---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Think of being curled up and floating in…"
description: "\"Think of being curled up and floating in a darkness. Even if you could think, even if you had an imagination, would you ever imagine its opposite, this..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/denis-johnson-2135_asian_think-of-being-curled-up-and-floating-in_554331.png"
---

#  Think of being curled up and floating in a darkness. Even…

![“Think of being curled up and floating in a darkness. Even if you could think, even if you had an imagination, would you ever imagine its opposite, this miraculous world the Asian Taoists call the &quot;Ten Thousand Things&quot;? And if the darkness just got darker? And then you were dead? What would you…” quote by Denis Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/denis-johnson-2135_asian_think-of-being-curled-up-and-floating-in_554331.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/denis-johnson-2135_asian_think-of-being-curled-up-and-floating-in_554331.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/denis-johnson-2135_asian_think-of-being-curled-up-and-floating-in_554331.png)

> “Think of being curled up and floating in a darkness. Even if you could think, even if you had an imagination, would you ever imagine its opposite, this miraculous world the Asian Taoists call the "Ten Thousand Things"? And if the darkness just got darker? And then you were dead? What would you care? How would you eve know the difference?”

[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.

Even in deepest darkness, imagination can conjure a miraculous opposite world, questioning meaning in death.

**In simple terms:** Imagination creates hope amid darkness.

Key Takeaway

Use imagination to find meaning.

Themes

existential imagination death meaning contradiction

Mood

thoughtful melancholic

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- grief counseling
- creative writing
- philosophical debate
- mindfulness practice

Key Concepts

literary fiction spiritual inquiry

Questions to Reflect On

- What opposite world would you imagine?
- How does imagination affect your view of death?

A Different Perspective

Darkness can overwhelm imagination.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Asian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asian/) [Care](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/care/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Imagination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagination/) [Miraculous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miraculous/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [“The table was a pool of candlelight -- so bright that the rest of the room seemed almost black, with the faces of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dodie-smith/the-table-was-a-pool-of-candlelight-so-bright-that-the-rest-of-the/)

[Dodie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dodie-smith/)

> [“Look what I found, Eight!” Eight disappears from the grass and reappears up in the air next to the Chest. He wraps his arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pittacus-lore/look-what-i-found-eight-eight-disappears-from-the-grass-and-reappears/)

[Pittacus Lore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pittacus-lore/)

> [Negative thoughts lead us to the darkness. Think optimistically.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/negative-thoughts-lead-us-to-the-darkness-think-optimistically/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [Whatever happenes in the darkness that you think no one has seen Well my friend God has seen everything you have don in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-ansah/whatever-happenes-in-the-darkness-that-you-think-no-one-has-seen-well/)

[Diana Ansah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-ansah/)

> [“And this evening when I close my eyes against the darkness and think about her, I'll imagine iridescent wings fluttering, if only for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-stephan/and-this-evening-when-i-close-my-eyes-against-the-darkness-and-think/)

[Nancy Stephan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-stephan/)

> [There is nothing to fear except the persistent refusal to find out the truth, the persistent refusal to analyze the causes of happenings...Fear \[False…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-thompson/there-is-nothing-to-fear-except-the-persistent-refusal-to-find-out/)

[Dorothy Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-thompson/)

> [“Fear grows in darkness; if you think there's a bogeyman around, turn on the light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-thompson/fear-grows-in-darkness-if-you-think-there-s-a-bogeyman-around-turn-on/)

[DOROTHY THOMPSON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-thompson/)

> [It is often said that in today's modern and postmodern world that the forces of darkness are upon us. But I think not; in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/it-is-often-said-that-in-today-s-modern-and-postmodern-world-that-the/)

[Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/)

> [Besides, do you think you would have come if I’d just popped into your tattoo shop one night around closing and said, ‘Hello, I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/besides-do-you-think-you-would-have-come-if-i-d-just-popped-into-your/)

[Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/)

> [One must not be negligent in learning. In the Lun Yu it says: "To study and not to think is darkness. To think without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/takeda-nobushige/one-must-not-be-negligent-in-learning-in-the-lun-yu-it-says-to-study/)

[Takeda Nobushige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/takeda-nobushige/)

> [“Silences seem longer in darkness. I think it's because it's harder to lie when the lights are off. There's a rawness that only belongs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgarry/silences-seem-longer-in-darkness-i-think-it-s-because-it-s-harder-to/)

[Katie McGarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgarry/)

> [Dark Things When you look at everything from the negative, you develop a cynical and negative point of view. When you dwell on dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/dark-things-when-you-look-at-everything-from-the-negative-you-develop/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [Painting is concerned with the ten things you can see: these are darkness and brightness, substance and color, form and place, remoteness and nearness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/painting-is-concerned-with-the-ten-things-you-can-see-these-are/)

[Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/)

