--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have since only rarely seen the tree…" description: "\"I have since only rarely seen the tree with the lights in it. The vision comes and goes, mostly goes, but I live for it, for the moment when the mounta..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/828/annie-dillard-509_comes-and-goes_i-have-since-only-rarely-seen-the-tree-w_2382005.jpg" --- # I have since only rarely seen the tree with the lights in… ![“I have since only rarely seen the tree with the lights in it. The vision comes and goes, mostly goes, but I live for it, for the moment when the mountains open and a new light roars in spate through the crack, and the mountains slam.” quote by Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/828/annie-dillard-509_comes-and-goes_i-have-since-only-rarely-seen-the-tree-w_2382005.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/828/annie-dillard-509_comes-and-goes_i-have-since-only-rarely-seen-the-tree-w_2382005.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/828/annie-dillard-509_comes-and-goes_i-have-since-only-rarely-seen-the-tree-w_2382005.jpg) > “I have since only rarely seen the tree with the lights in it. The vision comes and goes, mostly goes, but I live for it, for the moment when the mountains open and a new light roars in spate through the crack, and the mountains slam.” [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. The fleeting vision of light in the mountains symbolizes moments of awe that inspire living fully in the present. **In simple terms:** Awe moments inspire presence. Key Takeaway Seek and cherish such experiences. Themes nature spirituality transcendence Mood wonderful reflective Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - hiking - creative work - meditation Key Concepts epiphany impermanence Questions to Reflect On - How do you capture fleeting inspiration? - What practices keep you attuned to awe? A Different Perspective Such visions may be rare and elusive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comes and goes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-and-goes/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) ## Related quotes > [“When her doctor took her bandages off and led her into the garden, the girl who was no longer blind saw “the tree with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/when-her-doctor-took-her-bandages-off-and-led-her-into-the-garden-the/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I'll make love to you in all good places, under black mountains and open spaces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jethro-tull/i-ll-make-love-to-you-in-all-good-places-under-black-mountains-and/) [Jethro Tull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jethro-tull/) > [I'm a person of the mountains and the open paddocks and the big empty sky, that's me, and I knew if I spent too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-marsden/i-m-a-person-of-the-mountains-and-the-open-paddocks-and-the-big-empty/) [John Marsden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-marsden/) > [You haven't seen a tree until you've seen its shadow from the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-earhart/you-haven-t-seen-a-tree-until-you-ve-seen-its-shadow-from-the-sky/) [Amelia Earhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-earhart/) > [Upon the hearth the fire is red, Beneath the roof there is a bed; But not yet weary are our feet, Still round the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/upon-the-hearth-the-fire-is-red-beneath-the-roof-there-is-a-bed-but-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She had never seen the Tree House at night. Vast and dark, lit with candles for the occasion, the rooms looked magical, the staircase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/she-had-never-seen-the-tree-house-at-night-vast-and-dark-lit-with/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [Vision sometimes comes in a memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/vision-sometimes-comes-in-a-memory/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [“If my vision comes to a halt at the surface of a thing, I have missed the whole of the thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/if-my-vision-comes-to-a-halt-at-the-surface-of-a-thing-i-have-missed/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [Vision comes alive when everyone sees where his or her contribution makes a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/vision-comes-alive-when-everyone-sees-where-his-or-her-contribution/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [Others can see in us what we can't see in ourselves. Insecurity often blocks our vision when it comes to looking at ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/others-can-see-in-us-what-we-can-t-see-in-ourselves-insecurity-often/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I knew my whole life that I had to make ends meet or I would be ashamed of myself. I had a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oneohtrix-point-never/i-knew-my-whole-life-that-i-had-to-make-ends-meet-or-i-would-be/) [Oneohtrix Point Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oneohtrix-point-never/) > [“Ultimately, where the vision comes from is less important than ensuring that it is the correct one. As product management guru Rich Mironov says,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-banfield/ultimately-where-the-vision-comes-from-is-less-important-than/) [Richard Banfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-banfield/) > [The