--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I plant my elbows on the kitchen table…" description: "\"“I plant my elbows on the kitchen table, prop up my chin and think: When the hell did the compass needle get out of whack and lead my life astray?”\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/haruki-murakami-21_kitchen-table_i-plant-my-elbows-on-the-kitchen-table-p_1844897.jpg" --- # I plant my elbows on the kitchen table, prop up my chin… ![“I plant my elbows on the kitchen table, prop up my chin and think: When the hell did the compass needle get out of whack and lead my life astray?” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/haruki-murakami-21_kitchen-table_i-plant-my-elbows-on-the-kitchen-table-p_1844897.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/haruki-murakami-21_kitchen-table_i-plant-my-elbows-on-the-kitchen-table-p_1844897.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/haruki-murakami-21_kitchen-table_i-plant-my-elbows-on-the-kitchen-table-p_1844897.jpg) > ““I plant my elbows on the kitchen table, prop up my chin and think: When the hell did the compass needle get out of whack and lead my life astray?”” [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. He uses a vivid metaphor to question how life can go off course, suggesting a loss of internal direction. **In simple terms:** Life can feel misaligned like a broken compass. Key Takeaway Re‑orient your inner compass. Themes self‑reflection direction uncertainty Mood contemplative melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career crossroads - personal crisis - creative block Key Concepts existentialism identity search Questions to Reflect On - What compass guides you now? - How do you regain sense of direction? A Different Perspective Metaphors may oversimplify complex emotions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chin Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chin-think-2379712/) [Compass Needle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compass-needle-986096/) [Did Compass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/did-compass-2379714/) [Elbows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elbows/) [Kitchen table](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kitchen-table/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Plant Elbows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant-elbows-2379713/) [The-wind-up-bird-chronicle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-wind-up-bird-chronicle-189377/) ## Related quotes > [“I was living for one thing only, and that was to confirm my own lack of feeling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-was-living-for-one-thing-only-and-that-was-to-confirm-my-own-lack/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“I could do just about anything if somebody made me. But I don't have an image of the one thing I really want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-could-do-just-about-anything-if-somebody-made-me-but-i-don-t-have/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“From the moment of my birth, I lived with pain at the center of my life. My only purpose in life was to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/from-the-moment-of-my-birth-i-lived-with-pain-at-the-center-of-my/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“He rubbed at his chin. "I think we're going to have to add a no eavesdropping clause to the house rules. We might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-halle/he-rubbed-at-his-chin-i-think-we-re-going-to-have-to-add-a-no/) [Karina Halle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-halle/) > [“I was enveloped in numbness, and absence of feeling so deep the bottom was lost from view.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-was-enveloped-in-numbness-and-absence-of-feeling-so-deep-the-bottom/) [haruki murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman. Always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/like-a-compass-needle-that-points-north-a-man-s-accusing-finger/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [“He felt like a compass needle. The needle knows nothing about magnetic north; it only knows it must point in a certain direction, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/he-felt-like-a-compass-needle-the-needle-knows-nothing-about-magnetic/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Everybody is grappling with their own moral compass, and that needle, like any needle, can't just stick. It's always floating a little bit, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhea-seehorn/everybody-is-grappling-with-their-own-moral-compass-and-that-needle/) [Rhea Seehorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhea-seehorn/) > [“My gaze zeroed in on his as if I was a compass needle and he was my north. I’d never suffered a phenomenon such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pepper-winters/my-gaze-zeroed-in-on-his-as-if-i-was-a-compass-needle-and-he-was-my/) [Pepper Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pepper-winters/) > [“Watching the way an invisible force always guided the compass needle north had convinced Einstein that “something deeply hidden had to be behind things.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gefter/watching-the-way-an-invisible-force-always-guided-the-compass-needle/) [Amanda Gefter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gefter/) > [Conscience is a man's compass, and though the needle sometimes deviates, though one often perceives irregularities in directing one's course by it, still one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/conscience-is-a-man-s-compass-and-though-the-needle-sometimes/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [“Einstein had been only four or five years old when his father gave him that compass. It was one of those small tokens that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-gefter/einstein-had-been-only-four-or-five-years-old-when-his-father-gave/) [Amanda Gefter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-gefter/) > [My inside self and my outside self used to match. A compass needle pointed true north. Now the needle spins around and around indicating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/my-inside-self-and-my-outside-self-used-to-match-a-compass-needle/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter: Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/learn-this-now-and-learn-it-well-my-daughter-like-a-compass-needle/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Hey, what is it with you? Why are you so spaced out? You still haven't answered me." I probably still haven't completely adapted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/hey-what-is-it-with-you-why-are-you-so-spaced-out-you-still-haven-t/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## 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 Elbows quotes > [Who says I'm not Superman?" You were looking at me with one eye closed against the sun. I shrugged "You would have recued me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-christopher/who-says-i-m-not-superman-you-were-looking-at-me-with-one-eye-closed/) [Lucy Christopher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-christopher/) > [I've been afraid of being Cansrel,' she said aloud to her reflection. 