--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He had to keep busy; he had to keep…" description: "\"“He had to keep busy; he had to keep moving so that the sinews connected behind his eyes did not slip loose and spin his eyes to the interior of his sk..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/leslie-marmon-silko-14967_eyes_he-had-to-keep-busy-he-had-to-keep-movin_2007837.png" --- # He had to keep busy; he had to keep moving so that the… ![“He had to keep busy; he had to keep moving so that the sinews connected behind his eyes did not slip loose and spin his eyes to the interior of his skull where the scenes waited for him.” quote by Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/leslie-marmon-silko-14967_eyes_he-had-to-keep-busy-he-had-to-keep-movin_2007837.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/leslie-marmon-silko-14967_eyes_he-had-to-keep-busy-he-had-to-keep-movin_2007837.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/leslie-marmon-silko-14967_eyes_he-had-to-keep-busy-he-had-to-keep-movin_2007837.png) > ““He had to keep busy; he had to keep moving so that the sinews connected behind his eyes did not slip loose and spin his eyes to the interior of his skull where the scenes waited for him.”” [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) ## 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 keeps his mind and body active to prevent mental collapse, using physical motion to anchor his thoughts amidst overwhelming visions. **In simple terms:** Staying busy helps keep sanity when faced with intense inner images. Key Takeaway Maintain purposeful activity to stay grounded. Themes mental health focus activity survival Mood calm focused Type literary psychological When to use this quote - stressful work - creative blocks - trauma recovery - intense study sessions Key Concepts psychology literature mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What activities keep you grounded during mental overload? - How does movement affect your thought clarity? A Different Perspective Overactivity can become avoidance rather than coping. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes/) [Sinews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sinews/) ## Related quotes > [“Death is someone you see very clearly with eyes in the center of your heart; eyes that see not by reacting to light, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/death-is-someone-you-see-very-clearly-with-eyes-in-the-center-of-your/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“9. In conclusion, individuals must not fix the eyes of their souls on that rind of the figure and object supernaturally accorded to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/san-juan-de-la-cruz/9-in-conclusion-individuals-must-not-fix-the-eyes-of-their-souls-on/) San Juan de la Cruz > [“When you're a little older, you'll see this more clearly." I said and he closed his eyes. That did it. When he opened them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-clayton/when-you-re-a-little-older-you-ll-see-this-more-clearly-i-said-and-he/) [Alice Clayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-clayton/) > [“How had she not seen this before? How had she not seen him? She was blind. And then tears choked her eyes, for she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/how-had-she-not-seen-this-before-how-had-she-not-seen-him-she-was/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [“Adam saw her eyes look up to the right. He didn’t necessarily buy the idea that you could tell lies by the way the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/adam-saw-her-eyes-look-up-to-the-right-he-didn-t-necessarily-buy-the/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“Why did you want to see me?” He studied her face curiously. “Why do I always want to see you?” he countered. His voice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-palmer/why-did-you-want-to-see-me-he-studied-her-face-curiously-why-do-i/) [Diana Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-palmer/) > [“Why did I take a liking to you? Because you had the same eyes as I did.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-did-i-take-a-liking-to-you-because-you-had-the-same-eyes-as-i-did/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What did it mean, the first time, a thinking creature looked deeply into another's eyes? Did it take a hundred thousand years before this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/what-did-it-mean-the-first-time-a-thinking-creature-looked-deeply/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [Even when I look straight into the milky blue eyes I can't find myself any more. When did I stop being me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gruen/even-when-i-look-straight-into-the-milky-blue-eyes-i-can-t-find/) [Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) > [How did George Bensen cut 'In Your Eyes?' How did I work with the Backstreet Boys? It all comes back to 'Sometimes When We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hill/how-did-george-bensen-cut-in-your-eyes-how-did-i-work-with-the/) [Dan Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hill/) > [“You didn't happen to see this volcano god with your own eyes, did you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/latara-from-licking-fire/you-didn-t-happen-to-see-this-volcano-god-with-your-own-eyes-did-you/) Latara from Licking Fire > [“His eyes did not track when they were talking, and when he blinked, which wasn't often, she could count to three before his eyelids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-waters/his-eyes-did-not-track-when-they-were-talking-and-when-he-blinked/) [Daniel Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-waters/) > [Endless money forms the sinews of war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/endless-money-forms-the-sinews-of-war/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [In the sinews of the dead there is no blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/in-the-sinews-of-the-dead-there-is-no-blood/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [Wealth is the sinews of affairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-bion/wealth-is-the-sinews-of-affairs/) [Wilfred Bion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-bion/) ## More by Leslie Marmon Silko > [To be able to make up stories has been a great gift to me from my ancestors and from the storytellers who were so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/to-be-able-to-make-up-stories-has-been-a-great-gift-to-me-from-my/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [“rip the tongue from the darkness shake the earth with your breathing and explode gray ice dreams of eternity”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/rip-the-tongue-from-the-darkness-shake-the-earth-with-your-breathing/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [He made a story for all of them, a story to give them strength. The words of the story poured out of his mouth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/he-made-a-story-for-all-of-them-a-story-to-give-them-strength-the/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [The truth of course was otherwise, but Lecha had never felt she owed anyone the truth, unless it was truth about their own lives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/the-truth-of-course-was-otherwise-but-lecha-had-never-felt-she-owed/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [“He could get no rest as long as the memories were tangled with the present”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/he-could-get-no-rest-as-long-as-the-memories-were-tangled-with-the/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [The story was the important thing and little changes here and there were really part of the story. There were even stories about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/the-story-was-the-important-thing-and-little-changes-here-and-there/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [You don't have anything if you don't have the stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/you-don-t-have-anything-if-you-don-t-have-the-stories/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [Being alive was all right then: he had not breathed like that for a long time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/being-alive-was-all-right-then-he-had-not-breathed-like-that-for-a/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [I don't make outlines or plans because whenever I do, they turn out to be useless. It is as if I am compelled to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/i-don-t-make-outlines-or-plans-because-whenever-i-do-they-turn-out-to/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [What is it about us human beings that we can’t let go of lost things?