--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I breathe deeply, and certainty enters…" description: "\"“I breathe deeply, and certainty enters into me like light, like a piece of science, and curious music seems to hum inside my fingers. Is there a singl..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/677/leif-enger-8880_certainty_i-breathe-deeply-and-certainty-enters-in_272728.jpg" --- # I breathe deeply, and certainty enters into me like light… ![“I breathe deeply, and certainty enters into me like light, like a piece of science, and curious music seems to hum inside my fingers. Is there a single person on whom I can press belief? No sir. All I can do is say, Here’s how it went. Here’s what I saw. I’ve been there and am going back. Make of…” quote by Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/677/leif-enger-8880_certainty_i-breathe-deeply-and-certainty-enters-in_272728.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/677/leif-enger-8880_certainty_i-breathe-deeply-and-certainty-enters-in_272728.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/677/leif-enger-8880_certainty_i-breathe-deeply-and-certainty-enters-in_272728.jpg) > ““I breathe deeply, and certainty enters into me like light, like a piece of science, and curious music seems to hum inside my fingers. Is there a single person on whom I can press belief? No sir. All I can do is say, Here’s how it went. Here’s what I saw. I’ve been there and am going back. Make of it what you will.”” [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) ## 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 describes a deep, almost scientific certainty that comes with introspection, yet acknowledges the impossibility of finding a single person to fully trust. **In simple terms:** Introspection brings certainty, but trust in one person is impossible. Key Takeaway Embrace personal experience over seeking absolute trust. Themes introspection certainty trust solitude Mood contemplative reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - self‑analysis Key Concepts philosophical existential literary Questions to Reflect On - How do you find certainty within yourself? - What role does storytelling play in shaping belief? A Different Perspective Trusting one individual is unrealistic; rely on personal narrative instead. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Belief Sir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/belief-sir-265431/) [Breathe Deeply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breathe-deeply-1429996/) [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Certainty Enters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty-enters-2663051/) [Deeply Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeply-certainty-2663052/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Single person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-person/) ## Related quotes > [“Don't you ever doubt it?" Davy asked. And in fact I have. And perhaps will again. But here is what happens. I look out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/don-t-you-ever-doubt-it-davy-asked-and-in-fact-i-have-and-perhaps/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [Is there a single person on whom I can press belief? No sir. All I can do is say, Here's how it went. Here's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/is-there-a-single-person-on-whom-i-can-press-belief-no-sir-all-i-can/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [Every single person who is a member of our party deserves to have certainty. They deserve to know that my attention and focus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annamie-paul/every-single-person-who-is-a-member-of-our-party-deserves-to-have/) [Annamie Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annamie-paul/) > [A person who doesn't breathe deeply reduces the life of his body. If he doesn't move freely, he restricts the life of his body.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-lowen/a-person-who-doesn-t-breathe-deeply-reduces-the-life-of-his-body-if/) [Alexander Lowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-lowen/) > [Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when you eat, and when you sleep, really to sleep. Try as much as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/try-to-learn-to-breathe-deeply-really-to-taste-food-when-you-eat-and/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Everyone who terrifies you is sixty-five percent water. And everyone you love is made of stardust, and I know sometimes you cannot even breathe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-who-terrifies-you-is-sixty-five-percent-water-and-everyone/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Wear loose clothing, trim your fingernails, and make sure your bladder is empty before you begin. • Lie on your back with a pillow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sami-s-david/wear-loose-clothing-trim-your-fingernails-and-make-sure-your-bladder/) [Sami S. David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sami-s-david/) > [“Create boundaries. Honor your limits. Say no. Take a break. Let go. Stay grounded. Nurture your body. Love your vulnerability. And if all else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aletheia-luna/create-boundaries-honor-your-limits-say-no-take-a-break-let-go-stay/) [Aletheia Luna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aletheia-luna/) > [Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-lake/live-and-live-well-breathe-breathe-in-and-breathe-deeply-be-present-2/) [Kyle Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-lake/) > [“Breathe deeply and remember to love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-stabile/breathe-deeply-and-remember-to-love/) [Scott Stabile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-stabile/) > [Move to your heart, Breathe. Close your eyes and breathe deeply - slowly - fill your lungs with love and gratitude - exhale each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark/move-to-your-heart-breathe-close-your-eyes-and-breathe-deeply-slowly/) [Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark/) > [“Live. And Live Well. BREATHE. Breathe in and Breathe deeply. Be PRESENT. Do not be past. Do not be future. Be now. On a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-lake/live-and-live-well-breathe-breathe-in-and-breathe-deeply-be-present/) [Kyle Lake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-lake/) > [Maybe we can use a metaphor for it, out of dance. I think for many years I was aware of the need, in dance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-olds/maybe-we-can-use-a-metaphor-for-it-out-of-dance-i-think-for-many/) [Sharon Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-olds/) > [Burn your computer. Blow up your TV. Bludgeon your cell phone. Breathe deeply. This, my friends, is the secret to inner-peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-vaszily/burn-your-computer-blow-up-your-tv-bludgeon-your-cell-phone-breathe/) [Brian Vaszily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-vaszily/) > [Teach me, 0 God, not to torture myself, not to make a martyr out of myself through stifling reflection, but rather teach me to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/teach-me-0-god-not-to-torture-myself-not-to-make-a-martyr-out-of/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) ## More by Leif Enger > [“A line only gets grace when it curves, you know.