'But I'm not Cansrel.' At her elbow, Musa said blandly, 'Any one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/i-ve-been-afraid-of-being-cansrel-she-said-aloud-to-her-reflection/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [The lesion is in the area of my brain that is responsible for motor function, so I have continual chronic pain in my left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-duffy/the-lesion-is-in-the-area-of-my-brain-that-is-responsible-for-motor/) [Karen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-duffy/) > [I, in my brand new body, which was not a woman's yet, told the stars my questions and thought God could really see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/i-in-my-brand-new-body-which-was-not-a-woman-s-yet-told-the-stars-my/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [“Never throw away squeezed lemon, but keep them for the day by the sink. Then you can use them to remove fish, onion or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-paterson/never-throw-away-squeezed-lemon-but-keep-them-for-the-day-by-the-sink/) [Jennifer Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-paterson/) > [And in "Elbow Room" the cast sings the glories of westward expansion in the United States, which involved the murder of native peoples and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/and-in-elbow-room-the-cast-sings-the-glories-of-westward-expansion-in/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [I'm not supposed to date you, Jenny." "That's what you said before." He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. "I didn't think this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-chandler/i-m-not-supposed-to-date-you-jenny-that-s-what-you-said-before-he/) [Elizabeth Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-chandler/) > [There was the pedestrian who wedged himself into the crowd, but there was also the flneur who demanded elbow room and was unwilling to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/there-was-the-pedestrian-who-wedged-himself-into-the-crowd-but-there/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [The trouble with women? Elbows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-caine/the-trouble-with-women-elbows/) [Michael Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-caine/) > [You've always lived here, right?" Sarah asked. "Except for the years I went to college." "Didn't you ever want to move away? To experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/you-ve-always-lived-here-right-sarah-asked-except-for-the-years-i/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [My mom was my English teacher in high school. So to be able to bend the rules and be the class clown and get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rust/my-mom-was-my-english-teacher-in-high-school-so-to-be-able-to-bend/) [Paul Rust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rust/) > [I'd rather have head stomps and kicks to the head on the ground rather than elbows because I think to kick someone in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetrious-johnson/i-d-rather-have-head-stomps-and-kicks-to-the-head-on-the-ground/) [Demetrious Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetrious-johnson/) > [ I think 'Elbow' were considered successful even before \[2008's\] Seldom Seen Kid because we were living off the band. We have a great manager… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-garvey/i-think-elbow-were-considered-successful-even-before-2008-s-seldom/) [Guy Garvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-garvey/) > [“Their arms are separated by only a few inches, and I start to fixate on the negative space between their shoulders and elbows, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/their-arms-are-separated-by-only-a-few-inches-and-i-start-to-fixate/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“Just as I do, Bill was always telling pupils to relax their elbows, since the elbow is the most important joint we have in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-penick/just-as-i-do-bill-was-always-telling-pupils-to-relax-their-elbows/) [Harvey Penick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-penick/) [Browse all 261 Elbows quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elbows/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I plant my elbows on the kitchen table, prop up my chin and think: When the hell did the compass needle get out of whack and lead my life astray?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Haruki Murakami" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-plant-my-elbows-on-the-kitchen-table-prop-up-my-chin-and-think-when/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Elbows" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-plant-my-elbows-on-the-kitchen-table-prop-up-my-chin-and-think-when/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/haruki-murakami-21_kitchen-table_i-plant-my-elbows-on-the-kitchen-table-p_1844897.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/haruki-murakami-21_kitchen-table_i-plant-my-elbows-on-the-kitchen-table-p_1844897.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/743/haruki-murakami-21_kitchen-table_i-plant-my-elbows-on-the-kitchen-table-p_1844897.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I plant my elbows on the kitchen table, prop up my chin and think: When the hell did the compass needle get…” — 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 plant my elbows on the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-plant-my-elbows-on-the-kitchen-table-prop-up-my-chin-and-think-when/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-plant-my-elbows-on-the-kitchen-table-prop-up-my-chin-and-think-when/#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 } } ] } ```