--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The past is no farther away than your…" description: "\"The past is no farther away than your pillow.\" — Frank Herbert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/795/frank-herbert-262_parenting_the-past-is-no-farther-away-than-your-pi_1288554.jpg" --- # The past is no farther away than your pillow. ![“The past is no farther away than your pillow.” quote by Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/795/frank-herbert-262_parenting_the-past-is-no-farther-away-than-your-pi_1288554.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/795/frank-herbert-262_parenting_the-past-is-no-farther-away-than-your-pi_1288554.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/795/frank-herbert-262_parenting_the-past-is-no-farther-away-than-your-pi_1288554.jpg) > “The past is no farther away than your pillow.” [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Your thoughts and worries are as close as your pillow, so they’re always within reach. **In simple terms:** Your mind is always near you. Key Takeaway Manage thoughts before they dominate. Themes mindfulness self‑awareness control Mood contemplative serene Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - nighttime reflection - stress management - creative brainstorming Key Concepts cognitive psychology mental habits Questions to Reflect On - What bedtime routine calms your mind? - How can you reframe intrusive thoughts? A Different Perspective It can be difficult to detach from persistent thoughts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away/) [Away Pillow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away-pillow-4189405/) [Farther Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/farther-away-305633/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Past Farther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-farther-4189404/) [Pillow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pillow/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The truth is what I plan to find And I am getting closer every single day But from this world Im drifting farther away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-neil-maternick/the-truth-is-what-i-plan-to-find-and-i-am-getting-closer-every-single/) [Andrew Neil Maternick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-neil-maternick/) > [Its strange how sometimes we feel farther away from somebody when we are right there talking to them, rather than the distance, both emotionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-strange-how-sometimes-we-feel-farther-away-from-somebody-when-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you think of failure in your mind, you are one step farther away from success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/if-you-think-of-failure-in-your-mind-you-are-one-step-farther-away/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Love a painting once craved that gets farther and farther away by the day...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-fulger/love-a-painting-once-craved-that-gets-farther-and-farther-away-by-the/) [Mariana Fulger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-fulger/) > [“And the farther away she got, the faster it spun, like there was an invisible cord unreeling from it that stretched between us, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/and-the-farther-away-she-got-the-faster-it-spun-like-there-was-an/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [Once you considered failure you were one step farther away from success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/once-you-considered-failure-you-were-one-step-farther-away-from/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [Waiting for Mr. Right will make you farther away him. Live for the moment and get your own Mr. Right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/waiting-for-mr-right-will-make-you-farther-away-him-live-for-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think he just gets like this sometimes. Like he needs to pull away. I think of it like winter. During winter, it isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/i-think-he-just-gets-like-this-sometimes-like-he-needs-to-pull-away-i/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [“You don't forget the people you love," she told him. "That's what I've realized. They just get farther away. Like a spyglass turned around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/you-don-t-forget-the-people-you-love-she-told-him-that-s-what-i-ve/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [The past stays put, I just keep moving farther away from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-past-stays-put-i-just-keep-moving-farther-away-from-it/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [I find it really disturbing to be watching a lot of the medium that I'm trying to work in. I prefer to be doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whit-stillman/i-find-it-really-disturbing-to-be-watching-a-lot-of-the-medium-that-i/) [Whit Stillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whit-stillman/) > [Not everything I dislike should be destroyed, some of it should simply be moved farther away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashleigh-brilliant/not-everything-i-dislike-should-be-destroyed-some-of-it-should-simply/) [Ashleigh Brilliant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashleigh-brilliant/) > [“The more hopeless you were, the farther away they hid you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/the-more-hopeless-you-were-the-farther-away-they-hid-you/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [It seems farther away now because there are no rockets getting there. Nobody is going.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bean/it-seems-farther-away-now-because-there-are-no-rockets-getting-there/) [Alan Bean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bean/) > [Funny thing is, until I met you all I wanted to do was to get as far away from here as I could. Kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/funny-thing-is-until-i-met-you-all-i-wanted-to-do-was-to-get-as-far/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) ## More by Frank Herbert > [“He who can destroy a thing has the real control of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/he-who-can-destroy-a-thing-has-the-real-control-of-it/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“A leader, you see, is one of the things that distinguishes a mob from a people. He maintains the level of individuals. Too few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/a-leader-you-see-is-one-of-the-things-that-distinguishes-a-mob-from-a/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“I will tell you this only once. Homosexuals have been among the best warriors in our history, the berserkers of last resort. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/i-will-tell-you-this-only-once-homosexuals-have-been-among-the-best/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“Between depriving a man of one hour from his life and depriving him of his life there exists only a difference of degree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/between-depriving-a-man-of-one-hour-from-his-life-and-depriving-him/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [The surest way to keep a secret is to make someone think they already know the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-surest-way-to-keep-a-secret-is-to-make-someone-think-they-already/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“how inevitable it was that the aristocrat would refuse his final duty—which was to step aside and vanish into history.