--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By the end of the week she was thinking…" description: "\"“By the end of the week she was thinking constantly about where her body stopped and the air began about the exact point in space and time that was the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2db/joan-didion-497_heart_by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking_30433.jpg" --- # By the end of the week she was thinking constantly about… ![“By the end of the week she was thinking constantly about where her body stopped and the air began about the exact point in space and time that was the difference between Maria and other.” quote by Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2db/joan-didion-497_heart_by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking_30433.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2db/joan-didion-497_heart_by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking_30433.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2db/joan-didion-497_heart_by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking_30433.jpg) > ““By the end of the week she was thinking constantly about where her body stopped and the air began about the exact point in space and time that was the difference between Maria and other.”” [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A meditation on the boundary between physical self and surrounding environment, highlighting how perception of that line defines personal identity. **In simple terms:** Explores self‑environment limits. Key Takeaway Identity hinges on perceived borders. Themes self‑perception identity spatial awareness existential reflection Mood contemplative introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal introspection - artistic creation - psychological analysis Key Concepts boundary consciousness embodiment Practical Applications - creative writing - mindfulness practice Questions to Reflect On - How do you locate your own limits? - What does the body‑air edge reveal about self? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body Stopped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-stopped-424978/) [Difference Maria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difference-maria-424976/) [End Of The Week](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-week/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Maria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maria/) [Space and time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space-and-time/) [Thinking Constantly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking-constantly-424979/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Week Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/week-thinking-424977/) ## Related quotes > [Sometimes I fall out of love with what I'm doing, but only for about a week. Once it's over I'm back to thinking it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-nesbitt/sometimes-i-fall-out-of-love-with-what-i-m-doing-but-only-for-about-a/) [Nina Nesbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-nesbitt/) > [Boxing is fascinating. It's good for the soul to be made to feel clumsy. I swank around during the week thinking I'm a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-laurie/boxing-is-fascinating-it-s-good-for-the-soul-to-be-made-to-feel/) [Hugh Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-laurie/) > [The thing about being an outsider... is that it teaches you to hear what people are thinking because you're constantly looking for the people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-nichols/the-thing-about-being-an-outsider-is-that-it-teaches-you-to-hear-what/) [Mike Nichols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-nichols/) > [Thinking constantly about world domination can give you a little vertigo. The way I usually get through my day is by limiting my horizon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-kelman/thinking-constantly-about-world-domination-can-give-you-a-little/) [Glenn Kelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-kelman/) > [With Shakespeare, there's no subtext; you're speaking exactly what you're thinking constantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-isaac/with-shakespeare-there-s-no-subtext-you-re-speaking-exactly-what-you/) [Oscar Isaac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-isaac/) > [“When we suffer prolonged anxiety, we have a tendency to become self-obsessed...You believe the whole world is thinking about you constantly. You believe the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/when-we-suffer-prolonged-anxiety-we-have-a-tendency-to-become-self/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [Leaders need to be thinking constantly about what they're doing to create a basic sense of security and stability throughout an organization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rath/leaders-need-to-be-thinking-constantly-about-what-they-re-doing-to/) [Tom Rath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rath/) > [Thinking about someone constantly but knowing you never cross there mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/thinking-about-someone-constantly-but-knowing-you-never-cross-there/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Make something happen today, before you go home, before the end of the week. Launch that idea, post that post, run that ad, call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/make-something-happen-today-before-you-go-home-before-the-end-of-the/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [It's the ultimate goal every day you wake up, to be happy. At the end of the week, you want to be happy. Happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brosnan/it-s-the-ultimate-goal-every-day-you-wake-up-to-be-happy-at-the-end/) [Pierce Brosnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brosnan/) > [“So we introduced a token system.9 The children were given ten tokens at the beginning of the week. These could each be traded in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-we-introduced-a-token-system-9-the-children-were-given-ten-tokens/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [By the way, my name's Malik, the five-foot freak. Let's say we get together by the end of the week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-tribe-called-quest/by-the-way-my-name-s-malik-the-five-foot-freak-let-s-say-we-get/) [A Tribe Called Quest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-tribe-called-quest/) > [“The fiasco in the barn flashed through her mind. Yesterday she'd showered him with oats and today she'd pummeled him with a broom. