--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you chance to live and move and have…" description: "\"If you chance to live and move and have your being in that thin stratum in which the events that make the news transpire,--thinnerthan the paper on whi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8a/henry-david-thoreau-20_chance_if-you-chance-to-live-and-move-and-have_1692913.jpg" --- # If you chance to live and move and have your being in that… ![“If you chance to live and move and have your being in that thin stratum in which the events that make the news transpire,--thinnerthan the paper on which it is printed,--then these things will fill the world for you; but if you soar above or dive below that plane, you cannot remember nor be…” quote by Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8a/henry-david-thoreau-20_chance_if-you-chance-to-live-and-move-and-have_1692913.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8a/henry-david-thoreau-20_chance_if-you-chance-to-live-and-move-and-have_1692913.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8a/henry-david-thoreau-20_chance_if-you-chance-to-live-and-move-and-have_1692913.jpg) > “If you chance to live and move and have your being in that thin stratum in which the events that make the news transpire,--thinnerthan the paper on which it is printed,--then these things will fill the world for you; but if you soar above or dive below that plane, you cannot remember nor be reminded of them.” [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focusing only on daily news limits perception; rising above reveals broader truths but loses detail. **In simple terms:** News focus narrows view; broader view loses specifics. Key Takeaway Balance attention between detail and perspective. Themes perception news awareness Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - journalism - education - mindfulness practice - policy analysis Key Concepts philosophy media studies Questions to Reflect On - How do you stay informed without overwhelm? - When should you dive deeper? A Different Perspective Ignoring detail can miss important facts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Journalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journalism/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) [Planes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planes/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I got on a plane. I remember when I got on the plane, the talk was, you know, they're checking Dale out, that it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-gordon/i-got-on-a-plane-i-remember-when-i-got-on-the-plane-the-talk-was-you/) [Jeff Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-gordon/) > [My first strong musical memory is of the Villa-Lobos Sixth Quartet which my parents were rehearsing. I remember that it reminded me of big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-slatkin/my-first-strong-musical-memory-is-of-the-villa-lobos-sixth-quartet/) [Leonard Slatkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-slatkin/) > [I do not know but thoughts written down thus in a journal might be printed in the same form with greater advantage than if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-do-not-know-but-thoughts-written-down-thus-in-a-journal-might-be-2/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Much is published, but little printed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/much-is-published-but-little-printed/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The heroic books, even if printed in the character of our mother tongue, will always be in a language dead to degenerate times; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-heroic-books-even-if-printed-in-the-character-of-our-mother/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Everything that is printed and bound in a book contains some echo at least of the best that is in literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/everything-that-is-printed-and-bound-in-a-book-contains-some-echo-at/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The night in prison was novel and interesting enough… I found that even here there was a history and a gossip which never circulated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-night-in-prison-was-novel-and-interesting-enough-i-found-that/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The woodchopper reads the wisdom of the ages recorded on the paper that holds his dinner, then lights his pipe with it. When we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-woodchopper-reads-the-wisdom-of-the-ages-recorded-on-the-paper/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The newspaper is a Bible which we read every morning and every afternoon, standing and sitting, riding and walking. It is a Biblewhich every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-newspaper-is-a-bible-which-we-read-every-morning-and-every/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The true poem is not that which the public read. There is always a poem not printed on paper,... in the poet's life. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-true-poem-is-not-that-which-the-public-read-there-is-always-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The imagination, give it the least license, dives deeper and soars higher than Nature goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-imagination-give-it-the-least-license-dives-deeper-and-soars/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Great God, I ask thee for no meaner pelf Than that I may not disappoint myself, That in my action I may soar as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/great-god-i-ask-thee-for-no-meaner-pelf-than-that-i-may-not/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Let things alone; let them weigh what they will; let them soar or fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/let-things-alone-let-them-weigh-what-they-will-let-them-soar-or-fall/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [It is not that we love to be alone, but that we love to soar, and when we do soar, the company grows thinner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-not-that-we-love-to-be-alone-but-that-we-love-to-soar-and-when/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [If you're angry, you don't have to write a poem dealing with the cause of your anger. But it needs to be an angry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/if-you-re-angry-you-don-t-have-to-write-a-poem-dealing-with-the-cause/) [Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/) ## More by Henry David Thoreau > [If ever I did a man any goodof course it was something exceptional and insignificant compared with the good or evil which I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-ever-i-did-a-man-any-goodof-course-it-was-something-exceptional/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Men say they know many