--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Far away, I could hear them lapping up my…" description: "\"Far away, I could hear them lapping up my brains. Like Macbeth's witches, the three lithe cats surrounded my broken head, slurping up that thick soup i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/haruki-murakami-21_brain_far-away-i-could-hear-them-lapping-up-my_1277502.jpg" --- # Far away, I could hear them lapping up my brains. Like… ![“Far away, I could hear them lapping up my brains. Like Macbeth's witches, the three lithe cats surrounded my broken head, slurping up that thick soup inside. The tips of their rough tongues licked the soft folds of my mind. And with each lick my consciousness flickered like a flame and faded away.” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/haruki-murakami-21_brain_far-away-i-could-hear-them-lapping-up-my_1277502.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/haruki-murakami-21_brain_far-away-i-could-hear-them-lapping-up-my_1277502.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/haruki-murakami-21_brain_far-away-i-could-hear-them-lapping-up-my_1277502.jpg) > “Far away, I could hear them lapping up my brains. Like Macbeth's witches, the three lithe cats surrounded my broken head, slurping up that thick soup inside. The tips of their rough tongues licked the soft folds of my mind. And with each lick my consciousness flickered like a flame and faded away.” [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A surreal metaphor describing thoughts being consumed by chaotic, invasive forces, likening them to cats devouring a soup of consciousness. **In simple terms:** Thoughts are being overwhelmed by strange, invasive ideas. Key Takeaway Guard mental boundaries against intrusive thoughts. Themes psychology surrealism mind intrusion Mood uneasy reflective introspective Type literary metaphorical philosophical When to use this quote - creative writing - nightmares - meditation - therapy - academic analysis Key Concepts cognitive overload perception identity reality fictional metaphor Questions to Reflect On - How do you protect your mind from overwhelming influences? - What symbols represent mental intrusion for you? A Different Perspective The metaphor may exaggerate mental fragility, ignoring resilience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) [Cat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cat/) [Consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consciousness/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Witch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/witch/) ## Related quotes > [No matter what you tell me, no matter how legitimate your reasons, I can never just forget about you, I can never push the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/no-matter-what-you-tell-me-no-matter-how-legitimate-your-reasons-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I only do solo albums when songs are screaming at me to be let out of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-nash/i-only-do-solo-albums-when-songs-are-screaming-at-me-to-be-let-out-of/) [Graham Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-nash/) > [Whenever I write lyrics, in the back of my mind I always see a guy driving to work, driving to a really bad job,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/whenever-i-write-lyrics-in-the-back-of-my-mind-i-always-see-a-guy/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I'm mad in the front of my mind, but business-minded in the back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mcqueen/i-m-mad-in-the-front-of-my-mind-but-business-minded-in-the-back/) [Alexander McQueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mcqueen/) > [The widow cries out at the door, The light of my mind has gone out, O my mother, with his death. So cry out,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guru-nanak/the-widow-cries-out-at-the-door-the-light-of-my-mind-has-gone-out-o/) [Guru Nanak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guru-nanak/) > [I am not fully forgiven until I allow God to write his new dream for my life on the blackboard of my mind. ..…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-schuller/i-am-not-fully-forgiven-until-i-allow-god-to-write-his-new-dream-for/) [Robert H. Schuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-schuller/) > [To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/to-make-a-deep-mental-path-we-must-think-over-and-over-the-kind-of/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I find that if I use my time well and take care of my mind/body when I'm outside of work, then I feel more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-riesgraf/i-find-that-if-i-use-my-time-well-and-take-care-of-my-mind-body-when/) [Beth Riesgraf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-riesgraf/) > [Not that I am ashamed of my mind or body, my birth or breeding, my actions or fortunes, for my bashfulness is in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cavendish/not-that-i-am-ashamed-of-my-mind-or-body-my-birth-or-breeding-my/) [Margaret Cavendish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cavendish/) > [ I remember having some problems with \[the Deus Ex theme\] when I first heard it and I was trying to figure out how to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-spector/i-remember-having-some-problems-with-the-deus-ex-theme-when-i-first/) [Warren Spector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-spector/) > [I am the source of my own suffering, because of the habits of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/i-am-the-source-of-my-own-suffering-because-of-the-habits-of-my-mind/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [I think of my body as a side effect of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-fisher/i-think-of-my-body-as-a-side-effect-of-my-mind/) [Carrie Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-fisher/) > [If I'm out of my mind, it's all right with me, thought Moses Herzog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/if-i-m-out-of-my-mind-it-s-all-right-with-me-thought-moses-herzog/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [I never go anywhere or do anything that transports me outside the boundaries of