bay-area_caen-s-san-francisco-may-not-be-the-city_222737.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea5/willie-brown-50260_bay-area_caen-s-san-francisco-may-not-be-the-city_222737.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea5/willie-brown-50260_bay-area_caen-s-san-francisco-may-not-be-the-city_222737.png)

> “Caen's San Francisco may not be the city we remember, but it is the city we want to remember.”

[Willie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-brown/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The city has changed but remains a place we wish to remember.

**In simple terms:** City evolves yet retains cherished memory.

Key Takeaway

Preserve history while embracing change.

Themes

urban change memory identity

Mood

nostalgic pragmatic

Type

civic reflective

When to use this quote

- city planning
- community events
- heritage projects

Key Concepts

nostalgia urban development collective memory

Questions to Reflect On

- What aspects of the city should be preserved?
- How can new memories be created?

A Different Perspective

Remembering may overlook current challenges.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bay area](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bay-area/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [San francisco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/san-francisco/)

## Related quotes

> [Remember the city, the city remember Where treasure is hidden under the ground The city, the city, always remember That's where the treasure will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-duprau/remember-the-city-the-city-remember-where-treasure-is-hidden-under/)

[Jeanne DuPrau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-duprau/)

> [Perpetual spring, the flare of adventure in the blood, the impulse of men who packed Virgil with their bean-bags on the overland journey, conspired~…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-irwin/perpetual-spring-the-flare-of-adventure-in-the-blood-the-impulse-of/)

William Henry Irwin

> [San Francisco is a city of twenty-something millionaire white kids named Doug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/san-francisco-is-a-city-of-twenty-something-millionaire-white-kids/)

[Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/)

> [Cities are like gentlemen, they are born, not made. You are either a city, or you are not, size has nothing to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/cities-are-like-gentlemen-they-are-born-not-made-you-are-either-a/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [San Francisco is the only city in America where marijuana is legal but plastic bags are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/san-francisco-is-the-only-city-in-america-where-marijuana-is-legal/)

[Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/)

> [I love San Francisco more than any other city outside of Seattle, but I've seen it go from a vibrant, creative community to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/i-love-san-francisco-more-than-any-other-city-outside-of-seattle-but/)

[Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/)

> [I'd been round the world a hundred times and had started to forget where I'd been. I knew I'd been there: it said it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-adams/i-d-been-round-the-world-a-hundred-times-and-had-started-to-forget/)

[Bryan Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-adams/)

> [Once I passed through a populous city imprinting my brain for future use with its shows, architecture, customs, traditions, Yet now of all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/once-i-passed-through-a-populous-city-imprinting-my-brain-for-future/)

[Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/)

> [“Our city must remember that in the ranks of its enemies, lie hid fellow citizens to be, and that it is well to bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine-of-hippo/our-city-must-remember-that-in-the-ranks-of-its-enemies-lie-hid/)

[Saint Augustine of Hippo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine-of-hippo/)

> [Our brains seem to have the power to do one or the other - record and remember every detail, or chunk it to higher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/our-brains-seem-to-have-the-power-to-do-one-or-the-other-record-and/)

[Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/)

> [The San Francisco Bay Area has more VC firms and dollars invested than all East Coast cities combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ferreira/the-san-francisco-bay-area-has-more-vc-firms-and-dollars-invested/)

[Jose Ferreira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ferreira/)

> [San Francisco has only one drawback—‘tis hard to leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/san-francisco-has-only-one-drawback-tis-hard-to-leave/)

[Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/)

> [“McDonald's, meanwhile, continues busily to harass small shopkeepers and restaurateurs of Scottish descent for that nationality's uncompetitive predisposition toward the Mc prefix on its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/mcdonald-s-meanwhile-continues-busily-to-harass-small-shopkeepers-and/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [The Bay Area is so beautiful, I hesitate to preach about heaven while I'm here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-bay-area-is-so-beautiful-i-hesitate-to-preach-about-heaven-while/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [“For several months they'd been drifting toward political involvement, but the picture was hazy and one of the most confusing elements was their geographical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/for-several-months-they-d-been-drifting-toward-political-involvement/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

## More by Willie Brown

> [Mayors are judged by results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-brown/mayors-are-judged-by-results/)

[Willie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-brown/)

> [You're going to be accused of every high crime and low misdemeanor there is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-brown/you-re-going-to-be-accused-of-every-high-crime-and-low-misdemeanor/)

[Willie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-brown/)

> [In politics, a lie unanswered becomes truth within 24 hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-brown/in-politics-a-lie-unanswered-becomes-truth-within-24-hours/)

[Willie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-brown/)

> [Circumstances in the world of politics contribute substantially to whether or not you can be successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-brown/circumstances-in-the-world-of-politics-contribute-substantially-to/)

[Willie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-brown/)

