--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I sit in Paris in a cafe, surrounded…" description: "\"When I sit in Paris in a cafe, surrounded by people, I don't sit casually - I go over a certain sonata in my head and discover new things all the time...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/arthur-rubinstein-17373_cafe_when-i-sit-in-paris-in-a-cafe-surrounded_2370782.png" --- # When I sit in Paris in a cafe, surrounded by people, I… ![“When I sit in Paris in a cafe, surrounded by people, I don't sit casually - I go over a certain sonata in my head and discover new things all the time.” quote by Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/arthur-rubinstein-17373_cafe_when-i-sit-in-paris-in-a-cafe-surrounded_2370782.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/arthur-rubinstein-17373_cafe_when-i-sit-in-paris-in-a-cafe-surrounded_2370782.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/arthur-rubinstein-17373_cafe_when-i-sit-in-paris-in-a-cafe-surrounded_2370782.png) > “When I sit in Paris in a cafe, surrounded by people, I don't sit casually - I go over a certain sonata in my head and discover new things all the time.” [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In a bustling café, the mind composes a mental sonata, revealing fresh insights. **In simple terms:** Mental music sparks new ideas. Key Takeaway Allow distractions to inspire creativity. Themes creativity mindfulness observation Mood contemplative inspired Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - writing - composing - problem solving - design thinking Key Concepts cognitive flow artistic inspiration Questions to Reflect On - What mental melodies emerge in everyday settings? - How does background activity influence your thoughts? A Different Perspective Constant noise can also fragment focus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cafe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cafe/) [Cafe Surrounded](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cafe-surrounded-5837820/) [Cafes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cafes/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/london/) [New things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-things/) [Paris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paris/) [Paris Café](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paris-caf-5381034/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Sit Casually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sit-casually-5837822/) [Sit Paris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sit-paris-5837821/) [Sonatas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sonatas/) ## Related quotes > [Paris is the café of Europe...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/paris-is-the-caf-of-europe/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Composing a concert is like composing a menu… If you start with light pieces and play a 45-minute sonata after the interlude, it's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/composing-a-concert-is-like-composing-a-menu-if-you-start-with-light/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [Of true knowledge at any time, a good part is merely convenient, necessary indeed to the worker, but not to an understanding of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-barzun/of-true-knowledge-at-any-time-a-good-part-is-merely-convenient/) [Jacques Barzun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-barzun/) > [Particles of raw inspiration sleet through the universe all the time. Every once in a while one of them hits a receptive mind, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/particles-of-raw-inspiration-sleet-through-the-universe-all-the-time/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [ Scarlatti \[Kirkpatrick\] started writing sonatas when he was 66 and the idea that he ran off 500 or so after he was 66 was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-stella/scarlatti-kirkpatrick-started-writing-sonatas-when-he-was-66-and-the/) [Frank Stella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-stella/) > [Life can't be all bad when for ten dollars you can buy all the Beethoven sonatas and listen to them for ten years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-f-buckley-jr/life-can-t-be-all-bad-when-for-ten-dollars-you-can-buy-all-the/) [William F. Buckley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-f-buckley-jr/) > [Many Introverts are also "highly sensitive," which sounds poetic, but is actually a technical term in psychology. If you are a sensitive sort, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/many-introverts-are-also-highly-sensitive-which-sounds-poetic-but-is/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [The other option we have are medication treatments. So you'll have the treatments such as Ambien, Lunesta, Sonata, and we'll also have Rozerem and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-harris/the-other-option-we-have-are-medication-treatments-so-you-ll-have-the/) [Shelby Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelby-harris/) > [Two years of close association with some of the best (as well as some of the worst) tunes in the world was a better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-vaughan-williams/two-years-of-close-association-with-some-of-the-best-as-well-as-some/) [Ralph Vaughan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-vaughan-williams/) > [Tokyo Sonata speaks to us, with feeling and passion, as one of the most eloquent statements on the world today that we are likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-sarris/tokyo-sonata-speaks-to-us-with-feeling-and-passion-as-one-of-the-most/) [Andrew Sarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-sarris/) > [My 10th Sonata is a sonata of insects. Insects are born from the