--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you take away the phone and e-mail…" description: "\"When you take away the phone and e-mail and you don't have a million things to run around to, it allows your mind the space to think more expansively a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d6/ewan-mcgregor-2364_about_when-you-take-away-the-phone-and-e-mail_2834059.jpg" --- # When you take away the phone and e-mail and you don't have… ![“When you take away the phone and e-mail and you don't have a million things to run around to, it allows your mind the space to think more expansively about the things that matter.” quote by Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d6/ewan-mcgregor-2364_about_when-you-take-away-the-phone-and-e-mail_2834059.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d6/ewan-mcgregor-2364_about_when-you-take-away-the-phone-and-e-mail_2834059.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d6/ewan-mcgregor-2364_about_when-you-take-away-the-phone-and-e-mail_2834059.jpg) > “When you take away the phone and e-mail and you don't have a million things to run around to, it allows your mind the space to think more expansively about the things that matter.” [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Removing digital distractions creates mental space for deeper thinking. **In simple terms:** Less tech, more thoughtful thinking. Key Takeaway Limit distractions for clarity. Themes focus mindfulness technology productivity Mood calm focused Type practical insightful When to use this quote - work environment - creative projects - learning - decision making Key Concepts psychology neuroscience Questions to Reflect On - How much tech is optimal for focus? - What practices sustain mental clarity? A Different Perspective Complete disconnection may hinder necessary communication. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Things that matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-that-matter/) ## Related quotes > [Once the game begins, I play to that song in my head. I run to rhythm, and that allows my mind to be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-faulk/once-the-game-begins-i-play-to-that-song-in-my-head-i-run-to-rhythm/) [Marshall Faulk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-faulk/) > [“The thread that ties us to the center is the hidden cord of the heart, it is the thread of genius that can connect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-meade/the-thread-that-ties-us-to-the-center-is-the-hidden-cord-of-the-heart/) [Michael Meade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-meade/) > [It is exactly in tough times when we discover our full potential, it allows our mind and body to push ourselves beyond our limits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-bonucci/it-is-exactly-in-tough-times-when-we-discover-our-full-potential-it/) [Leonardo Bonucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-bonucci/) > [The human hand allows the mind to reveal itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-human-hand-allows-the-mind-to-reveal-itself/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [“Great music stops the inner turmoil of thought and allows the mind to seek its natural state of joy. Music frees our minds and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wu-wei/great-music-stops-the-inner-turmoil-of-thought-and-allows-the-mind-to/) [Wu Wei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wu-wei/) > [I don't spend too much time on social media, so I can protect my mind space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-oh/i-don-t-spend-too-much-time-on-social-media-so-i-can-protect-my-mind/) [Sandra Oh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-oh/) > [“THE SPACE BETWEEN US Mind the space, so long endured, it’s best for our protection. I hope it’s true, for if it’s not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/the-space-between-us-mind-the-space-so-long-endured-it-s-best-for-our/) [Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/) > [Meditation is the key to open the door, the door of absolute contentment. Mind is always discontented., hence meditation means creating a state of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/meditation-is-the-key-to-open-the-door-the-door-of-absolute/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Meditation is the emptying of the mind of all the things that the mind has put together. If you do that -perhaps you won't,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/meditation-is-the-emptying-of-the-mind-of-all-the-things-that-the/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [Zen is the most scientific method to inquire into your consciousness. It takes you beyond mind into a space called no-mind. No self, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/zen-is-the-most-scientific-method-to-inquire-into-your-consciousness/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Workspace is mind space on a spiritual plane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siva-pillay/workspace-is-mind-space-on-a-spiritual-plane/) [Siva Pillay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siva-pillay/) > [Liberty sustains the same relation to mind that space does to matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/liberty-sustains-the-same-relation-to-mind-that-space-does-to-matter/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Meaning and value depend on human mind space and the commitment of time and energy by very smart people to a creative enterprise. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weber/meaning-and-value-depend-on-human-mind-space-and-the-commitment-of/) [Steven Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weber/) > [Size is not a reality, but a construct of the mind; and space a construct to contain constructs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/size-is-not-a-reality-but-a-construct-of-the-mind-and-space-a/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [“Time is the Mind of Space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-alexander/time-is-the-mind-of-space/) [Samuel Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alexander/) ## More by Ewan McGregor > [I love film people and actors and I am in the right world because I am one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-film-people-and-actors-and-i-am-in-the-right-world-because-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I don't want to make decisions about what I'm going to do before I'm doing it because I base my acting off my partner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-don-t-want-to-make-decisions-about-what-i-m-going-to-do-before-i-m/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I wanted to be an actor since I was nine years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-wanted-to-be-an-actor-since-i-was-nine-years-old/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I've got a black woolen hat and it's got Pervert written across the front of it. It's the name of the clothing label. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-ve-got-a-black-woolen-hat-and-it-s-got-pervert-written-across-the/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [There is some really good crack when I come back here. This is where I learned to swear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/there-is-some-really-good-crack-when-i-come-back-here-this-is-where-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I think if you're going on thinking oh, I can do this with my eyes shut, then it's probably not the right thing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-think-if-you-re-going-on-thinking-oh-i-can-do-this-with-my-eyes/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I was nine years old when I made up my mind that that was what I definitely wanted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-was-nine-years-old-when-i-made-up-my-mind-that-that-was-what-i/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I was born in '71, so I remember bits of glam rock on 'Top of the Pops' toward the late '70s, but I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-was-born-in-71-so-i-remember-bits-of-glam-rock-on-top-of-the-pops/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I'm sometimes asked 'Can you lose the accent?'and I say 'No, but I can put on another one'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-m-sometimes-asked-can-you-lose-the-accent-and-i-say-no-but-i-can/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I've never worked with an acting coach, no.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-ve-never-worked-with-an-acting-coach-no/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I especially love my Moto Guzzi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-especially-love-my-moto-guzzi/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I've never found acting that difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-ve-never-found-acting-that-difficult/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I love skiing, scuba diving and hang-gliding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-love-skiing-scuba-diving-and-hang-gliding/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [There's something that happens where you go, if you're lucky, goodness me, from film to another film to another film. And you can sort…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/there-s-something-that-happens-where-you-go-if-you-re-lucky-goodness/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) > [I don't care about Oscars. It's such self-aggrandizing nonsense. It's a way to manipulate people into believing that their choices are what's good. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/i-don-t-care-about-oscars-it-s-such-self-aggrandizing-nonsense-it-s-a/) [Ewan McGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) [Explore all 170 Ewan McGregor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) Browse all 26,122 About quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When you take away the phone and e-mail and you don't have a million things to run around to, it allows your mind the space to think more expansively about the things that matter.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ewan McGregor" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/when-you-take-away-the-phone-and-e-mail-and-you-don-t-have-a-million/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/when-you-take-away-the-phone-and-e-mail-and-you-don-t-have-a-million/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d6/ewan-mcgregor-2364_about_when-you-take-away-the-phone-and-e-mail_2834059.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d6/ewan-mcgregor-2364_about_when-you-take-away-the-phone-and-e-mail_2834059.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d6/ewan-mcgregor-2364_about_when-you-take-away-the-phone-and-e-mail_2834059.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When you take away the phone and e-mail and you don't have a million things to run around to, it allows your…” — Ewan McGregor", "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": "Ewan McGregor", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewan-mcgregor/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When you take away the phone...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/when-you-take-away-the-phone-and-e-mail-and-you-don-t-have-a-million/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewan-mcgregor/when-you-take-away-the-phone-and-e-mail-and-you-don-t-have-a-million/#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 } } ] } ```