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/a-line-only-gets-grace-when-it-curves-you-know/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [Of all facial expressions, which is the worst to have aimed at you? Wouldn't you agree it's disgust?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/of-all-facial-expressions-which-is-the-worst-to-have-aimed-at-you/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [“Let me say something about that word: miracle. For too long it's been used to characterize things or events that, though pleasant, are entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/let-me-say-something-about-that-word-miracle-for-too-long-it-s-been/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [Pride is the rope God allows us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/pride-is-the-rope-god-allows-us-all/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [Sometimes heroism is nothing more than patience, curiosity, and a refusal to panic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/sometimes-heroism-is-nothing-more-than-patience-curiosity-and-a/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [“Someday, you know, we're going to be shown the great ledger of our recorded decisions-a dread concept you nonetheless know in your deepest soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/someday-you-know-we-re-going-to-be-shown-the-great-ledger-of-our/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [“Dewey Hall was the only building on campus not made of brick, and the tornado came for it in absolute maturity, no umbilical growth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/dewey-hall-was-the-only-building-on-campus-not-made-of-brick-and-the/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [“If you can’t talk sense, don’t talk at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/if-you-can-t-talk-sense-don-t-talk-at-all/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [“You can embark on new and steeper versions of your old sin, you know, and cry tears doing it that are genuine as any.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/you-can-embark-on-new-and-steeper-versions-of-your-old-sin-you-know/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [Real miracles bother people, like strange sudden pains unknown in medical literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/real-miracles-bother-people-like-strange-sudden-pains-unknown-in/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [It is one thing to say you're at war with this whole world and stick your chest out believing it, but when the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/it-is-one-thing-to-say-you-re-at-war-with-this-whole-world-and-stick/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [“It is one thing to be sick of your own infirmities and another to understand that the people you love most are sick of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/it-is-one-thing-to-be-sick-of-your-own-infirmities-and-another-to/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [Be careful whom you choose to hate. The small and the vulnerable own a protection great enough, if you could but see it, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/be-careful-whom-you-choose-to-hate-the-small-and-the-vulnerable-own-a/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [Once torched by truth...a little thing like faith is easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/once-torched-by-truth-a-little-thing-like-faith-is-easy/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) > [Good advice is a wise man's friend, of course; but sometimes it just flies on past, and all you can do is wave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leif-enger/good-advice-is-a-wise-man-s-friend-of-course-but-sometimes-it-just/) [Leif Enger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) [Explore all 77 Leif Enger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leif-enger/) ## More Certainty quotes > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [In the mental disturbance and effort of writing, what sustains you is the certainty that on every page there is something left unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/in-the-mental-disturbance-and-effort-of-writing-what-sustains-you-is/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Of course I doubt. I do not practice a certainty. I practice a faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/of-course-i-doubt-i-do-not-practice-a-certainty-i-practice-a-faith/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As a businessman, I know that businesses need certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/as-a-businessman-i-know-that-businesses-need-certainty/) [Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/) > [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/) [Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/) > [Every single person who is a member of our party deserves to have certainty. They deserve to know that my attention and focus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annamie-paul/every-single-person-who-is-a-member-of-our-party-deserves-to-have/) [Annamie Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annamie-paul/) > [The significance and volume of repairs that are needed across the country demand that we give state and local governments the long-term certainty they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-graves/the-significance-and-volume-of-repairs-that-are-needed-across-the/) [Sam Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-graves/) > [“Death is the one great certainty in life. That’s what my dad used to say. Nothing else is certain. Not love. Not happiness. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-gray/death-is-the-one-great-certainty-in-life-that-s-what-my-dad-used-to/) [Mila Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-gray/) > [ \[I\]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-at-certainty-without-doubt-and/) [Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/) > [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/) [Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/) > [Finding someone that trusted my vision helped me find certainty in who I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/finding-someone-that-trusted-my-vision-helped-me-find-certainty-in/) [Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/) [Browse all 1,776 Certainty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I breathe deeply, and certainty enters into me like light, like a piece of science, and curious music seems to hum inside my fingers. Is there a single person on whom I can press belief? No sir. All I can do is say, Here’s how it went. Here’s what I saw. I’ve been there and am going back. 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