--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the absence of an audience, I will…" description: "\"“In the absence of an audience, I will write down my story so that it waits like a restful beast with lungs breathing and heart beating.”\" — Lawrence Hill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/lawrence-hill-19203_heart-beating_in-the-absence-of-an-audience-i-will-wri_21427.png" --- # In the absence of an audience, I will write down my story… ![“In the absence of an audience, I will write down my story so that it waits like a restful beast with lungs breathing and heart beating.” quote by Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/lawrence-hill-19203_heart-beating_in-the-absence-of-an-audience-i-will-wri_21427.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/lawrence-hill-19203_heart-beating_in-the-absence-of-an-audience-i-will-wri_21427.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/lawrence-hill-19203_heart-beating_in-the-absence-of-an-audience-i-will-wri_21427.png) > ““In the absence of an audience, I will write down my story so that it waits like a restful beast with lungs breathing and heart beating.”” [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing preserves a story even without an audience, allowing it to linger and pulse like a living creature awaiting discovery. **In simple terms:** Stories endure and stay alive, waiting for readers. Key Takeaway Narratives persist beyond immediate attention. Themes creativity loneliness anticipation storytelling Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - journaling when feeling unheard - archiving personal history - writing for future generations Key Concepts existential patience metaphorical embodiment Practical Applications - keep a private diary - record oral histories for later sharing Questions to Reflect On - What motivates you to write when no one reads? - How does anticipation affect the creative process? A Different Perspective Without an audience, the story may never be activated, risking stagnation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Written word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written-word/) ## Related quotes > [there are so many days when living stops and pulls up and sits and waits like a train on the rails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/there-are-so-many-days-when-living-stops-and-pulls-up-and-sits-and/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [But I have long loved the written word, and come to see in it the power of the sleeping lion. This is my name.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/but-i-have-long-loved-the-written-word-and-come-to-see-in-it-the/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [Keep breathing and I will be with you at heart forever...but stop breathing and I will fade away you will be more then alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/me-lol/keep-breathing-and-i-will-be-with-you-at-heart-forever-but-stop/) Me! Lol > [“Sadness pulses out of us as we walk. I almost expect the trees to lower their branches when we pass, the stars to hand…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jandy-nelson/sadness-pulses-out-of-us-as-we-walk-i-almost-expect-the-trees-to/) [Jandy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jandy-nelson/) > [As long as I am breathing and my heart beats I shall never give up on what I believe in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/collin-mitchell/as-long-as-i-am-breathing-and-my-heart-beats-i-shall-never-give-up-on/) [Collin Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/collin-mitchell/) > [I keep breathing and my heart keeps going love keeps me alive without you love seems too far away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-hood/i-keep-breathing-and-my-heart-keeps-going-love-keeps-me-alive-without/) [Courtney Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-hood/) > [“You're not bothering me. I'm not doing anything." Well, I was breathing, and my heart was beating. But the rest of me wasn't busy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-bull/you-re-not-bothering-me-i-m-not-doing-anything-well-i-was-breathing/) [Emma Bull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-bull/) > [Now the old boy may be barely breathing, but the heart of rock and roll is still beating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/now-the-old-boy-may-be-barely-breathing-but-the-heart-of-rock-and/) [Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/) > [Everyone Is Taught To Look Both Ways Before Crossing the Street And To Talk Quietly In The Library. But No One Ever Learns Anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/everyone-is-taught-to-look-both-ways-before-crossing-the-street-and/) Pacifiersucker > [It only hurts when I'm breathing. My heart only aches when it's beating. My dreams only die when I'm dreaming. So I hold my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-chable/it-only-hurts-when-i-m-breathing-my-heart-only-aches-when-it-s/) [Ana Chable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-chable/) > [And it only hurts when Im breathing...my heart only breaks when its beating...my dreams only die when Im dreaming...so I hold my breath to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-chable/and-it-only-hurts-when-im-breathing-my-heart-only-breaks-when-its/) [Ana Chable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-chable/) > [And it only hurts when I'm breathing My heart only breaks when it's beating My dreams only die when I'm dreaming So, I hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shania-twain/and-it-only-hurts-when-i-m-breathing-my-heart-only-breaks-when-it-s/) [Shania Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shania-twain/) > [“Living