--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes when she woke from a…" description: "\"“Sometimes when she woke from a flabbergasting dream Liz would lie very still to see if she could net it before it fled; perfectly still, eyes closed, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f7/helen-simpson-53167_dream_sometimes-when-she-woke-from-a-flabberga_2742343.jpg" --- # Sometimes when she woke from a flabbergasting dream Liz… ![“Sometimes when she woke from a flabbergasting dream Liz would lie very still to see if she could net it before it fled; perfectly still, eyes closed, not moving her head, as if the slightest shift would tip the story-bearing liquid, break its fragile meniscus and spill the night’s elusive catch.” quote by Helen Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f7/helen-simpson-53167_dream_sometimes-when-she-woke-from-a-flabberga_2742343.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f7/helen-simpson-53167_dream_sometimes-when-she-woke-from-a-flabberga_2742343.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f7/helen-simpson-53167_dream_sometimes-when-she-woke-from-a-flabberga_2742343.jpg) > ““Sometimes when she woke from a flabbergasting dream Liz would lie very still to see if she could net it before it fled; perfectly still, eyes closed, not moving her head, as if the slightest shift would tip the story-bearing liquid, break its fragile meniscus and spill the night’s elusive catch.”” [Helen Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-simpson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Capturing fleeting moments requires stillness; the mind can lose delicate visions if disturbed. **In simple terms:** Stillness preserves fleeting dreams. Key Takeaway Practice mindful observation. Themes perception mindfulness creativity Mood contemplative inspirational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - meditation - creative writing - nighttime reflection Key Concepts ephemerality attention Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance stillness and motion? - What techniques help you hold a fleeting idea? A Different Perspective Too much stillness can stifle action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dream Liz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream-liz-3036359/) [Dreaming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreaming/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Eyes Closed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes-closed/) [Flabbergasting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flabbergasting-854405/) [Flabbergasting Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flabbergasting-dream-3036360/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) ## Related quotes > [Barack Obama is a truly flabbergasting President. And in a good way - not the way some of his predecessors were. He's not flabberghastly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-shale/barack-obama-is-a-truly-flabbergasting-president-and-in-a-good-way/) [Tom Shale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-shale/) > [“It was massive. A blurting, busting, backfire! A flabbergasting, fire-breathing, flub-explosion! A propelling, paint-stripping, prison-break!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferguson-fartworthy/it-was-massive-a-blurting-busting-backfire-a-flabbergasting-fire/) [Ferguson Fartworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferguson-fartworthy/) > [Is that ralely all there is to it because that'd be flabbergasting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lotta/is-that-ralely-all-there-is-to-it-because-that-d-be-flabbergasting/) [Lotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lotta/) > [It's flabbergasting. I can understand if you have your legs spread and you're pushing yourself into the camera - that's sexually erotic. But the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-christensen/it-s-flabbergasting-i-can-understand-if-you-have-your-legs-spread-and/) [Helena Christensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-christensen/) > [“Try to think of it as though we are rewriting history––the first time this experience occurred you and I never kissed in this Dream…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-caligiuri/try-to-think-of-it-as-though-we-are-rewriting-history-the-first-time/) [Ross Caligiuri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-caligiuri/) > [“I had a dream that my boyfriend went back to his ex…I woke up and giggled because you don’t pick up a rock after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/starley-ard/i-had-a-dream-that-my-boyfriend-went-back-to-his-ex-i-woke-up-and/) [Starley Ard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/starley-ard/) > [I don't dream at night, I dream at day, I dream all day; I'm dreaming for living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-don-t-dream-at-night-i-dream-at-day-i-dream-all-day-i-m-dreaming/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [Be bold in your caring, and be bold in your dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-w-bush/be-bold-in-your-caring-and-be-bold-in-your-dreaming/) [George H. W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-w-bush/) > [“I had a dream about you last night... you kept meowing at people and licking yourself it was not unlike you normally.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-mckay/i-had-a-dream-about-you-last-night-you-kept-meowing-at-people-and/) [Nicole McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-mckay/) > [Dreaming by the river, I dedicated my imagination to water, to clear, green water, the water that makes the meadows green.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaston-bachelard/dreaming-by-the-river-i-dedicated-my-imagination-to-water-to-clear/) [Gaston Bachelard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaston-bachelard/) > [“Dreams are part of our human survival kit, part of what has kept us going, and evolving on this planet. Across history most people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/dreams-are-part-of-our-human-survival-kit-part-of-what-has-kept-us/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [I went to sleep dreaming of Malawi, and all the things made possible when your dreams are powered by your heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kamkwamba/i-went-to-sleep-dreaming-of-malawi-and-all-the-things-made-possible/) [William Kamkwamba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kamkwamba/) > [Courageous dreaming allows you to create from the source, the quantum soup of the universe where everything exists in a latent or potential state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-villoldo/courageous-dreaming-allows-you-to-create-from-the-source-the-quantum/) [Alberto Villoldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-villoldo/) > [The important