---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Things are as they are. Looking out into…"
description: "\"Things are as they are. Looking out into it the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arr..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/alan-watts-587_astronomy_things-are-as-they-are-looking-out-into_897652.jpg"
---

#  Things are as they are. Looking out into it the universe…

![“Things are as they are. Looking out into it the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.” quote by Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/alan-watts-587_astronomy_things-are-as-they-are-looking-out-into_897652.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/alan-watts-587_astronomy_things-are-as-they-are-looking-out-into_897652.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/alan-watts-587_astronomy_things-are-as-they-are-looking-out-into_897652.jpg)

> “Things are as they are. Looking out into it the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.”

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote reflects on the impartial nature of the universe, reminding us that moral judgments are human constructs not to cosmic order.

**In simple terms:** The universe is indifferent to human notions of right and wrong.

Key Takeaway

Accept the cosmos without imposing moral bias.

Themes

philosophy cosmos relativism humility

Mood

contemplative philosophical serene

Type

spiritual scientific

When to use this quote

- meditation
- astronomy
- ethical debates

Key Concepts

existentialism natural order subjectivity

Questions to Reflect On

- How does recognizing cosmic indifference affect your values?
- Can you separate personal judgments from universal facts?

A Different Perspective

Human moral frameworks can conflict with scientific understanding.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Arranged Constellations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arranged-constellations-1209794/) [Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Comparisons Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comparisons-right-1209797/) [Constellations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constellations/) [Looking Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-universe-1209795/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Right and wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-and-wrong/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Universe Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe-night-1209796/)

## Related quotes

> [His head is made of stars, but not yet arranged into constellations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/his-head-is-made-of-stars-but-not-yet-arranged-into-constellations/)

[Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/)

> [Any astrophysicist does not feel small looking up at the universe; we feel large.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/any-astrophysicist-does-not-feel-small-looking-up-at-the-universe-we/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [“A King and Queen cannot support a crown with eyes looking down. Their universe expands as far as you can see.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/a-king-and-queen-cannot-support-a-crown-with-eyes-looking-down-their/)

[T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/)

> [There is a certain sense in which I would say the universe has a purpose. It's not there just somehow by chance. Some people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/there-is-a-certain-sense-in-which-i-would-say-the-universe-has-a-2/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [Try another way of looking. Try you looking and the whole universe seeing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/try-another-way-of-looking-try-you-looking-and-the-whole-universe/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [Science and religion are, of course, two different ways of looking at the universe; and it's the same universe with two different windows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/science-and-religion-are-of-course-two-different-ways-of-looking-at/)

[Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/)

> [Some people take the view that the universe is simply there, and it runs along - it's a bit as though it just sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-penrose/some-people-take-the-view-that-the-universe-is-simply-there-and-it/)

[Roger Penrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-penrose/)

> [There are two different ways of looking at the universe; and it's the same universe with two different windows. The science window gives you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/there-are-two-different-ways-of-looking-at-the-universe-and-it-s-the/)

[Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/)

> [“Let this time in your life cut you open and drain all of the things that are holding you back. I’m going to help…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/let-this-time-in-your-life-cut-you-open-and-drain-all-of-the-things/)

[Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/)

> [The casting of any film is around 60% of the film, but it's also about the right casting insight. It's a bit like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-winding-refn/the-casting-of-any-film-is-around-60-of-the-film-but-it-s-also-about/)

[Nicolas Winding Refn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-winding-refn/)

> [...Search for the cause may be a hopeless pursuit because most disease states are the indirect outcome of a constellation of circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-dubos/search-for-the-cause-may-be-a-hopeless-pursuit-because-most-disease/)

[Rene Dubos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-dubos/)

> [Wake up Ethiopia! Wake up Africa! Let us work towards the one glorious end of a free, redeemed and mighty nation. Let Africa be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-garvey/wake-up-ethiopia-wake-up-africa-let-us-work-towards-the-one-glorious/)

[Marcus Garvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-garvey/)

> [Identity is an assemblage of constellations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-deavere-smith/identity-is-an-assemblage-of-constellations/)

[Anna Deavere Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-deavere-smith/)

> [“I’ve always seen this in you, ever since you were a little girl — this hunger to love other people into their highest selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/i-ve-always-seen-this-in-you-ever-since-you-were-a-little-girl-this/)

[Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/)

