--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Thought is an acid, eating us away. At…" description: "\"“Thought is an acid, eating us away. At first we imagine it will only eat into that which is rotten and sick and must be removed. But thought thinks ot..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c69/hjalmar-s-derberg-14633_thinks_thought-is-an-acid-eating-us-away-at-fir_1839977.png" --- # Thought is an acid, eating us away. At first we imagine it… ![“Thought is an acid, eating us away. At first we imagine it will only eat into that which is rotten and sick and must be removed. But thought thinks otherwise. It eats blindly. It begins with the prey you most gladly throw to it - but don't imagine it will be content with that! It doesn't stop…” quote by Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c69/hjalmar-s-derberg-14633_thinks_thought-is-an-acid-eating-us-away-at-fir_1839977.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c69/hjalmar-s-derberg-14633_thinks_thought-is-an-acid-eating-us-away-at-fir_1839977.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c69/hjalmar-s-derberg-14633_thinks_thought-is-an-acid-eating-us-away-at-fir_1839977.png) > ““Thought is an acid, eating us away. At first we imagine it will only eat into that which is rotten and sick and must be removed. But thought thinks otherwise. It eats blindly. It begins with the prey you most gladly throw to it - but don't imagine it will be content with that! It doesn't stop until it has gnawed away the last thing you hold dear.”” [Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Thought can be destructive, consuming everything, even what we try to protect, and never stops until it erodes all we cherish. **In simple terms:** Thought can destroy everything we hold dear. Key Takeaway Guard against obsessive thinking. Themes psychology philosophy self‑destruction mindfulness Mood reflective somber Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - therapy session - creative writing - personal reflection - stressful decision Key Concepts cognitive patterns inner critic mental health Questions to Reflect On - What thoughts are you feeding? - How can you redirect destructive thinking? A Different Perspective Thought can also lead to insight if examined. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) ## Related quotes > [No one thought up being. 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Conviene usarla, pero no debe mandar”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/la-moralidad-es-un-servicio-dom-stico-no-una-divinidad-conviene/) [Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/) > [“In the days when I was ambitious I worked out a very pretty little plan for conquering the whole earth and rearranging things as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/in-the-days-when-i-was-ambitious-i-worked-out-a-very-pretty-little/) [Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/) > [“Grădinarului i s-a spus că doar iarba va creşte pe mormântul meu, iar primăvara voi avea anemone. 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We embrace a shadow and love a dream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/we-know-so-little-about-one-another-we-embrace-a-shadow-and-love-a/) [Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/) > [“There are people who have no talent for happiness and who know this with painful, implacable clarity. Such people don’t seek happiness, merely to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hjalmar-s-derberg/there-are-people-who-have-no-talent-for-happiness-and-who-know-this/) [Hjalmar Söderberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hjalmar-s-derberg/) > [“Let me tell you something: there are three sorts of people - thinkers, scribblers, and cattle. 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You’re the only one who thinks you’re never different.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herta-m-ller/and-i-m-different-without-you-you-re-the-only-one-who-thinks-you-re/) [Herta Müller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herta-m-ller/) > [If he's - the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a - is a noble institution I would - I would strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-he-s-the-inference-is-that-somehow-he-thinks-slavery-is-a-is-a/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [You need to worry less about what everyone else thinks and focus on what makes you happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-banks/you-need-to-worry-less-about-what-everyone-else-thinks-and-focus-on/) [Maya Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-banks/) > [“Here's how man thinks: "If no one's done it, why should I try? It's a waste of my time; but if he's done it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nabil-n-jamal-2/here-s-how-man-thinks-if-no-one-s-done-it-why-should-i-try-it-s-a/) [Nabil N. Jamal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nabil-n-jamal-2/) > [Knowledge is generally considered a good thing; so, presumably, knowing more about how the U.S. thinks and operates around the world is also good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/knowledge-is-generally-considered-a-good-thing-so-presumably-knowing/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“I like the fact that she thinks. The human face is so legible that it sometimes seems possible to watch their thoughts, the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-bradley-rede/i-like-the-fact-that-she-thinks-the-human-face-is-so-legible-that-it/) [Laura Bradley Rede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-bradley-rede/) > [You can't be everything to everyone. No matter what you do, there will always be someone who thinks differently. So concentrate on doing what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-kitavi/you-can-t-be-everything-to-everyone-no-matter-what-you-do-there-will/) Jonathan Kitavi > [Even though you think you aren't in the place you should be in life, God thinks you are or you wouldn't be there at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/even-though-you-think-you-aren-t-in-the-place-you-should-be-in-life/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“Life is too short to care about what other people says and thinks about you. So live life and give them something to talk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-hansen/life-is-too-short-to-care-about-what-other-people-says-and-thinks/) Marlene Hansen > [I just don't care about what anyone thinks of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-runway/i-just-don-t-care-about-what-anyone-thinks-of-me/) [Bree Runway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-runway/) > [The paranormal bad boy is usually a fiercely loyal partner for the heroine. Once his sights are set on her, he doesn't notice other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/the-paranormal-bad-boy-is-usually-a-fiercely-loyal-partner-for-the/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [You cant break the gal who thinks nothing of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-cant-break-the-gal-who-thinks-nothing-of-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 1,222 Thinks quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Thought is an acid, eating us away. At first we imagine it will only eat into that which is rotten and sick and must be removed. But thought thinks otherwise. It eats blindly. It begins with the prey you most gladly throw to it - but don't imagine it will be content with that! 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