--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I read the letter once, put it aside, and…" description: "\"“I read the letter once, put it aside, and read it again; I pick up a file but am really only reading your letter; I am with the typist, to whom I am s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54a/franz-kafka-214_quote_i-read-the-letter-once-put-it-aside-and_2021533.jpg" --- # I read the letter once, put it aside, and read it again; I… ![“I read the letter once, put it aside, and read it again; I pick up a file but am really only reading your letter; I am with the typist, to whom I am supposed to dictate, and again your letter slowly slides through my fingers and I have begun to draw it out of my pocket when people ask me something…” quote by Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54a/franz-kafka-214_quote_i-read-the-letter-once-put-it-aside-and_2021533.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54a/franz-kafka-214_quote_i-read-the-letter-once-put-it-aside-and_2021533.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54a/franz-kafka-214_quote_i-read-the-letter-once-put-it-aside-and_2021533.jpg) > ““I read the letter once, put it aside, and read it again; I pick up a file but am really only reading your letter; I am with the typist, to whom I am supposed to dictate, and again your letter slowly slides through my fingers and I have begun to draw it out of my pocket when people ask me something and I know perfectly well I should not be thinking of your letter now, yet that thought is all that occurs to me—but after all that I am as hungry as before, as restless as before, and once again the door starts swinging merrily, as though the man with the letter were about to appear again. That is what you call the “little pleasure” your letters give me.”” [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator is obsessed with a letter, unable to focus on anything else, illustrating how a single thought can dominate consciousness. **In simple terms:** A letter consumes his mind, making him restless and hungry for more. Key Takeaway Recognize when a thought monopolizes you and practice mindful redirection. Themes obsession distraction longing Mood anxious restless introspective Type literary psychological When to use this quote - office work - personal relationships - creative writing - stress management Key Concepts psychology attention literary motif Questions to Reflect On - How does fixation affect productivity? - What strategies can break a mental loop? A Different Perspective The intensity may be exaggerated for artistic effect, not reflecting typical experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“When I read that letter, I thought, we don’t make money when we sell things. We make money when we help customers make purchase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-stone/when-i-read-that-letter-i-thought-we-don-t-make-money-when-we-sell/) [Brad Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-stone/) > [If a picture, which is but a mute representation of an object, can give such pleasure, what cannot letters inspire? They have souls; they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heloise/if-a-picture-which-is-but-a-mute-representation-of-an-object-can-give/) [Heloise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heloise/) > [“I spent four minutes yesterday looking for the halfway point between where I am & where I want to be. I found the city—you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darnell-lamont-walker/i-spent-four-minutes-yesterday-looking-for-the-halfway-point-between/) [Darnell Lamont Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darnell-lamont-walker/) > [“ To my son, If you are reading this letter, then I am dead. I expect to die, if not today, then soon. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/to-my-son-if-you-are-reading-this-letter-then-i-am-dead-i-expect-to/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“Letter 74 I still have the first letter that you wrote to me. I carry it with me like a garden in my pocket.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-colbert/letter-74-i-still-have-the-first-letter-that-you-wrote-to-me-i-carry/) [Gregory Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-colbert/) > [Waiting for the mail to get to the house felt like days,but it was only hours, finally holding the letter in my hands only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelby-guartuche/waiting-for-the-mail-to-get-to-the-house-felt-like-days-but-it-was/) Shelby Guartuche > [“I've seen some very bad things this year, most of them when I was distracted. The world comes at me when I'm drinking coffee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hari-kunzru/i-ve-seen-some-very-bad-things-this-year-most-of-them-when-i-was/) [Hari Kunzru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hari-kunzru/) > [Never listen to a phone call that isn't meant for you. Never read a letter that isn't meant for you. Never pay attention to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-kennedy/never-listen-to-a-phone-call-that-isn-t-meant-for-you-never-read-a/) [Edward Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-kennedy/) > [“Here, you can read the letter. . . . See if you know what he wants. See if you know what I’m meant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maeve-binchy/here-you-can-read-the-letter-see-if-you-know-what-he-wants-see-if-you/) [Maeve Binchy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maeve-binchy/) > [SHUHCLK MNY DNINCNK READ EVERY OTHER LETTER LOL](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dafsssssssssssss/shuhclk-mny-dnincnk-read-every-other-letter-lol/) Dafsssssssssssss > [“There is so much I hope to teach you, little one. I hope that I may do so by example, but I feel the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/there-is-so-much-i-hope-to-teach-you-little-one-i-hope-that-i-may-do/) [Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/) > [I've never gotten a letter where I thought I knew the person. But I have heard from people who think they know the