> [There is no such things as darkness, only a failure to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/there-is-no-such-things-as-darkness-only-a-failure-to-see/)

[Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/)

> [There are things of such darkness and horror—just, I suppose, as there are things of such great beauty—that they will not fit through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/there-are-things-of-such-darkness-and-horror-just-i-suppose-as-there/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

## 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 Asian quotes

> [I think I am against stereotype. Generally, Asian guys are more quiet - they study and have a good work ethic. Generally, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-lee/i-think-i-am-against-stereotype-generally-asian-guys-are-more-quiet/)

[Bobby Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-lee/)

> [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/)

[Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/)

> [If you do a black character or a female character or an Asian character, then they aren't just that character. They represent that race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-mcduffie/if-you-do-a-black-character-or-a-female-character-or-an-asian/)

[Dwayne McDuffie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-mcduffie/)

> [When I made it, I still didn't wave the flag and say, Yeah go Asian people. I do want people to know that about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-hugo/when-i-made-it-i-still-didn-t-wave-the-flag-and-say-yeah-go-asian/)

[Chad Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-hugo/)

> [I felt pretty good growing up. I didnt feel a lot of prejudice or racism. But I do remember, if there was going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-henry-hwang/i-felt-pretty-good-growing-up-i-didnt-feel-a-lot-of-prejudice-or/)

[David Henry Hwang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-henry-hwang/)

> [When you are in America, at least for me, as an immigrant, I try to be as Americanized as I could. I just want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-o-yang/when-you-are-in-america-at-least-for-me-as-an-immigrant-i-try-to-be/)

[Jimmy O. Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-o-yang/)

> [I always tell Asian actors, especially Filipinos wanting to break into Hollywood, to study, study and study and show their best. I haven't stopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-lee/i-always-tell-asian-actors-especially-filipinos-wanting-to-break-into/)

[Reggie Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-lee/)

> [The narrative needs to change. Asian-American actresses don't want to be the damsels in distress anymore. We don't want to be saved, especially by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-chung/the-narrative-needs-to-change-asian-american-actresses-don-t-want-to/)

[Jamie Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-chung/)

> [It's always fun to see faces that are either familiar or resemble yours. I was fascinated by movies like 'Big Trouble in Little China'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ng-chin-han/it-s-always-fun-to-see-faces-that-are-either-familiar-or-resemble/)

[Ng Chin Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ng-chin-han/)

> [In view of China's growing military strength and intentions, the best way to safeguard Asia's permanent peace and prosperity is to have all Asian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-costa/in-view-of-china-s-growing-military-strength-and-intentions-the-best/)

[Jim Costa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-costa/)

> [I think Li Na and some other Chinese ladies have done so many amazing things for Asian tennis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kei-nishikori/i-think-li-na-and-some-other-chinese-ladies-have-done-so-many-amazing/)

[Kei Nishikori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kei-nishikori/)

> [I don't want to have people brought in simply because they are black or Asian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-phillips/i-don-t-want-to-have-people-brought-in-simply-because-they-are-black/)

[Trevor Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-phillips/)

> [We grew up in rural Arkansas without any Koreans close by, and when I go to Korea feel out of place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-isaac-chung/we-grew-up-in-rural-arkansas-without-any-koreans-close-by-and-when-i/)

[Lee Isaac Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-isaac-chung/)

> [I've been lucky to come up when there's such a huge explosion of women, and especially Asian women, in music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-zauner/i-ve-been-lucky-to-come-up-when-there-s-such-a-huge-explosion-of/)

[Michelle Zauner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-zauner/)

> [I knew I was half Chinese, but Iceland is so homogenous that I wasn't able to identify with the Asian part of myself. Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laufey/i-knew-i-was-half-chinese-but-iceland-is-so-homogenous-that-i-wasn-t/)

[Laufey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laufey/)

[Browse all 1,157 Asian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asian/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Think of being curled up and floating in a darkness. Even if you could think, even if you had an imagination, would you ever imagine its opposite, this miraculous world the Asian Taoists call the \"Ten Thousand Things\"? And if the darkness just got darker? And then you were dead? What would you care? How would you eve know the difference?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Denis Johnson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/think-of-being-curled-up-and-floating-in-a-darkness-even-if-you-could/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Asian"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/think-of-being-curled-up-and-floating-in-a-darkness-even-if-you-could/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/denis-johnson-2135_asian_think-of-being-curled-up-and-floating-in_554331.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/denis-johnson-2135_asian_think-of-being-curled-up-and-floating-in_554331.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a5b/denis-johnson-2135_asian_think-of-being-curled-up-and-floating-in_554331.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Think of being curled up and floating in a darkness. Even if you could think, even if you had an…” — 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": "Think of being curled up and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/think-of-being-curled-up-and-floating-in-a-darkness-even-if-you-could/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-johnson/think-of-being-curled-up-and-floating-in-a-darkness-even-if-you-could/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
