--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Of course it’s the apparently tranquil…" description: "\"Of course it’s the apparently tranquil periods that deceive us. Though our instruments or our senses or our wits may not be able to see the processes t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b92/clive-barker-773_able_of-course-it-s-the-apparently-tranquil-p_1108344.png" --- # Of course it’s the apparently tranquil periods that… ![“Of course it’s the apparently tranquil periods that deceive us. Though our instruments or our senses or our wits may not be able to see the processes that are leading toward these clusters of events, they’re happening. The star, the wheel, the butterfly—all are in a subtle state of unrest, waiting…” quote by Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b92/clive-barker-773_able_of-course-it-s-the-apparently-tranquil-p_1108344.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b92/clive-barker-773_able_of-course-it-s-the-apparently-tranquil-p_1108344.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b92/clive-barker-773_able_of-course-it-s-the-apparently-tranquil-p_1108344.png) > “Of course it’s the apparently tranquil periods that deceive us. Though our instruments or our senses or our wits may not be able to see the processes that are leading toward these clusters of events, they’re happening. The star, the wheel, the butterfly—all are in a subtle state of unrest, waiting for the moment when some invisible mechanism signals that the time has come. Then the star explodes; the wheel makes poor men rich; the butterfly mates and dies.” [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Quiet times can mask hidden forces that will soon cause dramatic change. **In simple terms:** Calm periods hide unseen turmoil. Key Takeaway Stay alert to subtle signs. Themes change uncertainty hidden forces Mood cautious reflective Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - financial markets - personal relationships - political shifts - environmental trends Key Concepts Chaos theory butterfly effect systems dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What subtle signs are you overlooking? - How can you prepare for sudden shifts? A Different Perspective Not all instability is visible; some cues are missed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Butterfly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterfly/) [Butterfly Subtle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterfly-subtle-2940559/) [Deceiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceiving/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Instruments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruments/) [Invisible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invisible/) [Mates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mates/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Periods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/periods/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Signals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signals/) [Star Wheel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/star-wheel-2940563/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Subtle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subtle/) [Tranquil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tranquil/) [Tranquil Periods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tranquil-periods-2940561/) [Unrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unrest/) [Unrest Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unrest-waiting-2940562/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Wheel Butterfly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wheel-butterfly-2940560/) [Wheels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wheels/) [Wit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wit/) ## Related quotes > [I grew up in the early '60s, and there was a lot of civil rights, a lot of unrest in our country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/i-grew-up-in-the-early-60s-and-there-was-a-lot-of-civil-rights-a-lot/) [Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/) > [Right gladly would He free them from their misery, but He knows only one way: He will teach them to be like himself, meek…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/right-gladly-would-he-free-them-from-their-misery-but-he-knows-only/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [Babies are a nuisance, of course. But so does everything seem to be that is worth while – husbands and books and committees and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-brittain/babies-are-a-nuisance-of-course-but-so-does-everything-seem-to-be/) [Vera Brittain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-brittain/) > [“Crete, May 1941. It was nearly five o’clock when the three soldiers reached the end of the olive grove. The dust-filled air shimmered in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ellis/crete-may-1941-it-was-nearly-five-o-clock-when-the-three-soldiers/) [Mark Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ellis/) > [A function of free speech under our system of government is to invite dispute. It may indeed best serve its high purpose when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/a-function-of-free-speech-under-our-system-of-government-is-to-invite/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [I do worry about civil unrest, or complete collapse of society, or having to flee, or Europe falling into a war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-brooker/i-do-worry-about-civil-unrest-or-complete-collapse-of-society-or/) [Charlie Brooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-brooker/) > [Our history in this country dates from the moment that restless men among us became restless under oppression and rose against it . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-thomas-fortune/our-history-in-this-country-dates-from-the-moment-that-restless-men/) [Timothy Thomas Fortune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-thomas-fortune/) > [“There are the girls we love, the men we look up to, the tenderness, the friendships, the opportunities, the pleasures! But the fact remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/there-are-the-girls-we-love-the-men-we-look-up-to-the-tenderness-the/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [Our heart glows, and secret unrest gnaws at the root of our being. Dealing with the unconscious has become a question of life for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/our-heart-glows-and-secret-unrest-gnaws-at-the-root-of-our-being/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [The primary cause of disorder and lawlessness today, as throughout history, is the poverty of the many in contrast to the affluence of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-o-kelso/the-primary-cause-of-disorder-and-lawlessness-today-as-throughout/) [Louis O. Kelso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-o-kelso/) > [ “You \[demagogues\] are like the fishers for eels; in still waters they catch nothing, but if they thoroughly stir up the slime, their fishing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristophanes/you-demagogues-are-like-the-fishers-for-eels-in-still-waters-they/) [Aristophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristophanes/) > [It was a major dream come true at last. In many respects, Jerusalem is a very modern and important story about people in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bille-august/it-was-a-major-dream-come-true-at-last-in-many-respects-jerusalem-is/) [Bille August](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bille-august/) > [When the civil rights are denying by the authorities, in a country.The people will be under the slavery , from the slavery all social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sumesh-nair/when-the-civil-rights-are-denying-by-the-authorities-in-a-country-the/) [Sumesh Nair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sumesh-nair/) > [That is why faith, wherever it develops into hope, causes not rest but unrest, not patience but impatience… Those who hope in Christ can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-rgen-moltmann/that-is-why-faith-wherever-it-develops-into-hope-causes-not-rest-but/) [Jürgen Moltmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-rgen-moltmann/) > [“The April forced ‘Resettlement’ of the villages of Long Phuoc, and Long Tan inflamed the already seething hatred of foreigners by the local Vietnamese…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-g-kramer/the-april-forced-resettlement-of-the-villages-of-long-phuoc-and-long/) [Michael G. Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-g-kramer/) ## More by Clive Barker > [I've always thought that the most extraordinary special effect you could do is to buy a child at the moment of its birth, sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-ve-always-thought-that-the-most-extraordinary-special-effect-you/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [Those old hypocrites. They talk about killing witches but the Good Book’s full of magic. Turning the Nile to blood and parting the Red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/those-old-hypocrites-they-talk-about-killing-witches-but-the-good/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [I dreamt a limitless book, A book unbound, Its leaves scattered in fantastic abundance On every line there was a new horizon drawn, New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-dreamt-a-limitless-book-a-book-unbound-its-leaves-scattered-in/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“Only when they have outrun the all-too-eager shadows of the Canyon and they are back in the glare of the billboards on Sunset Boulevard,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/only-when-they-have-outrun-the-all-too-eager-shadows-of-the-canyon/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [I firmly believe that a story is only as good as the villain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-firmly-believe-that-a-story-is-only-as-good-as-the-villain/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“Let us not neglect the forbidden. Let us not sophisticate ourselves out of the cheap thrill and chill of it: the story told for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/let-us-not-neglect-the-forbidden-let-us-not-sophisticate-ourselves/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [You can plan to be brave - it's even better if you just try to be brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/you-can-plan-to-be-brave-it-s-even-better-if-you-just-try-to-be-brave/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“Pleasure is a reward, given to the human system by evolution in return for services rendered to the preservation and increase of the species.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/pleasure-is-a-reward-given-to-the-human-system-by-evolution-in-return/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [I love meeting people who've read my books. The prime reason to be on the planet is to make things I can show to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-love-meeting-people-who-ve-read-my-books-the-prime-reason-to-be-on/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [Nothing happens carelessly. We’re not brought into the world without reason, even though we may never understand the reason. An infant that lives an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/nothing-happens-carelessly-we-re-not-brought-into-the-world-without/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“Despite his intent, tears sprang to his eyes, and he went into her embrace, both of them sobbing freely, like enemies joined by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/despite-his-intent-tears-sprang-to-his-eyes-and-he-went-into-her/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [Always, worlds within worlds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/always-worlds-within-worlds/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“I'm an inclusionist. I've always divided up (very, very broadly, I admit) the artistic instincts into the inclusionist and the exclusionist. The exclusionist is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-m-an-inclusionist-i-ve-always-divided-up-very-very-broadly-i-admit/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [I think I'm less and less labelled a 'horror writer'. The books tend not to go on horror shelves any more, and when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/i-think-i-m-less-and-less-labelled-a-horror-writer-the-books-tend-not/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) > [“Horror shows us that the control we believe we have is purely illusory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/horror-shows-us-that-the-control-we-believe-we-have-is-purely-illusory/) [Clive Barker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) [Explore all 365 Clive Barker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/) [Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/) > [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/) [Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/) > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/) [Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/) > [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/) [Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/) [Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Of course it’s the apparently tranquil periods that deceive us. Though our instruments or our senses or our wits may not be able to see the processes that are leading toward these clusters of events, they’re happening. The star, the wheel, the butterfly—all are in a subtle state of unrest, waiting for the moment when some invisible mechanism signals that the time has come. Then the star explodes; the wheel makes poor men rich; the butterfly mates and dies.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Clive Barker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/of-course-it-s-the-apparently-tranquil-periods-that-deceive-us-though/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Able" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/of-course-it-s-the-apparently-tranquil-periods-that-deceive-us-though/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b92/clive-barker-773_able_of-course-it-s-the-apparently-tranquil-p_1108344.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b92/clive-barker-773_able_of-course-it-s-the-apparently-tranquil-p_1108344.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b92/clive-barker-773_able_of-course-it-s-the-apparently-tranquil-p_1108344.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Of course it’s the apparently tranquil periods that deceive us. Though our instruments or our senses or our…” — Clive Barker", "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": "Clive Barker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-barker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Of course it’s the apparently tranquil...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/of-course-it-s-the-apparently-tranquil-periods-that-deceive-us-though/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-barker/of-course-it-s-the-apparently-tranquil-periods-that-deceive-us-though/#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 } } ] } ```