> [Dressing is a matter of taste, and I've met very few Republicans with good taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-brown/dressing-is-a-matter-of-taste-and-i-ve-met-very-few-republicans-with/)

[Willie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-brown/)

> [The public still ultimately determines what happens to you politically, by virtue of the casting of their vote ... and you cannot ever predict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-brown/the-public-still-ultimately-determines-what-happens-to-you/)

[Willie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-brown/)

[Explore all 7 Willie Brown quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-brown/)

## More Bay area quotes

> [Most of the time, I get around perfectly well on my bike and public transportation, even in spite of the Bay Area's almost comically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/most-of-the-time-i-get-around-perfectly-well-on-my-bike-and-public/)

[Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/)

> [“For several months they'd been drifting toward political involvement, but the picture was hazy and one of the most confusing elements was their geographical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/for-several-months-they-d-been-drifting-toward-political-involvement/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [I like beating the Bay Area traffic by getting into the office early, plus I get at least an hour most mornings to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baiju-bhatt/i-like-beating-the-bay-area-traffic-by-getting-into-the-office-early/)

[Baiju Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baiju-bhatt/)

> [The Bay Area is so beautiful, I hesitate to preach about heaven while I'm here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-bay-area-is-so-beautiful-i-hesitate-to-preach-about-heaven-while/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [The teams in the Bay Area have created a culture of winning, but the Cubs and Metsneed to learn how to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-byrnes/the-teams-in-the-bay-area-have-created-a-culture-of-winning-but-the/)

Eric Byrnes

> [I have been interested in the dialogue of abstraction and modernist painting - and the rich history of the grid. I also think I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-beal/i-have-been-interested-in-the-dialogue-of-abstraction-and-modernist/)

[Stephen Beal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-beal/)

> [I'm going to go back to the Bay Area, this is my thing, and I'm just going to open my own school of baseball.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-bonds/i-m-going-to-go-back-to-the-bay-area-this-is-my-thing-and-i-m-just/)

[Barry Bonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-bonds/)

> [I love the Bay Area and I'm excited to play there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bosa/i-love-the-bay-area-and-i-m-excited-to-play-there/)

[Nick Bosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bosa/)

> [From the small town in Iowa where I grew up, to Chapel Hill where I went to college, to the Bay Area and now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-barnes/from-the-small-town-in-iowa-where-i-grew-up-to-chapel-hill-where-i/)

[Harrison Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-barnes/)

> [I was at Stanford University up in the West Coast Bay Area, so the biggest song of my freshman year was 'I Got 5…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-k-brown/i-was-at-stanford-university-up-in-the-west-coast-bay-area-so-the/)

[Sterling K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-k-brown/)

> [“McDonald's, meanwhile, continues busily to harass small shopkeepers and restaurateurs of Scottish descent for that nationality's uncompetitive predisposition toward the Mc prefix on its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/mcdonald-s-meanwhile-continues-busily-to-harass-small-shopkeepers-and/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [San Francisco has only one drawback—‘tis hard to leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/san-francisco-has-only-one-drawback-tis-hard-to-leave/)

[Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/)

> [Sometimes you hear about people who can't wait to leave their hometown. I did not have that feeling at all. I love San Jose,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anjelah-johnson/sometimes-you-hear-about-people-who-can-t-wait-to-leave-their/)

[Anjelah Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anjelah-johnson/)

> [For 30 years I wrote for newspapers and magazines, wrote books on the Dallas Cowboys' dynasties of the '70s and '90s, wrote about Michael…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/skip-bayless/for-30-years-i-wrote-for-newspapers-and-magazines-wrote-books-on-the/)

[Skip Bayless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/skip-bayless/)

> [I think co-working spaces, incubators, and accelerators outside of the Bay Area do a lot to foster a local startup scene - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-seibel/i-think-co-working-spaces-incubators-and-accelerators-outside-of-the/)

[Michael Seibel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-seibel/)

[Browse all 167 Bay area quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bay-area/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Caen's San Francisco may not be the city we remember, but it is the city we want to remember.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Willie Brown"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-brown/caen-s-san-francisco-may-not-be-the-city-we-remember-but-it-is-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bay area"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-brown/caen-s-san-francisco-may-not-be-the-city-we-remember-but-it-is-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea5/willie-brown-50260_bay-area_caen-s-san-francisco-may-not-be-the-city_222737.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea5/willie-brown-50260_bay-area_caen-s-san-francisco-may-not-be-the-city_222737.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea5/willie-brown-50260_bay-area_caen-s-san-francisco-may-not-be-the-city_222737.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Caen's San Francisco may not be the city we remember, but it is the city we want to remember.” — Willie Brown",
                "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": "Willie Brown",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-brown/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Caen's San Francisco may not be...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-brown/caen-s-san-francisco-may-not-be-the-city-we-remember-but-it-is-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-brown/caen-s-san-francisco-may-not-be-the-city-we-remember-but-it-is-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
