--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is something about big cities that…" description: "\"There is something about big cities that turns me on, and for whatever mysterious reason, places like New York and Paris inspire me. I think it's becau..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f44/woody-allen-176_big-cities_there-is-something-about-big-cities-that_2343106.jpg" --- # There is something about big cities that turns me on, and… ![“There is something about big cities that turns me on, and for whatever mysterious reason, places like New York and Paris inspire me. I think it's because cities represent civilization, and as crime-ridden and broken down as some of them are, it's still better than skipping through a meadow.” quote by Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f44/woody-allen-176_big-cities_there-is-something-about-big-cities-that_2343106.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f44/woody-allen-176_big-cities_there-is-something-about-big-cities-that_2343106.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f44/woody-allen-176_big-cities_there-is-something-about-big-cities-that_2343106.jpg) > “There is something about big cities that turns me on, and for whatever mysterious reason, places like New York and Paris inspire me. I think it's because cities represent civilization, and as crime-ridden and broken down as some of them are, it's still better than skipping through a meadow.” [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cities captivate because they embody civilization, offering culture despite flaws, unlike untouched nature. **In simple terms:** Cities inspire through civilization. Key Takeaway Appreciate urban complexity. Themes urbanism culture civilization Mood reflective curious Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - travel planning - creative writing - city tourism Key Concepts metropolitan life artistic inspiration social contrast Questions to Reflect On - Why do cities feel more alive than nature? - How does urban decay affect inspiration? A Different Perspective May romanticize despite problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-cities/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/) [Broken down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-down/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Cities Represent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities-represent-5677684/) [Cities Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities-turns-5677685/) [Civilization](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civilization/) [Crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crime/) [Inspire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspire/) [Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meadows/) [Mysterious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysterious/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Paris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paris/) [Places Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/places-like-429345/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Think Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-cities-1755590/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Turn me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turn-me/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) ## Related quotes > [I not only have to take care of each and every one of the residents of the city of Miami, but I also have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-x-suarez/i-not-only-have-to-take-care-of-each-and-every-one-of-the-residents/) [Francis X. Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-x-suarez/) > [I'm not one of these people who thinks everything in the past is great and everything modern is terrible. But I do think cities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-almond/i-m-not-one-of-these-people-who-thinks-everything-in-the-past-is/) [Marc Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-almond/) > [I think cities are the primordial forests of our time. We evolve faster as a species in cities. Cities are chaotic, liminal places where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-abani/i-think-cities-are-the-primordial-forests-of-our-time-we-evolve/) [Chris Abani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-abani/) > [I think people's minds are going to have to assimilate in the sense that all the world is international now. The whole world has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/i-think-people-s-minds-are-going-to-have-to-assimilate-in-the-sense/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [These are serious problems in all of our major cities: homelessness, education, there are are a number of them. And they require hard thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-jassy/these-are-serious-problems-in-all-of-our-major-cities-homelessness/) [Andy Jassy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-jassy/) > [It's harder to live the way I live. There are certain places I like to shop and eat where I simply don't go. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-pfeiffer/it-s-harder-to-live-the-way-i-live-there-are-certain-places-i-like-to/) [Michelle Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-pfeiffer/) > [I moved to L.A. and really didn't dig living there until I found places like Koreatown and Little Tokyo. I really like hanging out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-stump/i-moved-to-l-a-and-really-didn-t-dig-living-there-until-i-found/) [Patrick Stump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-stump/) > [“You might want to sit in public squares and people watch for an hour in one place and a month in another. I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-winter/you-might-want-to-sit-in-public-squares-and-people-watch-for-an-hour/) [Kathleen Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-winter/) > [Going to places like Tynecastle, where you're so close to the crowd, you get reminded how ugly you are and stuff like that!