--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The ordinary activities I find most…" description: "\"The ordinary activities I find most compatible with contemplation are walking, baking bread, and doing laundry.\" — Kathleen Norris" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84e/kathleen-norris-7283_baking_the-ordinary-activities-i-find-most-comp_50886.png" --- # The ordinary activities I find most compatible with… ![“The ordinary activities I find most compatible with contemplation are walking, baking bread, and doing laundry.” quote by Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84e/kathleen-norris-7283_baking_the-ordinary-activities-i-find-most-comp_50886.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84e/kathleen-norris-7283_baking_the-ordinary-activities-i-find-most-comp_50886.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84e/kathleen-norris-7283_baking_the-ordinary-activities-i-find-most-comp_50886.png) > “The ordinary activities I find most compatible with contemplation are walking, baking bread, and doing laundry.” [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Simple, repetitive tasks can become meditative, turning routine into a space for mindful awareness. **In simple terms:** Everyday chores as meditation Key Takeaway Find depth in routine Themes mindfulness routine contemplation simplicity presence Mood calm reflective grounded Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - morning walk - baking bread - laundry folding - commuting - gardening Key Concepts meditation habit attention Practical Applications - mindful walking practice - using chores for stress relief Questions to Reflect On - How can you transform a daily task into a reflective moment? - What ordinary activity could you approach with more presence? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baking/) [Baking bread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baking-bread/) [Bread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bread/) [Contemplation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplation/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) ## Related quotes > [“There are divisions between a culinary chef and a dessert chef, also called a pastry chef. At Zomick's are specializations within the pastry chef…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-ben-israel/there-are-divisions-between-a-culinary-chef-and-a-dessert-chef-also/) [Ron Ben-Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-ben-israel/) > [I've been baking bread and looking after the baby...Everyone else who has asked me that question over the last few years says. 'But what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/i-ve-been-baking-bread-and-looking-after-the-baby-everyone-else-who/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [Little things like making clothes, baking bread, cooking, even useless things like bird-watching, sketching flowers, playing guitar in the home - that sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hodgkinson/little-things-like-making-clothes-baking-bread-cooking-even-useless/) [Tom Hodgkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hodgkinson/) > [There is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in a music-throbbing chapel, that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/there-is-no-chiropractic-treatment-no-yoga-exercise-no-hour-of/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [Jeremy Corbyn confuses the public because he looks like a librarian and enjoys baking bread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-ryan/jeremy-corbyn-confuses-the-public-because-he-looks-like-a-librarian/) [Katherine Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-ryan/) > [Baking is how you start kids at cooking in the kitchen. It's fun whether it's baking bread or cookies. With baking, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-lee/baking-is-how-you-start-kids-at-cooking-in-the-kitchen-it-s-fun/) [Sandra Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-lee/) > [“Baking bread is a lot like growing your faith in the Lord, Carrie Louise. You mix together the best ingredients you can find and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-love/baking-bread-is-a-lot-like-growing-your-faith-in-the-lord-carrie/) [Dorothy Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-love/) > [St. Paul introduced an entirely novel view of marriage, that it existed primarily to prevent the sin of fornication. It is just as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/st-paul-introduced-an-entirely-novel-view-of-marriage-that-it-existed/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Baking is how you start kids at cooking in the kitchen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-lee/baking-is-how-you-start-kids-at-cooking-in-the-kitchen/) [Sandra Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-lee/) > [“Baking bread is as glorious as planting flowers, as doing a cardiac bypass, as teaching a child to read.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-c-schlessinger/baking-bread-is-as-glorious-as-planting-flowers-as-doing-a-cardiac/) [Laura C. Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-c-schlessinger/) > [My secret skill is baking bread. My mother was a farmer's daughter and still made bread every day when I was a child. