--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To reflect is to disturb one's thoughts." description: "\"To reflect is to disturb one's thoughts.\" — Jean Rostand" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89b/jean-rostand-7588_philosophy-of-mind_to-reflect-is-to-disturb-one-s-thoughts_1051956.jpg" --- # To reflect is to disturb one's thoughts. ![“To reflect is to disturb one's thoughts.” quote by Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89b/jean-rostand-7588_philosophy-of-mind_to-reflect-is-to-disturb-one-s-thoughts_1051956.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89b/jean-rostand-7588_philosophy-of-mind_to-reflect-is-to-disturb-one-s-thoughts_1051956.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89b/jean-rostand-7588_philosophy-of-mind_to-reflect-is-to-disturb-one-s-thoughts_1051956.jpg) > “To reflect is to disturb one's thoughts.” [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reflecting disrupts mental complacency, prompting new insights and growth. **In simple terms:** Thinking deeply unsettles us, leading to progress. Key Takeaway Embrace discomfort to foster insight. Themes philosophy psychology creativity Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal development - research brainstorming - creative problem solving Key Concepts cognitive dissonance self‑questioning Questions to Reflect On - When does reflection become over‑analysis? - How to balance reflection and action? A Different Perspective Reflection may cause anxiety or indecision. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Disturb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disturb/) [Disturb Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disturb-thoughts-1629388/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Reflect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflect/) [Reflect Disturb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflect-disturb-2521000/) [Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts/) ## Related quotes > [The mind of the greatest man on earth is not so independent of circumstances as not to feel inconvenienced by the merest buzzing noise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/the-mind-of-the-greatest-man-on-earth-is-not-so-independent-of/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [It may offend us to hear our own thoughts expressed by others: we are not sure enough of their souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/it-may-offend-us-to-hear-our-own-thoughts-expressed-by-others-we-are/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [Have some sort of a private place to work in. Put up a sign to keep from being interrupted. Mine says: "Please, do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-krantz/have-some-sort-of-a-private-place-to-work-in-put-up-a-sign-to-keep/) [Judith Krantz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-krantz/) > [The Gen. Commanding, takes this means of informing the people that he has not come among them to disturb them in the enjoyment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-gen-commanding-takes-this-means-of-informing-the-people-that-he/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No one dare disturb the sound of silence...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/no-one-dare-disturb-the-sound-of-silence/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [I'm grateful to the ones who disturbs me, because of their disturbance I become better than being good...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chandan-ray/i-m-grateful-to-the-ones-who-disturbs-me-because-of-their-disturbance/) [Chandan Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chandan-ray/) > [It is not worth the while to let our imperfections disturb us always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-not-worth-the-while-to-let-our-imperfections-disturb-us-always/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I always map out how to get a good eight or nine hours of sleep before I even start my day. And my rule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-morgan/i-always-map-out-how-to-get-a-good-eight-or-nine-hours-of-sleep/) [Alex Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-morgan/) > [There should be at least a room or some corner where no one will find you and disturb you or notice you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/there-should-be-at-least-a-room-or-some-corner-where-no-one-will-find/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [I don't care when u disturb me But I get disturbed when u don't disturb me!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-v-w-m-gh/i-don-t-care-when-u-disturb-me-but-i-get-disturbed-when-u-don-t/) [Mýväñwý Mêghä](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-v-w-m-gh/) > [To me, directing movies is just that. It's a need to question myself and set the things that disturb me on the table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-luna/to-me-directing-movies-is-just-that-it-s-a-need-to-question-myself/) [Diego Luna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-luna/) > [I know my own soul, how feeble and puny it is: I know the magnitude of this ministry, and the great difficulty of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-chrysostom/i-know-my-own-soul-how-feeble-and-puny-it-is-i-know-the-magnitude-of/) [John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-chrysostom/) > [“If lies comfort, and truth disturbs - self is being agitated as a result of prideful living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/if-lies-comfort-and-truth-disturbs-self-is-being-agitated-as-a-result/) [T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/) > [There is nothing in afflictions which ought to disturb our joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/there-is-nothing-in-afflictions-which-ought-to-disturb-our-joy/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [The tortures of present death disturb him not, but the recollection of his fall, fills him with a holy sorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-strachan/the-tortures-of-present-death-disturb-him-not-but-the-recollection-of/) [John Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-strachan/) ## More by Jean Rostand > [On the brink of being satiated, desire still appears infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/on-the-brink-of-being-satiated-desire-still-appears-infinite/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [Le biologiste passe, la grenouille reste. The biologist passes, the frog remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/le-biologiste-passe-la-grenouille-reste-the-biologist-passes-the-frog/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [In politics, yesterday's lie is attacked only to flatter today's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/in-politics-yesterday-s-lie-is-attacked-only-to-flatter-today-s/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [There are certain moments when we might wish the future were built by men of the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/there-are-certain-moments-when-we-might-wish-the-future-were-built-by/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [It may offend us to hear our own thoughts expressed by others: we are not sure enough of their souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/it-may-offend-us-to-hear-our-own-thoughts-expressed-by-others-we-are/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [The books one has written in the past have two surprises in store: one couldn't write them again, and wouldn't want to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/the-books-one-has-written-in-the-past-have-two-surprises-in-store-one/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [Never feel remorse for what you have thought about your wife; she has thought much worse things about you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/never-feel-remorse-for-what-you-have-thought-about-your-wife-she-has/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [Certain brief sentences are peerless in their ability to give one the feeling that nothing remains to be said.