my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-never-go-anywhere-or-do-anything-that-transports-me-outside-the/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Do you think that God would separate me from my husband if I killed myself? I feel as though I am going out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-think-that-god-would-separate-me-from-my-husband-if-i-killed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Haruki Murakami > [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Eleven o'clock had come and gone. I had to find a way to bring this conversation to a successful conclusion and get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/eleven-o-clock-had-come-and-gone-i-had-to-find-a-way-to-bring-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Some people get a kick out of reading railway timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More Brain quotes > [The brain abhors discrepancies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/the-brain-abhors-discrepancies/) [Vilayanur S. Ramachandran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vilayanur-s-ramachandran/) > [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [down with ought with because with every brain that thinks it thinks nor dares to feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/down-with-ought-with-because-with-every-brain-that-thinks-it-thinks/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/) [Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/) > [I prefer the word 'musician.' I'm a musician and a composer. I have a problem with the word 'artist.' I don't know if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stromae/i-prefer-the-word-musician-i-m-a-musician-and-a-composer-i-have-a/) [Stromae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stromae/) > [Thinking of sex provides enough mental stimulation to reduce risk of diseases that damage the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thinking-of-sex-provides-enough-mental-stimulation-to-reduce-risk-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My writing routine is: get son off to school and sit down at 8 A.M. I read what I wrote the day before, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-chevalier/my-writing-routine-is-get-son-off-to-school-and-sit-down-at-8-a-m-i/) [Tracy Chevalier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-chevalier/) > [The reason I'm drawn to it is - both the off road racing and the motorcycles on the track - it takes a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dax-shepard/the-reason-i-m-drawn-to-it-is-both-the-off-road-racing-and-the/) [Dax Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dax-shepard/) > [Without illusions. I love you because you are fallible and because your poor misguided testosterone-corrupted brain has you doing cartwheels trying not to be.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-gerard/without-illusions-i-love-you-because-you-are-fallible-and-because/) [Cindy Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-gerard/) > [being asked to decide between your passion for work and your passion for children was like being asked by your doctor whether you preferred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-bevington/being-asked-to-decide-between-your-passion-for-work-and-your-passion/) [Helen Bevington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-bevington/) > [I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-boyle/i-was-told-i-had-brain-damage-i-always-knew-it-was-an-unfair-label/) [Susan Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-boyle/) > [The act of learning to read added an entirely new circuit to our hominid brain's repertoire. The long developmental process of learning to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maryanne-wolf/the-act-of-learning-to-read-added-an-entirely-new-circuit-to-our/) [Maryanne Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maryanne-wolf/) > [I can't let fear kill my creative brain. Fear is the killer. Your bad choices come from fear. And I'm constantly combating fear. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-m-chu/i-can-t-let-fear-kill-my-creative-brain-fear-is-the-killer-your-bad/) [Jon M. Chu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-m-chu/) > [I am the way I am. If you like me because I'm glamorous, so be it. If you like me, because I speak well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malaika-arora-khan/i-am-the-way-i-am-if-you-like-me-because-i-m-glamorous-so-be-it-if/) [Malaika Arora Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malaika-arora-khan/) [Browse all 8,465 Brain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brain/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Far away, I could hear them lapping up my brains. Like Macbeth's witches, the three lithe cats surrounded my broken head, slurping up that thick soup inside. The tips of their rough tongues licked the soft folds of my mind. And with each lick my consciousness flickered like a flame and faded away.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Haruki Murakami" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/far-away-i-could-hear-them-lapping-up-my-brains-like-macbeth-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/far-away-i-could-hear-them-lapping-up-my-brains-like-macbeth-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/haruki-murakami-21_brain_far-away-i-could-hear-them-lapping-up-my_1277502.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/haruki-murakami-21_brain_far-away-i-could-hear-them-lapping-up-my_1277502.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b8/haruki-murakami-21_brain_far-away-i-could-hear-them-lapping-up-my_1277502.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Far away, I could hear them lapping up my brains. Like Macbeth's witches, the three lithe cats surrounded my…” — Haruki Murakami", "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": "Haruki Murakami", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Far away, I could hear them...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/far-away-i-could-hear-them-lapping-up-my-brains-like-macbeth-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/far-away-i-could-hear-them-lapping-up-my-brains-like-macbeth-s/#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 } } ] } ```