> [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

## More by Alan Watts

> [“The self-conscious feedback mechanism of the cortex allows us the hallucination that we are two souls in one body -a rational soul and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-self-conscious-feedback-mechanism-of-the-cortex-allows-us-the/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [The more we try to catch hold of the present moment the more elusive it becomes. It is like trying to clutch water in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-more-we-try-to-catch-hold-of-the-present-moment-the-more-elusive/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [The Universe is the game of the self, which plays hide and seek forever and ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-universe-is-the-game-of-the-self-which-plays-hide-and-seek/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [If my happiness at this moment consists largely in reviewing happy memories and expectations, I am but dimly aware of this present. I shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/if-my-happiness-at-this-moment-consists-largely-in-reviewing-happy/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [...mysticism and empiricism go together in opposition to scholasticism...they base themselves on the non-linear world of experience rather than the linear world of letters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/mysticism-and-empiricism-go-together-in-opposition-to-scholasticism/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [The hallucination of being a separate ego will not stand up to biological tests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-hallucination-of-being-a-separate-ego-will-not-stand-up-to/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [Although profoundly "inconsequential," the Zen experience has consequences in the sense that it may be applied in any direction, to any conceivable human activity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/although-profoundly-inconsequential-the-zen-experience-has/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [Everything is perpetually becoming new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/everything-is-perpetually-becoming-new/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [The psychotherapist ... tries to help the individual to be himself and to go it alone without giving unnecessary offense to his community, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-psychotherapist-tries-to-help-the-individual-to-be-himself-and-to/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [“As you make more and more powerful microscopic instruments, the universe has to get smaller and smaller in order to escape the investigation. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/as-you-make-more-and-more-powerful-microscopic-instruments-the/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [We are at the moment looking at space as something to be entered by the tremendous thrust of a rocket because that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/we-are-at-the-moment-looking-at-space-as-something-to-be-entered-by/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [A philosopher is a sort of intellectual yokel who gawks at things that sensible people take for granted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/a-philosopher-is-a-sort-of-intellectual-yokel-who-gawks-at-things/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [The best way to convince someone is by making him realize that what you speak came from his own mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-best-way-to-convince-someone-is-by-making-him-realize-that-what/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [The myths underlying our culture and underlying our common sense have not taught us to feel identical with the universe, but only parts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-myths-underlying-our-culture-and-underlying-our-common-sense-have/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [To feel that life is meaningless unless “I” can be permanent is like having fallen desperately in love with an inch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/to-feel-that-life-is-meaningless-unless-i-can-be-permanent-is-like/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

[Explore all 460 Alan Watts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

## More Astronomy quotes

> [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [Wen daylight turns to a darkened hue, D lovely stars hinting at u, ur heart beat tells u something true, That some 1 badly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butterfly-kisses/wen-daylight-turns-to-a-darkened-hue-d-lovely-stars-hinting-at-u-ur/)

[Butterfly\_Kisses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butterfly-kisses/)

> [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [From the grasses in the field to the stars in the sky, each one is doing just that; and there is such profound peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/from-the-grasses-in-the-field-to-the-stars-in-the-sky-each-one-is/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [“Sentinels of trees breathe life into bodies of earthly flesh As their mighty arms reach to the stars we join in their quest for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/sentinels-of-trees-breathe-life-into-bodies-of-earthly-flesh-as-their/)

[Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/)

> [“If there are no stars on the sky, you must try to be happy with the shining streetlights!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-there-are-no-stars-on-the-sky-you-must-try-to-be-happy-with-the/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/)

[Nicole Gentile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-gentile/)

> [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/)

[Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/)

> [“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars." ... quote has been credited to Les Brown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylviek/shoot-for-the-moon-even-if-you-miss-it-you-will-land-among-the-stars/)

[Sylviek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylviek/)

> [When certain stars take you under their wing, it does help as they gauge your potential and are willing to work with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-bhatt/when-certain-stars-take-you-under-their-wing-it-does-help-as-they/)

[Vikram Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-bhatt/)

> [We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life. We see the stars, and we want them. We are beholden to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-were-put-here-as-witnesses-to-the-miracle-of-life-we-see-the-stars/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

[Browse all 6,190 Astronomy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Things are as they are. Looking out into it the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alan Watts"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/things-are-as-they-are-looking-out-into-it-the-universe-at-night-we/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Astronomy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/things-are-as-they-are-looking-out-into-it-the-universe-at-night-we/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/alan-watts-587_astronomy_things-are-as-they-are-looking-out-into_897652.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/alan-watts-587_astronomy_things-are-as-they-are-looking-out-into_897652.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/38c/alan-watts-587_astronomy_things-are-as-they-are-looking-out-into_897652.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Things are as they are. Looking out into it the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and…” — Alan Watts",
                "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": "Alan Watts",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Things are as they are. Looking...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/things-are-as-they-are-looking-out-into-it-the-universe-at-night-we/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/things-are-as-they-are-looking-out-into-it-the-universe-at-night-we/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
