--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Beautiful, I think to myself as I float…" description: "\"“ Beautiful, I think to myself as I float back into sleep, my whole body thrumming with a tender, exhausted state of exhilaration. Beside me, Skunk's b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/hilary-t-smith-26746_beauty_beautiful-i-think-to-myself-as-i-float-b_2340566.jpg" --- # Beautiful, I think to myself as I float back into sleep… ![“Beautiful, I think to myself as I float back into sleep, my whole body thrumming with a tender, exhausted state of exhilaration. Beside me, Skunk's body is warm under his T-shirt. The last thing I see before falling asleep is the Kali painting on Skunk's wall. Her blue-gold body is draped in equal…” quote by Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/hilary-t-smith-26746_beauty_beautiful-i-think-to-myself-as-i-float-b_2340566.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/hilary-t-smith-26746_beauty_beautiful-i-think-to-myself-as-i-float-b_2340566.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/hilary-t-smith-26746_beauty_beautiful-i-think-to-myself-as-i-float-b_2340566.jpg) > ““ Beautiful, I think to myself as I float back into sleep, my whole body thrumming with a tender, exhausted state of exhilaration. Beside me, Skunk's body is warm under his T-shirt. The last thing I see before falling asleep is the Kali painting on Skunk's wall. Her blue-gold body is draped in equal parts flowers and severed heads - as if beauty and horror were interchangeable and what matters most is trusting in the dance.”” [Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) ## 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 experiences a tender, exhausted exhilaration, juxtaposing beauty and horror, trusting the fluid dance of emotions and imagery. **In simple terms:** She feels a mix of beauty and horror, trusting the experience. Key Takeaway Accept the coexistence of beauty and horror. Themes dreams beauty horror trust emotional duality Mood introspective poetic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - artistic inspiration Key Concepts interplay of contrast emotional surrender nighttime introspection Questions to Reflect On - What does trusting the dance mean to you? - How do you reconcile beauty with horror? A Different Perspective Embracing horror may be unsettling for some readers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Falling asleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-asleep/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) ## Related quotes > [“I want to kiss you," I say, "but I seem to be holding this cat." Skunk lifts his hand and touches it to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/i-want-to-kiss-you-i-say-but-i-seem-to-be-holding-this-cat-skunk/) [Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) > [“I am the skunk killer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libby-fischer-hellmann/i-am-the-skunk-killer/) Libby Fischer Hellmann > [“So a skunk humped my leg earlier.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-armentrout/so-a-skunk-humped-my-leg-earlier/) [Jennifer L. Armentrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-l-armentrout/) > [Basically, there are three ways the skunk and I are a lot alike. The first is, we both like to spread our "stink" around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/basically-there-are-three-ways-the-skunk-and-i-are-a-lot-alike-the/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Shortest straw pulls the skunk's tail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-hopkins-adams/shortest-straw-pulls-the-skunk-s-tail/) [Samuel Hopkins Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-hopkins-adams/) > [“A skunk sat on a stump and thunk the stump stunk, But the stump thunk the skunk stunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riley-weber/a-skunk-sat-on-a-stump-and-thunk-the-stump-stunk-but-the-stump-thunk/) [Riley Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riley-weber/) > [We used to have skunks that would go under our house and scratch their backs. I remember after I had my first baby, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/we-used-to-have-skunks-that-would-go-under-our-house-and-scratch/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“I skinned a skunk to make a rug. You know, for the bathroom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-skinned-a-skunk-to-make-a-rug-you-know-for-the-bathroom/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Dr. Stern told me that the wilderness of Carolina is alive wi’ fierce creatures—bears and wildcats and wicked panthers—and a great foul thing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/dr-stern-told-me-that-the-wilderness-of-carolina-is-alive-wi-fierce/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [Sometimes when you get in a fight with a skunk, you can't tell who started it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lloyd-doggett/sometimes-when-you-get-in-a-fight-with-a-skunk-you-can-t-tell-who/) Lloyd Doggett > [Back in the 1950s, there was a top-secret program code-named SUNTAN being conducted at a top-secret facility called Skunk Works. Its objective? To develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/back-in-the-1950s-there-was-a-top-secret-program-code-named-suntan/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“No use trying to cat fight with a skunk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-michael-quinn/no-use-trying-to-cat-fight-with-a-skunk/) [D. Michael Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-michael-quinn/) > [“The hair compromise he finally agreed to is a white strip on the left side – geriatric punk, he’d whispered to himself – with,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-hair-compromise-he-finally-agreed-to-is-a-white-strip-on-the-left/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [ I will not get into a pissing contest with that skunk \[Joseph McCarthy\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/i-will-not-get-into-a-pissing-contest-with-that-skunk-joseph-mccarthy/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [A skunk is better company than a person who prides himself on being 'frank'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/a-skunk-is-better-company-than-a-person-who-prides-himself-on-being/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) ## More by Hilary T. Smith > [“People are like cities: We all have alleys and gardens and secret rooftops and places where daisies sprout between the sidewalk cracks, but most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/people-are-like-cities-we-all-have-alleys-and-gardens-and-secret/) [Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) > [“The wired feeling that started when I left my house has grown into a thrumming, crackling, electrical field. I want to kiss Lukas. