--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An unthinkable thought is not one that…" description: "\"“An unthinkable thought is not one that hasn't occurred to somebody, nor is it a thought that somebody considers to be wrong. An unthinkable thought th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/charles-baxter-8009_dark-night_an-unthinkable-thought-is-not-one-that-h_2721650.jpg" --- # An unthinkable thought is not one that hasn't occurred to… ![“An unthinkable thought is not one that hasn't occurred to somebody, nor is it a thought that somebody considers to be wrong. An unthinkable thought threatens a person's entire existence and is therefore subversive and consequently can be thought of and has been thought of, but has been pushed out…” quote by Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/charles-baxter-8009_dark-night_an-unthinkable-thought-is-not-one-that-h_2721650.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/charles-baxter-8009_dark-night_an-unthinkable-thought-is-not-one-that-h_2721650.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/charles-baxter-8009_dark-night_an-unthinkable-thought-is-not-one-that-h_2721650.jpg) > ““An unthinkable thought is not one that hasn't occurred to somebody, nor is it a thought that somebody considers to be wrong. An unthinkable thought threatens a person's entire existence and is therefore subversive and consequently can be thought of and has been thought of, but has been pushed out of the mind's currency and subsumed into its margins where it festers. Dark nights of the soul are lit by inconceivable ideas. Any story may draw its source from the power of an unthinkable thought.”” [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unthinkable ideas, though suppressed, can ignite profound insight and creative breakthroughs. **In simple terms:** Forbidden thoughts can spark deep insight. Key Takeaway Explore suppressed ideas safely. Themes creativity taboo psychology innovation Mood curious introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing - scientific research - personal reflection Key Concepts philosophy cognitive science artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - What hidden ideas could inspire you? - How do you safely confront unsettling thoughts? A Different Perspective Such thoughts may cause distress if mishandled. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dark night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-night/) [Inconceivable Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inconceivable-ideas-2886993/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Thought Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-thought/) [Thought Threatens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-threatens-2886992/) [Unthinkable Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unthinkable-thought-1558770/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Here is nature once more at her old game of self-preservation. This train of thought, she perceives, is threatening mere waste of energy, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/here-is-nature-once-more-at-her-old-game-of-self-preservation-this/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [The price of self-destiny is never cheap, and in certain situations it is unthinkable. But to achieve the marvelous, it is precisely the unthinkable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-price-of-self-destiny-is-never-cheap-and-in-certain-situations-it-2/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [There is nothing so unthinkable as thought, unless it be the entire absence of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/there-is-nothing-so-unthinkable-as-thought-unless-it-be-the-entire/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [To achieve the impossible; it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/to-achieve-the-impossible-it-is-precisely-the-unthinkable-that-must/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [It's only a thought and a thought can be changed. Choose good ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/it-s-only-a-thought-and-a-thought-can-be-changed-choose-good-ones/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Is action merely the incidental product of thought, or is thought the consequential product of action?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/is-action-merely-the-incidental-product-of-thought-or-is-thought-the/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“She thought no one could see her. I thought she was beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-wells/she-thought-no-one-could-see-her-i-thought-she-was-beautiful/) [Dan Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-wells/) > [Once you've done that, push the thought of no thought away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/once-you-ve-done-that-push-the-thought-of-no-thought-away/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Nothing remains beautiful and interesting except thought, because the thought is the life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/nothing-remains-beautiful-and-interesting-except-thought-because-the/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“Is it true?        2. Can you absolutely know that it’s true?        3. How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?        4.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/is-it-true-2-can-you-absolutely-know-that-it-s-true-3-how-do-you/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [Space is all one space and thought is all one thought, but my mind divides its spaces into spaces into spaces and thoughts into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/space-is-all-one-space-and-thought-is-all-one-thought-but-my-mind/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [“Every time you come to the limit of what is demanded of you, you are faced with the same problem - to be yourself!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/every-time-you-come-to-the-limit-of-what-is-demanded-of-you-you-are-2/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Freedom is not an idea; a philosophy written about freedom is not freedom. Either one is free or one is not. One is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/freedom-is-not-an-idea-a-philosophy-written-about-freedom-is-not/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [You know, ever since I first met him, I always thought, man, I hope I dont mess this up. Because thats what I do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerhia/you-know-ever-since-i-first-met-him-i-always-thought-man-i-hope-i/) [Jerhia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerhia/) > [If you follow the process of a thought - any thought, not just about art - the thought changes. It has to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-bleckner/if-you-follow-the-process-of-a-thought-any-thought-not-just-about-art/) [Ross Bleckner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-bleckner/) ## More by Charles Baxter > [“Ethics is a dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/ethics-is-a-dream/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [It's my feeling that any writer can get an emotion into a story without being sentimental as long as the emotion is dealt with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/it-s-my-feeling-that-any-writer-can-get-an-emotion-into-a-story/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [At least with pets, and for all I know, people too, intelligence and quick-wittedness have nothing to do with a talent for being loved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/at-least-with-pets-and-for-all-i-know-people-too-intelligence-and/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [Literature is not a sack race. There aren't real winners and losers in the Republic of Letters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/literature-is-not-a-sack-race-there-aren-t-real-winners-and-losers-in/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [“...Hell is the proof of God's failure or refusal to love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/hell-is-the-proof-of-god-s-failure-or-refusal-to-love/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [“Literature is not an instruction manual. For obvious reasons, this is rarely noted in fiction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/literature-is-not-an-instruction-manual-for-obvious-reasons-this-is/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [“Gurov, discovers that the most important features of life that you want to talk about cannot be spoken of in polite society.