--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He knew by heart every last minute crack…" description: "\"He knew by heart every last minute crack on its surface. He had made maps of the ceiling and gone exploring on them; rivers, islands, and continents. H..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/josephine-tey-12922_angle_he-knew-by-heart-every-last-minute-crack_2209369.jpg" --- # He knew by heart every last minute crack on its surface… ![“He knew by heart every last minute crack on its surface. He had made maps of the ceiling and gone exploring on them; rivers, islands, and continents. He had made guessing games of it and discovered hidden objects; faces, birds, and fishes. He made mathematical calculations of it and rediscovered…” quote by Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/josephine-tey-12922_angle_he-knew-by-heart-every-last-minute-crack_2209369.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/josephine-tey-12922_angle_he-knew-by-heart-every-last-minute-crack_2209369.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/josephine-tey-12922_angle_he-knew-by-heart-every-last-minute-crack_2209369.jpg) > “He knew by heart every last minute crack on its surface. He had made maps of the ceiling and gone exploring on them; rivers, islands, and continents. He had made guessing games of it and discovered hidden objects; faces, birds, and fishes. He made mathematical calculations of it and rediscovered his childhood; theorems, angles, and triangles. There was practically nothing else he could do but look at it. He hated the sight of it.” [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He obsesses over a ceiling, mapping it like a world, turning mundane observation into a personal universe. **In simple terms:** He studies the ceiling obsessively, finding patterns and meaning. Key Takeaway Notice how fixation can create meaning in the ordinary. Themes obsession perception creativity Mood curious melancholic Type literary reflective When to use this quote - art analysis - personal reflection - creative writing Key Concepts pattern recognition psychology nostalgia Questions to Reflect On - What does the ceiling symbolize for you? - How can obsession both enrich and limit perception? A Different Perspective It can become a distraction from broader experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Childhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childhood/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Guessing Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/guessing-game/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Islands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islands/) [Last minute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/last-minute/) [Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rivers/) [Triangles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/triangles/) ## Related quotes > [“The truth is that I understood very little of what she was saying. Before Alex, what thrills I'd experienced I'd found in my imagination,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aria-beth-sloss/the-truth-is-that-i-understood-very-little-of-what-she-was-saying/) Aria Beth Sloss > [“The evolutionists, piercing beneath the show of momentary stability, discovered, hidden in rudimentary organs, the discarded rubbish of the past. They detected the reptile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/the-evolutionists-piercing-beneath-the-show-of-momentary-stability/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [For the longest time, I was always like a guy that people would think they went to high school with. They'd be like, 'How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-messina/for-the-longest-time-i-was-always-like-a-guy-that-people-would-think/) [Chris Messina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-messina/) > [Everything with Peeping Tom is kind of a guessing game. It's constantly exhilarating but also exhausting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-patton/everything-with-peeping-tom-is-kind-of-a-guessing-game-it-s/) [Mike Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-patton/) > [“Alas, great is my sorrow. Your name is Ah Chen, and when you were born I was not truly pleased. I am a farmer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hughart/alas-great-is-my-sorrow-your-name-is-ah-chen-and-when-you-were-born-i/) [Barry Hughart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hughart/) > [It's never one thing it's a lot of things because you learn that show business is one of the most complicated industries in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-mitchell/it-s-never-one-thing-it-s-a-lot-of-things-because-you-learn-that-show/) [Liz Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-mitchell/) > [“It is raining.  The clock ticks.  I am leaning on my elbow.  The wind blows through the cracks.  The door rattles in its frame.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-rehmus/it-is-raining-the-clock-ticks-i-am-leaning-on-my-elbow-the-wind-blows/) E.E. Rehmus > [Part of filmmaking is always a guessing game, and part of it is always a game of trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-kinnear/part-of-filmmaking-is-always-a-guessing-game-and-part-of-it-is-always/) [Greg Kinnear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-kinnear/) > [Life seemed even more of a guessing game than usual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/life-seemed-even-more-of-a-guessing-game-than-usual/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [Nothing matters but the facts. Without them, the science of criminal investigation is nothing more than a guessing game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-edwards/nothing-matters-but-the-facts-without-them-the-science-of-criminal/) [Blake Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-edwards/) > [Love should not be a guessing game. In fact, it shouldn't be a game at all. One should lay all the cards on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-should-not-be-a-guessing-game-in-fact-it-shouldn-t-be-a-game-at/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He waited in silence for the blindfold to be tied firmly at the back of his head. ‘Right,’ said Wilkins, emphatically. ‘That should do.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-coe/he-waited-in-silence-for-the-blindfold-to-be-tied-firmly-at-the-back/) [Jonathan Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-coe/) > [“I griped about it at lunch one day to Bill Weist and Dr. Leslie Squier, our visiting psychologists from Reed College. I'd been trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-pryor/i-griped-about-it-at-lunch-one-day-to-bill-weist-and-dr-leslie-squier/) [Karen Pryor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-pryor/) > [When it came to foods it was a guessing game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-perez/when-it-came-to-foods-it-was-a-guessing-game/) Tony Perez > [Dear Males; please tell us how you feel straight up. We are not a guessing game and we don't like being played like one.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dear-males-please-tell-us-how-you-feel-straight-up-we-are-not-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Josephine Tey > [“She put her cup down and sighed again with pleasure. "I can't think how the Nonconformists have failed to discover coffee." "Discover it?" "Yes.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/she-put-her-cup-down-and-sighed-again-with-pleasure-i-can-t-think-how/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) > [“The only thing that counted to her was her own opinion of herself. If that became smirched or spoiled there would be nothing left.