part of dreaming is what you do when you wake up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dal-lamagna/the-important-part-of-dreaming-is-what-you-do-when-you-wake-up/) [Dal LaMagna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dal-lamagna/) > [When I am creating art, I have absolutely no social responsibility. It's like dreaming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cronenberg/when-i-am-creating-art-i-have-absolutely-no-social-responsibility-it/) [David Cronenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cronenberg/) ## More by Helen Simpson > [“O that I were your lover for a month or two, he murmured, I would make that pretty heart’s blood of yours ache in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-simpson/o-that-i-were-your-lover-for-a-month-or-two-he-murmured-i-would-make/) [Helen Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-simpson/) > [“First let me take a piece of chalk and draw a circle round you, so you're safe. There. Now I'll stand guard, keeping a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-simpson/first-let-me-take-a-piece-of-chalk-and-draw-a-circle-round-you-so-you/) [Helen Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-simpson/) > [“Tea at the Ritz is the last delicious morsel of Edwardian London. The light is kind, the cakes are frivolous and the tempo is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-simpson/tea-at-the-ritz-is-the-last-delicious-morsel-of-edwardian-london-the/) [Helen Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-simpson/) > [“there are between life partners sliding layers of history, tectonic plates of it shifting over the decades together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-simpson/there-are-between-life-partners-sliding-layers-of-history-tectonic/) [Helen Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-simpson/) > [“The nearest I have to a rule is a Post-It on the wall in front of my desk saying “Faire et se taire” (Flaubert),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-simpson/the-nearest-i-have-to-a-rule-is-a-post-it-on-the-wall-in-front-of-my/) [Helen Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-simpson/) > [“Then I reached down into myself and managed to say, 'you should celebrate, your birthday should be celebrated, because the world's a better place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-simpson/then-i-reached-down-into-myself-and-managed-to-say-you-should/) [Helen Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-simpson/) [Explore all 7 Helen Simpson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-simpson/) ## More Dream quotes > [“Once we become sensitive to dreams, we discover that every dynamic in a dream is manifesting itself in some way in our practical lives”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/once-we-become-sensitive-to-dreams-we-discover-that-every-dynamic-in/) [Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/) [Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/) > [Academically, I was never that interested. I skipped classes. My biggest dream was to have a coffee shop, but I had no idea how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-espinosa/academically-i-was-never-that-interested-i-skipped-classes-my-biggest/) [Daniel Espinosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-espinosa/) > [“As dreams are the healing songs from the wilderness of our unconscious - So wild animals, wild plants, wild landscapes are the healing dreams…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-pendell/as-dreams-are-the-healing-songs-from-the-wilderness-of-our/) [Dale Pendell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-pendell/) > [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [“Doing the work to transform your dreams into reality is like walking across the earth. It can be that hard, and it can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu/doing-the-work-to-transform-your-dreams-into-reality-is-like-walking/) [Dragos Bratasanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu/) > [As far as Im concerned, I didnt dream - ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/as-far-as-im-concerned-i-didnt-dream-ever/) [Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/) > [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I guess, it's a father's dream for his daughter to be known around the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-soberano/i-guess-it-s-a-father-s-dream-for-his-daughter-to-be-known-around-the/) [Liza Soberano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-soberano/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/sometimes-life-seems-like-a-dream-especially-when-i-look-down-and-see/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [“I had a dream. I had an awesome dream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-had-a-dream-i-had-an-awesome-dream/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/his-dream-must-have-seemed-so-close-that-he-could-hardly-fail-to/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) [Browse all 26,527 Dream quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Sometimes when she woke from a flabbergasting dream Liz would lie very still to see if she could net it before it fled; perfectly still, eyes closed, not moving her head, as if the slightest shift would tip the story-bearing liquid, break its fragile meniscus and spill the night’s elusive catch.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Helen Simpson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-simpson/sometimes-when-she-woke-from-a-flabbergasting-dream-liz-would-lie/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dream" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-simpson/sometimes-when-she-woke-from-a-flabbergasting-dream-liz-would-lie/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f7/helen-simpson-53167_dream_sometimes-when-she-woke-from-a-flabberga_2742343.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f7/helen-simpson-53167_dream_sometimes-when-she-woke-from-a-flabberga_2742343.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f7/helen-simpson-53167_dream_sometimes-when-she-woke-from-a-flabberga_2742343.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Sometimes when she woke from a flabbergasting dream Liz would lie very still to see if she could net it…” — Helen Simpson", "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": "Helen Simpson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-simpson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Sometimes when she woke from a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-simpson/sometimes-when-she-woke-from-a-flabbergasting-dream-liz-would-lie/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-simpson/sometimes-when-she-woke-from-a-flabbergasting-dream-liz-would-lie/#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 } } ] } ```