--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lying there, I close my eyes for a time…" description: "\"“Lying there, I close my eyes for a time, then open them. I silently breathe in, then out. A thought begins to form in my mind, but in the end I think ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/509/haruki-murakami-21_gathering-together_lying-there-i-close-my-eyes-for-a-time-t_2673665.jpg" --- # Lying there, I close my eyes for a time, then open them. I… ![“Lying there, I close my eyes for a time, then open them. I silently breathe in, then out. A thought begins to form in my mind, but in the end I think of nothing. Not that there was much difference between the two, thinking and not thinking. I find I can no longer distinguish between one thing and…” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/509/haruki-murakami-21_gathering-together_lying-there-i-close-my-eyes-for-a-time-t_2673665.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/509/haruki-murakami-21_gathering-together_lying-there-i-close-my-eyes-for-a-time-t_2673665.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/509/haruki-murakami-21_gathering-together_lying-there-i-close-my-eyes-for-a-time-t_2673665.jpg) > ““Lying there, I close my eyes for a time, then open them. I silently breathe in, then out. A thought begins to form in my mind, but in the end I think of nothing. Not that there was much difference between the two, thinking and not thinking. I find I can no longer distinguish between one thing and another, between things that existed and things that did not. I look out the window. Until the sky turns white, clouds float by, birds chirp, and a new day lumbers up, gathering together the sleepy minds of the people who inhabit this planet.”” [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 reflects on the blur between thought and non‑thought, observing the world’s ordinary flow amidst inner confusion. **In simple terms:** Thoughts blur, world continues. Key Takeaway Observe, accept mental drift. Themes consciousness mindfulness observation Mood contemplative quiet Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - meditation - daily routine - creative work Key Concepts non‑duality presence Questions to Reflect On - How do you distinguish thought from emptiness? - What practices help you stay present? A Different Perspective May ignore the value of focused thinking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Gathering together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gathering-together/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [New day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-day/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“...almost like they had sucked up all the air in the room, and I was left oxygen-deprived. But with Henry, I had air again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridget-asher/almost-like-they-had-sucked-up-all-the-air-in-the-room-and-i-was-left/) [Bridget Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridget-asher/) > [A great thought begins by seeing something differently, with a shift of the mind's eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-great-thought-begins-by-seeing-something-differently-with-a-shift/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [All thought begins with the recognition that something is out of place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/all-thought-begins-with-the-recognition-that-something-is-out-of-place/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Words are not the end of thought, they are where it begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hirshfield/words-are-not-the-end-of-thought-they-are-where-it-begins/) [Jane Hirshfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hirshfield/) > [As soon as man does not take his existence for granted, but beholds it as something unfathomably mysterious, thought begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/as-soon-as-man-does-not-take-his-existence-for-granted-but-beholds-it/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [Is action merely the incidental product of thought, or is thought the consequential product of action?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/is-action-merely-the-incidental-product-of-thought-or-is-thought-the/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/for-man-autumn-is-a-time-of-harvest-of-gathering-together-for-nature/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [When 'I' replaced with 'We', even the illness becomes wellness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/when-i-replaced-with-we-even-the-illness-becomes-wellness/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I'm a great believer in gathering together all your obsessions and seeing if you can make a novel out of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/i-m-a-great-believer-in-gathering-together-all-your-obsessions-and/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [This truth of the gathering together of God's children is in Scripture seen realised in various localities, and in each central locality the Christians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-nelson-darby/this-truth-of-the-gathering-together-of-god-s-children-is-in/) [John Nelson Darby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-nelson-darby/) > [“The Book I am thinking about would not be religious in the usual sense, but it would have to discuss many things with which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/the-book-i-am-thinking-about-would-not-be-religious-in-the-usual/) [Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/) > [“It’s fairly intuitive that never exploring is no way to live. But it’s also worth mentioning that never exploiting can be every bit as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-christian/it-s-fairly-intuitive-that-never-exploring-is-no-way-to-live-but-it-s/) [Brian Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-christian/) > [“They were...no ordinary group, gathering together to kill an evening, to seek refuge from critical husbands and demanding children while idly discussing their new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-goldreich/they-were-no-ordinary-group-gathering-together-to-kill-an-evening-to/) Gloria Goldreich > [I wanted the press to become something of a movement. 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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. 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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 Gathering together quotes > [I wanted the press to become something of a movement. Not a movement committed to a particular 'ism', but a gathering together of writers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-metcalf/i-wanted-the-press-to-become-something-of-a-movement-not-a-movement/) John Metcalf > [“They were...no ordinary group, gathering together to kill an evening, to seek refuge from critical husbands and demanding children while idly discussing their new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-goldreich/they-were-no-ordinary-group-gathering-together-to-kill-an-evening-to/) Gloria Goldreich > [“It’s fairly intuitive that never exploring is no way to live. But it’s also worth mentioning that never exploiting can be every bit as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-christian/it-s-fairly-intuitive-that-never-exploring-is-no-way-to-live-but-it-s/) [Brian Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-christian/) > [“The Book I am thinking about would not be religious in the usual sense, but it would have to discuss many things with which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/the-book-i-am-thinking-about-would-not-be-religious-in-the-usual/) [Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/) > [When 'I' replaced with 'We', even the illness becomes wellness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/when-i-replaced-with-we-even-the-illness-becomes-wellness/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/for-man-autumn-is-a-time-of-harvest-of-gathering-together-for-nature/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [For as the aged, or those whose sight is defective, when any book, however fair, is set before them, though they perceive that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/for-as-the-aged-or-those-whose-sight-is-defective-when-any-book/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [I'm a great believer in gathering together all your obsessions and seeing if you can make a novel out of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-thomas/i-m-a-great-believer-in-gathering-together-all-your-obsessions-and/) [Scarlett Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-thomas/) > [This truth of the gathering together of God's children is in Scripture seen realised in various localities, and in each central locality the Christians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-nelson-darby/this-truth-of-the-gathering-together-of-god-s-children-is-in/) [John Nelson Darby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-nelson-darby/) > [That is always our problem, not how to get control of people, but how all together we can get control of a situation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-parker-follett/that-is-always-our-problem-not-how-to-get-control-of-people-but-how/) [Mary Parker Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-parker-follett/) > [“It was easy enough to see why God, having called the dry land "Earth" and the gathering together of the waters "the Seas," saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-bradley/it-was-easy-enough-to-see-why-god-having-called-the-dry-land-earth/) [Alan Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-bradley/) > [“The burning off and the gathering together are one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-marshall-stoneking-2/the-burning-off-and-the-gathering-together-are-one/) Billy Marshall-Stoneking > [“DECEMBER 28 HAPPY WITH WHAT WE HAVE I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-robertson/december-28-happy-with-what-we-have-i-have-learned-to-be-content/) [Alan Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-robertson/) > [A great barbecue to me is all about abundance and gathering together!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andi-oliver/a-great-barbecue-to-me-is-all-about-abundance-and-gathering-together/) [Andi Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andi-oliver/) > [“For there is a growing apprehension that existence is a rat-race in a trap: living organisms, including people,are merely tubes which put things in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/for-there-is-a-growing-apprehension-that-existence-is-a-rat-race-in-a-2/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) [Browse all 29 Gathering together quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gathering-together/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Lying there, I close my eyes for a time, then open them. 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