--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have to believe that when my eyes are…" description: "\"I have to believe that when my eyes are closed, the world's still there. (Leonard Shelby, Memento)\" — Christopher Nolan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/christopher-nolan-2670_believe_i-have-to-believe-that-when-my-eyes-are_579104.jpg" --- # I have to believe that when my eyes are closed, the… ![“I have to believe that when my eyes are closed, the world's still there. (Leonard Shelby, Memento)” quote by Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/christopher-nolan-2670_believe_i-have-to-believe-that-when-my-eyes-are_579104.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/christopher-nolan-2670_believe_i-have-to-believe-that-when-my-eyes-are_579104.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/229/christopher-nolan-2670_believe_i-have-to-believe-that-when-my-eyes-are_579104.jpg) > “I have to believe that when my eyes are closed, the world's still there. (Leonard Shelby, Memento)” [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even with closed eyes, the world persists; belief in continuity despite uncertainty. **In simple terms:** Belief in unseen continuity. Key Takeaway Trust that reality continues beyond perception. Themes existence perception belief Mood thoughtful steady Type philosophical existential When to use this quote - meditation - grief - loneliness - creative work Key Concepts philosophy cognitive psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay grounded when uncertain? - What anchors your sense of reality? A Different Perspective Closed eyes can also mean denial, not just belief. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I always thought the joy of reading a book is not knowing what happens next. (Leonard Shelby, Memento)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/i-always-thought-the-joy-of-reading-a-book-is-not-knowing-what/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [Even when our eyes are closed, there's a whole world that exists outside ourselves and our dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiromu-arakawa/even-when-our-eyes-are-closed-there-s-a-whole-world-that-exists/) [Hiromu Arakawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiromu-arakawa/) > [I think the films Insomnia and Memento share all sorts of thematic concerns, such as the relationship between motivation and action, and the difficulty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/i-think-the-films-insomnia-and-memento-share-all-sorts-of-thematic/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [But 'Memento' was so successful, such a huge cult hit, almost on the scale of a large film. If that had happened, with all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/but-memento-was-so-successful-such-a-huge-cult-hit-almost-on-the/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car. And memories can be distorted. They're just an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/memory-can-change-the-shape-of-a-room-it-can-change-the-color-of-a/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [“Rebellion is impossible in a closed world where there is no way out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rebellion-is-impossible-in-a-closed-world-where-there-is-no-way-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We need games like 'A Closed World' for many reasons. When you hear another developer talk about how games need to grow up, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/we-need-games-like-a-closed-world-for-many-reasons-when-you-hear/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [When you're writing, it's as if you're within a kind of closed world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/when-you-re-writing-it-s-as-if-you-re-within-a-kind-of-closed-world/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [Try to keep ourselves open, no matter how closed the world tries to make us sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-radin/try-to-keep-ourselves-open-no-matter-how-closed-the-world-tries-to/) [Joshua Radin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-radin/) > [“Where’d that world go, that world when you’re a kid, and now I can’t remember noticing anything, not the smell of the leaves or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-abbott/where-d-that-world-go-that-world-when-you-re-a-kid-and-now-i-can-t/) [Megan Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-abbott/) > [People believe Loose Change because it proposes a closed world: comprehensible, controllable, small. 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But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-yukteswar-giri/many-teachers-will-tell-you-to-believe-then-they-put-out-your-eyes-of/) [Sri Yukteswar Giri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-yukteswar-giri/) > [Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/who-are-you-going-to-believe-me-or-your-own-eyes/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) ## More by Christopher Nolan > [In Hollywood there's a great openness, almost a voracious appetite for new people. In England there's a great suspicion of the new. In cultural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/in-hollywood-there-s-a-great-openness-almost-a-voracious-appetite-for/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [“COBB: You're waiting for a train. A train that will take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/cobb-you-re-waiting-for-a-train-a-train-that-will-take-you-far-away/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [When you play a videogame, you could be a completely different person than you are in the real world, certain aspects of the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/when-you-play-a-videogame-you-could-be-a-completely-different-person/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [The structural notions to me always have to be worked out very carefully in the script stage. Whatever a particular structure is. Whether it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/the-structural-notions-to-me-always-have-to-be-worked-out-very/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [I made 'Batman' the way I made every other film, and I've done it to my own satisfaction - because the film, truly, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/i-made-batman-the-way-i-made-every-other-film-and-i-ve-done-it-to-my/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [The quality of racing continues to excel with starters increasing to 1496,.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/the-quality-of-racing-continues-to-excel-with-starters-increasing-to/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [I remember the initial genesis quite clearly. My interest in dreams comes from this notion of realizing that when you dream you create the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/i-remember-the-initial-genesis-quite-clearly-my-interest-in-dreams/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [If I could steal someone's dream myself, I'd have to go for one of Orson Welles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/if-i-could-steal-someone-s-dream-myself-i-d-have-to-go-for-one-of/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [To me, any kind of filmmaking that's reactive is not going to be as good as something more inventive and original.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/to-me-any-kind-of-filmmaking-that-s-reactive-is-not-going-to-be-as/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [Why do we Fall? So we can learn to pick ourselves back up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/why-do-we-fall-so-we-can-learn-to-pick-ourselves-back-up/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [Every great story deserves a great ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/every-great-story-deserves-a-great-ending/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [“(On "Following") We've got a pretty serious claim on being the cheapest film ever made.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/on-following-we-ve-got-a-pretty-serious-claim-on-being-the-cheapest/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [Particularly, the actors, to have analyzed the script in great detail from the point of view of their specific character. So that they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/particularly-the-actors-to-have-analyzed-the-script-in-great-detail/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [I've never read Joseph Campbell, and I don't know all that much about story archetypes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/i-ve-never-read-joseph-campbell-and-i-don-t-know-all-that-much-about/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) > [I'm taking a bit of a wait-and-see attitude towards 3D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-nolan/i-m-taking-a-bit-of-a-wait-and-see-attitude-towards-3d/) [Christopher Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) [Explore all 155 Christopher Nolan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-nolan/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [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/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have to believe that when my eyes are closed, the world's still there. 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