--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I took a month long vacation in the…" description: "\"I took a month long vacation in the stratosphere, and you know it's very hard to hold your breath.\" — Bruce Springsteen" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/bruce-springsteen-546_breath_i-took-a-month-long-vacation-in-the-stra_186155.jpg" --- # I took a month long vacation in the stratosphere, and you… ![“I took a month long vacation in the stratosphere, and you know it's very hard to hold your breath.” quote by Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/bruce-springsteen-546_breath_i-took-a-month-long-vacation-in-the-stra_186155.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/bruce-springsteen-546_breath_i-took-a-month-long-vacation-in-the-stra_186155.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/bruce-springsteen-546_breath_i-took-a-month-long-vacation-in-the-stra_186155.jpg) > “I took a month long vacation in the stratosphere, and you know it's very hard to hold your breath.” [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote uses a metaphor of a high‑altitude vacation to illustrate how challenging it is to sustain effort without proper preparation. **In simple terms:** Hard work feels like holding breath at high altitude. Key Takeaway Prepare and pace yourself for demanding tasks. Themes challenge effort preparation Mood determined reflective Type inspirational metaphorical When to use this quote - sports training - public speaking - creative projects - long‑term studies Key Concepts metaphor endurance Questions to Reflect On - How do you prepare for demanding tasks? - What supports help you sustain effort? A Different Perspective Without training, the effort can become overwhelming. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breath/) [Breaths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaths/) [Long vacation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-vacation/) [Outer space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outer-space/) [Vacation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vacation/) ## Related quotes > [It took me a month to get out of the mindset of O.J. But even now, still, I think it might have done something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuba-gooding-jr/it-took-me-a-month-to-get-out-of-the-mindset-of-o-j-but-even-now/) [Cuba Gooding, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuba-gooding-jr/) > [“Did you hear about the blonde who got an AM radio? It took her a month to realize she could play it in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/various/did-you-hear-about-the-blonde-who-got-an-am-radio-it-took-her-a-month/) Various > [I took a two month break after 'Maine Dil Tujhko Diya.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sameera-reddy/i-took-a-two-month-break-after-maine-dil-tujhko-diya/) [Sameera Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sameera-reddy/) > [On the 'Escondido' album, I think it took us a month to make that album.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-cale/on-the-escondido-album-i-think-it-took-us-a-month-to-make-that-album/) [J. J. Cale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-cale/) > [You are in a place that has not been seen for tens of thousands of years, because it was so sealed off. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/you-are-in-a-place-that-has-not-been-seen-for-tens-of-thousands-of/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [I noticed every time I felt overwhelmed, I would hold my breath. I had to learn to stop, relax, and take long deep breaths,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gisele-bundchen/i-noticed-every-time-i-felt-overwhelmed-i-would-hold-my-breath-i-had/) [Gisele Bundchen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gisele-bundchen/) > [When Mia Hamm touches the ball, you just hold your breath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anson-dorrance/when-mia-hamm-touches-the-ball-you-just-hold-your-breath/) [Anson Dorrance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anson-dorrance/) > [You know there are moments such as these when time stands still and all you do is hold your breath and hope it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothea-lange/you-know-there-are-moments-such-as-these-when-time-stands-still-and/) [Dorothea Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothea-lange/) > [I thought I'd have time to become a movie star. And it didn't happen, did it? We're still waiting. And they're saying, 'Don't hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-hamel/i-thought-i-d-have-time-to-become-a-movie-star-and-it-didn-t-happen/) Veronica Hamel > [Teaching is supposed to be a vocation for life - not a lifelong vacation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-hartley-brewer/teaching-is-supposed-to-be-a-vocation-for-life-not-a-lifelong-vacation/) [Julia Hartley-Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-hartley-brewer/) > [“When our founders spoke of the “pursuit of happiness,” they did not mean long vacations or the piling up of things. Happiness was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/when-our-founders-spoke-of-the-pursuit-of-happiness-they-did-not-mean/) [David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/) > [“Max’s unflinching gaze never left that house. “What do you think’s going to happen?” Jules asked him quietly, “if you let yourself peel that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-brockmann/max-s-unflinching-gaze-never-left-that-house-what-do-you-think-s/) [Suzanne Brockmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-brockmann/) > [Show business comes with wonderfully long vacations, like the life of a college professor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/show-business-comes-with-wonderfully-long-vacations-like-the-life-of/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [“How long's your vacation?" A year. Maybe longer." A year? What did you do? Win the lottery?" Most americans we met on the road,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-wisner/how-long-s-your-vacation-a-year-maybe-longer-a-year-what-did-you-do/) [Franz Wisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-wisner/) > [A vacation should be just long enough that your boss misses you, and not long enough for him to discover how well he can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-braude/a-vacation-should-be-just-long-enough-that-your-boss-misses-you-and/) [Jacob Braude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-braude/) ## More by Bruce Springsteen > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [When I die throw my body in the back and drive me to the junk yard in my Cadillac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-i-die-throw-my-body-in-the-back-and-drive-me-to-the-junk-yard-in/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [When you start talking about elections being rigged, you're pushing people beyond democratic governance. And it's a very, very dangerous thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-you-start-talking-about-elections-being-rigged-you-re-pushing/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I got Mary pregnant and man that's all she wrote. And for my 19th birthday, I got a union card and a factory coat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-got-mary-pregnant-and-man-that-s-all-she-wrote-and-for-my-19th/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [ I don't know if I know anyone, with the exception of the early inventors of rock music \[who wasn't influenced by something\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-don-t-know-if-i-know-anyone-with-the-exception-of-the-early/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [People see you onstage and, yeah, I'd want to be that guy.I want to be that guy myself very often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/people-see-you-onstage-and-yeah-i-d-want-to-be-that-guy-i-want-to-be/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [You know, my music utilizes things from the past, because that's what the past is for. It's to learn from. It's not to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/you-know-my-music-utilizes-things-from-the-past-because-that-s-what/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [From the town of Lincoln Nebraska with a sawed off .410 on my lap, through the Badlands of Wyoming I killed everything in my path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/from-the-town-of-lincoln-nebraska-with-a-sawed-off-410-on-my-lap/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I want a thousand guitars . