--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: An idea is like a rare bird which cannot…" description: "\"An idea is like a rare bird which cannot be seen. What one sees is the trembling of the branch it has just left.\" — Lawrence Durrell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/503/lawrence-durrell-2169_bird_an-idea-is-like-a-rare-bird-which-cannot_2073460.jpg" --- # An idea is like a rare bird which cannot be seen. What one… ![“An idea is like a rare bird which cannot be seen. What one sees is the trembling of the branch it has just left.” quote by Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/503/lawrence-durrell-2169_bird_an-idea-is-like-a-rare-bird-which-cannot_2073460.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/503/lawrence-durrell-2169_bird_an-idea-is-like-a-rare-bird-which-cannot_2073460.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/503/lawrence-durrell-2169_bird_an-idea-is-like-a-rare-bird-which-cannot_2073460.jpg) > “An idea is like a rare bird which cannot be seen. What one sees is the trembling of the branch it has just left.” [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ideas are elusive like rare birds; we only perceive their impact, not the ideas themselves. **In simple terms:** Ideas are unseen, only their effects are felt. Key Takeaway Observe consequences, not just concepts. Themes creativity perception abstraction Mood analytical poetic curious Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - research - artistic creation - problem solving Key Concepts philosophy metaphor epistemology Questions to Reflect On - How do we recognize unseen ideas? - What evidence reveals their presence? A Different Perspective Ideas may be misunderstood when only effects are seen. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bird/) [Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idea/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) ## Related quotes > [The older I get, I realize, 'Man, I'm a very rare bird,' and that's not because of necessarily my talent or ability; it so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-stokes-mitchell/the-older-i-get-i-realize-man-i-m-a-very-rare-bird-and-that-s-not/) [Brian Stokes Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-stokes-mitchell/) > [One often reads about the art of conversation-how it's dying or what's needed to make it flourish, or how rare good ones are. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-forbes/one-often-reads-about-the-art-of-conversation-how-it-s-dying-or-what/) [Malcolm Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-forbes/) > [A rare bird on this earth, like nothing so much as a black swan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/a-rare-bird-on-this-earth-like-nothing-so-much-as-a-black-swan/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [A rare bird upon the earth and very much like a black swan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/a-rare-bird-upon-the-earth-and-very-much-like-a-black-swan/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [Spotting a rare bird is never worth the bite of a cur. Once bitten by a German shepherd, I knew that I preferred cats,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-d-watson/spotting-a-rare-bird-is-never-worth-the-bite-of-a-cur-once-bitten-by/) [James D. 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This is the sole way to walk according to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/watchman-nee/with-fear-and-trembling-we-must-rely-upon-god-for-guidance-in-the/) [Watchman Nee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/watchman-nee/) > [The sun was trembling on the brink of the world, the shadows at their longest, and they still had several kilometers to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/the-sun-was-trembling-on-the-brink-of-the-world-the-shadows-at-their/) [John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/) > [“We gaze with perplexity at the highest part of the spiral of force that governs the Universe. And we call it God. 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