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcginn/going-to-places-like-tynecastle-where-you-re-so-close-to-the-crowd/) [John McGinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcginn/) > [One of the places I'd like to travel to is Ibiza, off the coast of Spain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-gronkowski/one-of-the-places-i-d-like-to-travel-to-is-ibiza-off-the-coast-of/) [Rob Gronkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-gronkowski/) > [Some places are like family. They annoy us to no end, especially during the holidays, but we keep coming back for more because we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/some-places-are-like-family-they-annoy-us-to-no-end-especially-during/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [We've played a bunch of different types of places, like drive-ins, where people have their drive-up spot and then they also like have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-tedeschi/we-ve-played-a-bunch-of-different-types-of-places-like-drive-ins/) [Susan Tedeschi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-tedeschi/) > [Places like New York are just too intense, too much about money, too much about ambition; it's all too superficial for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-kass/places-like-new-york-are-just-too-intense-too-much-about-money-too/) [Carmen Kass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-kass/) > [“Places are like smells - they can take you back anywhere.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-labe/places-are-like-smells-they-can-take-you-back-anywhere/) [Kyle Labe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-labe/) > [I've been too many places. I'm like the bad penny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-ve-been-too-many-places-i-m-like-the-bad-penny/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) ## More by Woody Allen > [“True, science has conquered many diseases, broken the genetic code, and even placed human beings on the moon, and yet when a man of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/true-science-has-conquered-many-diseases-broken-the-genetic-code-and/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [Bisexuality immediately doubles your chances for a date on Saturday night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/bisexuality-immediately-doubles-your-chances-for-a-date-on-saturday/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [In every generation there are a few people who are authentically funny. The cosmetics change. You may not be able to articulate it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/in-every-generation-there-are-a-few-people-who-are-authentically/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [I think Frank Capra was a much craftier filmmaker, a wonderful filmmaker. He had enormous technique, and he knew how to manipulate the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-think-frank-capra-was-a-much-craftier-filmmaker-a-wonderful/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [The food here is terrible, and the portions are too small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/the-food-here-is-terrible-and-the-portions-are-too-small/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [Gauguin flew into a frenzy! He held my head under the X-ray machine for ten straight minutes and for several hours after I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/gauguin-flew-into-a-frenzy-he-held-my-head-under-the-x-ray-machine/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [What has gotten into you lately? Save a little craziness for menopause!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/what-has-gotten-into-you-lately-save-a-little-craziness-for-menopause/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [I enjoy the making of the film and it's something for me to do. If nobody ever comes to my films, if people don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-enjoy-the-making-of-the-film-and-it-s-something-for-me-to-do-if/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [Why does man kill? He kills for food. And not only food: frequently there must be a beverage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/why-does-man-kill-he-kills-for-food-and-not-only-food-frequently/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [A stockbroker is someone who invests other people's money until it is all gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/a-stockbroker-is-someone-who-invests-other-people-s-money-until-it-is/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [Man cannot live by bread alone. Every once in awhile he needs a salad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/man-cannot-live-by-bread-alone-every-once-in-awhile-he-needs-a-salad/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [All literature is a footnote to Faust. I have no idea what I mean by that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/all-literature-is-a-footnote-to-faust-i-have-no-idea-what-i-mean-by/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [There are two important things in the world, the first is sex. The other isn't all that important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/there-are-two-important-things-in-the-world-the-first-is-sex-the/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [You can't ride two horses with one behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/you-can-t-ride-two-horses-with-one-behind/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [Is old age really so terrible? Not if you've brushed your teeth faithfully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/is-old-age-really-so-terrible-not-if-you-ve-brushed-your-teeth/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) [Explore all 935 Woody Allen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) ## More Big cities quotes > [It is a fact of big cities that one girl's darkest how is always another's moment of shining triumph, and New York is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-godbersen/it-is-a-fact-of-big-cities-that-one-girl-s-darkest-how-is-always/) [Anna Godbersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-godbersen/) > [“The two big cities of Australia are tonally as distinct from each other as Boston is from L.A. or Lyon from Marseilles.