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/the-wired-feeling-that-started-when-i-left-my-house-has-grown-into-a/) [Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) > [“If you ever get that free, you need to reel yourself in, because the edges of the world are as sharp as glass, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/if-you-ever-get-that-free-you-need-to-reel-yourself-in-because-the/) [Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) > [“I think about all the money that’s gone into my piano lessons, and the days and weeks and hours. I have to get this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/i-think-about-all-the-money-that-s-gone-into-my-piano-lessons-and-the/) [Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) > [“Everyone does something to be okay, Skunk. That’s how the world is. At least the only things you need to muffle to survive are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/everyone-does-something-to-be-okay-skunk-that-s-how-the-world-is-at/) [Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) > [“My head whips back from the impact and my ribs twang like a dropped guitar. The sky spins above me like a penny. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/my-head-whips-back-from-the-impact-and-my-ribs-twang-like-a-dropped/) [Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) > [“Maybe we all need ships to hold our dreams, to be bigger and steadier than we ever could be, and to guard the mistery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/maybe-we-all-need-ships-to-hold-our-dreams-to-be-bigger-and-steadier/) [Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) > [“It's amazing how quickly the things you thought would make you happy seem small once you stumble on something true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/it-s-amazing-how-quickly-the-things-you-thought-would-make-you-happy/) [Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) > [“Did you see that guy in the back, from the radio station?’ His smile is a jar full of fireflies. ‘Crazy Girl,’ he says.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/did-you-see-that-guy-in-the-back-from-the-radio-station-his-smile-is/) [Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) > [“There's a reason people get drunk after funerals, and I suddenly know what it is: the flip side of sadness is a dark, devouring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/there-s-a-reason-people-get-drunk-after-funerals-and-i-suddenly-know/) [Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) > [“On the water, I can see Sukey’s ships, dark cities of their own. They are objects I will never touch, places I will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/on-the-water-i-can-see-sukey-s-ships-dark-cities-of-their-own-they/) [Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) > [“Whatever it is, it can’t possibly be as important as the Italian Concerto. Now let’s get to work.” We work for three and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/whatever-it-is-it-can-t-possibly-be-as-important-as-the-italian/) [Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) > [“I remember the day when my seventh-grade teacher called my parents to tell them I’d been crying in the bathrooms at lunchtime after Sukey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/i-remember-the-day-when-my-seventh-grade-teacher-called-my-parents-to/) [Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) > [“I want to kiss you," I say, "but I seem to be holding this cat." Skunk lifts his hand and touches it to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/i-want-to-kiss-you-i-say-but-i-seem-to-be-holding-this-cat-skunk/) [Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) > [“There are no mistakes, I realize - just detours whose significance only become clear when you see the whole picture at once.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/there-are-no-mistakes-i-realize-just-detours-whose-significance-only/) [Hilary T. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) [Explore all 21 Hilary T. Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/) ## More Beauty quotes > [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [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/) > [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/) [Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) Tumblr > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/) [Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/) [Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“ Beautiful, I think to myself as I float back into sleep, my whole body thrumming with a tender, exhausted state of exhilaration. Beside me, Skunk's body is warm under his T-shirt. The last thing I see before falling asleep is the Kali painting on Skunk's wall. Her blue-gold body is draped in equal parts flowers and severed heads - as if beauty and horror were interchangeable and what matters most is trusting in the dance.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hilary T. Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/beautiful-i-think-to-myself-as-i-float-back-into-sleep-my-whole-body/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beauty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/beautiful-i-think-to-myself-as-i-float-back-into-sleep-my-whole-body/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/hilary-t-smith-26746_beauty_beautiful-i-think-to-myself-as-i-float-b_2340566.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/hilary-t-smith-26746_beauty_beautiful-i-think-to-myself-as-i-float-b_2340566.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/562/hilary-t-smith-26746_beauty_beautiful-i-think-to-myself-as-i-float-b_2340566.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Beautiful, I think to myself as I float back into sleep, my whole body thrumming with a tender, exhausted…” — Hilary T. Smith", "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": "Hilary T. Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-t-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“ Beautiful, I think to myself...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/beautiful-i-think-to-myself-as-i-float-back-into-sleep-my-whole-body/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-t-smith/beautiful-i-think-to-myself-as-i-float-back-into-sleep-my-whole-body/#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 } } ] } ```