--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All of this like some ancient anointing…" description: "\"“All of this like some ancient anointing. So be it. Evoke the forms. Where you've nothing else construct ceremonies out of the air and breathe upon the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/cormac-mccarthy-181_quote_all-of-this-like-some-ancient-anointing_1319094.jpg" --- # All of this like some ancient anointing. So be it. Evoke… ![“All of this like some ancient anointing. So be it. Evoke the forms. Where you've nothing else construct ceremonies out of the air and breathe upon them.” quote by Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/cormac-mccarthy-181_quote_all-of-this-like-some-ancient-anointing_1319094.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/cormac-mccarthy-181_quote_all-of-this-like-some-ancient-anointing_1319094.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15a/cormac-mccarthy-181_quote_all-of-this-like-some-ancient-anointing_1319094.jpg) > ““All of this like some ancient anointing. So be it. Evoke the forms. Where you've nothing else construct ceremonies out of the air and breathe upon them.”” [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creating rituals from nothing can give meaning to emptiness, shaping reality through imagination. **In simple terms:** Make meaning by inventing rituals. Key Takeaway Invent purposeful rituals in empty spaces. Themes creation ritual meaning imagination Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crisis - spiritual seeking - artistic creation Key Concepts existentialism symbolic act Questions to Reflect On - What empty spaces in your life need ritual? - How does imagination shape reality? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient Anointing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-anointing-4389438/) [Anointing Evoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anointing-evoke-4389437/) [Ceremonies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ceremonies/) [Ceremonies Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ceremonies-air-1255572/) [Construct Ceremonies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/construct-ceremonies-1255573/) ## Related quotes > [“Where you've nothing else, construct ceremonies out of the air, and breathe upon them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/where-you-ve-nothing-else-construct-ceremonies-out-of-the-air-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“When you've nothing else construct ceremonies out of the air and breathe upon them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-you-ve-nothing-else-construct-ceremonies-out-of-the-air-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [When one has nothing left make ceremonies out of the air and breathe upon them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-one-has-nothing-left-make-ceremonies-out-of-the-air-and-breathe/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [I order that my funeral ceremonies be extremely modest, and that they take place at dawn or at the evening Ave Maria, without song…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-verdi/i-order-that-my-funeral-ceremonies-be-extremely-modest-and-that-they/) [Giuseppe Verdi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-verdi/) > [Ceremonies are the first thing to be attended to in the practice of government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/ceremonies-are-the-first-thing-to-be-attended-to-in-the-practice-of/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Ceremonies are the outworks of manners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/ceremonies-are-the-outworks-of-manners/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [All ceremonies are in themselves very silly things; but yet, a man of the world should know them. They are the outworks of Mannersand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/all-ceremonies-are-in-themselves-very-silly-things-but-yet-a-man-of/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [ We're trying to learn from \[Olympic\] Beijing, which could be very intimidating. We've learned to expect it's power, it majesty and that it completes… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-boyle/we-re-trying-to-learn-from-olympic-beijing-which-could-be-very/) [Danny Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-boyle/) > [“I smiled ruefully to myself, knowing I had already experienced a far greater and deeper union with this man than that which propriety was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/persia-woolley/i-smiled-ruefully-to-myself-knowing-i-had-already-experienced-a-far/) [Persia Woolley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/persia-woolley/) > [I like to dress up and look nice. I'm not quite at the stage yet financially to do that too often, but it's nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-bird/i-like-to-dress-up-and-look-nice-i-m-not-quite-at-the-stage-yet/) [Simon Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-bird/) > [I don't like awards ceremonies. I'd sooner go to the pub with mates I've known for years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-o-grady/i-don-t-like-awards-ceremonies-i-d-sooner-go-to-the-pub-with-mates-i/) [Paul O'Grady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-o-grady/) > [I knew from experience at the Negro Ensemble Company that it wasn't until there was a place controlled by black artists... that Pulitzer Prize-winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schultz/i-knew-from-experience-at-the-negro-ensemble-company-that-it-wasn-t/) [Michael Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schultz/) > [I don't like weddings. I don't like ceremonies, and I show up wearing whatever the hell I want, if I go at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-torres/i-don-t-like-weddings-i-don-t-like-ceremonies-and-i-show-up-wearing/) [Julio Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-torres/) > [I don't like award ceremonies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-diamond/i-don-t-like-award-ceremonies/) [King Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-diamond/) > [These men were religious when the spirit of religion was buried in forms and ceremonies, and when the priesthood had armed itself with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-a-hitchcock/these-men-were-religious-when-the-spirit-of-religion-was-buried-in/) [Ethan A. Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-a-hitchcock/) ## More by Cormac McCarthy > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The events of the world can have no separate life from the world. And yet the world itself can have no temporal view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-events-of-the-world-can-have-no-separate-life-from-the-world-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“I had two dreams about him after he died. I dont remember the first one all that well but it was about meetin him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/i-had-two-dreams-about-him-after-he-died-i-dont-remember-the-first/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You think people was meaner then than they are now? the deputy said. The old man was looking out at the flooded town. No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-think-people-was-meaner-then-than-they-are-now-the-deputy-said/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They set forth in a crimson dawn where sky and earth closed in a razorous plane. Out there dark little archipelagos of cloud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-set-forth-in-a-crimson-dawn-where-sky-and-earth-closed-in-a/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Nothing. Where all was burnt to ash before them no fires were to be had and the nights were long and dark and cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/nothing-where-all-was-burnt-to-ash-before-them-no-fires-were-to-be/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [He said that whether a man's life was writ in a book someplace or whether it took its form day by day was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-said-that-whether-a-man-s-life-was-writ-in-a-book-someplace-or/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“He lives in a room above a courtyard behind a tavern and he comes down at night like some fairybook beast to fight with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-lives-in-a-room-above-a-courtyard-behind-a-tavern-and-he-comes/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Ultimo hombre. Last man standing, must've been one. Where'd he go?