The streets made me, and the streets stink, but I love them, for I was born in them out of flesh and I was born in them out of spirit.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The narrator feels shaped by their urban environment, acknowledging its flaws but embracing it as the source of their identity and spirit.
- In plain terms
- I was formed by this place, flawed as it is, and it defines who I am.
- What can you take from it?
- Our origins shape us deeply, even when they are imperfect.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How has your environment shaped you?
- Can you love a place that harms you?
Another view
It romanticizes difficult environments that may actually harm people.
More from William Saroyan
A man cannot write a poem or a story that will transform the whole nature of man, his reality and his truth, making them greater and nobler.
Permalink to quote #133 I loved the theaters, and even though I was hungry, I never spent money for food.
Permalink to quote #135 I can't hate for long. It isn't worth it.
Permalink to quote #132
Related quotes
I would get songs sung to me, like 'Old Man River', or kids would call me Mississippi and things like that. At the time, I wished I had a name that blended in …
River PhoenixRiver Phoenix quote #5 Each person belongs to the environment, in his own person, as himself.
William SaroyanWilliam Saroyan quote #93 Please, someday if I'm real good, can't I be a real girl?
Orson Scott CardOrson Scott Card quote #958