--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: His sanity is an unknown room: a known…" description: "\"“His sanity is an unknown room: a known room is always smaller than an unknown.”\" — Djuna Barnes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/djuna-barnes-3957_djuna-barnes_his-sanity-is-an-unknown-room-a-known-ro_1877036.png" --- # His sanity is an unknown room: a known room is always… ![“His sanity is an unknown room: a known room is always smaller than an unknown.” quote by Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/djuna-barnes-3957_djuna-barnes_his-sanity-is-an-unknown-room-a-known-ro_1877036.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/djuna-barnes-3957_djuna-barnes_his-sanity-is-an-unknown-room-a-known-ro_1877036.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/djuna-barnes-3957_djuna-barnes_his-sanity-is-an-unknown-room-a-known-ro_1877036.png) > ““His sanity is an unknown room: a known room is always smaller than an unknown.”” [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The unknown mind is larger than any known, limiting perception. **In simple terms:** Unknown mind is larger than known. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty. Themes psychology philosophy existence Mood thoughtful poetic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - therapy - creative writing - philosophical debate Key Concepts consciousness self‑knowledge Questions to Reflect On - What does the “unknown room” symbolize for you? - How can we explore mental unknowns safely? A Different Perspective Fear of the unknown can hinder action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“Man is born as he dies, rebuking cleanliness;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/man-is-born-as-he-dies-rebuking-cleanliness/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [“Man makes his history with the one hand and "holds it up" with the other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/man-makes-his-history-with-the-one-hand-and-holds-it-up-with-the-other/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [There is an unknown room in the soul that is constantly turning the stuff of daydreams into myths for us, helping us to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-cousineau/there-is-an-unknown-room-in-the-soul-that-is-constantly-turning-the/) [Phil Cousineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-cousineau/) > [“She had thought that when someone died, it would be like they went into a different room. She had not known that life itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/she-had-thought-that-when-someone-died-it-would-be-like-they-went/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [I like living in one room and have never known what people do with the room they are not in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/i-like-living-in-one-room-and-have-never-known-what-people-do-with/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [“Deep inside my soul there is a locked room, known to no one. It's dark so I don't go in there willingly, but when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ismaaciil-c-ubax/deep-inside-my-soul-there-is-a-locked-room-known-to-no-one-it-s-dark/) [Ismaaciil C. Ubax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ismaaciil-c-ubax/) > [“His fabrications seemed to be the framework of a forgotten but imposing plan; some condition of life of which he was the sole surviving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-whiteside/his-fabrications-seemed-to-be-the-framework-of-a-forgotten-but/) Shaun Whiteside > [“And I \*know\* I wrote in the above that I hate biographies and reviews that focus on the psychological, surface detail, especially when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-zambreno/and-i-know-i-wrote-in-the-above-that-i-hate-biographies-and-reviews/) [Kate Zambreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-zambreno/) ## More by Djuna Barnes > [“There goes the dismantled—Love has fallen off her wall. A religious woman,” he thought to himself, “without the joy and safety of the Catholic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/there-goes-the-dismantled-love-has-fallen-off-her-wall-a-religious/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [Of course I think of the past and of Paris, what else is there to remember?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/of-course-i-think-of-the-past-and-of-paris-what-else-is-there-to/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [A strong sense of identity gives man an idea he can do no wrong; too little accomplishes the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/a-strong-sense-of-identity-gives-man-an-idea-he-can-do-no-wrong-too/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [My war brought me many things; let yours bring you as much. Life is not to be told, call it as loud as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/my-war-brought-me-many-things-let-yours-bring-you-as-much-life-is-not/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [When one wants to become cognizant of the color and the texture of the soil, one does not get a ladder; one gets a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/when-one-wants-to-become-cognizant-of-the-color-and-the-texture-of/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [I can draw and write, and you'd be foolish not to hire me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/i-can-draw-and-write-and-you-d-be-foolish-not-to-hire-me/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [“The perfume that her body exhaled was of the quality of that earth-flesh, fungi, which smells of captured dampness and yet is so dry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/the-perfume-that-her-body-exhaled-was-of-the-quality-of-that-earth/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [God,' she cried, 'what is love? Man seeking his own head? The human head, so rented by misery that even the teeth weigh! She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/god-she-cried-what-is-love-man-seeking-his-own-head-the-human-head-so/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [Suffering for love is how I have learned practically everything I know, love of grandmother up and on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/suffering-for-love-is-how-i-have-learned-practically-everything-i/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [“No man need curing of his individual sickness; his universal malady is what he should look to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/no-man-need-curing-of-his-individual-sickness-his-universal-malady-is/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [When autumn shadows throw their patterns across the land, they are not the images of fragile, dying leaves, not the bared arms of lofty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/when-autumn-shadows-throw-their-patterns-across-the-land-they-are-not/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [Our bones ache only while the flesh is on them. Stretch it as thin as the temple flesh of an ailing woman and still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/our-bones-ache-only-while-the-flesh-is-on-them-stretch-it-as-thin-as/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [“I tell you, Madame, if one gave birth to a heart on a plate, it would say “Love” and twitch like the lopped leg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/i-tell-you-madame-if-one-gave-birth-to-a-heart-on-a-plate-it-would/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [“Those who turn the day into night, the young, the drug addict, the profligate, the drunken and that most miserable, the lover who watches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/those-who-turn-the-day-into-night-the-young-the-drug-addict-the/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [I couldn't ever boil potatoes over the heat of your affection. Your love would never bridge a gap; it wouldn't even fill up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/i-couldn-t-ever-boil-potatoes-over-the-heat-of-your-affection-your/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) [Explore all 116 Djuna Barnes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) ## More Djuna-barnes quotes > [“Man is born as he dies, rebuking cleanliness;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/man-is-born-as-he-dies-rebuking-cleanliness/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [“Man makes his history with the one hand and "holds it up" with the other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/man-makes-his-history-with-the-one-hand-and-holds-it-up-with-the-other/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [“His fabrications seemed to be the framework of a forgotten but imposing plan; some condition of life of which he was the sole surviving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-whiteside/his-fabrications-seemed-to-be-the-framework-of-a-forgotten-but/) Shaun Whiteside > [“And I \*know\* I wrote in the above that I hate biographies and reviews that focus on the psychological, surface detail, especially when they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-zambreno/and-i-know-i-wrote-in-the-above-that-i-hate-biographies-and-reviews/) [Kate Zambreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-zambreno/) Browse all 5 Djuna-barnes quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“His sanity is an unknown room: a known room is always smaller than an unknown.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Djuna Barnes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/his-sanity-is-an-unknown-room-a-known-room-is-always-smaller-than-an/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Djuna-barnes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/his-sanity-is-an-unknown-room-a-known-room-is-always-smaller-than-an/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/djuna-barnes-3957_djuna-barnes_his-sanity-is-an-unknown-room-a-known-ro_1877036.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/djuna-barnes-3957_djuna-barnes_his-sanity-is-an-unknown-room-a-known-ro_1877036.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b00/djuna-barnes-3957_djuna-barnes_his-sanity-is-an-unknown-room-a-known-ro_1877036.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“His sanity is an unknown room: a known room is always smaller than an unknown.” — Djuna Barnes", "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": "Djuna Barnes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“His sanity is an unknown room:...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/his-sanity-is-an-unknown-room-a-known-room-is-always-smaller-than-an/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/his-sanity-is-an-unknown-room-a-known-room-is-always-smaller-than-an/#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 } } ] } ```