---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I'm alone at home, I get increasingly…"
description: "\"If I'm alone at home, I get increasingly restless, bothered by the idea that I'm missing some crucial encounter out there somewhere. But if I'm left by..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/693/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_if-i-m-alone-at-home-i-get-increasingly_2598312.jpg"
---

#  If I'm alone at home, I get increasingly restless…

![“If I'm alone at home, I get increasingly restless, bothered by the idea that I'm missing some crucial encounter out there somewhere. But if I'm left by myself in someone else's place, I often find myself a nice sense of peace engulfing me. I love sinking into an unfamiliar sofa with whatever book…” quote by Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/693/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_if-i-m-alone-at-home-i-get-increasingly_2598312.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/693/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_if-i-m-alone-at-home-i-get-increasingly_2598312.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/693/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_if-i-m-alone-at-home-i-get-increasingly_2598312.jpg)

> “If I'm alone at home, I get increasingly restless, bothered by the idea that I'm missing some crucial encounter out there somewhere. But if I'm left by myself in someone else's place, I often find myself a nice sense of peace engulfing me. I love sinking into an unfamiliar sofa with whatever book happens to be lying nearby.”

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Solitude can bring peace, while being among strangers offers unexpected comfort.

**In simple terms:** Alone can be peaceful; strangers can soothe.

Key Takeaway

Find calm in both solitude and new settings.

Themes

solitude peace comfort environment

Mood

contemplative serene

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- travel
- remote work
- new neighborhoods
- personal retreats

Key Concepts

psychology literature

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance solitude and social connection?
- What environments make you feel most at peace?

A Different Perspective

Loneliness can still linger.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Engulfing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engulfing/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Restless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/restless/) [Sofas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sofas/)

## Related quotes

> [What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?...Was ever anything so civil?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/what-on-earth-could-be-more-luxurious-than-a-sofa-a-book-and-a-cup-of/)

[Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/)

> [In the end, we all want a wife. But the home has become increasingly invaded by the ethos of work, work, work, with twin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-tsing-loh/in-the-end-we-all-want-a-wife-but-the-home-has-become-increasingly/)

[Sandra Tsing Loh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-tsing-loh/)

> [Every time I came home it was this wonderful home coming, but I knew it couldnt last, I was throwing houses and gifts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-bones/every-time-i-came-home-it-was-this-wonderful-home-coming-but-i-knew/)

[Joey Bones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-bones/)

> [ \[My father\] was generous with his affection, given to great, awkward, engulfing hugs, and I can remember so clearly the smell of his hugs,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-ellerbee/my-father-was-generous-with-his-affection-given-to-great-awkward/)

[Linda Ellerbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-ellerbee/)

> [But we need more than a broader understanding of what is a good society or a moral and political critique of the existing market…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/but-we-need-more-than-a-broader-understanding-of-what-is-a-good/)

[Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/)

> [I offer a genuine insight into how you can, and should, be a rational, science-believing human being and at the same time know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-haisch/i-offer-a-genuine-insight-into-how-you-can-and-should-be-a-rational/)

[Bernard Haisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-haisch/)

> [The True Self is infinite. It knows no boundaries. Pure essence. Pure light. Engulfing the mind, the soul, the body, the invisible real, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-villoldo/the-true-self-is-infinite-it-knows-no-boundaries-pure-essence-pure/)

[Alberto Villoldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-villoldo/)

> [The violence engulfing the region today has made too many Israelis ready to abandon the hard work of peace. But let’s be clear: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-violence-engulfing-the-region-today-has-made-too-many-israelis/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [I enjoyed learning something and, uh, so I think like with anything in life, in the schoolroom in an artistic endeavor, if you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-ryan/i-enjoyed-learning-something-and-uh-so-i-think-like-with-anything-in/)

[Amy Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-ryan/)

> [Love, to her, was something hat comes suddenly, like a blinding flash of lightening - a heaven-sent storm hurled into life, uprooting it, sweeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/love-to-her-was-something-hat-comes-suddenly-like-a-blinding-flash-of/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [I wanted a metamorphosis, a change to fish, to leviathan, to destroyer. I wanted the earth to open up, to swallow everything in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-wanted-a-metamorphosis-a-change-to-fish-to-leviathan-to-destroyer-i/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

> [When culture changes around us, God's standard of living does not. Even when we're engulfed by evil, the eyes of the Lord range to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/when-culture-changes-around-us-god-s-standard-of-living-does-not-even/)

[David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/)

