--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are single thoughts that contain…" description: "\"There are single thoughts that contain the essence of a whole volume, single sentences that have the beauties of a large work.\" — Joseph Joubert" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/161/joseph-joubert-1017_essence_there-are-single-thoughts-that-contain-t_442606.png" --- # There are single thoughts that contain the essence of a… ![“There are single thoughts that contain the essence of a whole volume, single sentences that have the beauties of a large work.” quote by Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/161/joseph-joubert-1017_essence_there-are-single-thoughts-that-contain-t_442606.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/161/joseph-joubert-1017_essence_there-are-single-thoughts-that-contain-t_442606.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/161/joseph-joubert-1017_essence_there-are-single-thoughts-that-contain-t_442606.png) > “There are single thoughts that contain the essence of a whole volume, single sentences that have the beauties of a large work.” [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A single thought can encapsulate an entire work’s essence, and a sentence can hold the beauty of a larger text. **In simple terms:** One idea can hold a whole book’s meaning. Key Takeaway Seek depth in concise expression. Themes brevity depth beauty ofthought expression literary craft Mood thoughtful inspired Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - poetry - academic essays - public speaking - teaching Key Concepts philosophy writing creativity insight Questions to Reflect On - How can you expand a brief insight without losing impact? - What risks arise from oversimplification? A Different Perspective Concise ideas may miss nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Essence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence/) [Large Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large-work-1375634/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Quotations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quotations/) [Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences/) [Sentences Beauties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentences-beauties-3878705/) [Single sentence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-sentence/) [Single Sentences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-sentences-2287731/) [Single Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-thoughts-3878704/) [Thoughts Contain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-contain-2987646/) [Volume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/volume/) [Whole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole/) ## Related quotes > [A few words worthy to be remembered suffice to give an idea of a great mind. There are single thoughts that contain the essence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/a-few-words-worthy-to-be-remembered-suffice-to-give-an-idea-of-a/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [If life's lessons could be reduced to single sentences, ther would be no need for fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/if-life-s-lessons-could-be-reduced-to-single-sentences-ther-would-be/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [If you want to become a light in the lives of other people, your thoughts must first contain a positive charge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mercado/if-you-want-to-become-a-light-in-the-lives-of-other-people-your/) [Joseph Mercado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mercado/) > [If life's lessons could be reduced to single sentences, there would be no need for fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-turow/if-life-s-lessons-could-be-reduced-to-single-sentences-there-would-be/) [Scott Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-turow/) > [By and large, most of the work that we see in the great museums throughout the world are populated with people who don't happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/by-and-large-most-of-the-work-that-we-see-in-the-great-museums/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [Large work are solved not by strength but by persevere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mubba/large-work-are-solved-not-by-strength-but-by-persevere/) [Mubba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mubba/) > [A large amount of work has come to a standstill all around, so I thought why not just go for weight loss?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shehnaaz-gill/a-large-amount-of-work-has-come-to-a-standstill-all-around-so-i/) [Shehnaaz Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shehnaaz-gill/) > [In the Book of Poetry there are three hundred poems, but the meaning of all of them may be put in a single sentence:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/in-the-book-of-poetry-there-are-three-hundred-poems-but-the-meaning/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [“the theory of Communists may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/the-theory-of-communists-may-be-summed-up-in-the-single-sentence/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [“If you want to fulfil your dreams, stay away from the people who look down on you. Those who try to finish every single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/if-you-want-to-fulfil-your-dreams-stay-away-from-the-people-who-look/) [Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/) > [“What kind of writer are you?” You can’t think of a single sentence that would satisfy Hyong-chol. Your”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyung-sook-shin/what-kind-of-writer-are-you-you-can-t-think-of-a-single-sentence-that/) [Kyung-Sook Shin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyung-sook-shin/) > [“Without being aware that I was following in my father’s footsteps, I read, before I went to Cambridge, Mill’s Logic and Political Economy, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/without-being-aware-that-i-was-following-in-my-father-s-footsteps-i/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“One single sentence, one frame of film, and abracadabra! the story’s wings would take her to another lost world, another magic realm that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-osborne/one-single-sentence-one-frame-of-film-and-abracadabra-the-story-s/) [Neale Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-osborne/) > [ I don't think there is a single sentence in this whole book \[East of Eden\] that does not either develop character, carry on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-don-t-think-there-is-a-single-sentence-in-this-whole-book-east-of/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > ['They fell in love.' Such a rare and special event cannot be done justice by one statement; it involves so much more than that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-fell-in-love-such-a-rare-and-special-event-cannot-be-done/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Joseph Joubert > [Living requires but little life; doing requires much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/living-requires-but-little-life-doing-requires-much/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [A false mind is false in everything, just as a cross eye always looks askant. But one may err once, nay, a hundred times,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/a-false-mind-is-false-in-everything-just-as-a-cross-eye-always-looks/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [Criticism even should not be without its charms. When quite devoid of all amenities, it is no longer literary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/criticism-even-should-not-be-without-its-charms-when-quite-devoid-of/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [What a man knows only through feeling can be explained only through enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/what-a-man-knows-only-through-feeling-can-be-explained-only-through/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [Imagination is the eye of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/imagination-is-the-eye-of-the-soul/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [One man finds in religion his literature and his science, another finds in it his joy and his duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/one-man-finds-in-religion-his-literature-and-his-science-another/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [Which is more misshapen,--religion without virtue, or virtue without religion?