---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every time a meteor comes close to the…"
description: "\"Every time a meteor comes close to the earth, we all think about the end of the world - but our internal soundtrack doesn't turn off. We're also thinki..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff5/elif-batuman-2172_astronomy_every-time-a-meteor-comes-close-to-the-e_248197.png"
---

#  Every time a meteor comes close to the earth, we all think…

![“Every time a meteor comes close to the earth, we all think about the end of the world - but our internal soundtrack doesn't turn off. We're also thinking about pizza or passing a slow tractor or making a turn, and for a magical instant, our lives seem to be in conversation with the stars.” quote by Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff5/elif-batuman-2172_astronomy_every-time-a-meteor-comes-close-to-the-e_248197.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff5/elif-batuman-2172_astronomy_every-time-a-meteor-comes-close-to-the-e_248197.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff5/elif-batuman-2172_astronomy_every-time-a-meteor-comes-close-to-the-e_248197.png)

> “Every time a meteor comes close to the earth, we all think about the end of the world - but our internal soundtrack doesn't turn off. We're also thinking about pizza or passing a slow tractor or making a turn, and for a magical instant, our lives seem to be in conversation with the stars.”

[Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

## About This Quote

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

Even amid cosmic threats, daily life persists, creating a fleeting sense of connection with the universe.

**In simple terms:** Life continues despite looming catastrophes.

Key Takeaway

Find wonder in ordinary moments.

Themes

existential mundane cosmos connection serendipity

Mood

contemplative hopeful

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- commuting
- cooking
- working
- stargazing

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology everyness

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you stay present during crises?
- What does the stars‑earth conversation symbolize?

A Different Perspective

Focusing on trivialities may distract from urgent issues.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [End of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-world/) [Meteor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meteor/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Our love could change the orbit of the earth. So, if a meteor ever comes hurtling towards earth with the guarantee of destruction, top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/our-love-could-change-the-orbit-of-the-earth-so-if-a-meteor-ever/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [I'm very down-to-earth. I think I'm still 'street'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-butler/i-m-very-down-to-earth-i-think-i-m-still-street/)

[Gerard Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-butler/)

> [A lot of scientists on Earth think of things that they could do in zero g. Things like the way metals cure, for example,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-a-ford/a-lot-of-scientists-on-earth-think-of-things-that-they-could-do-in/)

[Kevin A. Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-a-ford/)

> [We live on this speck called Earth - think about what you might do, today or tomorrow - and make the most of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/we-live-on-this-speck-called-earth-think-about-what-you-might-do/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [“And there's no sex, hardly any love stuff at all, in Middle Earth, which always made me think, yes, the world would be better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-walton/and-there-s-no-sex-hardly-any-love-stuff-at-all-in-middle-earth-which/)

[Jo Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-walton/)

> [We have, in a sense, lorded it over nature, over Sister Earth, over Mother Earth, i think man has gone too far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/we-have-in-a-sense-lorded-it-over-nature-over-sister-earth-over/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [“When you hear on the radio and read in newspapers and magazines and books and speeches the words 'the Occupied Territories' year after year,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mourid-barghouti/when-you-hear-on-the-radio-and-read-in-newspapers-and-magazines-and/)

[Mourid Barghouti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mourid-barghouti/)

> [“Earth, I think, will not be found by anyone to be in the end a very distinct place. I think earth, if chosen instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/earth-i-think-will-not-be-found-by-anyone-to-be-in-the-end-a-very/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [It has never occurred to me before, but this is truly how it is: all of us on earth walk constantly over a seething,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/it-has-never-occurred-to-me-before-but-this-is-truly-how-it-is-all-of/)

[Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/)

> [We don't need to save the Earth. I think the Earth is doing very well right now. And, it's mirroring the density within us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-mccormick-day/we-don-t-need-to-save-the-earth-i-think-the-earth-is-doing-very-well/)

[Christine McCormick Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-mccormick-day/)

> [Glance at the sun. See the moon and stars. Gaze at the beauty of the green earth. Now think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hildegard-of-bingen/glance-at-the-sun-see-the-moon-and-stars-gaze-at-the-beauty-of-the/)

[Hildegard of Bingen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hildegard-of-bingen/)

> [That's the last thing on Earth you should think about... There's just a whole lot of things that aren't going to work for you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/that-s-the-last-thing-on-earth-you-should-think-about-there-s-just-a/)

[Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/)

> [“Anxiety is a meteor shower of what-ifs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/anxiety-is-a-meteor-shower-of-what-ifs/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [I haven't experienced anything paranormal yet, but I did see what I think was a meteor light up the sky in a flash of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-lee/i-haven-t-experienced-anything-paranormal-yet-but-i-did-see-what-i/)

Ryan Lee

> [I gotta shine boy I be a star, on fire that's a meteor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/i-gotta-shine-boy-i-be-a-star-on-fire-that-s-a-meteor/)

[Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/)

## More by Elif Batuman

> [My parents were born into a secular country. They met in Turkey's top medical school, moved to America in the nineteen-seventies, and became researchers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/my-parents-were-born-into-a-secular-country-they-met-in-turkey-s-top/)

[Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

> [“I leafed through the phrase book. If a Martian read it, the Martian would probably decide to avoid Hungary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-leafed-through-the-phrase-book-if-a-martian-read-it-the-martian/)

[Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

> [You can't invent something you have no epistemological access to. In a way, it's all recombination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/you-can-t-invent-something-you-have-no-epistemological-access-to-in-a/)

[Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

> [Poetry is another space, like love, where we extend that extra credit to the writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/poetry-is-another-space-like-love-where-we-extend-that-extra-credit/)

[Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

> [“Svetlana said that she identified with that Madonna more than with any other woman in any other painting. She kept asking me what painting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/svetlana-said-that-she-identified-with-that-madonna-more-than-with/)

[Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

> [One of the most painful parts of a breakup is having the feeling that your life is a story, and then the other person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/one-of-the-most-painful-parts-of-a-breakup-is-having-the-feeling-that/)

[Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

> [“Dracula visited the Wolf Department at the Zoological Gardens. "These wolves seem upset at something," he observed. The next morning the cage was all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/dracula-visited-the-wolf-department-at-the-zoological-gardens-these/)

[Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

> [I like to think that I know a lot of words, but I definitely don't know all of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-like-to-think-that-i-know-a-lot-of-words-but-i-definitely-don-t/)

[Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

> [“I don't know if I ended up siding with the academics just because I happened to end up in graduate school, or if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-don-t-know-if-i-ended-up-siding-with-the-academics-just-because-i/)

[Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

> [People don't become writers because they love having spontaneous, real-world interactions with living people as bodies with clothes in time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/people-don-t-become-writers-because-they-love-having-spontaneous-real/)

[Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

> [“Each work of criticism is supposed to build on the body of work, to increase the total sum of human understanding. It's not like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/each-work-of-criticism-is-supposed-to-build-on-the-body-of-work-to/)

[Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

> [Humor is really important to me. All my favorite writers are writers I consider to be funny, including Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, even though that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/humor-is-really-important-to-me-all-my-favorite-writers-are-writers-i/)

[Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

> [I felt grateful to Ataturk that my parents were so well educated, that they weren't held back by superstition or religion, that they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/i-felt-grateful-to-ataturk-that-my-parents-were-so-well-educated-that/)

[Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

> [“For a moment it felt like we weren’t in the Danube at all but in the river of time, and everyone was at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/for-a-moment-it-felt-like-we-weren-t-in-the-danube-at-all-but-in-the/)

[Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

> [“They didn't take anything I did seriously; it was all some trivial, mildly annoying side activity that I insisted on for some reason, having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/they-didn-t-take-anything-i-did-seriously-it-was-all-some-trivial/)

[Elif Batuman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

[Explore all 182 Elif Batuman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/)

## More Astronomy quotes

> [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [Wen daylight turns to a darkened hue, D lovely stars hinting at u, ur heart beat tells u something true, That some 1 badly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butterfly-kisses/wen-daylight-turns-to-a-darkened-hue-d-lovely-stars-hinting-at-u-ur/)

Butterfly\_Kisses

> [Home is behind, the world ahead, And there are many paths to tread Through shadows to the edge of night, Until the stars are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/home-is-behind-the-world-ahead-and-there-are-many-paths-to-tread/)

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

> [In the movie, the stars above the ship bear no correspondence to any constellations in a real sky. Worse yet, while the heroine bobs...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/in-the-movie-the-stars-above-the-ship-bear-no-correspondence-to-any/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [Astronomers have built telescopes which can show myriads of stars unseen before; but when a man looks through a tear in his own eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ward-beecher/astronomers-have-built-telescopes-which-can-show-myriads-of-stars/)

[Henry Ward Beecher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ward-beecher/)

> [From the grasses in the field to the stars in the sky, each one is doing just that; and there is such profound peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/from-the-grasses-in-the-field-to-the-stars-in-the-sky-each-one-is/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [“Sentinels of trees breathe life into bodies of earthly flesh As their mighty arms reach to the stars we join in their quest for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramon-ravenswood/sentinels-of-trees-breathe-life-into-bodies-of-earthly-flesh-as-their/)

[Ramon Ravenswood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramon-ravenswood/)

> [“If there are no stars on the sky, you must try to be happy with the shining streetlights!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-there-are-no-stars-on-the-sky-you-must-try-to-be-happy-with-the/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/)

Nicole Gentile

> [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/)

[Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/)

> [“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss it you will land among the stars." ... quote has been credited to Les Brown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylviek/shoot-for-the-moon-even-if-you-miss-it-you-will-land-among-the-stars/)

Sylviek

> [When certain stars take you under their wing, it does help as they gauge your potential and are willing to work with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-bhatt/when-certain-stars-take-you-under-their-wing-it-does-help-as-they/)

[Vikram Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-bhatt/)

> [We were put here as witnesses to the miracle of life. We see the stars, and we want them. We are beholden to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-were-put-here-as-witnesses-to-the-miracle-of-life-we-see-the-stars/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [The reason so many of us are obsessed with becoming stars is because we are not yet starring in our own lives. The cosmic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/the-reason-so-many-of-us-are-obsessed-with-becoming-stars-is-because/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

[Browse all 6,190 Astronomy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Every time a meteor comes close to the earth, we all think about the end of the world - but our internal soundtrack doesn't turn off. We're also thinking about pizza or passing a slow tractor or making a turn, and for a magical instant, our lives seem to be in conversation with the stars.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Elif Batuman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/every-time-a-meteor-comes-close-to-the-earth-we-all-think-about-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Astronomy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/every-time-a-meteor-comes-close-to-the-earth-we-all-think-about-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff5/elif-batuman-2172_astronomy_every-time-a-meteor-comes-close-to-the-e_248197.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff5/elif-batuman-2172_astronomy_every-time-a-meteor-comes-close-to-the-e_248197.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff5/elif-batuman-2172_astronomy_every-time-a-meteor-comes-close-to-the-e_248197.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Every time a meteor comes close to the earth, we all think about the end of the world - but our internal…” — Elif Batuman",
                "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": "Elif Batuman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elif-batuman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Every time a meteor comes close...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/every-time-a-meteor-comes-close-to-the-earth-we-all-think-about-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elif-batuman/every-time-a-meteor-comes-close-to-the-earth-we-all-think-about-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
