--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The mind wants the world to return its…" description: "\"The mind wants the world to return its love, or its awareness; the mind wants to know all the world, and all eternity, and God.\" — Annie Dillard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/annie-dillard-509_awareness_the-mind-wants-the-world-to-return-its-l_3007657.jpg" --- # The mind wants the world to return its love, or its… ![“The mind wants the world to return its love, or its awareness; the mind wants to know all the world, and all eternity, and God.” quote by Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/annie-dillard-509_awareness_the-mind-wants-the-world-to-return-its-l_3007657.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/annie-dillard-509_awareness_the-mind-wants-the-world-to-return-its-l_3007657.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/annie-dillard-509_awareness_the-mind-wants-the-world-to-return-its-l_3007657.jpg) > “The mind wants the world to return its love, or its awareness; the mind wants to know all the world, and all eternity, and God.” [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 mind craves love, awareness, and understanding of the universe, seeking connection with both the finite world and the infinite. **In simple terms:** Human consciousness seeks love, knowledge, and meaning. Key Takeaway Cultivate curiosity and openness to life's mysteries. Themes spirituality philosophy psychology Mood wonderful reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - meditation - creative writing - scientific inquiry - personal reflection Key Concepts existential longing cosmic curiosity self-awareness Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to love the world? - How can we balance desire for knowledge with acceptance? A Different Perspective The quote may romanticize yearning without addressing practical limits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/) [Eternity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternity/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [The world of imagination is the world of eternity. It is the divine bosom into which we shall all go after death of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-world-of-imagination-is-the-world-of-eternity-it-is-the-divine/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [“And if time is not real, then the dividing line that seems to lie between this world and eternity, between suffering and bliss, between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/and-if-time-is-not-real-then-the-dividing-line-that-seems-to-lie/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Some lives, conducted with grace, are beautiful arcs bridging this world to eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/some-lives-conducted-with-grace-are-beautiful-arcs-bridging-this/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [When you succeed in awakening the Kundalini, so that it starts to move out of its mere potentiality, you necessarily start a world which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/when-you-succeed-in-awakening-the-kundalini-so-that-it-starts-to-move/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [The mind wants to live forever, or to learn a very good reason why not. The mind wants the world to return its love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-mind-wants-to-live-forever-or-to-learn-a-very-good-reason-why-not/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Nothing exists from eternity but God, and God is not the matter or a part of any creature, but only the maker.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ames/nothing-exists-from-eternity-but-god-and-god-is-not-the-matter-or-a/) [William Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ames/) > [You can indeed be aware of your body, but you can also be aware of your mind - you can right now notice all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/you-can-indeed-be-aware-of-your-body-but-you-can-also-be-aware-of/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [I've worked all my life on the subject of awareness, whether it's awareness of the body, awareness of the mind, awareness of your emotions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/i-ve-worked-all-my-life-on-the-subject-of-awareness-whether-it-s/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [In pure awareness the mind cannot drag you down into the mud, into the gutter. In anger, in hatred, in jealousy, the mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/in-pure-awareness-the-mind-cannot-drag-you-down-into-the-mud-into-the/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [You are awareness. You are mind. You are not from this world. I mean, think about it, could you really be from here?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-are-awareness-you-are-mind-you-are-not-from-this-world-i-mean/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“We only know a person’s intentions through awareness. The mind is easily influenced by the suggestions and emotions of others. We are either manipulated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cosmar/we-only-know-a-person-s-intentions-through-awareness-the-mind-is/) [Robert Cosmar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cosmar/) > [Obsessive use of meditative disciplines or perennial study of scripture and philosophy will never bring forth this wonderful realization, this truth which is natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilopa/obsessive-use-of-meditative-disciplines-or-perennial-study-of/) [Tilopa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilopa/) > [“Decay is as inevitable as death, as nothing lives in this temporary world for eternity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usama-hussain/decay-is-as-inevitable-as-death-as-nothing-lives-in-this-temporary/) Usama Hussain > [My joy is death- Death, at whose name I oft have been afeard, Because I wish'd this world's eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/my-joy-is-death-death-at-whose-name-i-oft-have-been-afeard-because-i/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The world of imagination is the world of eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-world-of-imagination-is-the-world-of-eternity/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) ## 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 Awareness quotes > [An enlightened awareness is within each one of us, right at this moment. This enlightened awareness is truly unborn and marvellously illuminating; and everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bankei-yotaku/an-enlightened-awareness-is-within-each-one-of-us-right-at-this/) [Bankei Yotaku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bankei-yotaku/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [Listening is a very active awareness of the coming together of at least two lives. Listening, as far as I'm concerned, is certainly a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-rogers/listening-is-a-very-active-awareness-of-the-coming-together-of-at/) [Fred Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-rogers/) > [“In the worldly life, due to maadakta (intoxication of the ego of ‘I am Chandubhai’), one has completely lost awareness of everything about one’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/in-the-worldly-life-due-to-maadakta-intoxication-of-the-ego-of-i-am/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [A tree is a self: it is 'unseen shaping' more than it is leaves or bark, roots or cellulose or fruit ... What this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-swimme/a-tree-is-a-self-it-is-unseen-shaping-more-than-it-is-leaves-or-bark/) [Brian Swimme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-swimme/) > [I know the importance of highly trained awareness of the “moment” and the immediate and intuitive response of the photographer. It should be obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/i-know-the-importance-of-highly-trained-awareness-of-the-moment-and/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) > [The thing about living alone is that it gives you a lot of time to think. You don't necessarily reach any conclusions, because wisdom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/the-thing-about-living-alone-is-that-it-gives-you-a-lot-of-time-to/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [“It is not so much about fighting against the ego; it is more about harmonizing with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-sara/it-is-not-so-much-about-fighting-against-the-ego-it-is-more-about/) [Grace Sara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-sara/) > [I'm part of a team that raises millions of dollars and raises awareness of HIV and AIDS all over the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-evangelista/i-m-part-of-a-team-that-raises-millions-of-dollars-and-raises/) [Linda Evangelista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-evangelista/) > [“Don’t turn your face away. Once you’ve seen, you can no longer act like you don’t know. Open your eyes to the truth. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vashti-quiroz-vega/don-t-turn-your-face-away-once-you-ve-seen-you-can-no-longer-act-like/) Vashti Quiroz-Vega > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [Sometimes I am a collector of data, and only a collector, and am likely to be gross and miserly, piling up notes, pleased with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/sometimes-i-am-a-collector-of-data-and-only-a-collector-and-am-likely/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [The bird with the thorn in its breast, it follows an immutable law; it is driven by it knows not what to impale itself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-mccullough/the-bird-with-the-thorn-in-its-breast-it-follows-an-immutable-law-it/) [Colleen McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-mccullough/) > [Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal. You, O worthy one, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeking-means-to-have-a-goal-but-finding-means-to-be-free-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response toward which we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rollo-may/human-freedom-involves-our-capacity-to-pause-between-the-stimulus-and/) [Rollo May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rollo-may/) [Browse all 4,768 Awareness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awareness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The mind wants the world to return its love, or its awareness; the mind wants to know all the world, and all eternity, and God.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annie Dillard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-mind-wants-the-world-to-return-its-love-or-its-awareness-the-mind/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Awareness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-mind-wants-the-world-to-return-its-love-or-its-awareness-the-mind/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/annie-dillard-509_awareness_the-mind-wants-the-world-to-return-its-l_3007657.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/annie-dillard-509_awareness_the-mind-wants-the-world-to-return-its-l_3007657.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e6c/annie-dillard-509_awareness_the-mind-wants-the-world-to-return-its-l_3007657.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The mind wants the world to return its love, or its awareness; the mind wants to know all the world, and all…” — 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": "The mind wants the world to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-mind-wants-the-world-to-return-its-love-or-its-awareness-the-mind/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-mind-wants-the-world-to-return-its-love-or-its-awareness-the-mind/#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 } } ] } ```