is art. Breathing and heart beating is music. Seeing is painting the world with our eyes. Touching is sculpting the shape of everything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-nordby/living-is-art-breathing-and-heart-beating-is-music-seeing-is-painting/) [Jacob Nordby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-nordby/) > [“A normal human life consists of 500 million breaths for three billion heartbeats. That sounds a lot, but it’s not enough. You are searching:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sima-b-moussavian/a-normal-human-life-consists-of-500-million-breaths-for-three-billion/) [Sima B. Moussavian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sima-b-moussavian/) > [“While noises encompass every strand of the breathing being, delved into dark silences is the barely breathing heart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyansha-vashi/while-noises-encompass-every-strand-of-the-breathing-being-delved/) [Priyansha Vashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyansha-vashi/) ## More by Lawrence Hill > [“I remember wondering, within a year or two of taking my first steps, why only men sat to drink tea and converse, and why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/i-remember-wondering-within-a-year-or-two-of-taking-my-first-steps/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [Redemption is invented by the sinner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/redemption-is-invented-by-the-sinner/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [“Reading felt like a daytime dream in a secret land. Nobody but I knew how to get there, and nobody but I owned that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/reading-felt-like-a-daytime-dream-in-a-secret-land-nobody-but-i-knew/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [Sometimes a deal with the devil is better than no deal at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/sometimes-a-deal-with-the-devil-is-better-than-no-deal-at-all/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [“I concluded that no place in the world was entirely safe for an African, and that for many of us, survival depended on perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/i-concluded-that-no-place-in-the-world-was-entirely-safe-for-an/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [beware the clever man that makes the wrong look right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/beware-the-clever-man-that-makes-the-wrong-look-right/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [But I have long loved the written word, and come to see in it the power of the sleeping lion. This is my name.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/but-i-have-long-loved-the-written-word-and-come-to-see-in-it-the/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [“To gaze into another person's face is to do two things: to recognize their humanity, and to assert your own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/to-gaze-into-another-person-s-face-is-to-do-two-things-to-recognize/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [“I looked up from the street and again at the wretched captives. I vowed not to let the noises of the city drown out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/i-looked-up-from-the-street-and-again-at-the-wretched-captives-i/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [Never have I met a person doing terrible things who would meet my own eyes peacefully. To gaze into another person's face is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/never-have-i-met-a-person-doing-terrible-things-who-would-meet-my-own/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [I remember wondering, within a year or two of taking my first my first steps, why only men sat to drink tea and converse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/i-remember-wondering-within-a-year-or-two-of-taking-my-first-my-first/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [“I don't govern my life according to danger”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/i-don-t-govern-my-life-according-to-danger/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [“Let me begin with a caveat to any and all who find these pages. Do not trust large bodies of water, and do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/let-me-begin-with-a-caveat-to-any-and-all-who-find-these-pages-do-not/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [To gaze into another persons face is to do two things: to recognise their humanity and to assert your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/to-gaze-into-another-persons-face-is-to-do-two-things-to-recognise/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [“She asked why I was so black. I asked why she was so white. She said she was born that way. Same here, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/she-asked-why-i-was-so-black-i-asked-why-she-was-so-white-she-said/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) [Explore all 32 Lawrence Hill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) ## More Heart beating quotes > [“He unfixes the metal notch and slips his hand around the body of the bird. Feels its heat, its small heart beating. He stares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-schuyler/he-unfixes-the-metal-notch-and-slips-his-hand-around-the-body-of-the/) Nina Schuyler > [Today, when we look at a brain, we see an intricate network of billions of neurons in constant, crackling communication, a chemical labyrinth that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/today-when-we-look-at-a-brain-we-see-an-intricate-network-of-billions/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [“With the suddneness of a cat leaping upon its prey, he leaned forward and caught up her wrist. "Tread lightly, Miranda Fair." His thumb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-callihan/with-the-suddneness-of-a-cat-leaping-upon-its-prey-he-leaned-forward/) [Kristen Callihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-callihan/) > [“When you find the right person, yeah—this is what it feels like." He takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself before taking my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-m-ward/when-you-find-the-right-person-yeah-this-is-what-it-feels-like-he/) [H.M. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-m-ward/) > [“Mina turned in dread and then froze, her heart beating loudly in her ears. He was right there, standing mere feet from her. Jared.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanda-hahn/mina-turned-in-dread-and-then-froze-her-heart-beating-loudly-in-her/) [Chanda Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanda-hahn/) > [“As I know only too well, anticipation od happiness can sometimes be as gratifying as its consummation. Even during the first months of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaynor-arnold/as-i-know-only-too-well-anticipation-od-happiness-can-sometimes-be-as/) [Gaynor Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaynor-arnold/) > [Without you in my life nothing wouldn't mean nothing to me anymore, because your my life, your the one that keeps my heart beating,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karisix/without-you-in-my-life-nothing-wouldn-t-mean-nothing-to-me-anymore/) [KariSix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karisix/) > [If I could have just one wish, I would wish to wake up everyday to the sound of your breath on my neck, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-kuchta/if-i-could-have-just-one-wish-i-would-wish-to-wake-up-everyday-to-the/) Courtney Kuchta > [Lie down on the ground and feel the planet's heart beating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/lie-down-on-the-ground-and-feel-the-planet-s-heart-beating/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [If I could have just one wish, I would wish to wake up every day to the sound of your breath on my neck,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-could-have-just-one-wish-i-would-wish-to-wake-up-every-day-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Our Land is alive, Esperanza...This whole valley breathes and lives...He picked up a handful of earth and studied it. Did you know that when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-mu-oz-ryan/our-land-is-alive-esperanza-this-whole-valley-breathes-and-lives-he/) [Pam Muñoz Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-mu-oz-ryan/) > [“Summertime, I think, is a collective unconscious. We all remember the notes that made up the song of the ice-cream man; we all know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/summertime-i-think-is-a-collective-unconscious-we-all-remember-the/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Dear You, I am madly in love with you.I can not hide what I feel, the fast heart beating, sweaty palms, dazed look when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dear-you-i-am-madly-in-love-with-you-i-can-not-hide-what-i-feel-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Your heart is beating so fast,” he said softly, the words barely more than a whisper. “I can feel your blood humming under my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zo-marriott/your-heart-is-beating-so-fast-he-said-softly-the-words-barely-more/) [Zoë Marriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zo-marriott/) > [“He loved Jaime. He loved him so much sometimes he thought he must certainly be losing his mind. It was hard to believe his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-sexton/he-loved-jaime-he-loved-him-so-much-sometimes-he-thought-he-must/) [Marie Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-sexton/) Browse all 291 Heart beating quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“In the absence of an audience, I will write down my story so that it waits like a restful beast with lungs breathing and heart beating.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lawrence Hill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/in-the-absence-of-an-audience-i-will-write-down-my-story-so-that-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Heart beating" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/in-the-absence-of-an-audience-i-will-write-down-my-story-so-that-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/lawrence-hill-19203_heart-beating_in-the-absence-of-an-audience-i-will-wri_21427.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/lawrence-hill-19203_heart-beating_in-the-absence-of-an-audience-i-will-wri_21427.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/141/lawrence-hill-19203_heart-beating_in-the-absence-of-an-audience-i-will-wri_21427.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In the absence of an audience, I will write down my story so that it waits like a restful beast with lungs…” — Lawrence Hill", "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 Hill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“In the absence of an audience,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/in-the-absence-of-an-audience-i-will-write-down-my-story-so-that-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/in-the-absence-of-an-audience-i-will-write-down-my-story-so-that-it/#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 } } ] } ```