things; But lo! they have taken wings, — The arts and sciences, And a thousand appliances; The wind that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-say-they-know-many-things-but-lo-they-have-taken-wings-the-arts/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I am not afraid of praise, for I have practiced it on myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-am-not-afraid-of-praise-for-i-have-practiced-it-on-myself/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“This spending of the best part of one's life earning money in order to enjoy a questionable liberty during the least valuable part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/this-spending-of-the-best-part-of-one-s-life-earning-money-in-order/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [As for doing good; that is one of the professions which is full. Moreover I have tried it fairly and, strange as it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-for-doing-good-that-is-one-of-the-professions-which-is-full/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [A traveler who looks at things with an impartial eye may see what the oldest inhabitant has not observed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-traveler-who-looks-at-things-with-an-impartial-eye-may-see-what-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-proportion-as-our-inward-life-fails-we-go-more-constantly-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/i-had-three-chairs-in-my-house-one-for-solitude-two-for-friendship/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The still youthful energies of the globe have only to be directed in their proper channel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-still-youthful-energies-of-the-globe-have-only-to-be-directed-in/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Concord's little arch does not span all our fate, nor is what transpires under it law for the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/concord-s-little-arch-does-not-span-all-our-fate-nor-is-what/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The lumberers rarely trouble themselves to put out their fires, such is the dampness of the primitive forest; and this is one cause, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-lumberers-rarely-trouble-themselves-to-put-out-their-fires-such/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“When he has obtained those things which are necessary to life, there is another alternative than to obtain the superfluities; and that is, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-he-has-obtained-those-things-which-are-necessary-to-life-there/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Wealth is measured by the level of experience in all aspects of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/wealth-is-measured-by-the-level-of-experience-in-all-aspects-of-life/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Explore all 3,376 Henry David Thoreau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) ## More Chance quotes > [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/) [Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/) > [I understand it's promotion, but no one ever gave me a chance. No one ever thought I'd be the champ, and look where I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stipe-miocic/i-understand-it-s-promotion-but-no-one-ever-gave-me-a-chance-no-one/) [Stipe Miocic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stipe-miocic/) > [I might, by chance, write something just as shoddy; But then I wouldn't show it to everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/i-might-by-chance-write-something-just-as-shoddy-but-then-i-wouldn-t/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I have heard that if you pull a bent breath through the second hole of a harmonica tuned to the key of Georgia while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/i-have-heard-that-if-you-pull-a-bent-breath-through-the-second-hole/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [Love changes people, for better or for worse. You could look at it as a chance for you to change. The best kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-changes-people-for-better-or-for-worse-you-could-look-at-it-as-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's not who, it's when”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-taubas/it-s-not-who-it-s-when/) Alejandro Taubas > [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I thought my first few jobs would just be off, off, off, off, off broadway. And by chance and how the world works, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-dorfman/i-thought-my-first-few-jobs-would-just-be-off-off-off-off-off/) [Tommy Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-dorfman/) > [If you’re worrying about the past, you’ve got a good chance of screwing up the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-a-tullman/if-you-re-worrying-about-the-past-you-ve-got-a-good-chance-of/) [Howard A. Tullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-a-tullman/) > [To be successful, one must take chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-be-successful-one-must-take-chances/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) [Browse all 12,460 Chance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you chance to live and move and have your being in that thin stratum in which the events that make the news transpire,--thinnerthan the paper on which it is printed,--then these things will fill the world for you; but if you soar above or dive below that plane, you cannot remember nor be reminded of them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry David Thoreau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-you-chance-to-live-and-move-and-have-your-being-in-that-thin/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-you-chance-to-live-and-move-and-have-your-being-in-that-thin/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8a/henry-david-thoreau-20_chance_if-you-chance-to-live-and-move-and-have_1692913.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8a/henry-david-thoreau-20_chance_if-you-chance-to-live-and-move-and-have_1692913.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b8a/henry-david-thoreau-20_chance_if-you-chance-to-live-and-move-and-have_1692913.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you chance to live and move and have your being in that thin stratum in which the events that make the…” — Henry David Thoreau", "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": "Henry David Thoreau", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you chance to live and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-you-chance-to-live-and-move-and-have-your-being-in-that-thin/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/if-you-chance-to-live-and-move-and-have-your-being-in-that-thin/#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 } } ] } ```