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/my-secret-skill-is-baking-bread-my-mother-was-a-farmer-s-daughter-and/) [Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/) > [I never understood why sourdough was the quarantine It Girl. Why go through the process of baking bread when you could just buy it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ego-nwodim/i-never-understood-why-sourdough-was-the-quarantine-it-girl-why-go/) [Ego Nwodim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ego-nwodim/) > [The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/the-smell-of-good-bread-baking-like-the-sound-of-lightly-flowing/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [Me writing about tennis is like a baker baking bread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ion-tiriac/me-writing-about-tennis-is-like-a-baker-baking-bread/) [Ion Tiriac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ion-tiriac/) > [Making pasta, cooking pasta and baking bread are two essential ideas to create a little bit of excitement, and you learn the basic, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-ramsay/making-pasta-cooking-pasta-and-baking-bread-are-two-essential-ideas/) [Gordon Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-ramsay/) ## More by Kathleen Norris > [One may have been a fool, but there's no foolishness like being bitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/one-may-have-been-a-fool-but-there-s-no-foolishness-like-being-bitter/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [“At its Greek root, "to believe" simply means "to give one's heart to." Thus, if we can determine what it is we give our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/at-its-greek-root-to-believe-simply-means-to-give-one-s-heart-to-thus/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [In any free society, the conflict between social conformity and individual liberty is permanent, unresolvable, and necessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/in-any-free-society-the-conflict-between-social-conformity-and/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [Before you begin a thing, remind yourself that difficulties and delays quite impossible to foresee are ahead. If you could see them clearly, naturally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/before-you-begin-a-thing-remind-yourself-that-difficulties-and-delays/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [When you are unhappy, is there anything more maddening than to be told that you should be contented with your lot?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/when-you-are-unhappy-is-there-anything-more-maddening-than-to-be-told/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [“I was vaguely attracted to both library science and accounting, for the way that these disciplines impose order on chaos.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/i-was-vaguely-attracted-to-both-library-science-and-accounting-for/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [Hate is all a lie, there is no truth in hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/hate-is-all-a-lie-there-is-no-truth-in-hate/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [“Well, they tell us meat isn't good for us anyway!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/well-they-tell-us-meat-isn-t-good-for-us-anyway/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [None of us knows what the next change is going to be, what unexpected opportunity is just around the corner, waiting a few months…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/none-of-us-knows-what-the-next-change-is-going-to-be-what-unexpected/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [Laundry, liturgy and women's work all serve to ground us in the world, and they need not grind us down. Our daily tasks, whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/laundry-liturgy-and-women-s-work-all-serve-to-ground-us-in-the-world/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [The demon of acedia -- also called the noonday demon -- is the one that causes the most serious trouble of all. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/the-demon-of-acedia-also-called-the-noonday-demon-is-the-one-that/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [Only Christ could have brought us all together, in this place, doing such absurd but necessary things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/only-christ-could-have-brought-us-all-together-in-this-place-doing/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [“In choosing a bare bones existence, we are enriched, and can redefine success as an internal process rather than an outward display of wealth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/in-choosing-a-bare-bones-existence-we-are-enriched-and-can-redefine/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [“Poetry was a discipline grounded in experience that drew its life and worth from a source much greater than oneself, and as it realized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/poetry-was-a-discipline-grounded-in-experience-that-drew-its-life-and/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [Wariness about change is a kind of prairie wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/wariness-about-change-is-a-kind-of-prairie-wisdom/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) [Explore all 93 Kathleen Norris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) ## More Baking quotes > [I'm a fan of a big roast or a bolognese, but I also love baking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daisy-lowe/i-m-a-fan-of-a-big-roast-or-a-bolognese-but-i-also-love-baking/) [Daisy Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daisy-lowe/) > [Always my fallback is - I'm gonna move to a poor town and open a scone shop... Sometimes after some bad auditions I think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-rannells/always-my-fallback-is-i-m-gonna-move-to-a-poor-town-and-open-a-scone/) [Andrew