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-witemeyer/the-fiasco-in-the-barn-flashed-through-her-mind-yesterday-she-d/) [Karen Witemeyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-witemeyer/) > [At the end of the week, it's nice to just hang out in a pair of jeans and let my hair down. I need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-panjabi/at-the-end-of-the-week-it-s-nice-to-just-hang-out-in-a-pair-of-jeans/) [Archie Panjabi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-panjabi/) > [I used to get my money at the end of the week, buy my mum something, or buy a record, and that was it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/i-used-to-get-my-money-at-the-end-of-the-week-buy-my-mum-something-or/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) ## More by Joan Didion > [To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-shift-the-structure-of-a-sentence-alters-the-meaning-of-that/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I work every day. Sometimes I don't accomplish anything every day, but if I don't work every day, I get depressed and get afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-work-every-day-sometimes-i-don-t-accomplish-anything-every-day-but/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Style is character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/style-is-character/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [California is a place in which a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/california-is-a-place-in-which-a-boom-mentality-and-a-sense-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“I went because I was interested in the alchemy of issues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-went-because-i-was-interested-in-the-alchemy-of-issues/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Why did I write it down? In order to remember, of course, but exactly what was it I wanted to remember? How much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/why-did-i-write-it-down-in-order-to-remember-of-course-but-exactly/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I no longer want reminders of what was, what got broken, what got lost, what got wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-no-longer-want-reminders-of-what-was-what-got-broken-what-got-lost/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [My mother 'gave teas' the way other mothers breathed. Her own mother 'gave teas.' All of their friends 'gave teas,' each involving butter cookies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/my-mother-gave-teas-the-way-other-mothers-breathed-her-own-mother/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I'm not very interested in people. I recognize it in myself - there is a basic indifference toward people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-m-not-very-interested-in-people-i-recognize-it-in-myself-there-is-a/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Was there ever in anyone's life span a point free in time, devoid of memory, a point when choice was any more than sum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/was-there-ever-in-anyone-s-life-span-a-point-free-in-time-devoid-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Research to date has shown that, like many other stressors, grief frequently leads to changes in the endocrine, immune, autonomic nervous, and cardiovascular systems;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/research-to-date-has-shown-that-like-many-other-stressors-grief/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“I just can't see the upside in this," I heard myself say by way of explanation. Later he said that if John had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-just-can-t-see-the-upside-in-this-i-heard-myself-say-by-way-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [ I read so ravenously that I would read through whole categories. I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [To those of us who remained committed mainly to the exploration of moral distinctions and ambiguities, the feminist analysis may have seemed a particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-those-of-us-who-remained-committed-mainly-to-the-exploration-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“For everything there is a season. I'd miss having the seasons, people from New York like to say by way of indicating the extraordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/for-everything-there-is-a-season-i-d-miss-having-the-seasons-people/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) [Explore all 515 Joan Didion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) ## More Heart quotes > [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“He held her like a new woman and what she felt felt almost as good as love had, and each of them called it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dunn/he-held-her-like-a-new-woman-and-what-she-felt-felt-almost-as-good-as/) [Stephen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dunn/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [My heart jumps out of its cage to see what the fuss is about. Damn thing. Always so hopeful, but my voice hides it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wylie/my-heart-jumps-out-of-its-cage-to-see-what-the-fuss-is-about-damn/) [Sarah Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wylie/) > [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/) [Rena Kornreich Gelissen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rena-kornreich-gelissen/) > [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) > [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) > [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Love will fan the flame, and that flame will warm the heart that's waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-w-smith/love-will-fan-the-flame-and-that-flame-will-warm-the-heart-that-s/) [Michael W. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-w-smith/) > [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/) [Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) [Browse all 45,172 Heart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“By the end of the week she was thinking constantly about where her body stopped and the air began about the exact point in space and time that was the difference between Maria and other.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joan Didion" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking-constantly-about-where-her/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Heart" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking-constantly-about-where-her/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2db/joan-didion-497_heart_by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking_30433.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2db/joan-didion-497_heart_by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking_30433.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2db/joan-didion-497_heart_by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking_30433.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“By the end of the week she was thinking constantly about where her body stopped and the air began about the…” — Joan Didion", "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": "Joan Didion", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“By the end of the week...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking-constantly-about-where-her/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking-constantly-about-where-her/#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 } } ] } ```