sun... they are the sun's kisses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-scriabin/my-10th-sonata-is-a-sonata-of-insects-insects-are-born-from-the-sun/) [Alexander Scriabin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-scriabin/) > [There is a moonlight note in the Moonlight Sonata; there is a thunder note in an angry sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/there-is-a-moonlight-note-in-the-moonlight-sonata-there-is-a-thunder/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [The meaning and purpose of dancing is the dance. Like music also, it is fulfilled in each moment of its course. You do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-meaning-and-purpose-of-dancing-is-the-dance-like-music-also-it-is/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [Shakespeare wrote his sonnets within a strict discipline, fourteen lines of iambic pentameter, rhyming in three quatrains and a couplet. Were his sonnets dull?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/shakespeare-wrote-his-sonnets-within-a-strict-discipline-fourteen/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [“But that some sonatas of Beethoven are written tragic no one can gainsay; yet they can triumph or despair as the player decides, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/but-that-some-sonatas-of-beethoven-are-written-tragic-no-one-can/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) ## More by Arthur Rubinstein > [“At breakfast, I might pass a Brahms symphony in my head. Then I am called to the phone, and half an hour later I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/at-breakfast-i-might-pass-a-brahms-symphony-in-my-head-then-i-am/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [I feel that special secret current between the public and me. I can hold them with one little note in the air, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/i-feel-that-special-secret-current-between-the-public-and-me-i-can/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [Don't tell me how talented you are. Tell me how hard you work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/don-t-tell-me-how-talented-you-are-tell-me-how-hard-you-work/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [Even when I'm sick and depressed, I love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/even-when-i-m-sick-and-depressed-i-love-life/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [When I play, I make love – it is the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/when-i-play-i-make-love-it-is-the-same-thing/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [ ...no formula for success \[exists\] except, perhaps, an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings." "I accept life unconditionally. Most people ask for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/no-formula-for-success-exists-except-perhaps-an-unconditional/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [My father, good or bad, mistakes or no, had a direct line from his heart to the music to the people, to the audience.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/my-father-good-or-bad-mistakes-or-no-had-a-direct-line-from-his-heart/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [Most people ask for happiness on condition. Happiness can only be felt if you don't set any condition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/most-people-ask-for-happiness-on-condition-happiness-can-only-be-felt/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [“There is no formula for success except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of the act and what it brings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/there-is-no-formula-for-success-except-perhaps-an-unconditional/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [Sometimes when I sit own to practice and there is no one else in the room, I have to stifle an impulse to ring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/sometimes-when-i-sit-own-to-practice-and-there-is-no-one-else-in-the/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [I'm passionately involved in life: I love its change, its color, its movement. To be alive, to be able to see, to walk, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/i-m-passionately-involved-in-life-i-love-its-change-its-color-its/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [Yes, I am very lucky, but I have a little theory about this. I have noticed through experience and observation that providence, nature, God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/yes-i-am-very-lucky-but-i-have-a-little-theory-about-this-i-have/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [Of course there is no formula for success, except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life, and what it brings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/of-course-there-is-no-formula-for-success-except-perhaps-an/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [“Love life ND IT WILL LOVE YOU BACK. LOVE PEOPLE AND THEY WILL LOVE YOU BACK.