--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I discovered that I felt at home and…" description: "\"“I discovered that I felt at home and alive in the silence, which compelled me to enter my interior world and around there. Without the distraction of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/karen-armstrong-1053_communication_i-discovered-that-i-felt-at-home-and-ali_126549.jpg" --- # I discovered that I felt at home and alive in the silence… ![“I discovered that I felt at home and alive in the silence, which compelled me to enter my interior world and around there. Without the distraction of constant conversation, the words on the page began to speak directly to my inner self. They were no long expressing ideas that were simply…” quote by Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/karen-armstrong-1053_communication_i-discovered-that-i-felt-at-home-and-ali_126549.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/karen-armstrong-1053_communication_i-discovered-that-i-felt-at-home-and-ali_126549.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/karen-armstrong-1053_communication_i-discovered-that-i-felt-at-home-and-ali_126549.jpg) > ““I discovered that I felt at home and alive in the silence, which compelled me to enter my interior world and around there. Without the distraction of constant conversation, the words on the page began to speak directly to my inner self. They were no long expressing ideas that were simply interesting intellectually, but were talking directly to my own yearning and perplexity.”” [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Silence lets inner thoughts surface, making reading a dialogue with oneself rather than external ideas. **In simple terms:** Silence helps you hear your own inner voice while reading. Key Takeaway Seek quiet to connect deeper with your inner self. Themes introspection mindfulness reading self‑discovery Mood calm reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing retreats - personal journaling - creative work Key Concepts contemplation inner dialogue Practical Applications - schedule daily quiet reading sessions Questions to Reflect On - How does silence change your perception of text? - What inner questions arise when you read alone? A Different Perspective Distractions can still intrude, limiting depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alive Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alive-silence-1462157/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Felt Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-home/) [Inner self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner-self/) [Intellectually Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectually-talking-1462159/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Silence Compelled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence-compelled-1462158/) ## Related quotes > [After a time I found that I could almost listen to the silence, which had a dimension all of its own. I started to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/after-a-time-i-found-that-i-could-almost-listen-to-the-silence-which/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [I spent a long time looking at faces, drinking in smiles. Am I happy or unhappy? It’s not a very important question. I live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-spent-a-long-time-looking-at-faces-drinking-in-smiles-am-i-happy-or/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I love your silences, they are like mine. You are the only being before whom I am not distressed by my own silences. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-love-your-silences-they-are-like-mine-you-are-the-only-being-before/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [“She felt really alone now. But here's the thing- suddenly she felt as though she belonged inside the aloneness, and that feeling made her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-hale/she-felt-really-alone-now-but-here-s-the-thing-suddenly-she-felt-as/) [Shannon Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-hale/) > [I've always felt more at home in the UK than in France.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-gaultier/i-ve-always-felt-more-at-home-in-the-uk-than-in-france/) [Jean Paul Gaultier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-gaultier/) > [I've always felt at home in America. Obviously, there's down sides to everywhere - the politics of America can be hard to take but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/i-ve-always-felt-at-home-in-america-obviously-there-s-down-sides-to/) [KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/) > [“Dressed that way, he looked almost like any other New Yorker. It was only he nervous shifting of his eyes that hinted at discomfort,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-heilig/dressed-that-way-he-looked-almost-like-any-other-new-yorker-it-was/) [Heidi Heilig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-heilig/) > [There are movies where I've walked onto the set and felt, "This is home," and I'm confident in myself and my work, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-williams/there-are-movies-where-i-ve-walked-onto-the-set-and-felt-this-is-home/) [Olivia Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-williams/) > [“she thought about being held to the woman's chest, and lying there hair-smoothed and quiet until she felt she'd found home. