--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To look at any thing, If you would know…" description: "\"To look at any thing, If you would know that thing, You must look at it long...\" — John Moffitt" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/124/john-moffitt-52783_ifs_to-look-at-any-thing-if-you-would-know-t_2559116.jpg" --- # To look at any thing, If you would know that thing, You… ![“To look at any thing, If you would know that thing, You must look at it long...” quote by John Moffitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/124/john-moffitt-52783_ifs_to-look-at-any-thing-if-you-would-know-t_2559116.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/124/john-moffitt-52783_ifs_to-look-at-any-thing-if-you-would-know-t_2559116.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/124/john-moffitt-52783_ifs_to-look-at-any-thing-if-you-would-know-t_2559116.jpg) > “To look at any thing, If you would know that thing, You must look at it long...” [John Moffitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-moffitt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Deep understanding requires sustained, focused observation over time. **In simple terms:** Look long to truly know. Key Takeaway Practice patient observation. Themes perception focus learning depth Mood contemplative inquisitive Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - scientific research - art critique - personal reflection - education Key Concepts mindfulness analysis attention curiosity Questions to Reflect On - What does long observation reveal? - When is quick assessment sufficient? A Different Perspective Patience may be impractical in fast‑paced environments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Take your time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/take-your-time/) ## Related quotes > [To look at any thing, If you would know that thing, You must look at it long: To look at this green and say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-moffitt/to-look-at-any-thing-if-you-would-know-that-thing-you-must-look-at-it/) [John Moffitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-moffitt/) > [“...it is a dreadfull thing to look down Praecipices.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-ackroyd/it-is-a-dreadfull-thing-to-look-down-praecipices/) [Peter Ackroyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-ackroyd/) > [“I do hope you’re using that thing to look at photographs of Moulin Rouge ladies as a young man your age should, and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kady-cross/i-do-hope-you-re-using-that-thing-to-look-at-photographs-of-moulin/) [Kady Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kady-cross/) > [A thing may look specious in theory, and yet be ruinous in practice; a thing may look evil in theory, and yet be in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/a-thing-may-look-specious-in-theory-and-yet-be-ruinous-in-practice-a/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [The very first thing I look at on a woman is her toes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-lee/the-very-first-thing-i-look-at-on-a-woman-is-her-toes/) [Tommy Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-lee/) > [Sometimes, the only thing you can do is to look back for you to find out who is behind you..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherry-diaz/sometimes-the-only-thing-you-can-do-is-to-look-back-for-you-to-find/) [Cherry Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherry-diaz/) > [When I get home from school, the first thing I look for is food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-get-home-from-school-the-first-thing-i-look-for-is-food/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I let you go!...but don't forget one thing before you do...look at your back'..i always see you where ever you go,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/axll-sblns/i-let-you-go-but-don-t-forget-one-thing-before-you-do-look-at-your/) AXLL\_SBLNS > [The most Capricorn thing about me is how serious I look until someone speaks to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ice-spice/the-most-capricorn-thing-about-me-is-how-serious-i-look-until-someone/) [Ice Spice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ice-spice/) > [Perhaps it is a human thing, to look upon such beauty and fail to encompass it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/perhaps-it-is-a-human-thing-to-look-upon-such-beauty-and-fail-to/) [Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/) > [“You not only have to do the right thing. You have to look like you're doing the right thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-m-paulson-jr/you-not-only-have-to-do-the-right-thing-you-have-to-look-like-you-re/) Henry M. Paulson Jr > [“When all else fails, the only thing you can do is to look above.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjorie-faith/when-all-else-fails-the-only-thing-you-can-do-is-to-look-above/) marjorie faith > [I'm afraid that if you look at a thing long enough, it loses all of its meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-m-afraid-that-if-you-look-at-a-thing-long-enough-it-loses-all-of/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [The more closely you look at one thing, the less closely can you see something else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-heisenberg/the-more-closely-you-look-at-one-thing-the-less-closely-can-you-see/) [Werner Heisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-heisenberg/) > [“I can look at a thing and know its worth in a second. It’s my particular talent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatriz-williams/i-can-look-at-a-thing-and-know-its-worth-in-a-second-it-s-my/) [Beatriz Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatriz-williams/) ## More by John Moffitt > [I just really thought about it and decided I'm not happy. I'm not happy at all. And I think it's really madness to risk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-moffitt/i-just-really-thought-about-it-and-decided-i-m-not-happy-i-m-not/) [John Moffitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-moffitt/) > [“-you must Be the thing you see: You must enter in to the small silences between the leaves, take your time and touch the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-moffitt/you-must-be-the-thing-you-see-you-must-enter-in-to-the-small-silences/) [John Moffitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-moffitt/) > [I just want to be happy. And I find that people that have the least in life are sometimes the happiest. And I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-moffitt/i-just-want-to-be-happy-and-i-find-that-people-that-have-the-least-in/) [John Moffitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-moffitt/) > [To look at any thing, If you would know that thing, You must look at it long: To look at this green and say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-moffitt/to-look-at-any-thing-if-you-would-know-that-thing-you-must-look-at-it/) [John Moffitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-moffitt/) > [The biggest danger in sailing is not the open ocean. It's hitting things. So if I have a thousand miles between me and land,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-moffitt/the-biggest-danger-in-sailing-is-not-the-open-ocean-it-s-hitting/) [John Moffitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-moffitt/) > [It’s disturbing that people are questioning my sanity for giving up the money. What does that say about our world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-moffitt/it-s-disturbing-that-people-are-questioning-my-sanity-for-giving-up/) [John Moffitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-moffitt/) [Explore all 7 John Moffitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-moffitt/) ## More Ifs quotes > [Women still, when they have breast cancer, go to work; they still lead their lives. They have to. I just did what I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/women-still-when-they-have-breast-cancer-go-to-work-they-still-lead/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Obviously, if you don't love life, you can't enjoy an oyster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-clark/obviously-if-you-don-t-love-life-you-can-t-enjoy-an-oyster/) [Eleanor Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-clark/) > [If I don't have pressure, I don't function.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferran-adria/if-i-don-t-have-pressure-i-don-t-function/) [Ferran Adria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferran-adria/) > [If you restore a car, and you're making money, then you're doing it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/if-you-restore-a-car-and-you-re-making-money-then-you-re-doing-it/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. 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If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) Browse all 94,303 Ifs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To look at any thing, If you would know that thing, You must look at it long...", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Moffitt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-moffitt/to-look-at-any-thing-if-you-would-know-that-thing-you-must-look-at-it-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ifs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-moffitt/to-look-at-any-thing-if-you-would-know-that-thing-you-must-look-at-it-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/124/john-moffitt-52783_ifs_to-look-at-any-thing-if-you-would-know-t_2559116.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/124/john-moffitt-52783_ifs_to-look-at-any-thing-if-you-would-know-t_2559116.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/124/john-moffitt-52783_ifs_to-look-at-any-thing-if-you-would-know-t_2559116.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To look at any thing, If you would know that thing, You must look at it long...” — John Moffitt", "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": "John Moffitt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-moffitt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To look at any thing, If...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-moffitt/to-look-at-any-thing-if-you-would-know-that-thing-you-must-look-at-it-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-moffitt/to-look-at-any-thing-if-you-would-know-that-thing-you-must-look-at-it-2/#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 } } ] } ```