---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The material of thought re-acts upon the…"
description: "\"The material of thought re-acts upon the thought itself.\" — James Russell Lowell"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/218/james-russell-lowell-561_material_the-material-of-thought-re-acts-upon-the_3215795.png"
---

#  The material of thought re-acts upon the thought itself.

![“The material of thought re-acts upon the thought itself.” quote by James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/218/james-russell-lowell-561_material_the-material-of-thought-re-acts-upon-the_3215795.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/218/james-russell-lowell-561_material_the-material-of-thought-re-acts-upon-the_3215795.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/218/james-russell-lowell-561_material_the-material-of-thought-re-acts-upon-the_3215795.png)

> “The material of thought re-acts upon the thought itself.”

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Thoughts influence themselves, creating feedback loops that shape perception.

**In simple terms:** Thoughts affect themselves.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate mindful, positive thinking.

Themes

cognition self‑reflection feedback

Mood

thoughtful encouraging

Type

psychological philosophical

When to use this quote

- meditation
- cognitive therapy
- creative brainstorming

Key Concepts

psychology philosophy of mind

Questions to Reflect On

- How do your thoughts shape your reality?
- What practices help break negative thought cycles?

A Different Perspective

Negative thoughts can reinforce harmful patterns.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/)

## Related quotes

> [“And now, surrender your creation to a greater mind . . . for what you think and experience in this realm of possibility .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dispenza/and-now-surrender-your-creation-to-a-greater-mind-for-what-you-think/)

[Joe Dispenza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dispenza/)

> [. . . from this moment The very firstlings of my heart shall be The firstlings of my hand. And even now, To crown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/from-this-moment-the-very-firstlings-of-my-heart-shall-be-the/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“On first looking upon the external world, man pictured it to himself as a sort of confused republic, where rival forces made war upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/on-first-looking-upon-the-external-world-man-pictured-it-to-himself/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The man not only thinks, but speaks and acts. Every thought that arises in the mind, in its rising aims to pass out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-man-not-only-thinks-but-speaks-and-acts-every-thought-that-arises/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Strong female characters - even if they don't necessarily make the same decisions that we might - make such great narrative material, especially when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/strong-female-characters-even-if-they-don-t-necessarily-make-the-same/)

[Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/)

> [Material success is a way of tightening up your life so that you can move into higher planes of attention. You should try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/material-success-is-a-way-of-tightening-up-your-life-so-that-you-can/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I know what it's like to have a bunch of material that's working that you don't care about. You want to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/i-know-what-it-s-like-to-have-a-bunch-of-material-that-s-working-that/)

[Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/)

> [To cover politics in Washington allows you to live in the very, very wide gap between what the actual truth is, and how people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/to-cover-politics-in-washington-allows-you-to-live-in-the-very-very/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

> [If you write really good material, the rest just falls into place. There's really no trick to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/if-you-write-really-good-material-the-rest-just-falls-into-place/)

[Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/)

> [Is it possible Hanukkah doesn't inspire folksy songs? Plot lines may be a part. The Christmas story has a lot of material to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matisyahu/is-it-possible-hanukkah-doesn-t-inspire-folksy-songs-plot-lines-may/)

[Matisyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matisyahu/)

> [Anything is good painting material once you get to know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-milne/anything-is-good-painting-material-once-you-get-to-know-it/)

[David Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-milne/)

> [I want the material I make to be mine; that's always the goal of the record and of the show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girl-talk/i-want-the-material-i-make-to-be-mine-that-s-always-the-goal-of-the/)

[Girl Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/girl-talk/)

> [Nothing bad can happen to a writer. Everything is material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/nothing-bad-can-happen-to-a-writer-everything-is-material/)

[Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/)

> [Defeat furnishes good material to the poets and the artists, but none of us care to have the glory of the conquered apply to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-glaspell/defeat-furnishes-good-material-to-the-poets-and-the-artists-but-none/)

[Susan Glaspell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-glaspell/)

> [I'm currently trying to direct my own material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-skerritt/i-m-currently-trying-to-direct-my-own-material/)

[Tom Skerritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-skerritt/)

