--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Think only what is right there, what is…" description: "\"Think only what is right there, what is right under your nose to do. It's such a simple thing - that's why people can't do it.\" — Henry Miller" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/henry-miller-179_noses_think-only-what-is-right-there-what-is-r_771473.jpg" --- # Think only what is right there, what is right under your… ![“Think only what is right there, what is right under your nose to do. It's such a simple thing - that's why people can't do it.” quote by Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/henry-miller-179_noses_think-only-what-is-right-there-what-is-r_771473.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/henry-miller-179_noses_think-only-what-is-right-there-what-is-r_771473.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/henry-miller-179_noses_think-only-what-is-right-there-what-is-r_771473.jpg) > “Think only what is right there, what is right under your nose to do. It's such a simple thing - that's why people can't do it.” [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. Focusing on immediate, obvious actions is simple yet often ignored, leading to missed opportunities. **In simple terms:** Do what’s obvious right now. Key Takeaway Act on the obvious. Themes responsibility awareness action Mood reflective motivational Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - daily tasks - personal decisions - workplace duties - ethical choices Key Concepts mindfulness practicality Questions to Reflect On - What obvious action are you avoiding? - How can you simplify decision making? A Different Perspective People may overcomplicate simple tasks, causing inaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Nose Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nose-simple-1149530/) [Noses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noses/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Right Nose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-nose-1815524/) [Simple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple/) [Simple Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple-thing-850737/) [Simple things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple-things/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-right-278550/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I follow my nose. It’s as simple as that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tilda-swinton/i-follow-my-nose-it-s-as-simple-as-that/) [Tilda Swinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tilda-swinton/) > [At first glance, that might seem a little silly: why put so much stress on a simple thing? But that's precisely the point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/at-first-glance-that-might-seem-a-little-silly-why-put-so-much-stress/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [My life is a simple thing that would interest no one. It is a known fact that I was born, and that is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/my-life-is-a-simple-thing-that-would-interest-no-one-it-is-a-known/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Every now and again your life's course can turn on one simple thing, some small decision the import of which isn't at all obvious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-hamel/every-now-and-again-your-life-s-course-can-turn-on-one-simple-thing/) [Debra Hamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-hamel/) > [Simplicity is not a simple thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/simplicity-is-not-a-simple-thing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A smile is happiness you'll find right under your nose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wilson/a-smile-is-happiness-you-ll-find-right-under-your-nose/) [Tom Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wilson/) > [I really had the right nose for making the right decisions, in terms of which projects to do and which projects to stay away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-nicotero/i-really-had-the-right-nose-for-making-the-right-decisions-in-terms/) [Gregory Nicotero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-nicotero/) > [“Sometimes what you're looking for is right under your nose and you don't even know it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hall/sometimes-what-you-re-looking-for-is-right-under-your-nose-and-you/) [John Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hall/) > [Growing up I always knew I had a deviated septum on the right side of my nose, which caused trouble breathing. The older I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-tisdale/growing-up-i-always-knew-i-had-a-deviated-septum-on-the-right-side-of/) [Ashley Tisdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-tisdale/) > [“Sometimes the things you search far and wide for are right under your nose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-plum-ucci/sometimes-the-things-you-search-far-and-wide-for-are-right-under-your/) [Carol Plum-Ucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-plum-ucci/) > [“Smile: Happiness Is Right Under Your Nose!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-anne-puleio/smile-happiness-is-right-under-your-nose/) [Mary Anne Puleio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-anne-puleio/) > [Often times the right person is right under your nose. Make sure your nose isn't in the air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/often-times-the-right-person-is-right-under-your-nose-make-sure-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Only once has there been a showcase bid that was right on the nose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-blits/only-once-has-there-been-a-showcase-bid-that-was-right-on-the-nose/) [Stan Blits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-blits/) > [How simple a thing it seems to me that to know ourselves as we are, we must know our mothers names.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/how-simple-a-thing-it-seems-to-me-that-to-know-ourselves-as-we-are-we/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [What's seemingly a simple thing can actually be the hardest to achieve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-deakins/what-s-seemingly-a-simple-thing-can-actually-be-the-hardest-to-achieve/) [Roger Deakins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-deakins/) ## 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/) > [She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-she-may-be-making-love-with-a/) [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/) [Explore all 894 Henry Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## More Noses quotes > [Valentine's Day: Rubbing singles' noses in their lack of a mate and the noses of couples in their lack of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-mclaughlin/valentine-s-day-rubbing-singles-noses-in-their-lack-of-a-mate-and-the/) [Emma McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-mclaughlin/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [Sam reached his hand toward mine and I automatically put my fingers in his. With a guilty little smile he pulled my hand toward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/sam-reached-his-hand-toward-mine-and-i-automatically-put-my-fingers/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [ Together he \[Girolamo Savonarola\] and his archenemy Lorenzo \[de' Medici\] would have been the stuff of gargoyles. One could almost imagine the diptych in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dunant/together-he-girolamo-savonarola-and-his-archenemy-lorenzo-de-medici/) [Sarah Dunant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dunant/) > [He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her full on the mouth. His skin was wet with rain. When she didn't pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/he-put-his-hands-on-her-shoulders-and-kissed-her-full-on-the-mouth/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [Seeking means: to have a goal; but finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal. You, O worthy one, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeking-means-to-have-a-goal-but-finding-means-to-be-free-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't ever for a minute make the mistake of looking down your nose at westerns. They're art - the good ones, I mean. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/don-t-ever-for-a-minute-make-the-mistake-of-looking-down-your-nose-at/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [ \[Putin\] is a bully. And bullies only understand when we punch them in the nose, but we need to do that economically. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/putin-is-a-bully-and-bullies-only-understand-when-we-punch-them-in/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [Arise Evans had a fungous nose, and said, it was revealed to him, that the King's hand would cure him, and at the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-aubrey/arise-evans-had-a-fungous-nose-and-said-it-was-revealed-to-him-that/) [John Aubrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-aubrey/) > [As nature made every man with a nose and eyes of his own, she gave him a character of his own, too; and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/as-nature-made-every-man-with-a-nose-and-eyes-of-his-own-she-gave-him/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [But people only die in proper duels, you know, with real wizards. The most you and Malfoy’ll be able to do is send sparks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-people-only-die-in-proper-duels-you-know-with-real-wizards-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I see a schoolboy when I think of him, With face and nose pressed to a sweet-shop window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/i-see-a-schoolboy-when-i-think-of-him-with-face-and-nose-pressed-to-a/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [It ended suddenly for Brenda, more slowly for me. My runs began getting shorter and less pleasurable. I'd feel bad after only one day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/it-ended-suddenly-for-brenda-more-slowly-for-me-my-runs-began-getting/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) [Browse all 1,301 Noses quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noses/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Think only what is right there, what is right under your nose to do. It's such a simple thing - that's why people can't do it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry Miller" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/think-only-what-is-right-there-what-is-right-under-your-nose-to-do-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Noses" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/think-only-what-is-right-there-what-is-right-under-your-nose-to-do-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/henry-miller-179_noses_think-only-what-is-right-there-what-is-r_771473.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/henry-miller-179_noses_think-only-what-is-right-there-what-is-r_771473.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c6/henry-miller-179_noses_think-only-what-is-right-there-what-is-r_771473.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Think only what is right there, what is right under your nose to do. It's such a simple thing - that's why…” — Henry Miller", "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 Miller", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Think only what is right there,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/think-only-what-is-right-there-what-is-right-under-your-nose-to-do-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/think-only-what-is-right-there-what-is-right-under-your-nose-to-do-it/#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 } } ] } ```