letter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-yoffe/i-ve-never-gotten-a-letter-where-i-thought-i-knew-the-person-but-i/) [Emily Yoffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-yoffe/) > [As we were driving, we saw a sign that said, "Watch for Rocks." Martha said it should read "Watch for Pretty Rocks." I told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/as-we-were-driving-we-saw-a-sign-that-said-watch-for-rocks-martha/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [And there I saw in the night the vision of a man…coming as it were from Ireland, with countless letters. And he gave me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-patrick/and-there-i-saw-in-the-night-the-vision-of-a-man-coming-as-it-were/) [Saint Patrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-patrick/) > [“It contained a sad, but too common story of the hard-heartedness of the wealthy, and the misery endured by the children of the highborn.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-shelley/it-contained-a-sad-but-too-common-story-of-the-hard-heartedness-of/) [Mary Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-shelley/) ## More by Franz Kafka > [ “The tremendous world I have inside my head. But how \[to\] free myself and free it without being torn to pieces. And a thousand… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/the-tremendous-world-i-have-inside-my-head-but-how-to-free-myself-and/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [What I write is different from what I say, what I say is different from what I think, what I think is different from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/what-i-write-is-different-from-what-i-say-what-i-say-is-different/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“A fine setting for a fit of despair,” it occurred to him, “if I were only standing here by accident instead of design.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/a-fine-setting-for-a-fit-of-despair-it-occurred-to-him-if-i-were-only/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“Ali svi se slažu u tome da se ne podižu lakomislene optužbe i da se sud, kad jedanput nekog optuži i kad je uvjeren…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/ali-svi-se-sla-u-u-tome-da-se-ne-podi-u-lakomislene-optu-be-i-da-se/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [My job is unbearable to me because it conflicts with my only desire and my only calling, which is literature. Since I am nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/my-job-is-unbearable-to-me-because-it-conflicts-with-my-only-desire/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Faith, like a guillotine. As heavy, as light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/faith-like-a-guillotine-as-heavy-as-light/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [You need not even listen, just wait...the world will offer itself freely to you, unmasking itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/you-need-not-even-listen-just-wait-the-world-will-offer-itself-freely/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“I will cross hundreds of seas and oceans without sinking to reach you, see your eyes and sink completely into their depths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/i-will-cross-hundreds-of-seas-and-oceans-without-sinking-to-reach-you/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [I have no memory for things I have learned, nor things I have read, nor things experienced or heard, neither for people nor events;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/i-have-no-memory-for-things-i-have-learned-nor-things-i-have-read-nor/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“This sounds crazy, but it is so. Nor is it perhaps really love when I say that for me you are the most beloved;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/this-sounds-crazy-but-it-is-so-nor-is-it-perhaps-really-love-when-i/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [The more horses you yoke the quicker everything will go - not the rending of the block from its foundation, which is impossible, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/the-more-horses-you-yoke-the-quicker-everything-will-go-not-the/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Martyrs do not underrate the body, they allow it to be elevated on the cross. In this they are at one with their antagonists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/martyrs-do-not-underrate-the-body-they-allow-it-to-be-elevated-on-the/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [The true way goes over a line that, rather than spanning heights, is hardly above the ground. It appears more decidedly to make one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/the-true-way-goes-over-a-line-that-rather-than-spanning-heights-is/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Every new discovery is assumed at once into the sum total of knowledge, and with that ceases in a sense to be a discovery;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/every-new-discovery-is-assumed-at-once-into-the-sum-total-of/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [“Sou de pedra. Sou a minha própria pedra tumular, sem nenhum interstício para a dúvida ou para a fé, para o amor ou para…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/sou-de-pedra-sou-a-minha-pr-pria-pedra-tumular-sem-nenhum-interst-cio/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) [Explore all 741 Franz Kafka quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) ## More Letter quotes > [Another success is the post-office, with its educating energy augmented by cheapness and guarded by a certain religious sentimentin mankind; so that the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/another-success-is-the-post-office-with-its-educating-energy/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Letter-writing on the part of a busy man or woman is the quintessence of generosity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-repplier/letter-writing-on-the-part-of-a-busy-man-or-woman-is-the-quintessence/) [Agnes Repplier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-repplier/) > ['Forever Evil' is my love letter to DC super villains. It's my chance to take all of the villains I've worked with and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-johns/forever-evil-is-my-love-letter-to-dc-super-villains-it-s-my-chance-to/) [Geoff Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-johns/) > [What truly gives me joy is when I get a letter from a young woman who says they saw a programme, then read a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-worsley/what-truly-gives-me-joy-is-when-i-get-a-letter-from-a-young-woman-who/) [Lucy Worsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-worsley/) > [“You need a new story; one that starts with this letter and ends with you holding my Rah.