--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I center down - I retreat, not inside…" description: "\"“I center down - I retreat, not inside myself, but outside myself. ... Self-forgetfulness is tremendously invigorating. I wonder if we don't waste most..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/annie-dillard-509_saying-hello_i-center-down-i-retreat-not-inside-mysel_1715464.jpg" --- # I center down - I retreat, not inside myself, but outside… ![“I center down - I retreat, not inside myself, but outside myself. ... Self-forgetfulness is tremendously invigorating. I wonder if we don't waste most of our energy just by spending every waking minute saying hello to ourselves.” quote by Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/annie-dillard-509_saying-hello_i-center-down-i-retreat-not-inside-mysel_1715464.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/annie-dillard-509_saying-hello_i-center-down-i-retreat-not-inside-mysel_1715464.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/annie-dillard-509_saying-hello_i-center-down-i-retreat-not-inside-mysel_1715464.jpg) > ““I center down - I retreat, not inside myself, but outside myself. ... Self-forgetfulness is tremendously invigorating. I wonder if we don't waste most of our energy just by spending every waking minute saying hello to ourselves.”” [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A meditation on stepping outside oneself, finding renewal in self‑forgetfulness. **In simple terms:** Leaving ego can energize you. Key Takeaway Practice self‑lessness. Themes self‑transcendence renewal mindfulness Mood contemplative serene Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - meditation - creative work - daily routines Key Concepts Spirituality psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance self‑care with self‑lessness? - What practices help you detach from ego? A Different Perspective Too much self‑loss may cause identity diffusion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Center Retreat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/center-retreat-1286985/) [Forgetfulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetfulness/) [Retreat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retreat/) [Retreat Inside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retreat-inside-1286984/) [Saying hello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saying-hello/) [Self forgetfulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-forgetfulness/) ## Related quotes > [Charm is a cunning self-forgetfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/charm-is-a-cunning-self-forgetfulness/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [Happiness lies outside yourself, is achieved through interacting with others. Self-forgetfulness should be one's goal, not self-absorption. The male, capable of only the latter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-solanas/happiness-lies-outside-yourself-is-achieved-through-interacting-with/) [Valerie Solanas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-solanas/) > [Self-forgetfulness in creativity can lead to self-transcendence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-ashton-warner/self-forgetfulness-in-creativity-can-lead-to-self-transcendence/) [Sylvia Ashton-Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-ashton-warner/) > [By the experience of active love. Strive to love your neighbour actively and indefatigably. In as far as you advance in love you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/by-the-experience-of-active-love-strive-to-love-your-neighbour/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But what after all, behind appearances, is this seeming mystery? We can see that it is the Consciousness which had lost itself returning again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/but-what-after-all-behind-appearances-is-this-seeming-mystery-we-can/) [Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/) > [the self expands through acts of self forgetfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/the-self-expands-through-acts-of-self-forgetfulness/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [Humility is not an exaggeratedly low opinion of yourself. Humility is self-forgetfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/humility-is-not-an-exaggeratedly-low-opinion-of-yourself-humility-is/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [But what after all, behind appearance, is the seeming mystery? We can see that it is the Consciousness which had lost itself, returning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/but-what-after-all-behind-appearance-is-the-seeming-mystery-we-can/) [Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/) > [Happiness lies in a large measure of self-forgetfulness, either in work . . . or in the love of others. ♥](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-ruess/happiness-lies-in-a-large-measure-of-self-forgetfulness-either-in/) [Everett Ruess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-ruess/) > [For with eyes made clear by many tears, and a heart softened by the tenderest sorrow, she recognized the beauty of her sister's life—uneventful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/for-with-eyes-made-clear-by-many-tears-and-a-heart-softened-by-the/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Humility is self-forgetfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/humility-is-self-forgetfulness/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [By means of Invocation, the being awakens, and awakening becomes fullness. By means of balancing, fullness becomes internal wholeness. By virtue of exteriorized attention,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-truman/by-means-of-invocation-the-being-awakens-and-awakening-becomes/) [David Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-truman/) > [“Ignorance might be bliss. But self-forgetfulness is pure ecstasy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/ignorance-might-be-bliss-but-self-forgetfulness-is-pure-ecstasy/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [The really wonderful moments of joy in this world are not the moments of self-satisfaction, but self-forgetfulness. Standing on the edge of the Grand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-really-wonderful-moments-of-joy-in-this-world-are-not-the-moments/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [If happiness comes at all: which is by no means prearranged; it comes by the way, while you are seeking for something else. Something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-thomas/if-happiness-comes-at-all-which-is-by-no-means-prearranged-it-comes/) [Caitlin Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-thomas/) ## More by Annie Dillard > [Like everyone in his right mind, I feared Santa Claus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/like-everyone-in-his-right-mind-i-feared-santa-claus/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“This is a spendthrift economy; though nothing is lost, all is spent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/this-is-a-spendthrift-economy-though-nothing-is-lost-all-is-spent/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The creatures I seek do not want to be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-creatures-i-seek-do-not-want-to-be-seen/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Nothing moves a woman so deeply as the boyhood of the man she loves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/nothing-moves-a-woman-so-deeply-as-the-boyhood-of-the-man-she-loves/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [We live in all we seek. The hidden shows up in too-plain sight. It lives captive on the face of the obvious - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/we-live-in-all-we-seek-the-hidden-shows-up-in-too-plain-sight-it/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“...The mockingbird took a single step into the air and dropped. His wings were still folded against his sides as though he were singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-mockingbird-took-a-single-step-into-the-air-and-dropped-his-wings/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“Father had stretched