---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He lived in sight of both worlds, but he…"
description: "\"“He lived in sight of both worlds, but he looked toward the unknown. And he was a scholar… You can still live on that shimmering line between your old ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/elizabeth-gilbert-131_borders_he-lived-in-sight-of-both-worlds-but-he_2385013.jpg"
---

#  He lived in sight of both worlds, but he looked toward the…

![“He lived in sight of both worlds, but he looked toward the unknown. And he was a scholar… You can still live on that shimmering line between your old thinking and your new understanding, always in a state of learning. In the figurative sense, this is a border that is always moving-- as you advance…” quote by Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/elizabeth-gilbert-131_borders_he-lived-in-sight-of-both-worlds-but-he_2385013.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/elizabeth-gilbert-131_borders_he-lived-in-sight-of-both-worlds-but-he_2385013.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/elizabeth-gilbert-131_borders_he-lived-in-sight-of-both-worlds-but-he_2385013.jpg)

> ““He lived in sight of both worlds, but he looked toward the unknown. And he was a scholar… You can still live on that shimmering line between your old thinking and your new understanding, always in a state of learning. In the figurative sense, this is a border that is always moving-- as you advance forward in your studies and realizations, that mysterious forest of the unknown always stays a few feet ahead of you, so you have to travel light in order to keep following it. You have to stay mobile, movable, supple.””

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote encourages staying on the boundary between known knowledge and the unknown, maintaining curiosity and adaptability as one learns and grows.

**In simple terms:** Keep learning by staying curious and flexible.

Key Takeaway

Stay curious, stay adaptable.

Themes

learning growth uncertainty adaptability exploration

Mood

hopeful inquisitive

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- academic research
- career development
- personal growth
- creative projects

Key Concepts

mindset continuous learning flexibility

Questions to Reflect On

- What unknown areas excite you?
- How can you stay flexible in your learning?

A Different Perspective

Risk of stagnation if comfort zones dominate.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Borders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Moving-on-and-letting-go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-on-and-letting-go/) [Travel light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/travel-light/)

## Related quotes

> [I hate this idea that we, as Americans, are going to say we're going to have a sense at the border, someplace else, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalia-mogahed/i-hate-this-idea-that-we-as-americans-are-going-to-say-we-re-going-to/)

[Dalia Mogahed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalia-mogahed/)

> [Walls are very important when you're separating two urban areas where if you're actually able to get over the border you can probably get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yarmuth/walls-are-very-important-when-you-re-separating-two-urban-areas-where/)

[John Yarmuth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yarmuth/)

> [“Stop focusing on your past mistakes. Don’t be ashamed of the things that you’ve done. We ALL have made mistakes. Don’t you see? All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-lahart/stop-focusing-on-your-past-mistakes-don-t-be-ashamed-of-the-things/)

[Stephanie Lahart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-lahart/)

> [“I had turned away from the picture and was going back to the world where events move, men change, light flickers, life flows in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/i-had-turned-away-from-the-picture-and-was-going-back-to-the-world/)

[Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/)

> [Rehashing the past wouldn't change anything. Time to move forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rehashing-the-past-wouldn-t-change-anything-time-to-move-forward/)

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

> [“Looking back now, I would say that this was one of the first valuable lessons I learned, and one that would be useful in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-horowitz/looking-back-now-i-would-say-that-this-was-one-of-the-first-valuable/)

[Anthony Horowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-horowitz/)

> [“This place is in my heart, but it can't be my home, not now, maybe not ever..." - Samuel Yates”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/this-place-is-in-my-heart-but-it-can-t-be-my-home-not-now-maybe-not/)

[Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/)

> [“Answerless questions can destroy. Move on. - A”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/answerless-questions-can-destroy-move-on-a/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

> [“Sometimes, we figure out our next move when we release what it won't be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-vraa/sometimes-we-figure-out-our-next-move-when-we-release-what-it-won-t-be/)

Mary Vraa

> [“Forgiveness is freedom. Forgiveness is liberation. Forgiveness is a choice. If you forgive and forget you are free but, if you keep it, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/forgiveness-is-freedom-forgiveness-is-liberation-forgiveness-is-a/)

[Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/)

> [“If you walked away from a toxic, negative, abusive, one-sided, dead-end low vibrational relationship or friendship — you won.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lalah-delia/if-you-walked-away-from-a-toxic-negative-abusive-one-sided-dead-end/)