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/how-inevitable-it-was-that-the-aristocrat-would-refuse-his-final-duty/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“What we should have done was test the gift first. We should have probed for dangers. We were too bedazzled by it, though.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/what-we-should-have-done-was-test-the-gift-first-we-should-have/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“Have you noticed, Stil, how beautiful the young women are this year?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/have-you-noticed-stil-how-beautiful-the-young-women-are-this-year/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“Humans are born with a susceptibility to that most persistent and debilitating disease of intellect: self-deception. The best of all possible worlds and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/humans-are-born-with-a-susceptibility-to-that-most-persistent-and/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Face your fears or they will climb over your back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/face-your-fears-or-they-will-climb-over-your-back/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Many have marked the speed with which Muad'Dib learned the necessities of Arrakis. The Bene Gesserit, of course, know the basis of this speed.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/many-have-marked-the-speed-with-which-muad-dib-learned-the/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [“The assumption that a whole system can be made to work better through an assault on its conscious elements betrays a dangerous ignorance. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-assumption-that-a-whole-system-can-be-made-to-work-better-through/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [The power to destroy a thing is the absolute control over it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-power-to-destroy-a-thing-is-the-absolute-control-over-it/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [Providence and Manifest Destiny are synonyms often invoked to support arguments based on wishful thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/providence-and-manifest-destiny-are-synonyms-often-invoked-to-support/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [If you ask "Should we be in space?" you ask a nonsense question. We are in space. We will be in space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/if-you-ask-should-we-be-in-space-you-ask-a-nonsense-question-we-are/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) [Explore all 776 Frank Herbert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) ## More Away quotes > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [I don't like being away from home. That's one reason why I don't work as much as I used to \[when I started my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-powell/i-don-t-like-being-away-from-home-that-s-one-reason-why-i-don-t-work/) [Jane Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-powell/) > [Some shows just go away - and that's fine. They serve their purpose and their entertainment value, but there are shows that touch people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cudlitz/some-shows-just-go-away-and-that-s-fine-they-serve-their-purpose-and/) [Michael Cudlitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cudlitz/) > [You just say the word, and I'll make the rest of the world go away. I'll take you someplace safe, where no one else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/you-just-say-the-word-and-i-ll-make-the-rest-of-the-world-go-away-i/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [Who wants a stylus. You have to get em and put em away, and you lose em. Yuck. Nobody wants a stylus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/who-wants-a-stylus-you-have-to-get-em-and-put-em-away-and-you-lose-em/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [Beauty fades away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/beauty-fades-away/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You can't kind of take away, you either do or you don't. If you kind of take away something you're a failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-guare/you-can-t-kind-of-take-away-you-either-do-or-you-don-t-if-you-kind-of/) [John Guare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-guare/) > [We never think that our mothers will die. It was like suddenly an abyss opened at my feet - I was standing on nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-okri/we-never-think-that-our-mothers-will-die-it-was-like-suddenly-an/) [Ben Okri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-okri/) > [We all have time away from football to get our head down. At the same time it is a very busy schedule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reece-james/we-all-have-time-away-from-football-to-get-our-head-down-at-the-same/) [Reece James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reece-james/) > [If you take away the predators in the prairies and the national parks, you suddenly have an explosion of elk, and then you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-benchley/if-you-take-away-the-predators-in-the-prairies-and-the-national-parks/) [Peter Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-benchley/) > [“Please don't go away. You--you matter. To me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/please-don-t-go-away-you-you-matter-to-me/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [Our world is drowning in a sea of self-centeredness. You can make yourself quite unique right away by leaving this ocean of selfishness and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bytheway/our-world-is-drowning-in-a-sea-of-self-centeredness-you-can-make/) [John Bytheway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bytheway/) > [“Why is it," she asked, snuggling closer, "that I so often imagine myself running away and running free?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/why-is-it-she-asked-snuggling-closer-that-i-so-often-imagine-myself/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [I do spend a lot of weekends on the road. I have to pace myself. It can be pretty busy, but I'm not out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/i-do-spend-a-lot-of-weekends-on-the-road-i-have-to-pace-myself-it-can/) [Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/) [Browse all 4,933 Away quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/away/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The past is no farther away than your pillow.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frank Herbert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-past-is-no-farther-away-than-your-pillow/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Away" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-past-is-no-farther-away-than-your-pillow/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/795/frank-herbert-262_parenting_the-past-is-no-farther-away-than-your-pi_1288554.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/795/frank-herbert-262_parenting_the-past-is-no-farther-away-than-your-pi_1288554.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/795/frank-herbert-262_parenting_the-past-is-no-farther-away-than-your-pi_1288554.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The past is no farther away than your pillow.” — Frank Herbert", "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": "Frank Herbert", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The past is no farther away...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-past-is-no-farther-away-than-your-pillow/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-past-is-no-farther-away-than-your-pillow/#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 } } ] } ```