Breathing Quote by Denise Levertov
“Looking, Walking, Being, I look and look. Looking's a way of being: one becomes, sometimes, a pair of eyes walking. Walking wherever looking takes one. The eyes dig and burrow into the world. They touch, fanfare, howl, madrigal, clamor. World and the past of it, not only visible present, solid and shadow that looks at one looking. And language? Rhythms of echo and interruption? That's a way of breathing. breathing to sustain looking, walking and looking, through the world, in it.”
About This Quote
Source Poem: The Gift, 1975
Levertov portrays looking and walking as intertwined acts of perception, where seeing becomes a way of existing and breathing.
In simple terms: Seeing and moving together shape our experience of the world.
Key Takeaway
Engage fully with your surroundings.
Themes
perception
movement
existence
Mood
contemplative
poetic
Type
literary
reflective
When to use this quote
- mindful walking
- observational meditation
- creative writing
- nature immersion
Key Concepts
Phenomenology
embodiment
language as breath
Questions to Reflect On
- How does your gaze influence your path?
- What does “breathing” through looking feel like?
A Different Perspective
The abstract language may be hard to apply concretely.