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/gurov-discovers-that-the-most-important-features-of-life-that-you/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [“Men have strength, Miss Ferenczi said, but no true magic. That is why men fall in love with women but women do not fall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/men-have-strength-miss-ferenczi-said-but-no-true-magic-that-is-why/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [There's nothing to talk about to strangers anymore, if you know what I mean. Everything I want to say, I say to her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/there-s-nothing-to-talk-about-to-strangers-anymore-if-you-know-what-i/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [“Anyway, what I've just told you was what prompted the chair incident. I had grown big, and he was trying to belittle me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/anyway-what-i-ve-just-told-you-was-what-prompted-the-chair-incident-i/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [“intelligence and quick-wittedness have nothing to do with a talent for being loved, or being kind, nothing at all, less than nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/intelligence-and-quick-wittedness-have-nothing-to-do-with-a-talent/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [When you’re in love you don’t have to do a damn thing. You can just be. You can just stay quiet in the world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/when-you-re-in-love-you-don-t-have-to-do-a-damn-thing-you-can-just-be/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [“Against the odds, they refuse to succeed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/against-the-odds-they-refuse-to-succeed/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [Savor the imminent weirdness of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/savor-the-imminent-weirdness-of-the-day/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [In truth, there are only two realities: the one for people who are in love or love each other, and the one for people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/in-truth-there-are-only-two-realities-the-one-for-people-who-are-in/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) [Explore all 84 Charles Baxter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) ## More Dark night quotes > [On Hanukkah, the first dark night, Light yourself a candle bright. I'll you, if you will me invite To dance within that gentle light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-gordon/on-hanukkah-the-first-dark-night-light-yourself-a-candle-bright-i-ll/) [Nick Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-gordon/) > [“What do we do in the dark night? We do nothing. We wait. We remember that we are not God. We hold on. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/what-do-we-do-in-the-dark-night-we-do-nothing-we-wait-we-remember/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [Faith is a dark night for man, but in this very way it gives him light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/faith-is-a-dark-night-for-man-but-in-this-very-way-it-gives-him-light/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Maine out of season is unmistakably a great destination: hospitable, good-humored, plenty of elbow room, short days, dark nights of crackling ice crystals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/maine-out-of-season-is-unmistakably-a-great-destination-hospitable/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [“Too often on such occasions one feels, as I feel so strongly with regard to poor old Stilton, that the kindly thing to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/too-often-on-such-occasions-one-feels-as-i-feel-so-strongly-with/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [“Look at all the resources around you before you make a decision. Look for ways to make your environment work for you. The solution…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-sutherland/look-at-all-the-resources-around-you-before-you-make-a-decision-look/) [C.D. SUTHERLAND](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-sutherland/) > [“Sitting outside on a dark night, under the stars, invites confidences amongst people of all ages, and all walks of life. It invokes an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-b-shepherd/sitting-outside-on-a-dark-night-under-the-stars-invites-confidences/) [A.B. Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-b-shepherd/) > [One thing is certain, whatever choices we make: we will not miss out on some critical purgation by seeking treatment for depression or any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-farrington/one-thing-is-certain-whatever-choices-we-make-we-will-not-miss-out-on/) [Tim Farrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-farrington/) > [“...the important questions are answered by not liking only but disliking and accepting equally what one likes and dislikes. Otherwise there is no access…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cage/the-important-questions-are-answered-by-not-liking-only-but-disliking/) [John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cage/) > [A swift carriage, of a dark night, rattling with four horses over roads that one can’t see--that’s my idea of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/a-swift-carriage-of-a-dark-night-rattling-with-four-horses-over-roads/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [“The dark night of fascism is always descending in the United States and yet lands only in Europe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/the-dark-night-of-fascism-is-always-descending-in-the-united-states/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night I can see paradise by the dashboard light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/though-it-s-cold-and-lonely-in-the-deep-dark-night-i-can-see-paradise/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Oh, it is sad for a poor Christian to stand at the door of the promise, in the dark night of affliction, afraid to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gurnall/oh-it-is-sad-for-a-poor-christian-to-stand-at-the-door-of-the-promise/) [William Gurnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gurnall/) > [“Korsakov turned away, sighing heavily as he made his way toward his SUV. It had been the early winter of 1997, a dark night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-england/korsakov-turned-away-sighing-heavily-as-he-made-his-way-toward-his/) [Stephen England](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-england/) > [“Perhaps, if I use my reason in good faith, I may suceed in discovering some ray of probability to lighten me in the dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/perhaps-if-i-use-my-reason-in-good-faith-i-may-suceed-in-discovering/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) [Browse all 380 Dark night quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-night/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“An unthinkable thought is not one that hasn't occurred to somebody, nor is it a thought that somebody considers to be wrong. 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