---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you think of yourself as a sleeping…"
description: "\"“If you think of yourself as a sleeping city for example… what? You can sit quiet and hear the processes going on, going about their business; volition..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/lawrence-durrell-2169_business_if-you-think-of-yourself-as-a-sleeping-c_468892.jpg"
---

#  If you think of yourself as a sleeping city for example……

![“If you think of yourself as a sleeping city for example… what? You can sit quiet and hear the processes going on, going about their business; volition, desire, will, cognition, passion, conation.” quote by Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/lawrence-durrell-2169_business_if-you-think-of-yourself-as-a-sleeping-c_468892.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/lawrence-durrell-2169_business_if-you-think-of-yourself-as-a-sleeping-c_468892.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/lawrence-durrell-2169_business_if-you-think-of-yourself-as-a-sleeping-c_468892.jpg)

> ““If you think of yourself as a sleeping city for example… what? You can sit quiet and hear the processes going on, going about their business; volition, desire, will, cognition, passion, conation.””

[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.

The quote suggests observing inner mental activities as if they were city processes, highlighting awareness of thoughts, desires, and emotions.

**In simple terms:** Notice your mind's inner workings like a city.

Key Takeaway

Practice quiet observation of your thoughts.

Themes

self-awareness mindfulness psychology

Mood

contemplative introspective

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- meditation
- creative writing
- therapy
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

cognition volition passion conation

Questions to Reflect On

- How does observing your mind change your behavior?
- What city processes dominate your daily life?

A Different Perspective

May overlook external realities while focusing inward.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/)

## Related quotes

> [“the natural animosity between those who slept and those who were stirring in the sleeping city.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-zweig/the-natural-animosity-between-those-who-slept-and-those-who-were/)

[Stefan Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-zweig/)

> [From this height the sleeping city seems like a child's construction, a model which has refused to be constrained by imagination. The volcanic plug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-rankin/from-this-height-the-sleeping-city-seems-like-a-child-s-construction/)

[Ian Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-rankin/)

> [I think sleeping was my problem in school. If school had started at 4:00 in the afternoon, I'd be a college graduate today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-foreman/i-think-sleeping-was-my-problem-in-school-if-school-had-started-at-4/)

[George Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-foreman/)

> [I think sleeping was my problem in school. If school had started at four in the afternoon, I'd be a college graduate today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-foreman/i-think-sleeping-was-my-problem-in-school-if-school-had-started-at/)

[George Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-foreman/)

> [I don't think sleeping with you is going to solve anything," she said, stopping at the guest bedroom door. "I don't really care what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-gerard/i-don-t-think-sleeping-with-you-is-going-to-solve-anything-she-said/)

[Cindy Gerard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-gerard/)

> [“I am so tired; all I want to do is sleep. I want to sleep all the day, from dawn until twilight that every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/i-am-so-tired-all-i-want-to-do-is-sleep-i-want-to-sleep-all-the-day/)

[Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/)

> [It was that sort of sleep in which you wake every hour and think to yourself that you have not been sleeping at all;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-stanley-robinson/it-was-that-sort-of-sleep-in-which-you-wake-every-hour-and-think-to/)

[Kim Stanley Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-stanley-robinson/)

> [“All men's miseries derive from not being able to sit quiet in a room alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/all-men-s-miseries-derive-from-not-being-able-to-sit-quiet-in-a-room/)

[Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/)

> [I'm gonna sit alone in a quiet room and cry until I cant cry no more. I am tired of all the pain inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-gonna-sit-alone-in-a-quiet-room-and-cry-until-i-cant-cry-no-more/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [One of the strangest things that used to happen at half time was that you'd come in, and you would have to sit down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-seaman/one-of-the-strangest-things-that-used-to-happen-at-half-time-was-that/)

[David Seaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-seaman/)

> [“When happiness settles upon you like a butterfly, sit very quiet and remember the colors”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lee-wilson/when-happiness-settles-upon-you-like-a-butterfly-sit-very-quiet-and/)

Diane Lee Wilson

> [Always find time to sit somewhere alone in quiet. Be still, release your stresses, and let God whisper in your ear, may whatever you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/islam-elnady/always-find-time-to-sit-somewhere-alone-in-quiet-be-still-release/)

[Islam Elnady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/islam-elnady/)

> [“the theater is one of the few places left in the bright and noisy world where we sit in the quiet dark together, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/the-theater-is-one-of-the-few-places-left-in-the-bright-and-noisy/)

[sarah ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

> [When you sit quiet and watch yourself, many things may come to the surface. Do nothing about them, don't react to them. As they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/when-you-sit-quiet-and-watch-yourself-many-things-may-come-to-the/)

[Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/)

> [Now it is time to sit quiet, face to face with thee, and to sing dedication of life in this silent and overflowing leisure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/now-it-is-time-to-sit-quiet-face-to-face-with-thee-and-to-sing/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

## More by Lawrence Durrell

> [Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [“Suddenly at the end of the great couloir my vision is sharpened by a pale disjunctive shudder as a bar of buttercup-yellow thickening gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/suddenly-at-the-end-of-the-great-couloir-my-vision-is-sharpened-by-a/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [To be the equal of reality you must learn how to ignore it without danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/to-be-the-equal-of-reality-you-must-learn-how-to-ignore-it-without/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [The cocktail party - as the name itself indicates - was originally invented by dogs. They are simply bottom-sniffings raised to the rank of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-cocktail-party-as-the-name-itself-indicates-was-originally/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [It only takes one match to ignite a haystack, or one remark to fire a mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/it-only-takes-one-match-to-ignite-a-haystack-or-one-remark-to-fire-a/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [“He felt that his mind had become a battle-ground for the forces of good and evil and that his task was to strain every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/he-felt-that-his-mind-had-become-a-battle-ground-for-the-forces-of/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [Science is the poetry of the intellect and poetry the science of the heart's affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/science-is-the-poetry-of-the-intellect-and-poetry-the-science-of-the/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/travel-can-be-one-of-the-most-rewarding-forms-of-introspection/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [We live" writes Pursewarden somewhere, "lives based upon selected fictions. Our view of reality is conditioned by our position in space and time -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/we-live-writes-pursewarden-somewhere-lives-based-upon-selected/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [It's unthinkable not to love -you'd have a severe nervous breakdown. Or you'd have to be Philip Larkin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have-a-severe-nervous-breakdown-or/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [“...man is only an extension of the spirit of place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/man-is-only-an-extension-of-the-spirit-of-place/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [“God did not create us, nor did He wish us to be created. We are the work of a lesser deity, a demiurge, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/god-did-not-create-us-nor-did-he-wish-us-to-be-created-we-are-the/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [The steward, according to custom, had stopped all the clocks. This, in the language of Narouz, said "Your stay with us is so brief,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-steward-according-to-custom-had-stopped-all-the-clocks-this-in/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [Everyone loathes his own country and countrymen if he is any sort of artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/everyone-loathes-his-own-country-and-countrymen-if-he-is-any-sort-of/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

> [“The slither of tyres across the waves of the desert under a sky blue and frost-bound in winter; or in summer a fearful lunar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-slither-of-tyres-across-the-waves-of-the-desert-under-a-sky-blue/)

[Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

[Explore all 179 Lawrence Durrell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/)

## More Business quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [You can laugh at me, but I understand show business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ksenia-sobchak/you-can-laugh-at-me-but-i-understand-show-business/)

[Ksenia Sobchak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ksenia-sobchak/)

> [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/)

[Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/)

> [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/)

[Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/)

> [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/)

[Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [ “\[S\]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-the-possible-irrelevance-of/)

[Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/)

> [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/)

[Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/)

> [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/)

[N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/)

> [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [It's not just that families can't buy a home or start a business without some savings tucked away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cooper/it-s-not-just-that-families-can-t-buy-a-home-or-start-a-business/)

[Jim Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cooper/)

> [I'm not into business at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-mercury/i-m-not-into-business-at-all/)

[Freddie Mercury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-mercury/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

[Browse all 39,016 Business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“If you think of yourself as a sleeping city for example… what? You can sit quiet and hear the processes going on, going about their business; volition, desire, will, cognition, passion, conation.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lawrence Durrell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/if-you-think-of-yourself-as-a-sleeping-city-for-example-what-you-can/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Business"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/if-you-think-of-yourself-as-a-sleeping-city-for-example-what-you-can/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/lawrence-durrell-2169_business_if-you-think-of-yourself-as-a-sleeping-c_468892.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/lawrence-durrell-2169_business_if-you-think-of-yourself-as-a-sleeping-c_468892.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15e/lawrence-durrell-2169_business_if-you-think-of-yourself-as-a-sleeping-c_468892.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If you think of yourself as a sleeping city for example… what? You can sit quiet and hear the processes…” — Lawrence Durrell",
                "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": "Lawrence Durrell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“If you think of yourself as...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/if-you-think-of-yourself-as-a-sleeping-city-for-example-what-you-can/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/if-you-think-of-yourself-as-a-sleeping-city-for-example-what-you-can/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
