--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I turned to climb the third wave, I…" description: "\"“When I turned to climb the third wave, I saw at my feet a small leaf, perhaps an inch long, pointed, withered to bright chestnut but still smooth. It ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/geoffrey-vickers-72037_rethinking-the-futur_when-i-turned-to-climb-the-third-wave-i_3056528.jpg" --- # When I turned to climb the third wave, I saw at my feet a… ![“When I turned to climb the third wave, I saw at my feet a small leaf, perhaps an inch long, pointed, withered to bright chestnut but still smooth. It was supported above the soil in the grey points of short grasses which did not bend beneath its weightlessness. It was curved in all three planes…” quote by Geoffrey Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/geoffrey-vickers-72037_rethinking-the-futur_when-i-turned-to-climb-the-third-wave-i_3056528.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/geoffrey-vickers-72037_rethinking-the-futur_when-i-turned-to-climb-the-third-wave-i_3056528.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00d/geoffrey-vickers-72037_rethinking-the-futur_when-i-turned-to-climb-the-third-wave-i_3056528.jpg) > ““When I turned to climb the third wave, I saw at my feet a small leaf, perhaps an inch long, pointed, withered to bright chestnut but still smooth. It was supported above the soil in the grey points of short grasses which did not bend beneath its weightlessness. It was curved in all three planes. Fibrous veins displayed its structure. It was quite still. And as I watched its stillness spread; first to me. I wanted not to move by a hair's breadth. Lest the bond between it and me should break. The stillness spread to the grass around us. It encompassed the hill. The beech wood became attendant on it. The whole valley slowly filled with it. The leaf, and I its participant, had drawn the mileswide landscape into an attentive, breathless synthesis...there was no movement, no sound and no distinction or identifying of parts in all that had been there united. For there was no 'I' that gazed...through that tiny gateway I became one with what was boundless.”” [Geoffrey Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-vickers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage describes a moment of deep stillness where the observer merges with the surrounding landscape, dissolving the sense of self and experiencing unity with nature. **In simple terms:** A deep stillness makes the self disappear and merges with nature. Key Takeaway Seek moments of stillness to feel connected. Themes mindfulness unity nature transcendence Mood tranquil reverent reflective Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - Meditation - forest bathing - silent retreats - artistic observation Key Concepts Phenomenology holism ecopsychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you cultivate stillness amid daily busyness? - What does “no I” mean for personal identity? A Different Perspective The experience may be fleeting and hard to sustain in daily life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Landscape Attentive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/landscape-attentive-5108019/) [Rethinking-the-future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rethinking-the-future-158395/) [Stillness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stillness/) [Stillness Spread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stillness-spread-5108020/) [Valley Slowly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valley-slowly-5108018/) [Watched Stillness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watched-stillness-5108017/) ## Related quotes > [“Systems have truly been disrupted and things will never be the same after this pandemic, it's time to rethink ministry, rethink church, rethink work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kelvin-clive/systems-have-truly-been-disrupted-and-things-will-never-be-the-same/) [Bernard Kelvin Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-kelvin-clive/) > [“You have to choose your path. 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