## More by James Russell Lowell

> [We kind o' thought Christ went agin war an' pillage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/we-kind-o-thought-christ-went-agin-war-an-pillage/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [He gives only the worthless gold who gives from a sense of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/he-gives-only-the-worthless-gold-who-gives-from-a-sense-of-duty/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [As life runs on, the road grows strange with faces new - and near the end. The milestones into headstones change, Neath every one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/as-life-runs-on-the-road-grows-strange-with-faces-new-and-near-the/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Where one person shapes their life by precept and example, there are a thousand who have shaped it by impulse and circumstances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/where-one-person-shapes-their-life-by-precept-and-example-there-are-a/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Granting our wish is one of Fate's saddest jokes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/granting-our-wish-is-one-of-fate-s-saddest-jokes/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Most religion-mongers have bated their paradises with a bit of toasted cheese. They have tempted the body with large promises of possessions in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/most-religion-mongers-have-bated-their-paradises-with-a-bit-of/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [The thing we long for, that we are For one transcendent moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-thing-we-long-for-that-we-are-for-one-transcendent-moment/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [O reputation! dearer far than life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/o-reputation-dearer-far-than-life/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Keats longed for fame, but longed above all to deserve it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/keats-longed-for-fame-but-longed-above-all-to-deserve-it/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [It is beginning to be doubtful whether Parliament and Congress sit in Westminster and Washington, or in the editorial rooms of the leading journals,--so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-is-beginning-to-be-doubtful-whether-parliament-and-congress-sit-in/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [ \[B\]ut in literature, it should be remembered, a thing always becomes his at last who says it best, and thus makes it his own. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/b-ut-in-literature-it-should-be-remembered-a-thing-always-becomes-his/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [It may be glorious to write Thoughts that shall glad the two or three High souls, like those far stars that come in sight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-may-be-glorious-to-write-thoughts-that-shall-glad-the-two-or-three/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [It is the vain endeavor to make ourselves what we are not that has strewn history with so many broken purposes and lives left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-is-the-vain-endeavor-to-make-ourselves-what-we-are-not-that-has/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [Take winter as you find him, and he turns out to be a thoroughly honest fellow; with no nonsense in him, which is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/take-winter-as-you-find-him-and-he-turns-out-to-be-a-thoroughly/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

> [The intellect has only one failing, which, to be sure, is a very considerable one. It has no conscience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-intellect-has-only-one-failing-which-to-be-sure-is-a-very/)

[James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

[Explore all 471 James Russell Lowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/)

## More Material quotes

> [There has always been a feeling with people that they love my singing but not always the choice of material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/there-has-always-been-a-feeling-with-people-that-they-love-my-singing/)

[Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/)

> [I haven't shut any doors, and I'm really open to anything, so I think it's just about the material and what is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-panabaker/i-haven-t-shut-any-doors-and-i-m-really-open-to-anything-so-i-think/)

[Danielle Panabaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-panabaker/)

> [I'm currently trying to direct my own material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-skerritt/i-m-currently-trying-to-direct-my-own-material/)

[Tom Skerritt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-skerritt/)

> [Defeat furnishes good material to the poets and the artists, but none of us care to have the glory of the conquered apply to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-glaspell/defeat-furnishes-good-material-to-the-poets-and-the-artists-but-none/)

[Susan Glaspell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-glaspell/)

> [Mother, she likes the blue material just fine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/mother-she-likes-the-blue-material-just-fine/)

[Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/)

> [Nothing bad can happen to a writer. Everything is material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/nothing-bad-can-happen-to-a-writer-everything-is-material/)

[Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/)

> [My illness is one often characterized by dramatic overspending - in my case through frenzied shopping sprees, credit card abuse, excessive hoarding of unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-behrman/my-illness-is-one-often-characterized-by-dramatic-overspending-in-my/)

[Andy Behrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-behrman/)

> [I can't say that I wouldn't prefer to make small films, basically because I think they are probably more interesting in terms of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/i-can-t-say-that-i-wouldn-t-prefer-to-make-small-films-basically/)

[John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/)

> [I want the material I make to be mine; that's always the goal of the record and of the show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/girl-talk/i-want-the-material-i-make-to-be-mine-that-s-always-the-goal-of-the/)

[Girl Talk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/girl-talk/)

> [Anything is good painting material once you get to know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-milne/anything-is-good-painting-material-once-you-get-to-know-it/)

[David Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-milne/)

> [I'm just trying to touch the world and touch the people and just get good material. And show them that we can get it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-hardrict/i-m-just-trying-to-touch-the-world-and-touch-the-people-and-just-get/)

[Cory Hardrict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-hardrict/)

> [Is it possible Hanukkah doesn't inspire folksy songs? Plot lines may be a part. The Christmas story has a lot of material to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matisyahu/is-it-possible-hanukkah-doesn-t-inspire-folksy-songs-plot-lines-may/)

[Matisyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matisyahu/)

> [As politics is disconnected from its ethical and material moorings, it becomes easier to punish and imprison young people than to educate them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/as-politics-is-disconnected-from-its-ethical-and-material-moorings-it/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [If you write really good material, the rest just falls into place. There's really no trick to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-grahame-smith/if-you-write-really-good-material-the-rest-just-falls-into-place/)

[Seth Grahame-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-grahame-smith/)

> [To cover politics in Washington allows you to live in the very, very wide gap between what the actual truth is, and how people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leibovich/to-cover-politics-in-washington-allows-you-to-live-in-the-very-very/)

[Mark Leibovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leibovich/)

Browse all 745 Material quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The material of thought re-acts upon the thought itself.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Russell Lowell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-material-of-thought-re-acts-upon-the-thought-itself/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Material"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-material-of-thought-re-acts-upon-the-thought-itself/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/218/james-russell-lowell-561_material_the-material-of-thought-re-acts-upon-the_3215795.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/218/james-russell-lowell-561_material_the-material-of-thought-re-acts-upon-the_3215795.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/218/james-russell-lowell-561_material_the-material-of-thought-re-acts-upon-the_3215795.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The material of thought re-acts upon the thought itself.” — James Russell Lowell",
                "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": "James Russell Lowell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The material of thought re-acts upon...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-material-of-thought-re-acts-upon-the-thought-itself/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/the-material-of-thought-re-acts-upon-the-thought-itself/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```