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/certain-brief-sentences-are-peerless-in-their-ability-to-give-one-the/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [The divine is perhaps that quality in man which permits him to endure the lack of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/the-divine-is-perhaps-that-quality-in-man-which-permits-him-to-endure/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [Kill one man, and you are a murderer. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill them all, and you are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/kill-one-man-and-you-are-a-murderer-kill-millions-of-men-and-you-are/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [Falsity cannot keep an idea from being beautiful; there are certain errors of such ingenuity that one could regret their not ranking among the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/falsity-cannot-keep-an-idea-from-being-beautiful-there-are-certain/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [To be adult is to be alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/to-be-adult-is-to-be-alone/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [Quotations--always inexact. I don't trust people who cannot even copy out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/quotations-always-inexact-i-don-t-trust-people-who-cannot-even-copy/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [Kill one man and you're a murderer, kill a million and you're a conqueror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/kill-one-man-and-you-re-a-murderer-kill-a-million-and-you-re-a/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) > [There are moments when very little truth would be enough to shape opinion. One might be hated at extremely low cost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/there-are-moments-when-very-little-truth-would-be-enough-to-shape/) [Jean Rostand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) [Explore all 87 Jean Rostand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/) ## More Disturb quotes > [The tortures of present death disturb him not, but the recollection of his fall, fills him with a holy sorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-strachan/the-tortures-of-present-death-disturb-him-not-but-the-recollection-of/) [John Strachan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-strachan/) > [There is nothing in afflictions which ought to disturb our joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/there-is-nothing-in-afflictions-which-ought-to-disturb-our-joy/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [“If lies comfort, and truth disturbs - self is being agitated as a result of prideful living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/if-lies-comfort-and-truth-disturbs-self-is-being-agitated-as-a-result/) [T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/) > [I know my own soul, how feeble and puny it is: I know the magnitude of this ministry, and the great difficulty of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-chrysostom/i-know-my-own-soul-how-feeble-and-puny-it-is-i-know-the-magnitude-of/) [John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-chrysostom/) > [To me, directing movies is just that. It's a need to question myself and set the things that disturb me on the table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diego-luna/to-me-directing-movies-is-just-that-it-s-a-need-to-question-myself/) [Diego Luna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diego-luna/) > [I don't care when u disturb me But I get disturbed when u don't disturb me!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-v-w-m-gh/i-don-t-care-when-u-disturb-me-but-i-get-disturbed-when-u-don-t/) [Mýväñwý Mêghä](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-v-w-m-gh/) > [There should be at least a room or some corner where no one will find you and disturb you or notice you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/there-should-be-at-least-a-room-or-some-corner-where-no-one-will-find/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [I always map out how to get a good eight or nine hours of sleep before I even start my day. And my rule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-morgan/i-always-map-out-how-to-get-a-good-eight-or-nine-hours-of-sleep/) [Alex Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-morgan/) > [It is not worth the while to let our imperfections disturb us always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-not-worth-the-while-to-let-our-imperfections-disturb-us-always/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [I'm grateful to the ones who disturbs me, because of their disturbance I become better than being good...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chandan-ray/i-m-grateful-to-the-ones-who-disturbs-me-because-of-their-disturbance/) [Chandan Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chandan-ray/) > [No one dare disturb the sound of silence...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/no-one-dare-disturb-the-sound-of-silence/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [The Gen. Commanding, takes this means of informing the people that he has not come among them to disturb them in the enjoyment of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-gen-commanding-takes-this-means-of-informing-the-people-that-he/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Have some sort of a private place to work in. Put up a sign to keep from being interrupted. Mine says: "Please, do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-krantz/have-some-sort-of-a-private-place-to-work-in-put-up-a-sign-to-keep/) [Judith Krantz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-krantz/) > [The function of the artist is to disturb. His duty is to arouse the sleeper, to shake the complacent pillars of the world. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-bethune/the-function-of-the-artist-is-to-disturb-his-duty-is-to-arouse-the/) [Norman Bethune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-bethune/) > [“Once You Feel Like You Are Avoided By Someone, Never Disturb Them Again..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anynomous/once-you-feel-like-you-are-avoided-by-someone-never-disturb-them-again/) [Anynomous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anynomous/) [Browse all 138 Disturb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disturb/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To reflect is to disturb one's thoughts.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean Rostand" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/to-reflect-is-to-disturb-one-s-thoughts/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Disturb" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/to-reflect-is-to-disturb-one-s-thoughts/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89b/jean-rostand-7588_philosophy-of-mind_to-reflect-is-to-disturb-one-s-thoughts_1051956.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89b/jean-rostand-7588_philosophy-of-mind_to-reflect-is-to-disturb-one-s-thoughts_1051956.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/89b/jean-rostand-7588_philosophy-of-mind_to-reflect-is-to-disturb-one-s-thoughts_1051956.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To reflect is to disturb one's thoughts.” — Jean Rostand", "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": "Jean Rostand", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rostand/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To reflect is to disturb one's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/to-reflect-is-to-disturb-one-s-thoughts/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rostand/to-reflect-is-to-disturb-one-s-thoughts/#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 } } ] } ```