[Lalah Delia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lalah-delia/)

> [“It does nothing to dwell on what’s been taken from you,” he snarled. “Nothing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-e-schwab/it-does-nothing-to-dwell-on-what-s-been-taken-from-you-he-snarled/)

[V.E. Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-e-schwab/)

> [“Staying in the past won't help you move on to your future".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-chezka-b-asaldo/staying-in-the-past-won-t-help-you-move-on-to-your-future/)

Princess Chezka B. Asaldo

> [This is a story about survival. Letting go and learning to let in. Getting along and moving on. The truth about life. The things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-is-a-story-about-survival-letting-go-and-learning-to-let-in/)

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

> [“Let Go Of The People That Wound You.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesam-fawzi/let-go-of-the-people-that-wound-you/)

[Wesam Fawzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesam-fawzi/)

## More by Elizabeth Gilbert

> [That's your friend. My husband is my best friend. He's not the mirror that holds up my flaws. He's just the guy who's like,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/that-s-your-friend-my-husband-is-my-best-friend-he-s-not-the-mirror/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [“Not to mention that I have finally arrived at that age where a woman starts to question whether the wisest way to get over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/not-to-mention-that-i-have-finally-arrived-at-that-age-where-a-woman/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [“The Buddha taught that all human suffering is rooted in desire. Don't we all know this to be true? Any of us who have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/the-buddha-taught-that-all-human-suffering-is-rooted-in-desire-don-t/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [ “And while \[we\] do have possibilities that are vast and magnificent and almost infinite in scope, it's important to remember that our choice-rich lives… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/and-while-we-do-have-possibilities-that-are-vast-and-magnificent-and/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [Learn your way around loneliness. Make a map of it. Sit with it, for once in your life. Welcome to the human experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/learn-your-way-around-loneliness-make-a-map-of-it-sit-with-it-for/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [If we never leave our house except to drive to work, do we need to be even remotely aware of this powerful, humbling, extraordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/if-we-never-leave-our-house-except-to-drive-to-work-do-we-need-to-be/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [I will tell you why we have these extraordinary minds and souls, Miss Whittaker," he continued, as though he had not heard her. "We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-will-tell-you-why-we-have-these-extraordinary-minds-and-souls-miss/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [Both the five-year-olds looked at me with bewilderment and a bit of fearful uncertainty. I had a sudden horrifying image of the woman I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/both-the-five-year-olds-looked-at-me-with-bewilderment-and-a-bit-of/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [“Clearing out all your misery gets you out of the way. You cease being an obstacle, not only to yourself but to anyone else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/clearing-out-all-your-misery-gets-you-out-of-the-way-you-cease-being/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [The ingredients of both darkness and light are equally present in all of us,...The madness of this planet is largely a result of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/the-ingredients-of-both-darkness-and-light-are-equally-present-in-all/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [I was full of a hot, powerful sadness and would have loved to burst into the comfort of tears, but tried hard not to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-was-full-of-a-hot-powerful-sadness-and-would-have-loved-to-burst/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [“I live in nature where everything is connected, circular. The seasons are circular. The planet is circular, and so is the planet around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-live-in-nature-where-everything-is-connected-circular-the-seasons/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [“His spelling was several degrees beyond arbitrary, and his punctuation brought reason to sigh with unhappiness. But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/his-spelling-was-several-degrees-beyond-arbitrary-and-his-punctuation/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [Before you realize this truth, say the Yogis, you will always be in despair, a notion nicely expressed in this exasperated line from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/before-you-realize-this-truth-say-the-yogis-you-will-always-be-in/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [I actually have a great deal of respect for antidepressants; I think they can be enormously mighty tools toward recovery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-actually-have-a-great-deal-of-respect-for-antidepressants-i-think/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

[Explore all 1,156 Elizabeth Gilbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

## More Borders quotes

> [We have to get control of our borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-coffman/we-have-to-get-control-of-our-borders/)

[Mike Coffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-coffman/)

> [The U.S.-Mexican border es un herida abierta where the Third World grates against the first and bleeds. And before a scab forms it hemorrhages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-e-anzald-a/the-u-s-mexican-border-es-un-herida-abierta-where-the-third-world/)

[Gloria E. Anzaldúa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-e-anzald-a/)