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/which-is-more-misshapen-religion-without-virtue-or-virtue-without/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [How many people become abstract as a way of appearing profound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/how-many-people-become-abstract-as-a-way-of-appearing-profound/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [How many books there are whose reputation is made that would not obtain it were it now to make?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/how-many-books-there-are-whose-reputation-is-made-that-would-not/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [God has commanded Time to console the unhappy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/god-has-commanded-time-to-console-the-unhappy/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [We shall always keep a spare corner in our heads to give passing hospitality to our friends' opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/we-shall-always-keep-a-spare-corner-in-our-heads-to-give-passing/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [Agriculture engenders good sense, and good sense of an excellent kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/agriculture-engenders-good-sense-and-good-sense-of-an-excellent-kind/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [We may convince others by our arguements, but we can only persuade them by their own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/we-may-convince-others-by-our-arguements-but-we-can-only-persuade/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [To teach is to learn twice. About all some parents accomplish in life is to send a child to Harvard. The purpose of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/to-teach-is-to-learn-twice-about-all-some-parents-accomplish-in-life/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [Grace is in garments, in movements, in manners; beauty in the nude, and in forms. This is true of bodies; but when we speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/grace-is-in-garments-in-movements-in-manners-beauty-in-the-nude-and/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) [Explore all 306 Joseph Joubert quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) ## More Essence quotes > [“THE ESSENCE OF YOUR DESIRE IS A FEELING”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-laporte/the-essence-of-your-desire-is-a-feeling/) [Danielle LaPorte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-laporte/) > [Everything in dancing is style, allusion, the essence of many thoughts and feelings. The abstraction of many moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvin-ailey/everything-in-dancing-is-style-allusion-the-essence-of-many-thoughts/) [Alvin Ailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvin-ailey/) > [Spiritually, life is a festival, a celebration. Joy is of the essence of life;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnivesh/spiritually-life-is-a-festival-a-celebration-joy-is-of-the-essence-of/) [Agnivesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnivesh/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [It's all the unwordable things one wants to write about, just as it's all the unformable things one wants to paint - essence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-carr/it-s-all-the-unwordable-things-one-wants-to-write-about-just-as-it-s/) [Emily Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-carr/) > [In essence, I see the value of journalism as resting in a twofold mission: informing the public of accurate and vital information, and its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-greenwald/in-essence-i-see-the-value-of-journalism-as-resting-in-a-twofold/) [Glenn Greenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-greenwald/) > [Curiosity is the essence of human existence. 'Who are we? Where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'... I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/curiosity-is-the-essence-of-human-existence-who-are-we-where-are-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The essence of worldliness is exclusion of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-jacobsen/the-essence-of-worldliness-is-exclusion-of-god/) [Henry Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-jacobsen/) > [I am alive. Up here with the song of the engine and the air whispering on my face as the sunlight and shadows play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-coonts/i-am-alive-up-here-with-the-song-of-the-engine-and-the-air-whispering/) [Stephen Coonts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-coonts/) > [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [The wisdom or the essence of Guru Tattwa is a balance. Like when you maintain a plant, if you do not give it water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmala-srivastava/the-wisdom-or-the-essence-of-guru-tattwa-is-a-balance-like-when-you/) [Nirmala Srivastava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmala-srivastava/) > [This is the pathless path - returning to where you were initially before you got lost. The deepest truth in you is where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/this-is-the-pathless-path-returning-to-where-you-were-initially/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [Communism... is the genuine resolution of the antagonism between man and nature and between man and man; it is the true resolution of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/communism-is-the-genuine-resolution-of-the-antagonism-between-man-and/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [I'm not so much in the future as always in the present. The future always takes care of itself. What I do now with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-mekas/i-m-not-so-much-in-the-future-as-always-in-the-present-the-future/) [Jonas Mekas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-mekas/) > [The essence of the stage is concentration and penetration. Of the screen action, movement, sweep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elia-kazan/the-essence-of-the-stage-is-concentration-and-penetration-of-the/) [Elia Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elia-kazan/) [Browse all 3,115 Essence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/essence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are single thoughts that contain the essence of a whole volume, single sentences that have the beauties of a large work.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Joubert" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/there-are-single-thoughts-that-contain-the-essence-of-a-whole-volume/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Essence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/there-are-single-thoughts-that-contain-the-essence-of-a-whole-volume/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/161/joseph-joubert-1017_essence_there-are-single-thoughts-that-contain-t_442606.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/161/joseph-joubert-1017_essence_there-are-single-thoughts-that-contain-t_442606.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/161/joseph-joubert-1017_essence_there-are-single-thoughts-that-contain-t_442606.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are single thoughts that contain the essence of a whole volume, single sentences that have the…” — Joseph Joubert", "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": "Joseph Joubert", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There are single thoughts that contain...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/there-are-single-thoughts-that-contain-the-essence-of-a-whole-volume/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/there-are-single-thoughts-that-contain-the-essence-of-a-whole-volume/#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 } } ] } ```