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-franklin/she-thought-about-being-held-to-the-woman-s-chest-and-lying-there/) [Emily Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-franklin/) > [“The only place I ever felt at home was with you. There isn’t a place for me anywhere anymore… I’ve been evicted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranata-suzuki/the-only-place-i-ever-felt-at-home-was-with-you-there-isn-t-a-place/) [Ranata Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranata-suzuki/) > [“I've always tried to make a home for myself, but I have not felt at home in myself. I've worked hard at being the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-ve-always-tried-to-make-a-home-for-myself-but-i-have-not-felt-at/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [Bombay always felt home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-kapoor/bombay-always-felt-home/) [Karan Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-kapoor/) > [When I started touring and coming to San Francisco, especially, I felt the most at home in America, other than in New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonobo/when-i-started-touring-and-coming-to-san-francisco-especially-i-felt/) [Bonobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonobo/) > [He never yelled or screamed so I felt very at home and comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-o-brien/he-never-yelled-or-screamed-so-i-felt-very-at-home-and-comfortable/) [Margaret O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-o-brien/) > [I lived in Hollywood long enough to learn to play tennis and become a star, but I never felt it was my home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulette-goddard/i-lived-in-hollywood-long-enough-to-learn-to-play-tennis-and-become-a/) [Paulette Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulette-goddard/) ## More by Karen Armstrong > [If it is written and read with serious attention, a novel, like a myth or any great work of art, can become an initiation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/if-it-is-written-and-read-with-serious-attention-a-novel-like-a-myth/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [A gentleman is not born but crafted. He had to work on himself in the same way as a sculptor shaped a rough stone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/a-gentleman-is-not-born-but-crafted-he-had-to-work-on-himself-in-the/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [I was a lousy nun. I couldn't do it. I couldn't find God. It wasn't suitable for me. It is suitable for very few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-was-a-lousy-nun-i-couldn-t-do-it-i-couldn-t-find-god-it-wasn-t/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [I have become convinced, through my studies, that the only way to achieve a safe, just and viable world is to live by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-have-become-convinced-through-my-studies-that-the-only-way-to/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [In the past some of the most influential Jewish, Christian and Muslim theologians, such as Maimonides, Aquinas and Ibn Sina, made it clear that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/in-the-past-some-of-the-most-influential-jewish-christian-and-muslim/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [The great task of our time is to build a global society, where people can live together in peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/the-great-task-of-our-time-is-to-build-a-global-society-where-people/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [We want to create, never mind the leaders or the bishops or chief rabbis or imams, or Popes. We want to create a grassroots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/we-want-to-create-never-mind-the-leaders-or-the-bishops-or-chief/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [If we don't manage to implement the Golden Rule globally, so that we treat all peoples, wherever and whoever they may be, as though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/if-we-don-t-manage-to-implement-the-golden-rule-globally-so-that-we/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [After I left the convent, for 15 years I was worn out with religion, I wanted nothing whatever to do with it. I felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/after-i-left-the-convent-for-15-years-i-was-worn-out-with-religion-i/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“As we have seen, so many of the things we once took for granted have proved unreliable that we may have to “forget” old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/as-we-have-seen-so-many-of-the-things-we-once-took-for-granted-have/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Yet a personal God can become a grave liability. He can be a mere idol carved in our own image, a projection of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/yet-a-personal-god-can-become-a-grave-liability-he-can-be-a-mere-idol/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Each of the world religions has its own particular genius, its own special insight into the nature and requirements of compassion, and has something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/each-of-the-world-religions-has-its-own-particular-genius-its-own/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“all rightly guided religion that submitted wholly to God, refused to worship man-made deities and preached that justice and equality came from the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/all-rightly-guided-religion-that-submitted-wholly-to-god-refused-to/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“advocates of evolutionary theory since Thomas H. Huxley (1825–95) have found altruism problematic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/advocates-of-evolutionary-theory-since-thomas-h-huxley-1825-95-have/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [If we try to hold on to our partial glimpses of the divine, we cut it down to our own size and close our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/if-we-try-to-hold-on-to-our-partial-glimpses-of-the-divine-we-cut-it/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) [Explore all 296 Karen Armstrong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) ## More Communication quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/) [Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. 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