---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I see nothing. I do not move. It is an…"
description: "\"“I see nothing. I do not move. It is an empty time, animal time, vigilant, I am submerged, under the earth and under time. I listen. Perhaps the waitin..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/h-l-ne-cixous-3823_feminism_i-see-nothing-i-do-not-move-it-is-an-emp_352645.jpg"
---

#  I see nothing. I do not move. It is an empty time, animal…

![“I see nothing. I do not move. It is an empty time, animal time, vigilant, I am submerged, under the earth and under time. I listen. Perhaps the waiting is a form of prayer.” quote by Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/h-l-ne-cixous-3823_feminism_i-see-nothing-i-do-not-move-it-is-an-emp_352645.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/h-l-ne-cixous-3823_feminism_i-see-nothing-i-do-not-move-it-is-an-emp_352645.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/h-l-ne-cixous-3823_feminism_i-see-nothing-i-do-not-move-it-is-an-emp_352645.jpg)

> ““I see nothing. I do not move. It is an empty time, animal time, vigilant, I am submerged, under the earth and under time. I listen. Perhaps the waiting is a form of prayer.””

[Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The speaker describes a meditative stillness that becomes a form of prayer through patient listening.

**In simple terms:** Quiet waiting can be a spiritual practice.

Key Takeaway

Practice attentive stillness as prayer.

Themes

silence patience spirituality

Mood

contemplative introspective

Type

poetic philosophical

When to use this quote

- meditation
- nature walk
- grief processing
- creative block

Key Concepts

existential reflection embodiment

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “empty time” reveal about self?
- How can listening transform waiting into meaning?

A Different Perspective

Silence may also become avoidance of action.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Feminism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Prayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wellbeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wellbeing/)

## Related quotes

> [He actually listened, rather than pretending to listen while waiting a suitable interval before it was his time to talk again...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laini-taylor/he-actually-listened-rather-than-pretending-to-listen-while-waiting-a/)

[Laini Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laini-taylor/)

> [I can only listen to what I'm working on, at the time. I can't listen to anything else because I don't want to copy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-page/i-can-only-listen-to-what-i-m-working-on-at-the-time-i-can-t-listen/)

[Jimmy Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-page/)

> [“But, you've heard enough. Now, it's time for you to listen. Go and find your songs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cantus-fraggle/but-you-ve-heard-enough-now-it-s-time-for-you-to-listen-go-and-find/)

Cantus Fraggle

> [“It is amazing what God will tell you, if you only take the time to listen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-smith/it-is-amazing-what-god-will-tell-you-if-you-only-take-the-time-to/)

[Virginia Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-smith/)

> [“But no one is interested in the past. If they were smart, they would be, for the past tells us all we need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-littlejohn/but-no-one-is-interested-in-the-past-if-they-were-smart-they-would-be/)

[Emily Littlejohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-littlejohn/)

> [If we all take the time to listen and love each other, this world would be a better place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-love/if-we-all-take-the-time-to-listen-and-love-each-other-this-world/)

[Mike Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-love/)

> [“Anyone who takes the time to listen is either an old soul or a romantic one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/anyone-who-takes-the-time-to-listen-is-either-an-old-soul-or-a/)

[Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/)

> [God has a time to listen. But, do you have a time to pray?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-has-a-time-to-listen-but-do-you-have-a-time-to-pray/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [listen to me as one listens to the rain, the years go by, the moments return, do you hear the footsteps in the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/listen-to-me-as-one-listens-to-the-rain-the-years-go-by-the-moments/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [“It's sort of my go-to stock image of my childhood, actually. I think it has something to do with knowing I'll never be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/it-s-sort-of-my-go-to-stock-image-of-my-childhood-actually-i-think-it/)

[Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/)

> [We must slow down to a human tempo and we’ll begin to have time to listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/we-must-slow-down-to-a-human-tempo-and-we-ll-begin-to-have-time-to/)

[Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/)

> [I wish I had time to listen to music more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/i-wish-i-had-time-to-listen-to-music-more/)

[John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/)

> [“Today-Everyone want to tell their stories but nobody has time to listen others”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-abidi-en/today-everyone-want-to-tell-their-stories-but-nobody-has-time-to/)

Ali Abidi'en

> [When I have some time, I listen to opera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/javier-milei/when-i-have-some-time-i-listen-to-opera/)

[Javier Milei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/javier-milei/)

> [Well, I do listen to God for direction, but I really don't have time to listen to other artists all that much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/well-i-do-listen-to-god-for-direction-but-i-really-don-t-have-time-to/)

[Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/)

## More by Hélène Cixous

> [“(Because Jonah’s real story is the one never told: never was he as stupendously happy as during those three days and three nights of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/because-jonah-s-real-story-is-the-one-never-told-never-was-he-as/)

[Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [“I, too, overflow; my desires have invented new desires, my body knows unheard-of songs. Time and again I, too, have felt so full of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/i-too-overflow-my-desires-have-invented-new-desires-my-body-knows/)

[Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [What happens: events interiors, snatch them from the cradle, from the source. I want to watch watching arrive. I want to watch arrivances. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/what-happens-events-interiors-snatch-them-from-the-cradle-from-the/)

[Helene Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [“And I? I drink, I burn, I gather dreams. And sometimes I tell a story. Because Promethea asks me for a bowl of words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/and-i-i-drink-i-burn-i-gather-dreams-and-sometimes-i-tell-a-story/)

[Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [“The author of what I describe is not myself, it is the Other. First of all it is you, it is the woman, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/the-author-of-what-i-describe-is-not-myself-it-is-the-other-first-of/)

[Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [Perhaps what I do not manage to operate rapidly enough is the passage between the outside and the inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/perhaps-what-i-do-not-manage-to-operate-rapidly-enough-is-the-passage/)

[Helene Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [“To fly/steal is woman’s gesture, to steal into language to make it fly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/to-fly-steal-is-woman-s-gesture-to-steal-into-language-to-make-it-fly/)

[Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [“Those I love go in the direction of what they call the last hour—what Clarice Lispector calls, “the hour of the star,” “the hour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/those-i-love-go-in-the-direction-of-what-they-call-the-last-hour-what/)

[Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [“...and this morning I am without fire, my marrow is ash, I am very sad.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/and-this-morning-i-am-without-fire-my-marrow-is-ash-i-am-very-sad/)

[Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [Me too, I make do, I anoint what cannot be fixed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/me-too-i-make-do-i-anoint-what-cannot-be-fixed/)

[Helene Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [“Writing, in its noblest function, is the attempt to unerase, to unearth, to find the primitive picture again, ours, the one that frightens us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/writing-in-its-noblest-function-is-the-attempt-to-unerase-to-unearth/)

[Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [“Here I am now. And it is hell. Paradise? Yes, I still am here, but who? only myself, with my small waist, my small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/here-i-am-now-and-it-is-hell-paradise-yes-i-still-am-here-but-who/)

[Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [“Knowledge from experience: the heart goes blind because the need is stronger than anything else. Your ego is blind, your id is eager. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/knowledge-from-experience-the-heart-goes-blind-because-the-need-is/)

[Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [“Go, fly, swim, bound descend, cross, love the unknown, love the uncertain, love what has not yet been seen, love no one, whom you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/go-fly-swim-bound-descend-cross-love-the-unknown-love-the-uncertain/)

[Hélène Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

> [Love is when you suddenly wake up as a cannibal, and not just any old cannibal, or else wake up destined for devourment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/love-is-when-you-suddenly-wake-up-as-a-cannibal-and-not-just-any-old/)

[Helene Cixous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

[Explore all 121 Hélène Cixous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/)

## More Feminism quotes

> [“But benevolent patriarchy is still patriarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/but-benevolent-patriarchy-is-still-patriarchy/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [“This story is not at all an uncommon one in tech circles, including gaming. The popular notion is that women who get ahead must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bailey-poland/this-story-is-not-at-all-an-uncommon-one-in-tech-circles-including/)

[Bailey Poland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bailey-poland/)

> [Without meaning to sound anti-men, ghastly women are the closest you get to a male role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-burke/without-meaning-to-sound-anti-men-ghastly-women-are-the-closest-you/)

[Kathy Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-burke/)

> [If the women in the factories stopped work for twenty minutes, the Allies would lose the war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joffre/if-the-women-in-the-factories-stopped-work-for-twenty-minutes-the/)

Joseph Joffre

> [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/)

[Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/)

> [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [“there was something of the women molded into the great, stalwart frame of Hollingsworth; nor was he ashamed of it; as men often are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-was-something-of-the-women-molded-into-the-great-stalwart-frame/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [Women rule the world. It's not really worth fighting because they know what they're doing. Ask Napoleon. Ask Adam. Ask Richard Burton or Richie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bon-jovi/women-rule-the-world-it-s-not-really-worth-fighting-because-they-know/)

[Jon Bon Jovi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bon-jovi/)

> [“Bármilyen idiótának, aki azt kérdezi: „Feminista vagy? Akkor elégeted a melltartóidat, mi? HE? Melltartókat égetsz, te feminista?” – szép nyugodtan így kell válaszolni: „Ostoba.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlin-moran/b-rmilyen-idi-t-nak-aki-azt-k-rdezi-feminista-vagy-akkor-el-geted-a/)

[Caitlin Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlin-moran/)

> [People are capable of great, great change during the span of one lifetime. And women even more than men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/people-are-capable-of-great-great-change-during-the-span-of-one/)

[Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/)

> [Susan B. Anthony must be turning in her grave if she knew that millions of women who have the right to vote are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/susan-b-anthony-must-be-turning-in-her-grave-if-she-knew-that/)

[Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/)

> [Success will come when the societal attitude changes and not a single woman in America asks herself the question 'What did I do?'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/success-will-come-when-the-societal-attitude-changes-and-not-a-single/)

[Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/)

> [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/)

[Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/)

> [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/)

Yoram Wind

[Browse all 15,705 Feminism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I see nothing. I do not move. It is an empty time, animal time, vigilant, I am submerged, under the earth and under time. I listen. Perhaps the waiting is a form of prayer.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hélène Cixous"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/i-see-nothing-i-do-not-move-it-is-an-empty-time-animal-time-vigilant/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Feminism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/i-see-nothing-i-do-not-move-it-is-an-empty-time-animal-time-vigilant/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/h-l-ne-cixous-3823_feminism_i-see-nothing-i-do-not-move-it-is-an-emp_352645.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/h-l-ne-cixous-3823_feminism_i-see-nothing-i-do-not-move-it-is-an-emp_352645.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/h-l-ne-cixous-3823_feminism_i-see-nothing-i-do-not-move-it-is-an-emp_352645.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I see nothing. I do not move. It is an empty time, animal time, vigilant, I am submerged, under the earth…” — Hélène Cixous",
                "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": "Hélène Cixous",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-ne-cixous/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“I see nothing. I do not...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/i-see-nothing-i-do-not-move-it-is-an-empty-time-animal-time-vigilant/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-ne-cixous/i-see-nothing-i-do-not-move-it-is-an-empty-time-animal-time-vigilant/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