> [Preemptive war is what Israel did in '67 with Arab armies on its borders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/preemptive-war-is-what-israel-did-in-67-with-arab-armies-on-its/)

[Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/)

> [When I went to law school, which after all was back in the dark ages, we never looked beyond our borders for precedents. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-day-o-connor/when-i-went-to-law-school-which-after-all-was-back-in-the-dark-ages/)

[Sandra Day O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-day-o-connor/)

> [Schengen cannot survive without the most dramatic reform, and the external borders of Europe must be rapidly strengthened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-soames/schengen-cannot-survive-without-the-most-dramatic-reform-and-the/)

[Nicholas Soames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-soames/)

> [The troops were occasionally occupied in pursuing scattered bands going north or south, and on three occasions the large camp of Sitting Bull ventured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-a-miles/the-troops-were-occasionally-occupied-in-pursuing-scattered-bands/)

[Nelson A. Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-a-miles/)

> [The characters in my novels are my own unrealized possibilities. That is why I am equally fond of them all and equally horrified by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-characters-in-my-novels-are-my-own-unrealized-possibilities-that/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [When we talk about contemporary art and contemporary artists, we usually imagine artists who are alive. But I feel very uncomfortable about placing a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasumasa-morimura/when-we-talk-about-contemporary-art-and-contemporary-artists-we/)

[Yasumasa Morimura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasumasa-morimura/)

> [Photography... unites the obvious and the unconscious at the level of the limimal - the border between what we see and what we suspect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-lorca-dicorcia/photography-unites-the-obvious-and-the-unconscious-at-the-level-of/)

[Philip-Lorca diCorcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-lorca-dicorcia/)

> [When you have the Chief of Staff of the Republican National Committee and the political director of the Romney campaign, and their two companies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-caddell/when-you-have-the-chief-of-staff-of-the-republican-national-committee/)

[Patrick Caddell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-caddell/)

> [Fifty thousand people in Mexico have been murdered. Puerto Penasco, 60 miles south of our border, just had five people and a police officer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-brewer/fifty-thousand-people-in-mexico-have-been-murdered-puerto-penasco-60/)

[Jan Brewer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-brewer/)

> [The unpleasant truth is that some borders are untenable and preserving them causes conflict, not peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mearsheimer/the-unpleasant-truth-is-that-some-borders-are-untenable-and/)

[John Mearsheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mearsheimer/)

> [Interesting things happen along borders - transitions - not in the middle where everything is the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/interesting-things-happen-along-borders-transitions-not-in-the-middle/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [At no other time (than autumn) does the earth let itself be inhaled in one smell, the ripe earth; in a smell that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/at-no-other-time-than-autumn-does-the-earth-let-itself-be-inhaled-in/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [House Republicans want to pass a strong border security, illegal immigration bill. We want a bill. There is no ifs, ands or buts about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boehner/house-republicans-want-to-pass-a-strong-border-security-illegal/)

[John Boehner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boehner/)

[Browse all 1,650 Borders quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/borders/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“He lived in sight of both worlds, but he looked toward the unknown. And he was a scholar… You can still live on that shimmering line between your old thinking and your new understanding, always in a state of learning. In the figurative sense, this is a border that is always moving-- as you advance forward in your studies and realizations, that mysterious forest of the unknown always stays a few feet ahead of you, so you have to travel light in order to keep following it. You have to stay mobile, movable, supple.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Elizabeth Gilbert"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/he-lived-in-sight-of-both-worlds-but-he-looked-toward-the-unknown-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Borders"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/he-lived-in-sight-of-both-worlds-but-he-looked-toward-the-unknown-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/elizabeth-gilbert-131_borders_he-lived-in-sight-of-both-worlds-but-he_2385013.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/elizabeth-gilbert-131_borders_he-lived-in-sight-of-both-worlds-but-he_2385013.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/46b/elizabeth-gilbert-131_borders_he-lived-in-sight-of-both-worlds-but-he_2385013.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He lived in sight of both worlds, but he looked toward the unknown. And he was a scholar… You can still live…” — Elizabeth Gilbert",
                "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": "Elizabeth Gilbert",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“He lived in sight of both...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/he-lived-in-sight-of-both-worlds-but-he-looked-toward-the-unknown-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/he-lived-in-sight-of-both-worlds-but-he-looked-toward-the-unknown-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
