--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All her life she had believed in…" description: "\"“All her life she had believed in something more, in the mystery that shape-shifted at the edge of her senses. It was the flutter of moth wings on glas..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/eowyn-ivey-7989_beautiful-writing_all-her-life-she-had-believed-in-somethi_290150.jpg" --- # All her life she had believed in something more, in the… ![“All her life she had believed in something more, in the mystery that shape-shifted at the edge of her senses. It was the flutter of moth wings on glass and the promise of river nymphs in the dappled creek beds. It was the smell of oak trees on the summer evening she fell in love, and the way dawn…” quote by Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/eowyn-ivey-7989_beautiful-writing_all-her-life-she-had-believed-in-somethi_290150.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/eowyn-ivey-7989_beautiful-writing_all-her-life-she-had-believed-in-somethi_290150.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/eowyn-ivey-7989_beautiful-writing_all-her-life-she-had-believed-in-somethi_290150.jpg) > ““All her life she had believed in something more, in the mystery that shape-shifted at the edge of her senses. It was the flutter of moth wings on glass and the promise of river nymphs in the dappled creek beds. It was the smell of oak trees on the summer evening she fell in love, and the way dawn threw itself across the cow pond and turned the water to light. Mabel”” [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She feels a deep, ever‑present wonder at the unseen forces that shape life, expressed through nature’s subtle signs. **In simple terms:** She senses mysterious, unseen forces in everyday life. Key Takeaway Notice and honor the subtle mysteries around you. Themes wonder nature spirituality Mood reflective nostalgic Type literary poetic When to use this quote - reading poetry - walking in nature - contemplating art - mindful meditation Key Concepts transcendence sensory perception romanticism Questions to Reflect On - What subtle signs do you overlook daily? - How can you balance wonder with daily duties? A Different Perspective Such yearning can become escapist if it distracts from practical responsibilities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beautiful writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful-writing/) [Imagery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagery/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Summer evening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summer-evening/) ## Related quotes > [“All her life she had believed in something more, in the mystery that shape-shifted at the edge of her senses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/all-her-life-she-had-believed-in-something-more-in-the-mystery-that-2/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [In 'Lost,' they really believed in the mystery box and not looking too much inside the mystery box. It was some kind of idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-joy/in-lost-they-really-believed-in-the-mystery-box-and-not-looking-too/) [Lisa Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-joy/) > [Whenever I have faced a setback I have dusted myself down and got on with the rest of my life because I believed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-green/whenever-i-have-faced-a-setback-i-have-dusted-myself-down-and-got-on/) [Philip Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-green/) > [What would happen if you believed it, if you came to the place where you knew it was true? Your life would never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-eldredge/what-would-happen-if-you-believed-it-if-you-came-to-the-place-where/) [John Eldredge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-eldredge/) > [Before you came into my life, I believed that God had abandoned me. Now I know that He has blessed me beyond measure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayma/before-you-came-into-my-life-i-believed-that-god-had-abandoned-me-now-2/) [Mayma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayma/) > [My whole life I always believed in myself and my abilities, in how hard I worked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-gilgeous-alexander/my-whole-life-i-always-believed-in-myself-and-my-abilities-in-how/) [Shai Gilgeous-Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-gilgeous-alexander/) > [“There was a time in my life when I believed I could have a place in the world, that I deserved bigger things than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-schmidt/there-was-a-time-in-my-life-when-i-believed-i-could-have-a-place-in/) [Sarah Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-schmidt/) > [All my life I had believed that unless I was perfect I would not be loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/all-my-life-i-had-believed-that-unless-i-was-perfect-i-would-not-be/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [Somehow, you can never and ever accept a lie! Unless it's the only thing in your life that you believed in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince/somehow-you-can-never-and-ever-accept-a-lie-unless-it-s-the-only/) [Vince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince/) > [“All my life, I have believed that hard work and effort will be rewarded.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joelle-charbonneau/all-my-life-i-have-believed-that-hard-work-and-effort-will-be-rewarded/) [Joelle Charbonneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joelle-charbonneau/) > [“I asked myself what I believed. I had never prayed a lot. I hoped hard, wished hard, but I didn't pray. I had developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/i-asked-myself-what-i-believed-i-had-never-prayed-a-lot-i-hoped-hard/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [“There comes a moment in life where everything you ever believed in comes crashing down, leaving you gasping for air.