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lola-st-vil/you-need-a-new-story-one-that-starts-with-this-letter-and-ends-with/) [Lola St.Vil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lola-st-vil/) > [“- Mom, can I tell them there that I'm Romanian? - Sure, why not tell them? - I was thinking that they wouldn't think...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-enescu/mom-can-i-tell-them-there-that-i-m-romanian-sure-why-not-tell-them-i/) George Enescu > [The sending of a letter constitutes a magical grasp upon the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/the-sending-of-a-letter-constitutes-a-magical-grasp-upon-the-future/) [Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/) > [When you have to write a letter, you're automatically put into a state of composure and a kind of formality. You can't help it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justine-bateman/when-you-have-to-write-a-letter-you-re-automatically-put-into-a-state/) [Justine Bateman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justine-bateman/) > [“ 134. Letters are Commonplace Letters are commonplace enough, yet what splendid things they are! When someone is in a distant province and one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sei-shonagon/134-letters-are-commonplace-letters-are-commonplace-enough-yet-what/) [Sei Shonagon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sei-shonagon/) > [“Clary, Despite everything, I can't bear the thought of this ring being lost forever, any more then I can bear the thought of leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clary-despite-everything-i-can-t-bear-the-thought-of-this-ring-being/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“My Dear Mrs Winter. (I had half a mind when I dipped my pen in the ink, to address you by your old natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/my-dear-mrs-winter-i-had-half-a-mind-when-i-dipped-my-pen-in-the-ink/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“LETTER FROM JOSEPH TO EMMA NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK 13 OCTOBER 1832 "I feel as if I wanted to say something to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-eschler/letter-from-joseph-to-emma-new-york-city-new-york-13-october-1832-i/) [Angela Eschler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-eschler/) > [“I have just received your letter, and shall devote this whole morning to answering it, as I foresee that a little writing will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/i-have-just-received-your-letter-and-shall-devote-this-whole-morning/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“The contents of this letter threw Elizabeth into a flutter of spirits in which it was difficult to determine whether pleasure or pain bore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/the-contents-of-this-letter-threw-elizabeth-into-a-flutter-of-spirits/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“I have received the favor of your letter of August 17th, and with it the volume you were so kind as to send me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-have-received-the-favor-of-your-letter-of-august-17th-and-with-it/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) Browse all 944 Letter quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I read the letter once, put it aside, and read it again; I pick up a file but am really only reading your letter; I am with the typist, to whom I am supposed to dictate, and again your letter slowly slides through my fingers and I have begun to draw it out of my pocket when people ask me something and I know perfectly well I should not be thinking of your letter now, yet that thought is all that occurs to me—but after all that I am as hungry as before, as restless as before, and once again the door starts swinging merrily, as though the man with the letter were about to appear again. That is what you call the “little pleasure” your letters give me.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Franz Kafka" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/i-read-the-letter-once-put-it-aside-and-read-it-again-i-pick-up-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Letter" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/i-read-the-letter-once-put-it-aside-and-read-it-again-i-pick-up-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54a/franz-kafka-214_quote_i-read-the-letter-once-put-it-aside-and_2021533.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54a/franz-kafka-214_quote_i-read-the-letter-once-put-it-aside-and_2021533.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54a/franz-kafka-214_quote_i-read-the-letter-once-put-it-aside-and_2021533.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I read the letter once, put it aside, and read it again; I pick up a file but am really only reading your…” — Franz Kafka", "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": "Franz Kafka", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I read the letter once, put...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/i-read-the-letter-once-put-it-aside-and-read-it-again-i-pick-up-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/i-read-the-letter-once-put-it-aside-and-read-it-again-i-pick-up-a/#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 } } ] } ```