> [In view of the tide of religiosity engulfing a once secular republic it is refreshing to be reminded by Freethinkers that free thought and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/in-view-of-the-tide-of-religiosity-engulfing-a-once-secular-republic/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [There came to him an image of man’s whole life upon the earth. It seemed to him that all man’s life was like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/there-came-to-him-an-image-of-man-s-whole-life-upon-the-earth-it/)

[Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/)

> [This is what our yoga practice is trying to accomplish. Not white light descending from heaven and engulfing you, not energy released from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-kest/this-is-what-our-yoga-practice-is-trying-to-accomplish-not-white/)

[Bryan Kest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-kest/)

## More by Kazuo Ishiguro

> [The evening's the best part of the day. You've done your day's work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/the-evening-s-the-best-part-of-the-day-you-ve-done-your-day-s-work/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [As a writer, I'm more interested in what people tell themselves happened rather than what actually happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/as-a-writer-i-m-more-interested-in-what-people-tell-themselves/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [“About him and his wife voting for different parties. A few years ago that would have been unthinkable.” “No doubt.” “Quite extraordinary the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/about-him-and-his-wife-voting-for-different-parties-a-few-years-ago/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [“But what is the sense in forever speculating what might have happened had such and such a moment turned out differently? One could presumably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-what-is-the-sense-in-forever-speculating-what-might-have-happened/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [“Silence is just as likely to indicate the most profound ideas forming, the deepest energies being summoned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/silence-is-just-as-likely-to-indicate-the-most-profound-ideas-forming/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [“I don't know why, but it didn't seem an option for more than one of us to storm off, and I wanted to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-don-t-know-why-but-it-didn-t-seem-an-option-for-more-than-one-of-us/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [Our family arrived in England in 1960. At that time I thought the war was ancient history. But if I think of 15 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/our-family-arrived-in-england-in-1960-at-that-time-i-thought-the-war/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [He chose a certain path in life, it proved to be a misguided one, but there, he chose it, he can say that at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/he-chose-a-certain-path-in-life-it-proved-to-be-a-misguided-one-but/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [“For however one may come in later years to reassess one’s achievements, it is always a consolation to know that one’s life has contained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/for-however-one-may-come-in-later-years-to-reassess-one-s/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [You're always in a rush, or else you're too exhausted to have a proper conversation. Soon enough, the long hours, the traveling, the broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/you-re-always-in-a-rush-or-else-you-re-too-exhausted-to-have-a-proper/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [I don't think it's any fun, even if you are one of the most respected authors in the world like Margaret Atwood, to keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-don-t-think-it-s-any-fun-even-if-you-are-one-of-the-most-respected/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [I think it's quite difficult to understand what kind of life a writer leads. They might be millionaires, or they might be starving people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-think-it-s-quite-difficult-to-understand-what-kind-of-life-a-writer/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [“But this small episode is as good an illustration as any of the hazards of uttering witticisms. By the very nature of a witticism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-this-small-episode-is-as-good-an-illustration-as-any-of-the/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [There comes a point when you can more or less count the number of books you're going to write before you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/there-comes-a-point-when-you-can-more-or-less-count-the-number-of/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

> [My wife is the most savage critic. She doesn't feel intimidated by my reputation. As far as she's concerned, she's just criticising a boyfriend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/my-wife-is-the-most-savage-critic-she-doesn-t-feel-intimidated-by-my/)

[Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

[Explore all 292 Kazuo Ishiguro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "If I'm alone at home, I get increasingly restless, bothered by the idea that I'm missing some crucial encounter out there somewhere. But if I'm left by myself in someone else's place, I often find myself a nice sense of peace engulfing me. I love sinking into an unfamiliar sofa with whatever book happens to be lying nearby.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kazuo Ishiguro"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/if-i-m-alone-at-home-i-get-increasingly-restless-bothered-by-the-idea/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/if-i-m-alone-at-home-i-get-increasingly-restless-bothered-by-the-idea/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/693/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_if-i-m-alone-at-home-i-get-increasingly_2598312.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/693/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_if-i-m-alone-at-home-i-get-increasingly_2598312.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/693/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_book_if-i-m-alone-at-home-i-get-increasingly_2598312.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If I'm alone at home, I get increasingly restless, bothered by the idea that I'm missing some crucial…” — Kazuo Ishiguro",
                "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": "Kazuo Ishiguro",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "If I'm alone at home, I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/if-i-m-alone-at-home-i-get-increasingly-restless-bothered-by-the-idea/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/if-i-m-alone-at-home-i-get-increasingly-restless-bothered-by-the-idea/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