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/what-is-it-about-us-human-beings-that-we-can-t-let-go-of-lost-things/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [The only way to get change is not through the courts or — heaven forbid — the politicians, but through a change of human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/the-only-way-to-get-change-is-not-through-the-courts-or-heaven-forbid/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [Night. Heavenly delicious sweet night of the desert that calls all of us to love her. The night is our comfort with her coolness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/night-heavenly-delicious-sweet-night-of-the-desert-that-calls-all-of/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [Writing cant change the world overnight, but writing may have an enormous effect over time, over the long haul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/writing-cant-change-the-world-overnight-but-writing-may-have-an/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [Things which don't shift and grow are dead things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/things-which-don-t-shift-and-grow-are-dead-things/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) > [“I will tell you something about stories. They aren't just entertainment. They are all we have to fight off illness and death. You don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/i-will-tell-you-something-about-stories-they-aren-t-just/) [Leslie Marmon Silko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) [Explore all 44 Leslie Marmon Silko quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/) ## More Eyes quotes > [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) > [When I was a teen, I would draw a really, really long line around my eyes with eyeliner, like Lola Flores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalia/when-i-was-a-teen-i-would-draw-a-really-really-long-line-around-my/) [Rosalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalia/) > [It's a great story for us whenever an entrepreneur makes a crazy amount of money and we get to tell the world about it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-lacy/it-s-a-great-story-for-us-whenever-an-entrepreneur-makes-a-crazy/) [Sarah Lacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-lacy/) > [Human beings should stick together. Honestly, if I see a red-haired person with blue eyes now, I say, 'Is your granny black?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-jones/human-beings-should-stick-together-honestly-if-i-see-a-red-haired/) [Grace Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-jones/) > [It's similar to basketball: when you go to different gyms and win or lose, you learn something new. So when kids get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-iguodala/it-s-similar-to-basketball-when-you-go-to-different-gyms-and-win-or/) [Andre Iguodala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-iguodala/) > [When I see things through my eyes, I don't want to ever just be really negative towards someone's performance. There are many ways to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stone-cold-steve-austin/when-i-see-things-through-my-eyes-i-don-t-want-to-ever-just-be-really/) [Stone Cold Steve Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stone-cold-steve-austin/) > [My only trick to having wing liner sharp enough to cut is be careful and take your time! I have hooded eyes, so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-charles/my-only-trick-to-having-wing-liner-sharp-enough-to-cut-is-be-careful/) [James Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-charles/) > [“I fell in love with your eyes first because I looked into their depths and saw the other half of my soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-k-lilley/i-fell-in-love-with-your-eyes-first-because-i-looked-into-their/) [R.K. Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-k-lilley/) > [I think, reading about yourself through somebody else's eyes, you're always going to have your own story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-sestero/i-think-reading-about-yourself-through-somebody-else-s-eyes-you-re/) [Greg Sestero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-sestero/) > [For the Russian masses, the proletarians, knew for certain, and already saw during the war, and in part before their very eyes, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-gorter/for-the-russian-masses-the-proletarians-knew-for-certain-and-already/) [Herman Gorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-gorter/) > [Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-prescott/don-t-fire-until-you-see-the-whites-of-their-eyes/) [William H. Prescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-prescott/) > [Evertime I close my eyes it doesnt matter where, I always see you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/evertime-i-close-my-eyes-it-doesnt-matter-where-i-always-see-you/) Patience > [Look with all your eyes, look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-verne/look-with-all-your-eyes-look/) [Jules Verne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-verne/) > [It's not your mistake if you cant read the eyes which cheats you. But it's really your mistake if you cant read the eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-mbululo/it-s-not-your-mistake-if-you-cant-read-the-eyes-which-cheats-you-but/) [Ally Mbululo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-mbululo/) > [Kiss me with your eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/kiss-me-with-your-eyes/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) [Browse all 3,942 Eyes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He had to keep busy; he had to keep moving so that the sinews connected behind his eyes did not slip loose and spin his eyes to the interior of his skull where the scenes waited for him.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leslie Marmon Silko" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/he-had-to-keep-busy-he-had-to-keep-moving-so-that-the-sinews/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Eyes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/he-had-to-keep-busy-he-had-to-keep-moving-so-that-the-sinews/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/leslie-marmon-silko-14967_eyes_he-had-to-keep-busy-he-had-to-keep-movin_2007837.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/leslie-marmon-silko-14967_eyes_he-had-to-keep-busy-he-had-to-keep-movin_2007837.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/53a/leslie-marmon-silko-14967_eyes_he-had-to-keep-busy-he-had-to-keep-movin_2007837.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He had to keep busy; he had to keep moving so that the sinews connected behind his eyes did not slip loose…” — Leslie Marmon Silko", "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": "Leslie Marmon Silko", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-marmon-silko/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He had to keep busy; he...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/he-had-to-keep-busy-he-had-to-keep-moving-so-that-the-sinews/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-marmon-silko/he-had-to-keep-busy-he-had-to-keep-moving-so-that-the-sinews/#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 } } ] } ```