---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I close my eyes and take a deep breath…"
description: "\"“I close my eyes and take a deep breath, and like a gentle cloud the wonder of it all settles over me. I slowly stroke the creamish cover of the sofa, ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/haruki-murakami-21_arabian-nights_i-close-my-eyes-and-take-a-deep-breath-a_2561384.jpg"
---

#  I close my eyes and take a deep breath, and like a gentle…

![“I close my eyes and take a deep breath, and like a gentle cloud the wonder of it all settles over me. I slowly stroke the creamish cover of the sofa, then stand up and walk over to the piano and lift the cover, laying all ten fingers down on the slightly yellowed keys. I shut the cover and walk…” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/haruki-murakami-21_arabian-nights_i-close-my-eyes-and-take-a-deep-breath-a_2561384.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/haruki-murakami-21_arabian-nights_i-close-my-eyes-and-take-a-deep-breath-a_2561384.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/haruki-murakami-21_arabian-nights_i-close-my-eyes-and-take-a-deep-breath-a_2561384.jpg)

> ““I close my eyes and take a deep breath, and like a gentle cloud the wonder of it all settles over me. I slowly stroke the creamish cover of the sofa, then stand up and walk over to the piano and lift the cover, laying all ten fingers down on the slightly yellowed keys. I shut the cover and walk across the faded grape-patterned carpet to the window and test the antique handle that opens and closes it. I switch the floor lamp on and off, then check out all the painting hanging on the walls. Finally I plop back down on the sofa and pick up reading where I left off, focusing on 'The Arabian Nights' for a while.””

[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.

The passage describes a mindful, sensory ritual that grounds the narrator in the present, turning ordinary actions into a meditative experience.

**In simple terms:** A calm routine helps focus the mind.

Key Takeaway

Create a simple sensory routine to center yourself.

Themes

mindfulness ritual sensory awareness comfort solitude

Mood

calm reflective contented

Type

literary descriptive meditative

When to use this quote

- reading
- playing piano
- walking through a room
- checking surroundings
- lighting a lamp

Key Concepts

presence embodiment intentionality

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you incorporate sensory pauses into daily life?
- What simple actions make you feel grounded?

A Different Perspective

May become a distraction if over‑structured, reducing spontaneity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Arabian nights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arabian-nights/) [Deep breath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deep-breath/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Library](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/library/)

## Related quotes

> [I go back to the reading room, where I sink down in the sofa and into the world of The Arabian Nights. Slowly, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-go-back-to-the-reading-room-where-i-sink-down-in-the-sofa-and-into/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Since the library has just opened for the day, there's no one else there and I have the elegant reading room all to myself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/since-the-library-has-just-opened-for-the-day-there-s-no-one-else/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“I would ask that you close your eyes for just a moment. Take a deep breath into the body and let it go. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shanti-christo-foundation/i-would-ask-that-you-close-your-eyes-for-just-a-moment-take-a-deep/)

[Shanti Christo Foundation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shanti-christo-foundation/)

> [“I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and let it out completely, along with my soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-locke/i-close-my-eyes-take-a-deep-breath-and-let-it-out-completely-along/)

[John Locke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-locke/)

> [The other thing about the Nights is that it is quite racist. One parentheses is that I think this is one of the negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/the-other-thing-about-the-nights-is-that-it-is-quite-racist-one/)

[Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/)

> [“If men would steadily observe realities only, and not allow themselves to be deluded, life, to compare it with such things as we know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-men-would-steadily-observe-realities-only-and-not-allow-themselves/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [“It should have been the Arabian Nights, but to Bond, seeing it first above the tops of trams and above the great scars of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/it-should-have-been-the-arabian-nights-but-to-bond-seeing-it-first/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“In this way he continued until he was fourteen years of age, when his extraordinary destiny took him by the hand, and led him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arabian-nights/in-this-way-he-continued-until-he-was-fourteen-years-of-age-when-his/)

Arabian Nights

> [“Where are you going this hot day, Mis’ DeJong?” Selina sat up very straight. “To Bagdad, Mrs. Pool.” “To — Where’s that? What for?” “To sell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/where-are-you-going-this-hot-day-mis-dejong-selina-sat-up-very/)

[Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/)

> [Many of the enchanted things in the book are lamps, carpets, sofas, gems, brass rings. It is a rather different landscape than the fairy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/many-of-the-enchanted-things-in-the-book-are-lamps-carpets-sofas-gems/)

[Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/)

> [It is possible that our race may be an accident, in a meaningless universe, living its brief life uncared for, on this dark, cooling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-day/it-is-possible-that-our-race-may-be-an-accident-in-a-meaningless-2/)

[Clarence Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-day/)

> [“It will be like a story from the Arabian Nights," he said. "Only an Oriental could have planned it. It does not belong to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/it-will-be-like-a-story-from-the-arabian-nights-he-said-only-an/)

[Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/)

> [Scheherazade, of course, was always in the back of my mind, because she's also a storyteller identified as female who tells a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/scheherazade-of-course-was-always-in-the-back-of-my-mind-because-she/)

[Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/)

> [For example, John Law's Mississippi Company venture printed shares, and the money had gone up in smoke when it had been inscribed objects. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/for-example-john-law-s-mississippi-company-venture-printed-shares-and/)

[Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/)

> [“The Isle of Pines was Circe's isle, with white marble columns here and there in the dark, green, and pirates would be dueling with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-kuttner/the-isle-of-pines-was-circe-s-isle-with-white-marble-columns-here-and/)

[Henry Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-kuttner/)

## 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 Arabian nights quotes

> [The other thing about the Nights is that it is quite racist. One parentheses is that I think this is one of the negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/the-other-thing-about-the-nights-is-that-it-is-quite-racist-one/)

[Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/)

> [For example, John Law's Mississippi Company venture printed shares, and the money had gone up in smoke when it had been inscribed objects. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/for-example-john-law-s-mississippi-company-venture-printed-shares-and/)

[Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/)

> [Scheherazade, of course, was always in the back of my mind, because she's also a storyteller identified as female who tells a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/scheherazade-of-course-was-always-in-the-back-of-my-mind-because-she/)

[Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/)

> [“It will be like a story from the Arabian Nights," he said. "Only an Oriental could have planned it. It does not belong to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hodgson-burnett/it-will-be-like-a-story-from-the-arabian-nights-he-said-only-an/)

[Frances Hodgson Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hodgson-burnett/)

> [I go back to the reading room, where I sink down in the sofa and into the world of The Arabian Nights. Slowly, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-go-back-to-the-reading-room-where-i-sink-down-in-the-sofa-and-into/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [It is possible that our race may be an accident, in a meaningless universe, living its brief life uncared for, on this dark, cooling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-day/it-is-possible-that-our-race-may-be-an-accident-in-a-meaningless-2/)

[Clarence Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-day/)

> [Many of the enchanted things in the book are lamps, carpets, sofas, gems, brass rings. It is a rather different landscape than the fairy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marina-warner/many-of-the-enchanted-things-in-the-book-are-lamps-carpets-sofas-gems/)

[Marina Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marina-warner/)

> [“Where are you going this hot day, Mis’ DeJong?” Selina sat up very straight. “To Bagdad, Mrs. Pool.” “To — Where’s that? What for?” “To sell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-ferber/where-are-you-going-this-hot-day-mis-dejong-selina-sat-up-very/)

[Edna Ferber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-ferber/)

> [“In this way he continued until he was fourteen years of age, when his extraordinary destiny took him by the hand, and led him,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arabian-nights/in-this-way-he-continued-until-he-was-fourteen-years-of-age-when-his/)

Arabian Nights

> [“It should have been the Arabian Nights, but to Bond, seeing it first above the tops of trams and above the great scars of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/it-should-have-been-the-arabian-nights-but-to-bond-seeing-it-first/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“If men would steadily observe realities only, and not allow themselves to be deluded, life, to compare it with such things as we know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-men-would-steadily-observe-realities-only-and-not-allow-themselves/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [“The Isle of Pines was Circe's isle, with white marble columns here and there in the dark, green, and pirates would be dueling with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-kuttner/the-isle-of-pines-was-circe-s-isle-with-white-marble-columns-here-and/)

[Henry Kuttner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-kuttner/)

> [Whatever experimental film aromas cloaked my movies were because I'm a gleefully clumsy, primitive filmmaker. I really like traditional pleasingly narrative films, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/whatever-experimental-film-aromas-cloaked-my-movies-were-because-i-m/)

[Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/)

> [Sometimes great, banned works defy the censor's description and impose themselves on the world - 'Ulysses,' 'Lolita,' the 'Arabian Nights.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-great-banned-works-defy-the-censor-s-description-and-impose/)

[Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/)

> [Shams and delusions are esteemed for soundest truths, while reality is fabulous. If men would steadily observe realities only, and not allow themselves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/shams-and-delusions-are-esteemed-for-soundest-truths-while-reality-is-2/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

[Browse all 24 Arabian nights quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arabian-nights/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“I close my eyes and take a deep breath, and like a gentle cloud the wonder of it all settles over me. I slowly stroke the creamish cover of the sofa, then stand up and walk over to the piano and lift the cover, laying all ten fingers down on the slightly yellowed keys. I shut the cover and walk across the faded grape-patterned carpet to the window and test the antique handle that opens and closes it. I switch the floor lamp on and off, then check out all the painting hanging on the walls. Finally I plop back down on the sofa and pick up reading where I left off, focusing on 'The Arabian Nights' for a while.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Haruki Murakami"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-close-my-eyes-and-take-a-deep-breath-and-like-a-gentle-cloud-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Arabian nights"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-close-my-eyes-and-take-a-deep-breath-and-like-a-gentle-cloud-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/haruki-murakami-21_arabian-nights_i-close-my-eyes-and-take-a-deep-breath-a_2561384.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/haruki-murakami-21_arabian-nights_i-close-my-eyes-and-take-a-deep-breath-a_2561384.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d75/haruki-murakami-21_arabian-nights_i-close-my-eyes-and-take-a-deep-breath-a_2561384.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I close my eyes and take a deep breath, and like a gentle cloud the wonder of it all settles over me. I…” — 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": "“I close my eyes and take...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-close-my-eyes-and-take-a-deep-breath-and-like-a-gentle-cloud-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-close-my-eyes-and-take-a-deep-breath-and-like-a-gentle-cloud-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```