--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Think of the long trip home. Should we…" description: "\"“Think of the long trip home. Should we have stayed at home and thought of here? Where should we be today? Is it right to be watching strangers in a pl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/elizabeth-bishop-9054_sunsets_think-of-the-long-trip-home-should-we-ha_2686495.png" --- # Think of the long trip home. Should we have stayed at home… ![“Think of the long trip home. Should we have stayed at home and thought of here? Where should we be today? Is it right to be watching strangers in a play in this strangest of theatres? What childishness is it that while there's a breath of life in our bodies, we are determined to rush to see the…” quote by Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/elizabeth-bishop-9054_sunsets_think-of-the-long-trip-home-should-we-ha_2686495.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/elizabeth-bishop-9054_sunsets_think-of-the-long-trip-home-should-we-ha_2686495.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/013/elizabeth-bishop-9054_sunsets_think-of-the-long-trip-home-should-we-ha_2686495.png) > ““Think of the long trip home. Should we have stayed at home and thought of here? Where should we be today? Is it right to be watching strangers in a play in this strangest of theatres? What childishness is it that while there's a breath of life in our bodies, we are determined to rush to see the sun the other way around? The tiniest green hummingbird in the world? To stare at some inexplicable old stonework, inexplicable and impenetrable, at any view, instantly seen and always, always delightful? Oh, must we dream our dreams and have them, too? And have we room for one more folded sunset, still quite warm?”” [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage muses on human curiosity, the desire to explore, and the wonder of simple, fleeting moments in life. **In simple terms:** Contemplate wonder and fleeting moments. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity and simple joys. Themes wonder exploration impermanence curiosity Mood contemplative poetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - travel - museum visits - nature walks - art appreciation Key Concepts existential reflection poetic imagination human experience Questions to Reflect On - What simple moments bring you joy? - How does curiosity shape your life? A Different Perspective Over‑analysis can diminish spontaneity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Sunsets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunsets/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Travel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel/) ## Related quotes > [Think of the long trip home. Should we have stayed home and thought of here? 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Strange how she was able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sindiwe-magona/traffic-is-light-as-she-leaves-mowbray-so-is-her-heart-light-soon/) Sindiwe Magona > [I lost an arm on my last trip home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-lost-an-arm-on-my-last-trip-home/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The trip home always seemed to take half the time, because Murphy and Little Paint were eager for their dinner. We clung like burrs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ronstadt/the-trip-home-always-seemed-to-take-half-the-time-because-murphy-and/) [Linda Ronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ronstadt/) > [On the return trip home, gazing through 240,000 miles of space toward the stars and the planet from which I had come, I suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/on-the-return-trip-home-gazing-through-240-000-miles-of-space-toward/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [“I drank a little California Mountain Red at home and thought--why not--wherever you turn someone is shouting give me liberty of I give you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-paley/i-drank-a-little-california-mountain-red-at-home-and-thought-why-not/) [Grace Paley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-paley/) > [But why had he always felt so strongly the magnetic pull of home, why had he thought so much about it and remembered it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/but-why-had-he-always-felt-so-strongly-the-magnetic-pull-of-home-why/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [Home is supposed to feel safe, and full of security. Home is supposed to be filled with people you love and care about, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittany/home-is-supposed-to-feel-safe-and-full-of-security-home-is-supposed/) [Brittany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittany/) > [“It's not...not as easy to break away from home as I thought it'd be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-brant/it-s-not-not-as-easy-to-break-away-from-home-as-i-thought-it-d-be/) [Marilyn Brant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-brant/) > [“At home they thought of white people as a vague but powerful entity--like the forces that control the weather, that capable of destruction, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayana-mathis/at-home-they-thought-of-white-people-as-a-vague-but-powerful-entity/) [Ayana Mathis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayana-mathis/) > [“There was one she kept reaching for, with a copper-red varnish, and a clarity like the point of a star, precise and loansome, reminding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/there-was-one-she-kept-reaching-for-with-a-copper-red-varnish-and-a/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [Every time I use an app, part of my brain dies! We'll get to the point where we go to bed and wonder: 'Did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/every-time-i-use-an-app-part-of-my-brain-dies-we-ll-get-to-the-point/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) > [“Some of us live in the future, Connected to hurts from our past, If tomorrow is colored by bitter regret, Then today has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-conner/some-of-us-live-in-the-future-connected-to-hurts-from-our-past-if/) J.A. Conner ## More by Elizabeth Bishop > [“Exchanging Hats Unfunny uncles who insist in trying on a lady's hat, --oh, even if the joke falls flat, we share your slight transvestite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/exchanging-hats-unfunny-uncles-who-insist-in-trying-on-a-lady-s-hat/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [“At the Fishhouses Although it is a cold evening, down by one of the fishhouses an old man sits netting, his net, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/at-the-fishhouses-although-it-is-a-cold-evening-down-by-one-of-the/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [I am sorry for people who can't write letters. But I suspect also that you and I ... love to write them because it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/i-am-sorry-for-people-who-can-t-write-letters-but-i-suspect-also-that/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [Time to plant tears, says the almanac. The grandmother sings to the marvelous stove and the child draws another inscrutable house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/time-to-plant-tears-says-the-almanac-the-grandmother-sings-to-the/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [“All the untidy activity continues, awful but cheerful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/all-the-untidy-activity-continues-awful-but-cheerful/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [“But they made me realize more than I ever had the rarity of true originality, and also the sort of alienation it might involve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/but-they-made-me-realize-more-than-i-ever-had-the-rarity-of-true/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [“Should we have stayed home and thought of here?