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-want-a-thousand-guitars/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [In America everything's about who's number one today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/in-america-everything-s-about-who-s-number-one-today/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [A pop song is a condensed version of a life in three minutes, whereas, when you go to write your prose, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/a-pop-song-is-a-condensed-version-of-a-life-in-three-minutes-whereas/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I walked a thousand miles just to slip this skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-walked-a-thousand-miles-just-to-slip-this-skin/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The moment you begin to depend on audience reaction, you're doing the wrong thing. You're doin' it wrong, it's a mistake, it's not right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-moment-you-begin-to-depend-on-audience-reaction-you-re-doing-the/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The name 'Boss' started with people that worked for me... It was not meant like Boss, capital B, it was meant like 'Boss, where's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-name-boss-started-with-people-that-worked-for-me-it-was-not-meant/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The country we carry in our hearts is waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-country-we-carry-in-our-hearts-is-waiting/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) [Explore all 484 Bruce Springsteen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) ## More Breath quotes > [“The days may last forever, but the years pass by in a blink; the secret to survival is actually remembering to take a deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-smokler/the-days-may-last-forever-but-the-years-pass-by-in-a-blink-the-secret/) [Jill Smokler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-smokler/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [Take a deep breath. It,s just a bad day not a bad life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/take-a-deep-breath-it-s-just-a-bad-day-not-a-bad-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I stopped loving you today, But OMG..., Seeing your Body takes my breath away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becka-miller/i-stopped-loving-you-today-but-omg-seeing-your-body-takes-my-breath/) [Becka Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becka-miller/) > [So we must do our very best Whatever life may bring And look beyond the winter chill To smell the breath of spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-we-must-do-our-very-best-whatever-life-may-bring-and-look-beyond/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Poetry should be vital--either stirring our blood by its divine movements or snatching our breath by its divine perfection. To do both is supreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-birrell/poetry-should-be-vital-either-stirring-our-blood-by-its-divine/) [Augustine Birrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-birrell/) > [“The first step in awareness is to be watchful of your body. Slowly,slowly one becomes alert about each gesture,each movement. And as you become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/the-first-step-in-awareness-is-to-be-watchful-of-your-body-slowly/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [Tic Tacs are the maracas of breath mints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/tic-tacs-are-the-maracas-of-breath-mints/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [“To control your life, control your mind. To control your mind, control your breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/to-control-your-life-control-your-mind-to-control-your-mind-control/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [“He’s sitting so close, I can feel his breath on my cheek. My stomach flip-flops again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-s-sitting-so-close-i-can-feel-his-breath-on-my-cheek-my-stomach/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“My life to yours. My breath beecome yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/my-life-to-yours-my-breath-beecome-yours/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“My heart is your heart," she whispers, and wow that takes my breath away, this line from my childhood that she always used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabel-pitcher/my-heart-is-your-heart-she-whispers-and-wow-that-takes-my-breath-away/) [Annabel Pitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabel-pitcher/) > [Good manners and bad breath will get you nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/good-manners-and-bad-breath-will-get-you-nowhere/) [Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/) > [“Being able to be myself was like being able to exhale for the first time after holding my breath for years. It’s only when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/404-ink/being-able-to-be-myself-was-like-being-able-to-exhale-for-the-first/) 404 Ink [Browse all 1,839 Breath quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breath/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I took a month long vacation in the stratosphere, and you know it's very hard to hold your breath.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bruce Springsteen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-took-a-month-long-vacation-in-the-stratosphere-and-you-know-it-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Breath" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-took-a-month-long-vacation-in-the-stratosphere-and-you-know-it-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/bruce-springsteen-546_breath_i-took-a-month-long-vacation-in-the-stra_186155.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/bruce-springsteen-546_breath_i-took-a-month-long-vacation-in-the-stra_186155.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b74/bruce-springsteen-546_breath_i-took-a-month-long-vacation-in-the-stra_186155.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I took a month long vacation in the stratosphere, and you know it's very hard to hold your breath.” — Bruce Springsteen", "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": "Bruce Springsteen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I took a month long vacation...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-took-a-month-long-vacation-in-the-stratosphere-and-you-know-it-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-took-a-month-long-vacation-in-the-stratosphere-and-you-know-it-s/#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 } } ] } ```