--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But just as the world is opening up, it's…" description: "\"“But just as the world is opening up, it's closing too, and things reveal their previously unimagined shapes.”\" — Claire Messud" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/claire-messud-1372_things-reveal_but-just-as-the-world-is-opening-up-it-s_1335562.png" --- # But just as the world is opening up, it's closing too, and… ![“But just as the world is opening up, it's closing too, and things reveal their previously unimagined shapes.” quote by Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/claire-messud-1372_things-reveal_but-just-as-the-world-is-opening-up-it-s_1335562.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/claire-messud-1372_things-reveal_but-just-as-the-world-is-opening-up-it-s_1335562.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/claire-messud-1372_things-reveal_but-just-as-the-world-is-opening-up-it-s_1335562.png) > ““But just as the world is opening up, it's closing too, and things reveal their previously unimagined shapes.”” [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The world simultaneously expands and contracts, revealing unexpected forms and possibilities. **In simple terms:** World opens and closes, revealing new shapes. Key Takeaway Adapt to changing realities. Themes change uncertainty creativity Mood hopeful curious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - Personal growth - urban development - technology adoption Key Concepts Systems theory paradigm shift Questions to Reflect On - What opportunities arise from new shapes? - How to navigate simultaneous opening and closing? A Different Perspective Rapid change can cause instability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Closing Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/closing-things-4495021/) [Previously Unimagined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/previously-unimagined-4495022/) [Things Reveal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-reveal-1519589/) [Unimagined Shapes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unimagined-shapes-4495023/) [World Opening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-opening-1744312/) ## Related quotes > [When you let intution have its way with you, you open up new levels of the world. Such opening-up is the most practical of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-underhill/when-you-let-intution-have-its-way-with-you-you-open-up-new-levels-of/) [Evelyn Underhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-underhill/) > [“Once you discovered that it is ok to love yourself there will be a world opening up to you. You will experience the magic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nynke-visser/once-you-discovered-that-it-is-ok-to-love-yourself-there-will-be-a/) [Nynke Visser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nynke-visser/) > [I am held by the creator of the world. I am opening, I am unbounded, I am luminous, I am powerful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-loggins/i-am-held-by-the-creator-of-the-world-i-am-opening-i-am-unbounded-i/) [Kenny Loggins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-loggins/) > [There's something exciting about traveling the world and opening up your eyes to what the rest of the world is doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desi-lydic/there-s-something-exciting-about-traveling-the-world-and-opening-up/) [Desi Lydic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desi-lydic/) > [“My first glimpse of the Adelaide Oval was given through the Victor Richardson Gates and up the ramp, and there it spread out before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-nicholls/my-first-glimpse-of-the-adelaide-oval-was-given-through-the-victor/) [Barry Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-nicholls/) > [“He was reaching that age, he was at the edge of it, when the world becomes suddenly more beautiful, when it reveals itself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/he-was-reaching-that-age-he-was-at-the-edge-of-it-when-the-world/) [James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/) > [The Internet is a whole new world opening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-internet-is-a-whole-new-world-opening-up/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Either you capture the mystery of things or you reveal the mystery. Everything else is just information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghu-rai/either-you-capture-the-mystery-of-things-or-you-reveal-the-mystery/) [Raghu Rai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghu-rai/) > [Everything inside and around us wants to reflect itself in us. We don't have to go anywhere to obtain the truth. We only need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/everything-inside-and-around-us-wants-to-reflect-itself-in-us-we-don/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [God tests and proves us by the common occurrences of life. It is the little things which reveal the chapters of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-g-white/god-tests-and-proves-us-by-the-common-occurrences-of-life-it-is-the/) [Ellen G. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-g-white/) > [Sometimes things reveal themselves to you a little bit. I think it was Joan Didion that said, "We write to find out what we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-finn/sometimes-things-reveal-themselves-to-you-a-little-bit-i-think-it-was/) [Craig Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-finn/) > [Few things reveal more about political leaders and their systems than the manner of their downfall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-beevor/few-things-reveal-more-about-political-leaders-and-their-systems-than/) [Antony Beevor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-beevor/) > [Only two things can reveal life's great secrets: suffering and love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/only-two-things-can-reveal-life-s-great-secrets-suffering-and-love/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Don't think too hard. Just be present, and things will reveal themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yorgos-lanthimos/don-t-think-too-hard-just-be-present-and-things-will-reveal-themselves/) [Yorgos Lanthimos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yorgos-lanthimos/) > [In reality things reveal nothing to us. It is people who, by looking into at things, discover a way of penetrating the Soul of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/in-reality-things-reveal-nothing-to-us-it-is-people-who-by-looking/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More by Claire Messud > [I'd wish for my work to be remembered rather than myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-d-wish-for-my-work-to-be-remembered-rather-than-myself/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [I have said it somewhere - our literary lived lives are as important as our literally lived lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-have-said-it-somewhere-our-literary-lived-lives-are-as-important-as/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“Life is about deciding what matters. It’s about the fantasy that determines the reality. Have you ever asked yourself whether you’d rather fly or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/life-is-about-deciding-what-matters-it-s-about-the-fantasy-that/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [Life's funny. You have to find a way to keep going, to keep laughing, even after you realize that none of your dreams will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/life-s-funny-you-have-to-find-a-way-to-keep-going-to-keep-laughing/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [It's the strangest thing about being human: to know so much, to communicate so much, and yet always to fall so drastically short of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/it-s-the-strangest-thing-about-being-human-to-know-so-much-to/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [The fictional narratives that television, film, and the news provide for girls and young women are appalling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/the-fictional-narratives-that-television-film-and-the-news-provide/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“I don't want to sleep,' my mother said. 