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/love-life-nd-it-will-love-you-back-love-people-and-they-will-love-you/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [The result was magnificent . . . I became the father of two girls and two boys, lovely children by good fortune they all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/the-result-was-magnificent-i-became-the-father-of-two-girls-and-two/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) [Explore all 37 Arthur Rubinstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) ## More Cafe quotes > [If it's a healthy day, I'll head to the gym, then have a steak salad at the cafe next door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steph-mcgovern/if-it-s-a-healthy-day-i-ll-head-to-the-gym-then-have-a-steak-salad-at/) [Steph McGovern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steph-mcgovern/) > [Cafe society is as old as the hills. Starbucks and its imitators are the coffee face of the new man in a hurry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-anderson/cafe-society-is-as-old-as-the-hills-starbucks-and-its-imitators-are/) [Ian Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-anderson/) > [My main home is in Morecambe Bay on a little island called Roa, where there are 13 houses, a lifeboat station, a boat club…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-myers/my-main-home-is-in-morecambe-bay-on-a-little-island-called-roa-where/) [Dave Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-myers/) > [When I was younger, I used to do that a lot: I would hear a part of a song that would really relax me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-krule/when-i-was-younger-i-used-to-do-that-a-lot-i-would-hear-a-part-of-a/) [King Krule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-krule/) > [“It was the same Dimitri from long ago, the fierce one who was willing to risk his life for what was right. I almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/it-was-the-same-dimitri-from-long-ago-the-fierce-one-who-was-willing/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [Our favourite restaurant, cafe, noodle joint or eating house is always there for us when we need them, from morning coffee to major milestone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-leong/our-favourite-restaurant-cafe-noodle-joint-or-eating-house-is-always/) [Melissa Leong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-leong/) > [A girl came in the cafe and sat by herself at a table near the window. She was very pretty with a face fresh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/a-girl-came-in-the-cafe-and-sat-by-herself-at-a-table-near-the-window/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [If you can't sit in a cafe quietly and be ignored, how can you observe human nature and write a story?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/if-you-can-t-sit-in-a-cafe-quietly-and-be-ignored-how-can-you-observe/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) > [If you want to know how old you look, just walk into a French cafe. It's like a public referendum on your face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/if-you-want-to-know-how-old-you-look-just-walk-into-a-french-cafe-it/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [My mum and dad ran a family cafe in Sligo for 35 years and worked long hours. We grew up in a very hard-working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-filan/my-mum-and-dad-ran-a-family-cafe-in-sligo-for-35-years-and-worked/) [Shane Filan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-filan/) > [I did sketch comedy with a troupe at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selenis-leyva/i-did-sketch-comedy-with-a-troupe-at-the-nuyorican-poets-cafe/) [Selenis Leyva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selenis-leyva/) > [I think it's important to have flexibility to work wherever is best for you. I actually encourage people to work at the cafe -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-wojcicki/i-think-it-s-important-to-have-flexibility-to-work-wherever-is-best/) [Anne Wojcicki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-wojcicki/) > [I've grown so accustomed to my life in L.A., going to a Coffee Bean or getting breakfast at Kings Road Cafe. I've seen a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maz-jobrani/i-ve-grown-so-accustomed-to-my-life-in-l-a-going-to-a-coffee-bean-or/) [Maz Jobrani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maz-jobrani/) > [When I'm gone, you'll be sitting in a cafe and say, "Do you remember Agnes?"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-denes/when-i-m-gone-you-ll-be-sitting-in-a-cafe-and-say-do-you-remember/) [Agnes Denes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-denes/) > [“The silver knives are flashing in that tired old cafe...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/the-silver-knives-are-flashing-in-that-tired-old-cafe/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) [Browse all 105 Cafe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cafe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I sit in Paris in a cafe, surrounded by people, I don't sit casually - I go over a certain sonata in my head and discover new things all the time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur Rubinstein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/when-i-sit-in-paris-in-a-cafe-surrounded-by-people-i-don-t-sit/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cafe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/when-i-sit-in-paris-in-a-cafe-surrounded-by-people-i-don-t-sit/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/arthur-rubinstein-17373_cafe_when-i-sit-in-paris-in-a-cafe-surrounded_2370782.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/arthur-rubinstein-17373_cafe_when-i-sit-in-paris-in-a-cafe-surrounded_2370782.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43b/arthur-rubinstein-17373_cafe_when-i-sit-in-paris-in-a-cafe-surrounded_2370782.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I sit in Paris in a cafe, surrounded by people, I don't sit casually - I go over a certain sonata in my…” — Arthur Rubinstein", "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": "Arthur Rubinstein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I sit in Paris in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/when-i-sit-in-paris-in-a-cafe-surrounded-by-people-i-don-t-sit/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/when-i-sit-in-paris-in-a-cafe-surrounded-by-people-i-don-t-sit/#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 } } ] } ```