---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: —Sooner or later the mind grasps at a…"
description: "\"“—Sooner or later the mind grasps at a thought and follows it into the labyrinth, one thought branching into another. Then the labyrinth caves in on it..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/denis-johnson-2135_dream_sooner-or-later-the-mind-grasps-at-a-tho_1802309.png"
---

#  —Sooner or later the mind grasps at a thought and follows…

![“—Sooner or later the mind grasps at a thought and follows it into the labyrinth, one thought branching into another. Then the labyrinth caves in on itself and you find yourself outside. You were never inside—it was a dream.” quote by Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/denis-johnson-2135_dream_sooner-or-later-the-mind-grasps-at-a-tho_1802309.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/denis-johnson-2135_dream_sooner-or-later-the-mind-grasps-at-a-tho_1802309.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/denis-johnson-2135_dream_sooner-or-later-the-mind-grasps-at-a-tho_1802309.png)

> ““—Sooner or later the mind grasps at a thought and follows it into the labyrinth, one thought branching into another. Then the labyrinth caves in on itself and you find yourself outside. You were never inside—it was a dream.””

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The mind can trap you in endless thought loops, creating an illusory maze that feels real until you realize it’s a dream.

**In simple terms:** Thoughts can create a false maze.

Key Takeaway

Recognize thoughts as fleeting.

Themes

mind thoughts illusion awareness

Mood

introspective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- anxiety attacks
- creative brainstorming
- meditation
- problem solving
- nightmares

Key Concepts

cognitive science mindfulness philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- When do you notice thoughts becoming a maze?
- How can you step out of mental loops?

A Different Perspective

Thoughts can be useful; not all loops are harmful.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Follows Labyrinth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/follows-labyrinth-2043687/) [Grasps Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grasps-thought-2043689/) [Labyrinth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labyrinth/) [Labyrinth Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labyrinth-thought-2043686/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Sooner or later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sooner-or-later/) [Thought Follows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-follows-2043688/)

## Related quotes

> [“Is New York such a labyrinth? I thought it so straight up and down—like Fifth Avenue. And with all the cross streets numbered!” She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/is-new-york-such-a-labyrinth-i-thought-it-so-straight-up-and-down/)

[Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/)

> [“We were like children after larks, always on the point of catching the art, which was always getting away from us.… At last we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-a-flynn/we-were-like-children-after-larks-always-on-the-point-of-catching-the/)

[Mark A. Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-a-flynn/)

> [“Fortune, he thought, follows the already fortunate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/fortune-he-thought-follows-the-already-fortunate/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [The one who follows the thought is also a thought! The one who follows the thought IS in thought. When you know that both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-l-poonja/the-one-who-follows-the-thought-is-also-a-thought-the-one-who-follows/)

[H. W. L. Poonja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-l-poonja/)

> [“Wednesday, November 8th, 1893 Here I sit in the still winter night on the drifting ice-floe, and see only stars above me. Far off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fridtjof-nansen/wednesday-november-8th-1893-here-i-sit-in-the-still-winter-night-on/)

[Fridtjof Nansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fridtjof-nansen/)

> [Tengo could hardly believe it-- that in this frantic, labyrinth-like world, two people's hearts-- a boy's and a girl's-- could be connected, unchanged, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/tengo-could-hardly-believe-it-that-in-this-frantic-labyrinth-like/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [Is the labyrinth living or dying?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/is-the-labyrinth-living-or-dying/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Today, when we look at a brain, we see an intricate network of billions of neurons in constant, crackling communication, a chemical labyrinth that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/today-when-we-look-at-a-brain-we-see-an-intricate-network-of-billions/)

[Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/)

> [Clare, I want to tell you, again, I love you. Our love has been the thread through the labyrinth, the net under the high-wire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/clare-i-want-to-tell-you-again-i-love-you-our-love-has-been-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Once I'd worked out that I couldn't possibly expect people to enjoy a monstrous, 3000-page book, I realised I could in fact create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/once-i-d-worked-out-that-i-couldn-t-possibly-expect-people-to-enjoy-a/)

[Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/)

> [There are two famous labyrinths where our reason very often goes astray. One concerns the great question of the free and the necessary, above…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gottfried-leibniz/there-are-two-famous-labyrinths-where-our-reason-very-often-goes/)

[Gottfried Leibniz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gottfried-leibniz/)

> [In these years we are witnessing the gigantic spectacle of innumerable human lives wandering about lost in their own labyrinths, through not having anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/in-these-years-we-are-witnessing-the-gigantic-spectacle-of/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [Words are substance strange. Speak one and the air ripples into another's ears. Write one and the eye laps it up. But the sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-beachy-quick/words-are-substance-strange-speak-one-and-the-air-ripples-into/)

[Dan Beachy-Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-beachy-quick/)

> [“A story is a labyrinth, it looks as if there were several ways to go, but only one is right, and there's a nasty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/a-story-is-a-labyrinth-it-looks-as-if-there-were-several-ways-to-go/)

[Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/)