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/the-only-thing-that-counted-to-her-was-her-own-opinion-of-herself-if/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) > [The worst of pushing horrible things down into one's subconscious is that when they pop up again they are as fresh as if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/the-worst-of-pushing-horrible-things-down-into-one-s-subconscious-is/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) > [“This is nice,” she said. “They’re not very high, but I hate walking in them.” “What are?” “My shoes.” She held up a foot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/this-is-nice-she-said-they-re-not-very-high-but-i-hate-walking-in/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) > [It was pleasant to talk shop again; to use that elliptical, allusive speech that one uses only with another of one's trade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/it-was-pleasant-to-talk-shop-again-to-use-that-elliptical-allusive/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) > [“Silas’s last book: mother lying-in with her eleventh upstairs, father laid-out after his ninth downstairs, eldest son lying to the Government in the cow-shed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/silas-s-last-book-mother-lying-in-with-her-eleventh-upstairs-father/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) > [It's an odd thing but when you tell someone the true facts of a mythical tale they are indignant not with the teller but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/it-s-an-odd-thing-but-when-you-tell-someone-the-true-facts-of-a/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) > [“How old was More when Richard succeeded? He was five. When that dramatic council scene had taken place at the Tower, Thomas More had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/how-old-was-more-when-richard-succeeded-he-was-five-when-that/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) > [Nothing puts things in perspective as quickly as a mountain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/nothing-puts-things-in-perspective-as-quickly-as-a-mountain/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) > [“She'll never ride," Eleanor said. She can't even bump the saddle yet." "Perhaps loony people can't ride," Ruth suggested. "Ruth," Bee said, with vigour.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/she-ll-never-ride-eleanor-said-she-can-t-even-bump-the-saddle-yet/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) > [The truth of anything at all doesn't lie in someone's account of it. It lies in all the small facts of the time. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/the-truth-of-anything-at-all-doesn-t-lie-in-someone-s-account-of-it/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) > [“Alan Grant: "There are... far too many words written. Millions and millions of them pouring from the presses every minute. It's a horrible thought."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/alan-grant-there-are-far-too-many-words-written-millions-and-millions/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) > [Truth is often terribly thin, don't you think?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/truth-is-often-terribly-thin-don-t-you-think/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) > [A man may own a ship, but unless he is captain of a crew he goes where the ship goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/a-man-may-own-a-ship-but-unless-he-is-captain-of-a-crew-he-goes-where/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) > [In hospitals there is no time off for good behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-tey/in-hospitals-there-is-no-time-off-for-good-behavior/) [Josephine Tey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) [Explore all 52 Josephine Tey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-tey/) ## More Angle quotes > [Well, you can certainly teach free-throwing. And you can teach the boys to pass at angles and run in curves. - University of Kansas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-dawkins/well-you-can-certainly-teach-free-throwing-and-you-can-teach-the-boys/) [Darryl Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-dawkins/) > [I like small things, I like small moments that are almost elliptical, that are not necessarily linear; they're natural things that happen in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-carter/i-like-small-things-i-like-small-moments-that-are-almost-elliptical/) [Keith Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-carter/) > [Los Angles to me seems to be a little bit more forgiving. They're just as rowdy and they're just as excited but they understand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-cole/los-angles-to-me-seems-to-be-a-little-bit-more-forgiving-they-re-just/) [Adam Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-cole/) > [Our mind is a flowing something. It oscillates. Concentration is merely the continuous return to the same problem from a million angles… So my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-laubach/our-mind-is-a-flowing-something-it-oscillates-concentration-is-merely/) [Frank Laubach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-laubach/) > [There's only a very small representation of girls among you. Too little. Women have much to tell us in today’s society. Sometimes we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/there-s-only-a-very-small-representation-of-girls-among-you-too/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [The genius is a genius by the first look he casts on any object. Is his eye creative? Does he not rest in angles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-genius-is-a-genius-by-the-first-look-he-casts-on-any-object-is/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Once I'd worked out that I couldn't possibly expect people to enjoy a monstrous, 3000-page book, I realised I could in fact create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/once-i-d-worked-out-that-i-couldn-t-possibly-expect-people-to-enjoy-a/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Writing is a intensely personal activity. I can pen down my best thoughts when I'm alone. But when one is elevated into the stature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/writing-is-a-intensely-personal-activity-i-can-pen-down-my-best/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) > [I have known a very good, fisher angle diligently four or six hours for a river carp, and not have a bite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/izaak-walton/i-have-known-a-very-good-fisher-angle-diligently-four-or-six-hours/) [Izaak Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/izaak-walton/) > [“Distribution of weight is preferable to balancing everything on the head of a pin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/psixaristw/distribution-of-weight-is-preferable-to-balancing-everything-on-the/) Psixaristw > [He was not as soft as when I'd first met him, not as young, but the angles of his face, his quick gestures, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/he-was-not-as-soft-as-when-i-d-first-met-him-not-as-young-but-the/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [If somebody is really trying to take your head off with a baseball bat - I don't know how long you're supposed to stand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/if-somebody-is-really-trying-to-take-your-head-off-with-a-baseball/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Sometimes I sit and look at life from a different angle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/sometimes-i-sit-and-look-at-life-from-a-different-angle/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [Teaching, like any truly human activity, emerges from one's inwardness, for better or worse. As I teach I project the condition of my soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/teaching-like-any-truly-human-activity-emerges-from-one-s-inwardness/) [Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/) > [The divisions of science are not like different lines that meet in one angle, but rather like the branches of trees that join in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/the-divisions-of-science-are-not-like-different-lines-that-meet-in/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) Browse all 645 Angle quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He knew by heart every last minute crack on its surface. He had made maps of the ceiling and gone exploring on them; rivers, islands, and continents. He had made guessing games of it and discovered hidden objects; faces, birds, and fishes. 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