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/should-we-have-stayed-home-and-thought-of-here/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [“The art of losing isn't hard to master; so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/the-art-of-losing-isn-t-hard-to-master-so-many-things-seem-filled/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [The armored cars of dreams, contrived to let us do so many a dangerous thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/the-armored-cars-of-dreams-contrived-to-let-us-do-so-many-a-dangerous/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [Hoping to live days of greater happiness, I forget that days of less happiness are passing by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/hoping-to-live-days-of-greater-happiness-i-forget-that-days-of-less/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [Someone loves us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/someone-loves-us-all/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [Open the book. (The gilt rubs off the edges of the pages and pollinates the fingertips.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/open-the-book-the-gilt-rubs-off-the-edges-of-the-pages-and-pollinates/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [Democracy in the contemporary world demands, among other things, an educated and informed people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/democracy-in-the-contemporary-world-demands-among-other-things-an/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [All my life I have lived and behaved very much like the sandpiper - just running down the edges of different countries and continents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/all-my-life-i-have-lived-and-behaved-very-much-like-the-sandpiper/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) > [“I leave a lovely opalescent ribbon: I know this.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-bishop/i-leave-a-lovely-opalescent-ribbon-i-know-this/) [Elizabeth Bishop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) [Explore all 75 Elizabeth Bishop quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-bishop/) ## More Sunsets quotes > [It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/it-is-sometimes-said-that-scientists-are-unromantic-that-their/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“Sooner or later, however, we must realise there is no station in this life, no one earthly place to arrive once and for all.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hastings/sooner-or-later-however-we-must-realise-there-is-no-station-in-this/) Robert Hastings > [The world is a dream, you say, and it’s lovely, sometimes. Sunset. Clouds. Sky.” “No. The image is a dream. The beauty is real.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-world-is-a-dream-you-say-and-it-s-lovely-sometimes-sunset-clouds/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Figures dark beneath their loads pass down the far bank of the river, rendered immortal by the streak of sunset upon their shoulders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/figures-dark-beneath-their-loads-pass-down-the-far-bank-of-the-river/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [I love going to the beach and just sitting and watching the sunset by myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tayshia-adams/i-love-going-to-the-beach-and-just-sitting-and-watching-the-sunset-by/) [Tayshia Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tayshia-adams/) > [The Montana sunset lay between the mountains like a giant bruise from which darkened arteries spread across a poisoned sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/the-montana-sunset-lay-between-the-mountains-like-a-giant-bruise-from/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [It's a long, slow sunset for ink-on-paper magazines, but sunsets can produce vast sums of money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/it-s-a-long-slow-sunset-for-ink-on-paper-magazines-but-sunsets-can/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [Sensual pleasures have the fleeting brilliance of a comet; a happy marriage has the tranquillity of a lovely sunset.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-landers/sensual-pleasures-have-the-fleeting-brilliance-of-a-comet-a-happy/) [Ann Landers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-landers/) > [Nature paints not; In oils, but frescoes the great dome of heaven; With sunsets, and the lovely forms of clouds; And flying vapors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/nature-paints-not-in-oils-but-frescoes-the-great-dome-of-heaven-with/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [We recognize that we cannot survive on meditation, poems and sunsets. We are restless. We have an irresistible urge to dip our hands into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-florman/we-recognize-that-we-cannot-survive-on-meditation-poems-and-sunsets/) [Samuel Florman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-florman/) > [As soon as I turned the key I saw it hanging, the color of fire and sunset. the colour of flamboyant flowers. ‘If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/as-soon-as-i-turned-the-key-i-saw-it-hanging-the-color-of-fire-and/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [“And then Patrick started running after the sunset. And Sam immediately followed him. And I saw them in silhouette. Running after the sun. 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The more bodies that pile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/grass-i-live-in-a-great-steel-tower-that-reflects-the-blazing-sun/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) [Browse all 921 Sunsets quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunsets/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Think of the long trip home. Should we have stayed at home and thought of here? Where should we be today? Is it right to be watching strangers in a play in this strangest of theatres? What childishness is it that while there's a breath of life in our bodies, we are determined to rush to see the sun the other way around? The tiniest green hummingbird in the world? To stare at some inexplicable old stonework, inexplicable and impenetrable, at any view, instantly seen and always, always delightful? Oh, must we dream our dreams and have them, too? 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