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahd-alshammari/there-comes-a-moment-in-life-where-everything-you-ever-believed-in/) [Shahd Alshammari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahd-alshammari/) > [The powerful men in my life have always believed in me: my husband, my son](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-collins/the-powerful-men-in-my-life-have-always-believed-in-me-my-husband-my/) [Judy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-collins/) > [All the delights of sense, or heart, or intellect, with which you could once have tempted him, even the delights of virtue itself, now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/all-the-delights-of-sense-or-heart-or-intellect-with-which-you-could/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [For all my years in public life, I have believed that America must sail toward the shores of liberty and justice for all. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/for-all-my-years-in-public-life-i-have-believed-that-america-must/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) ## More by Eowyn Ivey > [“It was beautiful, Mabel knew, but it was a beauty that ripped you open and scored you clean so that you were left helpless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/it-was-beautiful-mabel-knew-but-it-was-a-beauty-that-ripped-you-open/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“Makes me see that there might be some sense to having children after all, just so your entire life and all your family’s contributions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/makes-me-see-that-there-might-be-some-sense-to-having-children-after/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“She and Jack had formed her of snow and birch boughs and frosty wild grass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/she-and-jack-had-formed-her-of-snow-and-birch-boughs-and-frosty-wild/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“You’ll drive yourself crazy looking for something that’s not there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/you-ll-drive-yourself-crazy-looking-for-something-that-s-not-there/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“She might be curt and ungrateful, but by God she could bake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/she-might-be-curt-and-ungrateful-but-by-god-she-could-bake/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“And if it is true...that we are each inhabited by some bit of divine light, then upon death, how long before those particles dissipate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/and-if-it-is-true-that-we-are-each-inhabited-by-some-bit-of-divine/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“Carry me on and on to the edge of the earth, with children's laughter like a wind - full sail, then carry me beyond”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/carry-me-on-and-on-to-the-edge-of-the-earth-with-children-s-laughter/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“When she first fell in love with Jack, she had dreamed she could fly, that on a warm, inky black night she had pushed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/when-she-first-fell-in-love-with-jack-she-had-dreamed-she-could-fly/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“But what makes the question of cultural loss the most uncomfortable, and difficult for me to address, are the inherent definitions built into it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/but-what-makes-the-question-of-cultural-loss-the-most-uncomfortable/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“Sewing was different. Mabel knew if she was patient and meticulous, if she carefully followed the lines, took each step as it came, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/sewing-was-different-mabel-knew-if-she-was-patient-and-meticulous-if/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“As Jack's eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, he saw the ground covered in white and, in the light of Garrett"s lantern, snowflakes spinning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/as-jack-s-eyes-grew-accustomed-to-the-darkness-he-saw-the-ground/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“Doubt crouched over his shoulder, ready to take him by the throat, whispering in his ear, You are an old man. An old, old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/doubt-crouched-over-his-shoulder-ready-to-take-him-by-the-throat/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“In my old age, I see that life itself is often more fantastic and terrible than the stories we believed as children, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/in-my-old-age-i-see-that-life-itself-is-often-more-fantastic-and/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“I see that life itself is often more fantastic and terrible than the stories we believed as children, and that perhaps there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/i-see-that-life-itself-is-often-more-fantastic-and-terrible-than-the/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) > [“Was it as Ada had suggested, that we can choose our own endings, joy over sorrow? Or does the cruel world just give and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/was-it-as-ada-had-suggested-that-we-can-choose-our-own-endings-joy/) [Eowyn Ivey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) [Explore all 84 Eowyn Ivey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/) ## More Beautiful writing quotes > [“Nothing is set in stone. A bird can be refolded into a boat, a fish, a kimono, or any other extravagant vision. At other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tor-udall/nothing-is-set-in-stone-a-bird-can-be-refolded-into-a-boat-a-fish-a/) [Tor Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tor-udall/) > [“Madoc