--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A piece of crystal. A change, in a change…" description: "\"“A piece of crystal. A change, in a change that is remarkable there is no reason to say that there was a time.”\" — Gertrude Stein" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ae/gertrude-stein-667_change_a-piece-of-crystal-a-change-in-a-change_1019043.jpg" --- # A piece of crystal. A change, in a change that is… ![“A piece of crystal. A change, in a change that is remarkable there is no reason to say that there was a time.” quote by Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ae/gertrude-stein-667_change_a-piece-of-crystal-a-change-in-a-change_1019043.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ae/gertrude-stein-667_change_a-piece-of-crystal-a-change-in-a-change_1019043.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8ae/gertrude-stein-667_change_a-piece-of-crystal-a-change-in-a-change_1019043.jpg) > ““A piece of crystal. A change, in a change that is remarkable there is no reason to say that there was a time.”” [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She describes a crystal's shift as a profound, inexplicable transformation without clear cause. **In simple terms:** Change can be mysterious and profound. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty in change. Themes philosophy art perception change Mood contemplative curious Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - creative writing - art critique - personal reflection - philosophical debate Key Concepts existentialism subjectivity metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How do you perceive sudden change? - What does “crystal” symbolize for you? A Different Perspective Interpretations may vary widely. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Crystal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crystal/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Keep your crystal and your pistol. Id rather have a pretty piece of crystal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/keep-your-crystal-and-your-pistol-id-rather-have-a-pretty-piece-of/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [Things can never be as they were. It's astonishing how we comment on change, as if change is something remarkable. On the contrary, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-deshpande/things-can-never-be-as-they-were-it-s-astonishing-how-we-comment-on/) [Shashi Deshpande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-deshpande/) > [Whatever I design, it has to please my eye. If I go to work on an office block, I'll draw the office that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rocha/whatever-i-design-it-has-to-please-my-eye-if-i-go-to-work-on-an/) [John Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rocha/) > [No sir, I don't have a crystal ball, but I do have common sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabe-kapler/no-sir-i-don-t-have-a-crystal-ball-but-i-do-have-common-sense/) [Gabe Kapler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabe-kapler/) > [The walls of this elevator are made of crystal so that you can watch the people on the ground floor shrink to ants as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/the-walls-of-this-elevator-are-made-of-crystal-so-that-you-can-watch/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“I’m not stubborn. My way is just always better.” “You know, Mack, some things just go perfectly together, like I told you so and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-james/i-m-not-stubborn-my-way-is-just-always-better-you-know-mack-some/) [Nicole James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-james/) > [The sun penetrates crystal and makes it more dazzling. In the same way, the sanctifying Spirit indwells in souls and makes them more radiant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/the-sun-penetrates-crystal-and-makes-it-more-dazzling-in-the-same-way/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [What Youth deemed crystal, Age finds out was dew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/what-youth-deemed-crystal-age-finds-out-was-dew/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [“The little imp had gone Brazilian. Damn him for a sinner but the thoughts that zinged through his mind would make the roof of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-gerard/the-little-imp-had-gone-brazilian-damn-him-for-a-sinner-but-the/) [Cindy Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-gerard/) > [“Saul tapped his wife's obstinate chin. "Mrs. Benedict, you certainly are. You promised to obey." "That was thirty years ago! Before the wedding ceremony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stirling/saul-tapped-his-wife-s-obstinate-chin-mrs-benedict-you-certainly-are/) [Joss Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stirling/) > [There are so many times there could have been a left turn instead of a right turn in all people's lives. I think mine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-samuelsson/there-are-so-many-times-there-could-have-been-a-left-turn-instead-of/) [Marcus Samuelsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-samuelsson/) > [I grew up watching movies and being amazed at the animatronics you'd see in stuff like 'The Dark Crystal,' and all those kinds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-o-donoghue/i-grew-up-watching-movies-and-being-amazed-at-the-animatronics-you-d/) [Colin O'Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-o-donoghue/) > [I don't worship crystals - but I love them. Like I love sunsets and stars. It's just way easier to grab a dope crystal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-pratt/i-don-t-worship-crystals-but-i-love-them-like-i-love-sunsets-and/) [Spencer Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-pratt/) > [“Zed and Sky had stayed behind and were chatting with Will, Sky sitting on Zed's knee as if nothing was going to get them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stirling/zed-and-sky-had-stayed-behind-and-were-chatting-with-will-sky-sitting/) [Joss Stirling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stirling/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) ## More by Gertrude Stein > [I certainly do care for you Jeff Campbell less than you are always thinking and much more than you are ever knowing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-certainly-do-care-for-you-jeff-campbell-less-than-you-are-always/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Americans are very friendly and very suspicious, that is what Americans are and that is what always upsets the foreigner, who deals with them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/americans-are-very-friendly-and-very-suspicious-that-is-what/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/just-as-everybody-has-the-vote-including-women-i-think-children/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [“When is there some discharge when. There never is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/when-is-there-some-discharge-when-there-never-is/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [There is no such thing as repetition. Only insistance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/there-is-no-such-thing-as-repetition-only-insistance/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [I am I because my little dog knows me but, creatively speaking the little dog knowing that you are you and your recognising that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-am-i-because-my-little-dog-knows-me-but-creatively-speaking-the/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [How likely are definitions to be pleasurable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/how-likely-are-definitions-to-be-pleasurable/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [ “What is the answer?" \[ I \[Alice B Toklas\] was silent \] In that case, what is the question?” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/what-is-the-answer-i-alice-b-toklas-was-silent-in-that-case-what-is/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [More and more I like to take a train. I understand why the French prefer it to automobiling it is so much more sociable,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/more-and-more-i-like-to-take-a-train-i-understand-why-the-french/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Adventure is making the distant approach nearer but romance is having what is where it is which is not where you are stay where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/adventure-is-making-the-distant-approach-nearer-but-romance-is-having/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Forensics is eloquence and reduction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/forensics-is-eloquence-and-reduction/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [Eating and sleeping are not like loving and breathing. Washing is not like eating and sleeping. Believing is like breathing and loving. Religion can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/eating-and-sleeping-are-not-like-loving-and-breathing-washing-is-not/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [I write for myself and strangers. The strangers, dear Readers, are an afterthought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-write-for-myself-and-strangers-the-strangers-dear-readers-are-an/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [“A bag which was left and not only taken but turned away was not found. The place was shown to be very like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/a-bag-which-was-left-and-not-only-taken-but-turned-away-was-not-found/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [I don't envisage collectivism. There is no such animal, it is always individualism, sometimes the rest vote and sometimes they do not, and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/i-don-t-envisage-collectivism-there-is-no-such-animal-it-is-always/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) [Explore all 418 Gertrude Stein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A piece of crystal. 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