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/ultimo-hombre-last-man-standing-must-ve-been-one-where-d-he-go/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“To seek out the upright. No fall but preceded by a declination. He took great marching steps into the nothingness, counting them against his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/to-seek-out-the-upright-no-fall-but-preceded-by-a-declination-he-took/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They went through the last of the cars and then walked up the track to the locomotive and climbed up to the catwalk. Rust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-went-through-the-last-of-the-cars-and-then-walked-up-the-track/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Night fell upon them dark and starblown and the wagon grew swollen near mute with dew. On their chairs in such black immobility these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/night-fell-upon-them-dark-and-starblown-and-the-wagon-grew-swollen/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“When I was in school I studied biology. I learned that in making their experiments scientists will take some group - bacteria, mice, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-i-was-in-school-i-studied-biology-i-learned-that-in-making-their/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [ “We none of us knew him to speak \[Dutch\]. Asked him where he'd learned it you know what he said? What did he say.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/we-none-of-us-knew-him-to-speak-dutch-asked-him-where-he-d-learned-it/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You know that the things you put it your head stay there, right?' 'Yeah. But you remember some things, don't you?' 'Yeah. You remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-know-that-the-things-you-put-it-your-head-stay-there-right-yeah/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) [Explore all 927 Cormac McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## More Ceremonies quotes > [These men were religious when the spirit of religion was buried in forms and ceremonies, and when the priesthood had armed itself with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-a-hitchcock/these-men-were-religious-when-the-spirit-of-religion-was-buried-in/) [Ethan A. Hitchcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-a-hitchcock/) > [I don't like award ceremonies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-diamond/i-don-t-like-award-ceremonies/) [King Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-diamond/) > [When one has nothing left make ceremonies out of the air and breathe upon them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-one-has-nothing-left-make-ceremonies-out-of-the-air-and-breathe/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [I don't like weddings. I don't like ceremonies, and I show up wearing whatever the hell I want, if I go at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-torres/i-don-t-like-weddings-i-don-t-like-ceremonies-and-i-show-up-wearing/) [Julio Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-torres/) > [I knew from experience at the Negro Ensemble Company that it wasn't until there was a place controlled by black artists... that Pulitzer Prize-winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schultz/i-knew-from-experience-at-the-negro-ensemble-company-that-it-wasn-t/) [Michael Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schultz/) > [I don't like awards ceremonies. I'd sooner go to the pub with mates I've known for years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-o-grady/i-don-t-like-awards-ceremonies-i-d-sooner-go-to-the-pub-with-mates-i/) [Paul O'Grady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-o-grady/) > [I like to dress up and look nice. I'm not quite at the stage yet financially to do that too often, but it's nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-bird/i-like-to-dress-up-and-look-nice-i-m-not-quite-at-the-stage-yet/) [Simon Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-bird/) > [“I smiled ruefully to myself, knowing I had already experienced a far greater and deeper union with this man than that which propriety was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/persia-woolley/i-smiled-ruefully-to-myself-knowing-i-had-already-experienced-a-far/) [Persia Woolley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/persia-woolley/) > [ We're trying to learn from \[Olympic\] Beijing, which could be very intimidating. We've learned to expect it's power, it majesty and that it completes… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-boyle/we-re-trying-to-learn-from-olympic-beijing-which-could-be-very/) [Danny Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-boyle/) > [All ceremonies are in themselves very silly things; but yet, a man of the world should know them. They are the outworks of Mannersand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/all-ceremonies-are-in-themselves-very-silly-things-but-yet-a-man-of/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [Ceremonies are the outworks of manners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/ceremonies-are-the-outworks-of-manners/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [Ceremonies are the first thing to be attended to in the practice of government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/ceremonies-are-the-first-thing-to-be-attended-to-in-the-practice-of/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [I order that my funeral ceremonies be extremely modest, and that they take place at dawn or at the evening Ave Maria, without song…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-verdi/i-order-that-my-funeral-ceremonies-be-extremely-modest-and-that-they/) [Giuseppe Verdi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-verdi/) > [“Now, over the years I've been forced to conclude that most celebrations don't work. The more carefully planned a signal occasion, the more likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/now-over-the-years-i-ve-been-forced-to-conclude-that-most/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [I don't want to participate in traditional Indian religious ceremonies - dance in a sun dance or pray in a sweat lodge or go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-frazier/i-don-t-want-to-participate-in-traditional-indian-religious/) [Ian Frazier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-frazier/) [Browse all 53 Ceremonies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ceremonies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“All of this like some ancient anointing. So be it. Evoke the forms. 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