--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In order to understand the world, one has…" description: "\"In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion; in order to serve others better, one has to hold them at a distance for a t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/albert-camus-47_big-cities_in-order-to-understand-the-world-one-has_265234.jpg" --- # In order to understand the world, one has to turn away… ![“In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion; in order to serve others better, one has to hold them at a distance for a time. But where can one find the solitude necessary to vigor, the deep breath in which the mind collects itself and courage gauges its strength?…” quote by Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/albert-camus-47_big-cities_in-order-to-understand-the-world-one-has_265234.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/albert-camus-47_big-cities_in-order-to-understand-the-world-one-has_265234.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3f1/albert-camus-47_big-cities_in-order-to-understand-the-world-one-has_265234.jpg) > “In order to understand the world, one has to turn away from it on occasion; in order to serve others better, one has to hold them at a distance for a time. But where can one find the solitude necessary to vigor, the deep breath in which the mind collects itself and courage gauges its strength? There remain big cities.” [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding the world requires occasional detachment; serving others benefits from distance and solitude. **In simple terms:** Step back to see clearly and act wisely. Key Takeaway Balance engagement with reflective distance. Themes philosophy solitude service Mood thoughtful serene Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - urban living - creative work - leadership - spiritual practice Key Concepts existentialism ethical practice Questions to Reflect On - Where can you create personal space for reflection? - How does distance improve your service to others? A Different Perspective Finding true solitude in crowded cities can be difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-cities/) [Breaths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaths/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Deep breath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-breath/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Occasions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasions/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Vigor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vigor/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“There are no more deserts. There are no more islands. Yet there is a need for them. In order to understand the world, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/there-are-no-more-deserts-there-are-no-more-islands-yet-there-is-a/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Solitude is a necessary protest to the incursions and the false alarms of society's hysteria, a period of cure and recovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/solitude-is-a-necessary-protest-to-the-incursions-and-the-false/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [The world of men has forgotten the joys of silence, the peace of solitude, which is necessary, to some extent, for the fullness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-world-of-men-has-forgotten-the-joys-of-silence-the-peace-of/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Solitude is so necessary both for society and for the individual that when society fails to provide sufficient solitude to develop the inner life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/solitude-is-so-necessary-both-for-society-and-for-the-individual-that/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Because I cannot work except in solitude, it is necessary that I live my work and that is impossible except in solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/because-i-cannot-work-except-in-solitude-it-is-necessary-that-i-live/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [I can be alone without being lonely. In fact, those times of solitude are necessary respite for a beleaguered soul, set upon by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/i-can-be-alone-without-being-lonely-in-fact-those-times-of-solitude/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [A certain degree of solitude seems necessary to the full growth and spread of the highest mind; and therefore must a very extensive intercourse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novalis/a-certain-degree-of-solitude-seems-necessary-to-the-full-growth-and/) [Novalis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novalis/) > [Deliberately seeking solitude-quality time spent away from family and friends-may seem selfish. It is not. Solitude is as necessary for our creative spirits to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/deliberately-seeking-solitude-quality-time-spent-away-from-family-and/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [As a remedy to life in society I would suggest the big city. 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The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/it-is-a-commonplace-among-artists-and-children-at-play-that-they-re/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) ## More by Albert Camus > [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Being is good, but getting rich is better… If the gods had only the riches of men's adoration, they would be as poor as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/being-is-good-but-getting-rich-is-better-if-the-gods-had-only-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Having been, not only mutilated in our country, wounded in our very flesh, but also divested of our most beautiful images, for you gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/having-been-not-only-mutilated-in-our-country-wounded-in-our-very/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I've seen of enough of people who die for an idea. I don't believe in heroism; I know it's easy and I've learned it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-ve-seen-of-enough-of-people-who-die-for-an-idea-i-don-t-believe-in/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The best are led to make greater demands upon themselves. As for those who succumb, they did not deserve to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-best-are-led-to-make-greater-demands-upon-themselves-as-for-those/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Then he asked me if I wasn’t interested in a change of life. I said that people never change their lives, that in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/then-he-asked-me-if-i-wasn-t-interested-in-a-change-of-life-i-said/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Life is meaningless, but worth living, provided you recognize it's meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/life-is-meaningless-but-worth-living-provided-you-recognize-it-s/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Thinking of the future, establishing aims for oneself, having preferences-all this presupposes a belief in freedom, even if one occasionally ascertains that one doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/thinking-of-the-future-establishing-aims-for-oneself-having/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-explained-to-him-however-that-my-nature-was-such-that-my-physical/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-only-way-to-deal-with-an-unfree-world-is-to-become-so-absolutely/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“We love people not because for good they did for us, but for good we did for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-love-people-not-because-for-good-they-did-for-us-but-for-good-we/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [You have so much inside you, and the noblest happiness of all. Don’t just wait for a man to come along. That’s the mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/you-have-so-much-inside-you-and-the-noblest-happiness-of-all-don-t/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The desire for possession is insatiable, to such a point that it can survive even love itself. To love, therefore, is to sterilize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-desire-for-possession-is-insatiable-to-such-a-point-that-it-can/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) [Explore all 1,600 Albert Camus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## 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 > [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. 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