---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: one burst after another as my wife turned…"
description: "\"“one burst after another as my wife turned in her sleep. I was a single monkey trying to type the opening lines of my Hamlet,”\" — Billy Collins"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee5/billy-collins-3004_burst_one-burst-after-another-as-my-wife-turne_2154520.png"
---

#  one burst after another as my wife turned in her sleep. I…

![“one burst after another as my wife turned in her sleep. I was a single monkey trying to type the opening lines of my Hamlet,” quote by Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee5/billy-collins-3004_burst_one-burst-after-another-as-my-wife-turne_2154520.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee5/billy-collins-3004_burst_one-burst-after-another-as-my-wife-turne_2154520.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee5/billy-collins-3004_burst_one-burst-after-another-as-my-wife-turne_2154520.png)

> ““one burst after another as my wife turned in her sleep. I was a single monkey trying to type the opening lines of my Hamlet,””

[Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker feels overwhelmed by chaotic thoughts, likening them to a noisy, restless night and a futile attempt to create something profound.

**In simple terms:** Overwhelmed by chaos, trying to create meaning.

Key Takeaway

Embrace the mess, find humor in struggle.

Themes

creativity chaos humor

Mood

wry reflective

Type

literary humorous

When to use this quote

- nighttime anxiety
- writing block
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

existentialism absurdity

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you channel chaos into art?
- What does the monkey symbolize?

A Different Perspective

Humor can mask deeper frustration.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/)

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> [I still assume that, any day, I'm going to be exposed as a fraud. That, like I once heard Gene Hackman say, the acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/i-still-assume-that-any-day-i-m-going-to-be-exposed-as-a-fraud-that/)

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> [When it comes to salt, what was really staggering to me is that the industry itself is totally hooked on salt. It is this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moss/when-it-comes-to-salt-what-was-really-staggering-to-me-is-that-the/)

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> [“Want to hear them do a real song?” I burst out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/want-to-hear-them-do-a-real-song-i-burst-out/)

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> [...pleasure, of course, is a slippery word… Our pleasures ultimately belong to us, not to the pleasure's so](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/pleasure-of-course-is-a-slippery-word-our-pleasures-ultimately-belong/)

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[Explore all 141 Billy Collins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/)

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Browse all 92 Burst quotes

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