only true vision comes not from God but from the inmost recesses of the human mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/the-only-true-vision-comes-not-from-god-but-from-the-inmost-recesses/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [If you're using a computer as an artist and expressing your personal vision, I think your personal vision comes through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gibbons/if-you-re-using-a-computer-as-an-artist-and-expressing-your-personal/) [Dave Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gibbons/) > [“A fuller vision comes from our ability to recognize the fallibility in our current and past forms of sight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lewis/a-fuller-vision-comes-from-our-ability-to-recognize-the-fallibility/) [Sarah Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lewis/) ## 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 Comes and goes quotes > [A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/a-community-is-the-mental-and-spiritual-condition-of-knowing-that-the/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Nominations come and go. It is not going to happen to you every year, and I am very well aware of that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ann-womack/nominations-come-and-go-it-is-not-going-to-happen-to-you-every-year/) [Lee Ann Womack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ann-womack/) > [I think it would be great to be a cat! You come and go as you please. People always feed and pet you. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-mcpherson/i-think-it-would-be-great-to-be-a-cat-you-come-and-go-as-you-please/) Patricia McPherson > [The U.S. always needs an enemy. It comes and goes. Today it is Islam. According to this plan or ideology of the born-again Christians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walid-jumblatt/the-u-s-always-needs-an-enemy-it-comes-and-goes-today-it-is-islam/) [Walid Jumblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walid-jumblatt/) > [Fashion is transient, trends come and go. I believe in style, not fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-lauren/fashion-is-transient-trends-come-and-go-i-believe-in-style-not-fashion/) [Ralph Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-lauren/) > [Silently, like thoughts that come and go, the snowflakes fall, each one a gem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hamilton-gibson/silently-like-thoughts-that-come-and-go-the-snowflakes-fall-each-one/) William Hamilton Gibson > [Does Heaven ever speak? The four seasons come and go, and all creatures thrive and grow. Does Heaven ever speak!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/does-heaven-ever-speak-the-four-seasons-come-and-go-and-all-creatures/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Money comes and goes. I'm thankful I have money. I'm trying to save up more. I would like more money. But it's not happiness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dat-phan/money-comes-and-goes-i-m-thankful-i-have-money-i-m-trying-to-save-up/) [Dat Phan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dat-phan/) > [Tides are like politics. They come and go with a great deal of fuss and noise, but inevitably they leave the beach just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-mcdevitt/tides-are-like-politics-they-come-and-go-with-a-great-deal-of-fuss/) [Jack McDevitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-mcdevitt/) > [But the great thing to remember is that, though our feelings come and go, His love for us does not. It is not wearied…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/but-the-great-thing-to-remember-is-that-though-our-feelings-come-and/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Oh, thank you love With all my heart and soul I thank you love Each day that comes and goes I thank you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-wonder/oh-thank-you-love-with-all-my-heart-and-soul-i-thank-you-love-each/) [Stevie Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-wonder/) > [I don't give up. I'm a plodder. People come and go, but I stay the course.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-costner/i-don-t-give-up-i-m-a-plodder-people-come-and-go-but-i-stay-the-course/) [Kevin Costner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-costner/) > [I love what I think, and I'm never tempted to believe it. Thoughts are like the wind or the leaves on the trees or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/i-love-what-i-think-and-i-m-never-tempted-to-believe-it-thoughts-are/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [Because too many times in life there's just one person that I met, just one thing that I heard, one movie that I saw,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-singletary/because-too-many-times-in-life-there-s-just-one-person-that-i-met/) [Mike Singletary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-singletary/) > [An ex-girlfriend once got upset when I told her that music is the most important thing in my life. It's more important than anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/an-ex-girlfriend-once-got-upset-when-i-told-her-that-music-is-the/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) [Browse all 388 Comes and goes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comes-and-goes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have since only rarely seen the tree with the lights in it. 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