--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I look at small things, I think I…" description: "\"“When I look at small things, I think I shall go on living: drops of rain, leather gloves shrunk by being wet...When I look at something too big, I wan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/kobo-abe-9863_bigs_when-i-look-at-small-things-i-think-i-sh_1735317.jpg" --- # When I look at small things, I think I shall go on living… ![“When I look at small things, I think I shall go on living: drops of rain, leather gloves shrunk by being wet...When I look at something too big, I want to die: the Diet Building, or a map of the world...” quote by Kobo Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/kobo-abe-9863_bigs_when-i-look-at-small-things-i-think-i-sh_1735317.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/kobo-abe-9863_bigs_when-i-look-at-small-things-i-think-i-sh_1735317.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/kobo-abe-9863_bigs_when-i-look-at-small-things-i-think-i-sh_1735317.jpg) > ““When I look at small things, I think I shall go on living: drops of rain, leather gloves shrunk by being wet...When I look at something too big, I want to die: the Diet Building, or a map of the world...”” [Kobo Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator feels awe at tiny details that affirm life, yet is overwhelmed by vast, incomprehensible objects that evoke despair. **In simple terms:** Small details inspire life; huge things can feel crushing. Key Takeaway Find meaning in the small, and manage overwhelming scale. Themes detail existence scale emotion contrast Mood reflective melancholic thoughtful Type literary existential philosophical When to use this quote - appreciating nature - designing personal spaces - handling information overload - coping with existential anxiety Key Concepts existentialism psychology perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance appreciation of minutiae with confronting large challenges? - What strategies help you stay grounded when faced with overwhelming scale? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on smallness may ignore broader context and solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/building/) [Dies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dies/) [Diets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/diets/) [Gloves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gloves/) [Goes on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goes-on/) [I want to die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-want-to-die/) [Leather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leather/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Look Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-small-522773/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Maps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maps/) [Rain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rain/) [Small things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-things/) [Things Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-think-252935/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Shall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-shall-486995/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Wanting to die](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wanting-to-die/) [Wet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wet/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Do others, I wondered, "see things as I do? 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I want to die in music, not in reason or in prose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/to-hell-with-reality-i-want-to-die-in-music-not-in-reason-or-in-prose/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [Yes -- or rather, it's not so much that I want to die as that I'm tired of living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ry-nosuke-akutagawa/yes-or-rather-it-s-not-so-much-that-i-want-to-die-as-that-i-m-tired/) [Ryūnosuke Akutagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ry-nosuke-akutagawa/) > [I prefer to work for my country in a free and independent way. I was born free, and I want to die free. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-bocelli/i-prefer-to-work-for-my-country-in-a-free-and-independent-way-i-was/) [Andrea Bocelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-bocelli/) > [I want to live but I want to die. What do I do?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/i-want-to-live-but-i-want-to-die-what-do-i-do/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [I don't know how to say it exactly. Only...I want to die as myself. Does that make any sense?' he asks. I shake my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-don-t-know-how-to-say-it-exactly-only-i-want-to-die-as-myself-does/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) ## More by Kobo Abe > [“People like me who lack something are liable to become spiteful critics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/people-like-me-who-lack-something-are-liable-to-become-spiteful/) [Kobo Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“I rather think the world is like sand. The fundamental nature of sand is very difficult to grasp when you think of it in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/i-rather-think-the-world-is-like-sand-the-fundamental-nature-of-sand/) [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“Injuries to the body, especially the face, are not treated simply as problems of form. We should rather speak of themas belonging in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/injuries-to-the-body-especially-the-face-are-not-treated-simply-as/) [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“What we mean when we say "terrible conditions" is conditions which we are aware of as being terrible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/what-we-mean-when-we-say-terrible-conditions-is-conditions-which-we/) [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“He wanted to believe that his own lack of movement had stopped all movement in the world, the way a hibernating frog abolishes winter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/he-wanted-to-believe-that-his-own-lack-of-movement-had-stopped-all/) [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“One could not do without repetition in life, like the beating of the heart, but it was also true that the beating of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/one-could-not-do-without-repetition-in-life-like-the-beating-of-the/) [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“It is manifestly pregnant and has a bulging white belly heavy with its load of kittens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/it-is-manifestly-pregnant-and-has-a-bulging-white-belly-heavy-with/) [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [Many people ask why a writer commits suicide. But I think that people who ask don't know the vanity and the nothingness of writing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/many-people-ask-why-a-writer-commits-suicide-but-i-think-that-people/) [Kobo Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [Defeat begins with the fear that one has lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/defeat-begins-with-the-fear-that-one-has-lost/) [Kobo Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“Being free always involves being lonely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/being-free-always-involves-being-lonely/) [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“Everyone has his own philosophy that doesn't hold good for anybody else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/everyone-has-his-own-philosophy-that-doesn-t-hold-good-for-anybody/) [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“It would seem that marsupials are poor imitations of full-fledged mammals. Their inadequacy gives them a certain appeal; we’re touched by it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/it-would-seem-that-marsupials-are-poor-imitations-of-full-fledged/) [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“The suffering of being imprisoned rests in the fact that it is impossible, at any time, to escape from oneself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/the-suffering-of-being-imprisoned-rests-in-the-fact-that-it-is/) [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [When I was young, I could bounce back from things like a brand-new rubber ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/when-i-was-young-i-could-bounce-back-from-things-like-a-brand-new/) [Kobo Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) > [“If there were no risk of a punishment, a getaway would lose the pleasure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kobo-abe/if-there-were-no-risk-of-a-punishment-a-getaway-would-lose-the/) [Kōbō Abe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) [Explore all 67 Kobo Abe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kobo-abe/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. 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Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. 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