'I want -- for God's sake, I want to wake up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-don-t-want-to-sleep-my-mother-said-i-want-for-god-s-sake-i-want-to/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“It was supposed to say “Great Artist” on my tombstone, but if I died right now it would say “such a good teacher/​daughter/​friend” instead;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/it-was-supposed-to-say-great-artist-on-my-tombstone-but-if-i-died/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“Live, my dear Nora. Satisfy your hunger. There's food all around you, you know.' 'What kind of food, I'd like to know?' 'Ah'-he smiled-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/live-my-dear-nora-satisfy-your-hunger-there-s-food-all-around-you-you/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [I digress a lot - it's how I experience the world. I would like to write in a way that will convey that to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/i-digress-a-lot-it-s-how-i-experience-the-world-i-would-like-to-write/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [We think that - as kids, you know - that kids make up stories and live in a sort of fictional place, but that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/we-think-that-as-kids-you-know-that-kids-make-up-stories-and-live-in/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“It makes sense that if you stand almost daily in the middle of a perfect crescent of shore, with a vista open to eternity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/it-makes-sense-that-if-you-stand-almost-daily-in-the-middle-of-a/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“Once aware of my isolation, I was afraid not of it but of its interruption.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/once-aware-of-my-isolation-i-was-afraid-not-of-it-but-of-its/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“who I am in my head, very few people really get to see that. Almost none. It’s the most precious gift I can give,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/who-i-am-in-my-head-very-few-people-really-get-to-see-that-almost/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [“My everyday Appleton life, my phones calls to my father, my occasional beers with friends, my Saturday-morning jobs around the reservoir - what was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/my-everyday-appleton-life-my-phones-calls-to-my-father-my-occasional/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) [Explore all 249 Claire Messud quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) ## More Things Reveal quotes > [Only two things can reveal life's great secrets: suffering and love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/only-two-things-can-reveal-life-s-great-secrets-suffering-and-love/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Either you capture the mystery of things or you reveal the mystery. Everything else is just information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raghu-rai/either-you-capture-the-mystery-of-things-or-you-reveal-the-mystery/) [Raghu Rai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raghu-rai/) > [Don't think too hard. Just be present, and things will reveal themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yorgos-lanthimos/don-t-think-too-hard-just-be-present-and-things-will-reveal-themselves/) [Yorgos Lanthimos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yorgos-lanthimos/) > [In reality things reveal nothing to us. It is people who, by looking into at things, discover a way of penetrating the Soul of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/in-reality-things-reveal-nothing-to-us-it-is-people-who-by-looking/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Few things reveal more about political leaders and their systems than the manner of their downfall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-beevor/few-things-reveal-more-about-political-leaders-and-their-systems-than/) [Antony Beevor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-beevor/) > [Sometimes things reveal themselves to you a little bit. I think it was Joan Didion that said, "We write to find out what we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-finn/sometimes-things-reveal-themselves-to-you-a-little-bit-i-think-it-was/) [Craig Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-finn/) > [God tests and proves us by the common occurrences of life. It is the little things which reveal the chapters of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-g-white/god-tests-and-proves-us-by-the-common-occurrences-of-life-it-is-the/) [Ellen G. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-g-white/) > [Everything inside and around us wants to reflect itself in us. We don't have to go anywhere to obtain the truth. We only need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/everything-inside-and-around-us-wants-to-reflect-itself-in-us-we-don/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [To him that waits all things reveal themselves, provided that he has the courage not to deny, in the darkness, what he has seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/to-him-that-waits-all-things-reveal-themselves-provided-that-he-has/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) > [For things to reveal themselves to us, we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-things-to-reveal-themselves-to-us-we-need-to-be-ready-to-abandon/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every sentence must do one of two things-reveal character or advance the action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/every-sentence-must-do-one-of-two-things-reveal-character-or-advance/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [To one who waits, all things reveal themselves so long as you have the courage not to deny in the darkness what you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coventry-patmore/to-one-who-waits-all-things-reveal-themselves-so-long-as-you-have-the/) [Coventry Patmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coventry-patmore/) > [No matter how honestly you open up to someone, there are still things you cannot reveal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/no-matter-how-honestly-you-open-up-to-someone-there-are-still-things/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Browse all 14 Things Reveal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-reveal-1519589/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But just as the world is opening up, it's closing too, and things reveal their previously unimagined shapes.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Claire Messud" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/but-just-as-the-world-is-opening-up-it-s-closing-too-and-things/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Things Reveal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/but-just-as-the-world-is-opening-up-it-s-closing-too-and-things/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/claire-messud-1372_things-reveal_but-just-as-the-world-is-opening-up-it-s_1335562.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/claire-messud-1372_things-reveal_but-just-as-the-world-is-opening-up-it-s_1335562.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/35f/claire-messud-1372_things-reveal_but-just-as-the-world-is-opening-up-it-s_1335562.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But just as the world is opening up, it's closing too, and things reveal their previously unimagined shapes.” — Claire Messud", "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": "Claire Messud", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“But just as the world is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/but-just-as-the-world-is-opening-up-it-s-closing-too-and-things/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/but-just-as-the-world-is-opening-up-it-s-closing-too-and-things/#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 } } ] } ```