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He liked the fact that Venice had no cars. It made the city human. The streets were like veins, he thought, and the people were the blood, circulating everywhere.
Patricia Highsmith
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The absence of cars in Venice enhances the humanness of the city, with its streets and people interconnecting like veins and blood.

In this quote, Patricia Highsmith reflects on the unique characteristics of Venice, emphasizing how the lack of vehicles transforms the city into a more human-centric space. The metaphor of streets as veins and people as blood suggests a profound interdependence between the environment and its inhabitants, highlighting the organic and vibrant nature of urban life without the interference of modern transportation.

Themes

VeniceHumanCityStreetsPeople

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a travel blog to highlight the charm of cities without cars.

More from Patricia Highsmith

But there were too many points at which the other self could invade the self he wanted to preserve, and there were too many forms of invasion: certain words, sounds, lights, actions his hands or feet performed, and if he did nothing at all, heard and saw nothing, the shouting of some triumphant inner voice that shocked him and cowed him.
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Then Carol slipped her arm under her neck, and all the length of their bodies touched fitting as if something had prearranged it. Happiness was like a green vine spreading through her, stretching fine tendrils, bearing flowers through her flesh. She had a vision of a pale white flower, shimmering as if seen in darkness, or through water. Why did people talk of heaven, she wondered
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