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/the-two-big-cities-of-australia-are-tonally-as-distinct-from-each/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) > [“When you live in New York or any big city, it is easy to fail at growing up. The city is designed to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/when-you-live-in-new-york-or-any-big-city-it-is-easy-to-fail-at/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [One thing that's really interesting is not only the magnitude of the recent immigration into this country, but also its distribution and its investment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-prewitt/one-thing-that-s-really-interesting-is-not-only-the-magnitude-of-the/) [Kenneth Prewitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-prewitt/) > [My experiences growing up - my father lived in New York, so I was going out there in the summers and meeting really interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/my-experiences-growing-up-my-father-lived-in-new-york-so-i-was-going/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [If you go to a big city anywhere in the world and you need a doctor, just ask me. I can tell you who's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steffi-graf/if-you-go-to-a-big-city-anywhere-in-the-world-and-you-need-a-doctor/) [Steffi Graf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steffi-graf/) > [Don't feel you have to stick to plans, because something better might come up; and try to blend in, because you see more. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-urie/don-t-feel-you-have-to-stick-to-plans-because-something-better-might/) [Michael Urie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-urie/) > [It is the custom to sneer at the modern apartment-house, television, big-city Christmas, with its commercial taint . . . office parties, artificial .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gallico/it-is-the-custom-to-sneer-at-the-modern-apartment-house-television/) [Paul Gallico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gallico/) > [I didn't want to be driving to work everyday and sending out my Starbucks order. I didn't want to be in New York or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-johansson/i-didn-t-want-to-be-driving-to-work-everyday-and-sending-out-my/) [Scarlett Johansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-johansson/) > [I don't think you ever think of a big city as sweet or community, but there are cities that I think of as charming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rivers-siddons/i-don-t-think-you-ever-think-of-a-big-city-as-sweet-or-community-but/) [Anne Rivers Siddons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rivers-siddons/) > [Watch out for dark streets in big cities because there are a lot of strange beings that hang out there at night, let alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/watch-out-for-dark-streets-in-big-cities-because-there-are-a-lot-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Big cities and bright lights. Sleep all day; long nights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rihanna/big-cities-and-bright-lights-sleep-all-day-long-nights/) [Rihanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rihanna/) > [The fact is that automobiles no longer have a place in the big cities of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-delanoe/the-fact-is-that-automobiles-no-longer-have-a-place-in-the-big-cities/) [Bertrand Delanoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-delanoe/) > [Work hard, not in grunt work, but in chasing such opportunities and maximizing exposure to them. This makes living in big cities invaluable because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/work-hard-not-in-grunt-work-but-in-chasing-such-opportunities-and/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Science will liberate us from the chains of big cities and lead us back to nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lennart-meri/science-will-liberate-us-from-the-chains-of-big-cities-and-lead-us/) [Lennart Meri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lennart-meri/) [Browse all 170 Big cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-cities/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is something about big cities that turns me on, and for whatever mysterious reason, places like New York and Paris inspire me. I think it's because cities represent civilization, and as crime-ridden and broken down as some of them are, it's still better than skipping through a meadow.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Woody Allen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/there-is-something-about-big-cities-that-turns-me-on-and-for-whatever/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Big cities" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/there-is-something-about-big-cities-that-turns-me-on-and-for-whatever/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f44/woody-allen-176_big-cities_there-is-something-about-big-cities-that_2343106.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f44/woody-allen-176_big-cities_there-is-something-about-big-cities-that_2343106.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f44/woody-allen-176_big-cities_there-is-something-about-big-cities-that_2343106.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is something about big cities that turns me on, and for whatever mysterious reason, places like New…” — Woody Allen", "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": "Woody Allen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is something about big cities...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/there-is-something-about-big-cities-that-turns-me-on-and-for-whatever/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/there-is-something-about-big-cities-that-turns-me-on-and-for-whatever/#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 } } ] } ```