Who said “How soon country people forget. When they fall in love with a city it is forever, and it…”?

Verified

Toni Morrison. A published source records them saying or writing it.

SourceJazz (1991)

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“How soon country people forget. When they fall in love with a city it is forever, and it is like forever. As though there never was a time when they didn't love it. The minute they arrive at the train station or get off the ferry and glimpse the wide streets and the wasteful lamps lighting them, they know they are born for it. There, in a city, they are not so much new as themselves: their stronger, riskier selves.”
— Toni Morrison
VerifiedJazz (1991) · evidenceTown and Country

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Jazz (1991).

APA

Morrison, T. (n.d.). How soon country people forget. When they fall in love with a city it is forever, and it is like forever. As though there never was a time when they didn't love it. The minute they arrive at the train station or get off the ferry and glimpse the wide streets and the wasteful lamps lighting them, they know they are born for it. There, in a city, they are not so much new as themselves: their stronger, riskier selves. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/40479-how-soon-country-people-forget-when-they-fall/

MLA

Morrison, Toni. “How soon country people forget. When they fall in love with a city it is forever, and it is like forever. As though there never was a time when they didn't love it. The minute they arrive at the train station or get off the ferry and glimpse the wide streets and the wasteful lamps lighting them, they know they are born for it. There, in a city, they are not so much new as themselves: their stronger, riskier selves.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/40479-how-soon-country-people-forget-when-they-fall/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Morrison, Toni. “How soon country people forget. When they fall in love with a city it is forever, and it is like forever. As though there never was a time when they didn't love it. The minute they arrive at the train station or get off the ferry and glimpse the wide streets and the wasteful lamps lighting them, they know they are born for it. There, in a city, they are not so much new as themselves: their stronger, riskier selves.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/40479-how-soon-country-people-forget-when-they-fall/.

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More quotes by Toni Morrison

“There is really nothing more to say except why. But since why is difficult to handle, one must take refuge in how.”
VerifiedThe Bluest Eye (1969) · evidenceDetails & citeReason
“Of course I'm a black writer. I'm not just a black writer, but categories like black writer, woman writer and Latin American writer aren't marginal anymore. We have to acknowledge that the thing we call ''literature'' is more pluralistic now, just as society ought to be. The melting pot never worked. We ought to be able to accept on equal terms everybody from the Hasidim to Walter Lippmann, from the Rastafarians to Ralph Bunche.”
VerifiedInterview in Newsweek (30 March 1981) · evidenceDetails & citeWriters and Writing
“When there is pain, there are no words. All pain is the same.”
Pain
All 4 Toni Morrison quotes →