Rannells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-rannells/) > [Simple jewelry is best - bigger pieces get in the way when I'm baking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-tosi/simple-jewelry-is-best-bigger-pieces-get-in-the-way-when-i-m-baking/) [Christina Tosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-tosi/) > [I don't have a very good relationship with baking. I do bake sometimes, but my natural instinct is to just do what feels right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thu-tran/i-don-t-have-a-very-good-relationship-with-baking-i-do-bake-sometimes/) [Thu Tran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thu-tran/) > [“Baking, by contrast, was solving the same problem over and over again, because every time, the solution was consumed. I mean, really: chewed and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sloan/baking-by-contrast-was-solving-the-same-problem-over-and-over-again/) [Robin Sloan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sloan/) > [Always bake in the center of the oven. A pan placed too close to the bottom of the oven will receive more heat radiating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-saffitz/always-bake-in-the-center-of-the-oven-a-pan-placed-too-close-to-the/) [Claire Saffitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-saffitz/) > [Pecans are not cheap, my hons. In fact, in the South, the street value of shelled pecans just before holiday baking season is roughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-rivenbark/pecans-are-not-cheap-my-hons-in-fact-in-the-south-the-street-value-of/) [Celia Rivenbark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-rivenbark/) > [“If you bake a cupcake, the world has one more cupcake. If you become a circus clown, the world has one more squirt of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-e-landsburg/if-you-bake-a-cupcake-the-world-has-one-more-cupcake-if-you-become-a/) [Steven E. Landsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-e-landsburg/) > [I like to take mustard baths. I combine 4 lbs Epsom salts, 3 oz mustard powder, 12 oz powdered milk, and 1/2 cup baking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-coughlin/i-like-to-take-mustard-baths-i-combine-4-lbs-epsom-salts-3-oz-mustard/) [Natalie Coughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-coughlin/) > [After 'Bake Off,' I got these book deals that were very much baking books. But the books I'm producing now like 'Perfect Plates in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-whaite/after-bake-off-i-got-these-book-deals-that-were-very-much-baking/) [John Whaite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-whaite/) > [“It’s amazing how much easier it is to bake a cake when you’ve got an eternity to get it right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-walrath/it-s-amazing-how-much-easier-it-is-to-bake-a-cake-when-you-ve-got-an/) Holly Walrath > [In my eyes, baking and pastry-making is like a science - all the measuring of quantities and temperatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-stein/in-my-eyes-baking-and-pastry-making-is-like-a-science-all-the/) [Rick Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-stein/) > [“There are divisions between a culinary chef and a dessert chef, also called a pastry chef. At Zomick's are specializations within the pastry chef…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-ben-israel/there-are-divisions-between-a-culinary-chef-and-a-dessert-chef-also/) [Ron Ben-Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-ben-israel/) > [Picture your grandmother in Hell, baking pies... without an oven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/picture-your-grandmother-in-hell-baking-pies-without-an-oven/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [In baking, cooks need to understand ingredient ratios.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherry-yard/in-baking-cooks-need-to-understand-ingredient-ratios/) [Sherry Yard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherry-yard/) [Browse all 331 Baking quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baking/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The ordinary activities I find most compatible with contemplation are walking, baking bread, and doing laundry.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kathleen Norris" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/the-ordinary-activities-i-find-most-compatible-with-contemplation-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Baking" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/the-ordinary-activities-i-find-most-compatible-with-contemplation-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84e/kathleen-norris-7283_baking_the-ordinary-activities-i-find-most-comp_50886.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84e/kathleen-norris-7283_baking_the-ordinary-activities-i-find-most-comp_50886.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84e/kathleen-norris-7283_baking_the-ordinary-activities-i-find-most-comp_50886.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The ordinary activities I find most compatible with contemplation are walking, baking bread, and doing…” — Kathleen Norris", "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": "Kathleen Norris", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The ordinary activities I find most...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/the-ordinary-activities-i-find-most-compatible-with-contemplation-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/the-ordinary-activities-i-find-most-compatible-with-contemplation-are/#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 } } ] } ```