--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can look at things all your life and…" description: "\"You can look at things all your life and not see them really. This ‘seeing’ is, in a way, a ‘not seeing,’ if you follow me. It is more of a search for ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/henry-miller-179_auditory_you-can-look-at-things-all-your-life-and_486761.jpg" --- # You can look at things all your life and not see them… ![“You can look at things all your life and not see them really. This ‘seeing’ is, in a way, a ‘not seeing,’ if you follow me. It is more of a search for something, in which, being blindfolded, you develop the tactile, the olfactory, the auditory senses —and thus see for the first time.” quote by Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/henry-miller-179_auditory_you-can-look-at-things-all-your-life-and_486761.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/henry-miller-179_auditory_you-can-look-at-things-all-your-life-and_486761.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/henry-miller-179_auditory_you-can-look-at-things-all-your-life-and_486761.jpg) > “You can look at things all your life and not see them really. This ‘seeing’ is, in a way, a ‘not seeing,’ if you follow me. It is more of a search for something, in which, being blindfolded, you develop the tactile, the olfactory, the auditory senses —and thus see for the first time.” [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. True perception often requires abandoning reliance on sight and engaging other senses. **In simple terms:** Seeing beyond sight. Key Takeaway Cultivate all senses. Themes perception mindfulness sensory awareness Mood contemplative inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - meditation - artistic creation - problem solving - learning new skills Key Concepts philosophy cognitive psychology embodiment Questions to Reflect On - What does “seeing” mean to you? - How can you trust non‑visual cues? A Different Perspective Relying solely on other senses can mislead. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Auditory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auditory/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [We are not passive exhibitors of visual or auditory or tactile images. We have selves. We have a Me that is automatically present in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/we-are-not-passive-exhibitors-of-visual-or-auditory-or-tactile-images/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [I would never have watched 'Back to the Future II' without seeing the first one because you can't follow it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-evans/i-would-never-have-watched-back-to-the-future-ii-without-seeing-the/) [Gareth Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-evans/) > [Everything hinges on how you look at things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/everything-hinges-on-how-you-look-at-things/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [We in the "developed" world seem to have many auditory strategies that insulate us from the presence of silence, simplicity, and solitude. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/we-in-the-developed-world-seem-to-have-many-auditory-strategies-that/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [“Some sounds are so exquisite - far more exquisite than anything seen. Daff's purr there on my rug, for instance - and the snap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/some-sounds-are-so-exquisite-far-more-exquisite-than-anything-seen/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [What's always struck me is how different the sensory, especially auditory, experience is when you're in the middle of the music with the musicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-milk/what-s-always-struck-me-is-how-different-the-sensory-especially/) [Chris Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-milk/) > [It seems that the brain always has to be active, and if the auditory parts of the brain are not getting sufficient input, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/it-seems-that-the-brain-always-has-to-be-active-and-if-the-auditory/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [The health of a nation, a society, can be determined by the art it demands. We have insisted of television and our movies that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/the-health-of-a-nation-a-society-can-be-determined-by-the-art-it/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [Maybe in music you're making an auditory environment and maybe you change your environment around you to suit your own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-welch/maybe-in-music-you-re-making-an-auditory-environment-and-maybe-you/) [Florence Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-welch/) > [Making a movie is the same as an orchestra; it's moving all the different instruments and the sounds, the kinetic and the auditory and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/making-a-movie-is-the-same-as-an-orchestra-it-s-moving-all-the/) [Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/) > [It was the old psychosomatic side-step. Everyone in my family dances it at every opportunity. You've given me a splitting headache! You've given me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-was-the-old-psychosomatic-side-step-everyone-in-my-family-dances/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [I'll never forget it. I was starting to hike up the red rocks, and honestly, it was as if I heard the rock say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/i-ll-never-forget-it-i-was-starting-to-hike-up-the-red-rocks-and/) [Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/) > [I am not surprised that the president of the United States called this a phony scandal. I'm not surprised Secretary Clinton asked, "What difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-gowdy/i-am-not-surprised-that-the-president-of-the-united-states-called/) [Trey Gowdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-gowdy/) > [There are people who seem to be on the verge of going either way, and something kicks in to support either the visual or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-chippendale/there-are-people-who-seem-to-be-on-the-verge-of-going-either-way-and/) [Brian Chippendale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-chippendale/) > [The telephone is virtual reality in that you can meet with someone as if you are together, at least for the auditory sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/the-telephone-is-virtual-reality-in-that-you-can-meet-with-someone-as/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) ## 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 Auditory quotes > [The telephone is virtual reality in that you can meet with someone as if you are together, at least for the auditory sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/the-telephone-is-virtual-reality-in-that-you-can-meet-with-someone-as/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [There are people who seem to be on the verge of going either way, and something kicks in to support either the visual or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-chippendale/there-are-people-who-seem-to-be-on-the-verge-of-going-either-way-and/) [Brian Chippendale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-chippendale/) > [I am not surprised that the president of the United States called this a phony scandal. I'm not surprised Secretary Clinton asked, "What difference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-gowdy/i-am-not-surprised-that-the-president-of-the-united-states-called/) [Trey Gowdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-gowdy/) > [I'll never forget it. I was starting to hike up the red rocks, and honestly, it was as if I heard the rock say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwyneth-paltrow/i-ll-never-forget-it-i-was-starting-to-hike-up-the-red-rocks-and/) [Gwyneth Paltrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwyneth-paltrow/) > [We are not passive exhibitors of visual or auditory or tactile images. We have selves. We have a Me that is automatically present in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-damasio/we-are-not-passive-exhibitors-of-visual-or-auditory-or-tactile-images/) [Antonio Damasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-damasio/) > [It was the old psychosomatic side-step. Everyone in my family dances it at every opportunity. You've given me a splitting headache! You've given me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-was-the-old-psychosomatic-side-step-everyone-in-my-family-dances/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Making a movie is the same as an orchestra; it's moving all the different instruments and the sounds, the kinetic and the auditory and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/making-a-movie-is-the-same-as-an-orchestra-it-s-moving-all-the/) [Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/) > [Maybe in music you're making an auditory environment and maybe you change your environment around you to suit your own way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-welch/maybe-in-music-you-re-making-an-auditory-environment-and-maybe-you/) [Florence Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-welch/) > [The health of a nation, a society, can be determined by the art it demands. We have insisted of television and our movies that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-albee/the-health-of-a-nation-a-society-can-be-determined-by-the-art-it/) [Edward Albee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-albee/) > [It seems that the brain always has to be active, and if the auditory parts of the brain are not getting sufficient input, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/it-seems-that-the-brain-always-has-to-be-active-and-if-the-auditory/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [What's always struck me is how different the sensory, especially auditory, experience is when you're in the middle of the music with the musicians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-milk/what-s-always-struck-me-is-how-different-the-sensory-especially/) [Chris Milk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-milk/) > [“Some sounds are so exquisite - far more exquisite than anything seen. Daff's purr there on my rug, for instance - and the snap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/some-sounds-are-so-exquisite-far-more-exquisite-than-anything-seen/) [L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/) > [We in the "developed" world seem to have many auditory strategies that insulate us from the presence of silence, simplicity, and solitude. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-halifax/we-in-the-developed-world-seem-to-have-many-auditory-strategies-that/) [Joan Halifax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-halifax/) > [Just as water, gas, and electricity are brought into our houses from far off to satisfy our needs in response to a minimal effort,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/just-as-water-gas-and-electricity-are-brought-into-our-houses-from/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [The essential function of the (design) profession in our society is to enhance and cultivate communications toward: Easier understanding of ideas and complex problems,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-burtin/the-essential-function-of-the-design-profession-in-our-society-is-to/) Will Burtin [Browse all 32 Auditory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/auditory/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can look at things all your life and not see them really. 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