was always calm, after all. So calm all the damn time growing up. He didn’t shout or show his anger until he’d had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-douglas/madoc-was-always-calm-after-all-so-calm-all-the-damn-time-growing-up/) [Penelope Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-douglas/) > [“It was becoming a nightmare. Ronan could hear the night horrors coming, in love with his blood and his sadness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/it-was-becoming-a-nightmare-ronan-could-hear-the-night-horrors-coming/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“Feelings that would not have disgraced a leader who, now that the snow has begun to fall and the mountain-top is covered in mist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/feelings-that-would-not-have-disgraced-a-leader-who-now-that-the-snow/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [“You don't need an entire garden bed, to notice the beauty of a flower.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-rowe/you-don-t-need-an-entire-garden-bed-to-notice-the-beauty-of-a-flower/) [Nikki Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-rowe/) > [“But in the name of all that is holy, Mosca, of all the people you could have taken up with, why Eponymous Clent?" murmured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/but-in-the-name-of-all-that-is-holy-mosca-of-all-the-people-you-could/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“Her beautiful face was blank as an unwritten book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-novik/her-beautiful-face-was-blank-as-an-unwritten-book/) [Naomi Novik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-novik/) > [“Sparkling bronze azure eyed Blazure's skyblue bow and eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/sparkling-bronze-azure-eyed-blazure-s-skyblue-bow-and-eyes/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [“It was pouring earlier, great sheets of rain, and now the clouds outside the window are crystal tipped, like mountain peaks in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/it-was-pouring-earlier-great-sheets-of-rain-and-now-the-clouds/) [Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/) > [“Wherever you travel to, appreciate the culture and beauty of the place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/wherever-you-travel-to-appreciate-the-culture-and-beauty-of-the-place/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time, unlike, say, a brain surgeon. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/the-beautiful-part-of-writing-is-that-you-don-t-have-to-get-it-right/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [“In the morning light the land and trees and the surface of the river were the color of fresh blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-r-lansdale/in-the-morning-light-the-land-and-trees-and-the-surface-of-the-river/) [Joe R. Lansdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-r-lansdale/) > [“The only solution was to try to unmake the world, to make it black and silent and uninhabited again, to return to the moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/the-only-solution-was-to-try-to-unmake-the-world-to-make-it-black-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Fallon affected my body in weird ways. But only because she’s different, I told myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penelope-douglas/fallon-affected-my-body-in-weird-ways-but-only-because-she-s/) [Penelope Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penelope-douglas/) > [“a single-file army of ants biting a mammoth tree into uniform grains and hauling it down to the dark for their ravenous queen. and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/a-single-file-army-of-ants-biting-a-mammoth-tree-into-uniform-grains/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) [Browse all 109 Beautiful writing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful-writing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“All her life she had believed in something more, in the mystery that shape-shifted at the edge of her senses. It was the flutter of moth wings on glass and the promise of river nymphs in the dappled creek beds. It was the smell of oak trees on the summer evening she fell in love, and the way dawn threw itself across the cow pond and turned the water to light. Mabel”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eowyn Ivey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/all-her-life-she-had-believed-in-something-more-in-the-mystery-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beautiful writing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/all-her-life-she-had-believed-in-something-more-in-the-mystery-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/eowyn-ivey-7989_beautiful-writing_all-her-life-she-had-believed-in-somethi_290150.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/eowyn-ivey-7989_beautiful-writing_all-her-life-she-had-believed-in-somethi_290150.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b52/eowyn-ivey-7989_beautiful-writing_all-her-life-she-had-believed-in-somethi_290150.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“All her life she had believed in something more, in the mystery that shape-shifted at the edge of her…” — Eowyn Ivey", "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": "Eowyn Ivey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eowyn-ivey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“All her life she had believed...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/all-her-life-she-had-believed-in-something-more-in-the-mystery-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eowyn-ivey/all-her-life-she-had-believed-in-something-more-in-the-mystery-that/#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 } } ] } ```