> [I wonder why life is like a labyrinth..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wonder-why-life-is-like-a-labyrinth/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Denis Johnson

> [“You’ve never felt good. Your suffering protects you. Pain is the ransom you have gladly paid not to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/you-ve-never-felt-good-your-suffering-protects-you-pain-is-the-ransom/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“He had laid his head back until his scalp had contacted his spine, that far back, and opened his throat, and a sound rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/he-had-laid-his-head-back-until-his-scalp-had-contacted-his-spine/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“Everything is arranged," John Robertson told me. Thank God." I forgot to mention that we appear to have one small problem," he said. Okay..."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/everything-is-arranged-john-robertson-told-me-thank-god-i-forgot-to/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [Before this moment I'd lived as a mind. Body, heart, soul, intellect, so we care ourselves into parts. But the whole of us, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/before-this-moment-i-d-lived-as-a-mind-body-heart-soul-intellect-so/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [He got right down in the dark between heartbeats, and rested there. And then he saw that another one wasn't going to come. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/he-got-right-down-in-the-dark-between-heartbeats-and-rested-there-and/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [I’d been staying at the Holiday Inn with my girlfriend, honestly the most beautiful woman I’d even known, for three days under a phony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-d-been-staying-at-the-holiday-inn-with-my-girlfriend-honestly-the/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“All of this while I left lifted by a strange new medium, a strange element--I now tell you that I was newly buoyant in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/all-of-this-while-i-left-lifted-by-a-strange-new-medium-a-strange/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“He didn’t know what country he was in, but he was at home in the universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/he-didn-t-know-what-country-he-was-in-but-he-was-at-home-in-the/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“There's a dizzying thrill in a philosophy that can only be tested by suicide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/there-s-a-dizzying-thrill-in-a-philosophy-that-can-only-be-tested-by/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [I really enjoy writing novels. It's like the ocean. You can just build a boat and take off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-really-enjoy-writing-novels-it-s-like-the-ocean-you-can-just-build/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“Who said it? – probably Confucius – “I can’t beat a sculpture from a stone with a sledgehammer; I can’t free the soul of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/who-said-it-probably-confucius-i-can-t-beat-a-sculpture-from-a-stone/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“A bus came. I climbed aboard and sat on the plastic seat while the things of our city turned in the windows like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/a-bus-came-i-climbed-aboard-and-sat-on-the-plastic-seat-while-the/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [I knew every raindrop by its name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/i-knew-every-raindrop-by-its-name/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“To find the people who've became truly sane, seek among those who've managed to do without sanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/to-find-the-people-who-ve-became-truly-sane-seek-among-those-who-ve/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

> [“eventually these encounters forced him to acknowledge the reality of fate, and the truth inherent in things of the imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/eventually-these-encounters-forced-him-to-acknowledge-the-reality-of/)

[Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

[Explore all 183 Denis Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/)

## More Dream quotes

> [“Once we become sensitive to dreams, we discover that every dynamic in a dream is manifesting itself in some way in our practical lives”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/once-we-become-sensitive-to-dreams-we-discover-that-every-dynamic-in/)

[Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/)

> [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/)

[John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/)

> [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/)

> [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/)

[Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/)

> [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/)

[Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/)

> [“As dreams are the healing songs from the wilderness of our unconscious - So wild animals, wild plants, wild landscapes are the healing dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/as-dreams-are-the-healing-songs-from-the-wilderness-of-our/)

[Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/)

> [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/)

[Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/)

> [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/)

[Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/)

> [As far as Im concerned, I didnt dream - ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/as-far-as-im-concerned-i-didnt-dream-ever/)

[Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/)

> [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/)

[Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/)

> [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/)

[Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-life-seems-like-a-dream-especially-when-i-look-down-and-see/)

[Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/)

> [“I had a dream. I had an awesome dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-a-dream-i-had-an-awesome-dream/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/his-dream-must-have-seemed-so-close-that-he-could-hardly-fail-to/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

[Browse all 26,527 Dream quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“—Sooner or later the mind grasps at a thought and follows it into the labyrinth, one thought branching into another. Then the labyrinth caves in on itself and you find yourself outside. You were never inside—it was a dream.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Denis Johnson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/sooner-or-later-the-mind-grasps-at-a-thought-and-follows-it-into-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Dream"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/sooner-or-later-the-mind-grasps-at-a-thought-and-follows-it-into-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/denis-johnson-2135_dream_sooner-or-later-the-mind-grasps-at-a-tho_1802309.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/denis-johnson-2135_dream_sooner-or-later-the-mind-grasps-at-a-tho_1802309.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/denis-johnson-2135_dream_sooner-or-later-the-mind-grasps-at-a-tho_1802309.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“—Sooner or later the mind grasps at a thought and follows it into the labyrinth, one thought branching into…” — Denis Johnson",
                "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": "Denis Johnson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-johnson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“—Sooner or later the mind grasps...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/sooner-or-later-the-mind-grasps-at-a-thought-and-follows-it-into-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/sooner-or-later-the-mind-grasps-at-a-thought-and-follows-it-into-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