out his long legs and was tilting back in his chair. Mother sat with her knees crossed, in blue slacks, smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/father-had-stretched-out-his-long-legs-and-was-tilting-back-in-his/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I am a frayed and nibbled survivor in a fallen world, and I am getting along. I am aging and eaten and have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-frayed-and-nibbled-survivor-in-a-fallen-world-and-i-am-getting/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [It should surprise no one that the life of the writer - such as it is - is colorless to the point of sensory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/it-should-surprise-no-one-that-the-life-of-the-writer-such-as-it-is/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/it-is-madness-to-wear-ladies-straw-hats-and-velvet-hats-to-church-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The sense impressions of one-celled animals are not edited for the brain. This is philosophically interesting in a rather mournful way, since it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-sense-impressions-of-one-celled-animals-are-not-edited-for-the/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“What can we make of the inexpressible joy of children? It is a kind of gratitude, I think—the gratitude of the ten-year-old who wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/what-can-we-make-of-the-inexpressible-joy-of-children-it-is-a-kind-of/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“If we were to judge nature by its common sense or likelihood, we wouldn't believe the world existed. In nature, improbabilities are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/if-we-were-to-judge-nature-by-its-common-sense-or-likelihood-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [For writing a first draft requires from the writer a peculiar internal state which ordinary life does not induce. ... how to set yourself spinning?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/for-writing-a-first-draft-requires-from-the-writer-a-peculiar/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I am a fugitive and a vagabond, a sojourner seeking signs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-fugitive-and-a-vagabond-a-sojourner-seeking-signs/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) [Explore all 509 Annie Dillard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## More Forgetfulness quotes > [Charm is a cunning self-forgetfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/charm-is-a-cunning-self-forgetfulness/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [“I had a chat with May and I had a sweet talk with April but the lovely conversation that left me to ponder was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/i-had-a-chat-with-may-and-i-had-a-sweet-talk-with-april-but-the/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [“Who was it said, ‘We forget because we must’? He was right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/who-was-it-said-we-forget-because-we-must-he-was-right/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [There comes a time, in the history of Nations when fear and forgetfulness cause a nation to hesitate, to waver and perhaps even to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rand-paul/there-comes-a-time-in-the-history-of-nations-when-fear-and/) [Rand Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rand-paul/) > [I worry sometimes that we're apt to confuse forgiveness with forgetfulness. The potency of forgiveness comes precisely from the fact that it must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-gale/i-worry-sometimes-that-we-re-apt-to-confuse-forgiveness-with/) [Patrick Gale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-gale/) > [What makes life worth living? Better surely, to yield to the stain of suicide blood in me and seek forgetfulness in the embrace of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/what-makes-life-worth-living-better-surely-to-yield-to-the-stain-of/) [Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/) > [... for this discovery of yours will create forgetfulness in the learners' souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/for-this-discovery-of-yours-will-create-forgetfulness-in-the-learners/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [What is a man's life but a prelude to his death? And what is death but a long sleep, a most welcome forgetfulness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-a-man-s-life-but-a-prelude-to-his-death-and-what-is-death-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Why did you leave? Am I not good enough? Where did you go? When did it happen? ..Who are you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ade-santi/why-did-you-leave-am-i-not-good-enough-where-did-you-go-when-did-it/) [Ade Santi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ade-santi/) > [“Forgetfulness is the beginning of happiness as fear is the beginning of wisdom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgetfulness-is-the-beginning-of-happiness-as-fear-is-the-beginning/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Being alone will show you who you really are, and if you cannot get-on positively as the sole master of your space in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/being-alone-will-show-you-who-you-really-are-and-if-you-cannot-get-on/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [Humility is the forgetfulness of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keating/humility-is-the-forgetfulness-of-self/) [Thomas Keating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keating/) > [The really wonderful moments of joy in this world are not the moments of self-satisfaction, but self-forgetfulness. Standing on the edge of the Grand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-really-wonderful-moments-of-joy-in-this-world-are-not-the-moments/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Quit the world, and the world forgets you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/quit-the-world-and-the-world-forgets-you/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [O sleep, O gentle sleep, Nature's soft nurse, how have I frightened thee, 1710. That thou no more will weigh my eyelids down, And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-sleep-o-gentle-sleep-nature-s-soft-nurse-how-have-i-frightened-thee/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) [Browse all 284 Forgetfulness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetfulness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I center down - I retreat, not inside myself, but outside myself. ... Self-forgetfulness is tremendously invigorating. I wonder if we don't waste most of our energy just by spending every waking minute saying hello to ourselves.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annie Dillard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-center-down-i-retreat-not-inside-myself-but-outside-myself-self/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Forgetfulness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-center-down-i-retreat-not-inside-myself-but-outside-myself-self/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/annie-dillard-509_saying-hello_i-center-down-i-retreat-not-inside-mysel_1715464.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/annie-dillard-509_saying-hello_i-center-down-i-retreat-not-inside-mysel_1715464.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/095/annie-dillard-509_saying-hello_i-center-down-i-retreat-not-inside-mysel_1715464.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I center down - I retreat, not inside myself, but outside myself. ... Self-forgetfulness is tremendously…” — Annie Dillard", "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": "Annie Dillard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I center down - I retreat,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-center-down-i-retreat-not-inside-myself-but-outside-myself-self/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-center-down-i-retreat-not-inside-myself-but-outside-myself-self/#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 } } ] } ```