--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She may be lying in bed reading a book…" description: "\"She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like mad through a field of stubble, one sho..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/henry-miller-179_absence_she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-s_44110.jpg" --- # She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making… ![“She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like mad through a field of stubble, one shoe one, one shoe off, a man named Corn Cob pursuing her hotly. Wherever she is I am standing in complete darkness; her absence blots me out.” quote by Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/henry-miller-179_absence_she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-s_44110.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/henry-miller-179_absence_she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-s_44110.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/henry-miller-179_absence_she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-s_44110.jpg) > “She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like mad through a field of stubble, one shoe one, one shoe off, a man named Corn Cob pursuing her hotly. Wherever she is I am standing in complete darkness; her absence blots me out.” [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels eclipsed by a woman's varied, vibrant life, perceiving his own existence as void without her presence. **In simple terms:** Obsessive longing and identity loss Key Takeaway Absence defines self Themes loneliness identity desire fantasy powerlessness Mood melancholy yearning intense Type poetic confessional When to use this quote - unrequited love - creative muse - personal crisis - nighttime introspection Key Concepts selfhood otherness obsession Practical Applications - writing inspiration - psychological analysis Questions to Reflect On - How does another's freedom shape my self-perception? - Can identity exist independently of desire? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) [Bed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bed/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Cob Pursuing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cob-pursuing-653311/) [Complete Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complete-darkness-653312/) [Corn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corn/) [Darkness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness/) [Darkness Absence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkness-absence-313860/) [Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fields/) [Fighter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighter/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Mad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad/) [Making love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-love/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prize/) [Pursuing Hotly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuing-hotly-653313/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Reading A Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading-a-book/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Shoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shoes/) [Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standing/) ## Related quotes > [In complete darkness, it is only knowledge and wisdom that separates us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/in-complete-darkness-it-is-only-knowledge-and-wisdom-that-separates-us/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [I need to be able to work for 20 or 30 hours in one go in complete darkness, alone with just the computer glow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grimes/i-need-to-be-able-to-work-for-20-or-30-hours-in-one-go-in-complete/) [Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grimes/) > [I prefer complete darkness while sleeping at my house. If I'm staying in a hotel, I keep the lights on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirti-kulhari/i-prefer-complete-darkness-while-sleeping-at-my-house-if-i-m-staying/) [Kirti Kulhari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirti-kulhari/) > [In complete darkness we are all the same, it is only our knowledge and wisdom that separates us, don't let your eyes deceive you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/in-complete-darkness-we-are-all-the-same-it-is-only-our-knowledge-and/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [Education is power. It is just like a light in complete darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziauddin-yousafzai/education-is-power-it-is-just-like-a-light-in-complete-darkness/) [Ziauddin Yousafzai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziauddin-yousafzai/) > [Even the smallest star shines in complete darkness. <3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-smith/even-the-smallest-star-shines-in-complete-darkness-3/) [Jackie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-smith/) > [“Without the knowledge of God, we are in complete darkness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/without-the-knowledge-of-god-we-are-in-complete-darkness/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“Until we understand what the land is, we are at odds with everything we touch. And to come to that understanding it is necessary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/until-we-understand-what-the-land-is-we-are-at-odds-with-everything/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“Darkness is the absence of light. Happiness is the absence of pain. Anger is the absence of joy. Jealousy is the absence of confidence.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jess-bowen/darkness-is-the-absence-of-light-happiness-is-the-absence-of-pain/) [Jess Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jess-bowen/) > [“Evil is a word we use to describe the absence of Good, just as we use the word darkness to describe the absence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-p-young/evil-is-a-word-we-use-to-describe-the-absence-of-good-just-as-we-use/) [William P. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-p-young/) > [“Darkness is the absence of light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamal-ravikant/darkness-is-the-absence-of-light/) [Kamal Ravikant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamal-ravikant/) > [Darkness is the absence of light so it doesn't chase it but rather it just is. Light is circumstantial and brought by something where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/darkness-is-the-absence-of-light-so-it-doesn-t-chase-it-but-rather-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Darkness is an absence of light. Ego is an absence of awareness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/darkness-is-an-absence-of-light-ego-is-an-absence-of-awareness/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [Darkness is the absence of light. Absences do not exist. Sin does not exist .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/darkness-is-the-absence-of-light-absences-do-not-exist-sin-does-not/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“Darkness is the absence of light. Therefore, darkness is always fleeing from where light is and scurrying off to where it is not. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/darkness-is-the-absence-of-light-therefore-darkness-is-always-fleeing/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) ## More by Henry Miller > [“I reached out for something to attach myself to—and I found nothing. But in reaching out, in the effort to grasp, to attach myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-reached-out-for-something-to-attach-myself-to-and-i-found-nothing/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“I saw the errors I had made and assumed full responsibility for everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-saw-the-errors-i-had-made-and-assumed-full-responsibility-for/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [The monstrous thing is not that men have created roses out of this dung heap, but that, for some reason or other, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-monstrous-thing-is-not-that-men-have-created-roses-out-of-this/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [They never opened the door which leads to the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/they-never-opened-the-door-which-leads-to-the-soul/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“(...)I decided to let myself drift with the tide, to make not the least resistance to fate, no matter in what form it presented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-decided-to-let-myself-drift-with-the-tide-to-make-not-the-least/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“If it be knowledge or wisdom one is seeking, then one had better go direct to the source. And the source is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/if-it-be-knowledge-or-wisdom-one-is-seeking-then-one-had-better-go/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“In the egocentric prism the helpless victim is walled in by the very light which he refracts. The ego dies in its own glass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/in-the-egocentric-prism-the-helpless-victim-is-walled-in-by-the-very/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“When one spends what he has on himself, when one has a thoroughly good time with his own money, people are apt to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/when-one-spends-what-he-has-on-himself-when-one-has-a-thoroughly-good/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Paint what you like and die happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/paint-what-you-like-and-die-happy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“And no one sets about saving the world unless he has first experienced the miracle of personal salvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/and-no-one-sets-about-saving-the-world-unless-he-has-first/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“He looks about the room at the few sticks of furniture, at the dirty bed sheets and the wash basin with the dirty water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/he-looks-about-the-room-at-the-few-sticks-of-furniture-at-the-dirty/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Since then, of course, I have discovered what every madman in Paris discovers sooner of later; that there are no ready made infernos for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/since-then-of-course-i-have-discovered-what-every-madman-in-paris/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Looking back upon my career, I see myself as a person capable of undertaking almost any task, any vocation. It was the monotony and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself-as-a-person-capable-of/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“The word in your mouth is anarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-word-in-your-mouth-is-anarchy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [To live without killing is a thought which could electrify the world, if men were only capable of staying awake long enough to let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/to-live-without-killing-is-a-thought-which-could-electrify-the-world/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) [Explore all 894 Henry Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## More Absence quotes > [Distance sometimes endears friendship, and absence sweeteneth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-howell/distance-sometimes-endears-friendship-and-absence-sweeteneth-it/) [James Howell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-howell/) > [The work, the work, the work. This is what the business is all about. This is the fun, the glory, the pleasure. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/the-work-the-work-the-work-this-is-what-the-business-is-all-about/) [Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/) > [Total depravity means the entire absence of holiness, not the highest intensity of sin. A totally depraved man is not as bad as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/total-depravity-means-the-entire-absence-of-holiness-not-the-highest/) [William Greenough Thayer Shedd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-greenough-thayer-shedd/) > [Local and state governments have outrun the federal government. The EPA has served notice that it will enact a rule requiring CO2 reductions by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/local-and-state-governments-have-outrun-the-federal-government-the/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Of all the bewildering things about a new country, the absence of human landmarks is one of the most depressing and disheartening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/of-all-the-bewildering-things-about-a-new-country-the-absence-of/) [Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/) > [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [The absence of God in most spheres of life is perceived to be normal, and even Christians feel it as normal - which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-absence-of-god-in-most-spheres-of-life-is-perceived-to-be-normal/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/every-person-needs-to-take-one-day-away-a-day-in-which-one/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [“I was thinking how most people don't make you feel much of anything at all. Don't make you feel like time spent with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lotter/i-was-thinking-how-most-people-don-t-make-you-feel-much-of-anything/) [Jane Lotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lotter/) > [Cooperation isn't the absence of conflict but a means of managing conflict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/cooperation-isn-t-the-absence-of-conflict-but-a-means-of-managing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [Many are observing Ferguson and witnessing the anger, demonstrations, looting and vandalism and calling for quiet. But quiet isn't enough. 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Ambedkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-r-ambedkar/) [Browse all 2,057 Absence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like mad through a field of stubble, one shoe one, one shoe off, a man named Corn Cob pursuing her hotly. 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