--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When she shut her eyes, her mind grew…" description: "\"“When she shut her eyes, her mind grew alert. Her senses opened. All around her, she felt how quickly things formed and were consumed. How there was so..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/louise-erdrich-1271_hands-and-feet_when-she-shut-her-eyes-her-mind-grew-ale_1509870.png" --- # When she shut her eyes, her mind grew alert. Her senses… ![“When she shut her eyes, her mind grew alert. Her senses opened. All around her, she felt how quickly things formed and were consumed. How there was so much blind feeling. It was going on beyond the wall of her sight, out of her control. Unheard, unnoticed, the blood dropped into her hands and…” quote by Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/louise-erdrich-1271_hands-and-feet_when-she-shut-her-eyes-her-mind-grew-ale_1509870.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/louise-erdrich-1271_hands-and-feet_when-she-shut-her-eyes-her-mind-grew-ale_1509870.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbd/louise-erdrich-1271_hands-and-feet_when-she-shut-her-eyes-her-mind-grew-ale_1509870.png) > ““When she shut her eyes, her mind grew alert. Her senses opened. All around her, she felt how quickly things formed and were consumed. How there was so much blind feeling. It was going on beyond the wall of her sight, out of her control. Unheard, unnoticed, the blood dropped into her hands and feet, so that she was anchored. Which she was glad for, because the light was so feeble and the blackness so strong that she felt as though she could drift away like a boat of skin, never to return, leaving only her crumpled dress.”” [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sensory awareness expands when visual input fades, revealing inner perception and emotional depth. **In simple terms:** Losing sight sharpens other senses and feelings. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner awareness beyond what you see. Themes perception sensory emotion Mood introspective poetic Type literary reflective When to use this quote - meditation - artistic expression - grief processing - mindfulness practice Key Concepts Phenomenology mind-body connection Questions to Reflect On - What does “blind feeling” teach you about intuition? - How can you stay grounded while exploring inner worlds? A Different Perspective Over‑reliance on inner focus can isolate from external reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Insignificance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insignificance/) [Powerlessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerlessness/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [“I shut my eyes tight, trying to savor the moment. I knew I would wish for that moment back every day of my life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/i-shut-my-eyes-tight-trying-to-savor-the-moment-i-knew-i-would-wish/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [When the enemy is awake and around, don't ever shut your eyes even for a single second no matter how sweet and tempting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-the-enemy-is-awake-and-around-don-t-ever-shut-your-eyes-even-for/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [… it wasn’t pretend, I wasn’t in a fairytale or a fable. I shut my eyes and absorbed the silent whoomp that always accompanies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/it-wasn-t-pretend-i-wasn-t-in-a-fairytale-or-a-fable-i-shut-my-eyes/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [I shut my eyes so that hardship will not cross my line of sight. But in it, I lost the world's true beauty, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-shut-my-eyes-so-that-hardship-will-not-cross-my-line-of-sight-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In buying a horse or taking a wife, shut your eyes tight and commend yourself to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-buying-a-horse-or-taking-a-wife-shut-your-eyes-tight-and-commend/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Whnevr if we feel bad ,just shut your eyes .. feel the love given to u by numerous numbers of people...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khem-chand/whnevr-if-we-feel-bad-just-shut-your-eyes-feel-the-love-given-to-u-by/) Khem Chand > [“To shut you eyes is to guess nothing of blindness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/to-shut-you-eyes-is-to-guess-nothing-of-blindness/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [“The more I think about it, the more it frightens me." "So why are you getting involved?" He shut his eyes. "So I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-friedman/the-more-i-think-about-it-the-more-it-frightens-me-so-why-are-you/) [C.S. Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-friedman/) > [“Sometimes she became overwhelmed with the beauty of life and then she could do nothing but shut her eyes and pretend she was already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-foley/sometimes-she-became-overwhelmed-with-the-beauty-of-life-and-then-she/) Kay Foley > [Do not shut your eyes to all that God is doing for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-shut-your-eyes-to-all-that-god-is-doing-for-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I couldn't make any judgment on the Summa, except to say this: I read it for about twenty minutes every night before I go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-couldn-t-make-any-judgment-on-the-summa-except-to-say-this-i-read/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [The trouble is you can shut your eyes but you can’t shut your mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-trouble-is-you-can-shut-your-eyes-but-you-can-t-shut-your-mind/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“I shut my eyes tightly, willing myself to go back to sleep. I want to go back to my dream, back to Caleb. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-j-roberts/i-shut-my-eyes-tightly-willing-myself-to-go-back-to-sleep-i-want-to/) [C.J. Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-j-roberts/) > [“She had seen Daniel here earlier. He had come onto the ward, sat beside her bed. As soon as she saw him coming she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-edwards/she-had-seen-daniel-here-earlier-he-had-come-onto-the-ward-sat-beside/) [Mark Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-edwards/) > [“...one of the roles of man is to shut his eyes and keep them shut to see if he can continue into the night…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/machado-de-assis/one-of-the-roles-of-man-is-to-shut-his-eyes-and-keep-them-shut-to-see/) [Machado de Assis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/machado-de-assis/) ## More by Louise Erdrich > [Can you stop your mother from singing to you? Who would do such a thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/can-you-stop-your-mother-from-singing-to-you-who-would-do-such-a-thing/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [“Emotions unreel in her like spools of cotton.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/emotions-unreel-in-her-like-spools-of-cotton/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [“Other freshmen were already moving into their dormitory rooms when we arrived, with their parents helping haul. I saw boxes of paperbacks, stereo equipment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/other-freshmen-were-already-moving-into-their-dormitory-rooms-when-we/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [My father is my biggest literary influence. Recently, I've been looking through his letters. 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Every new thing that happens to a person, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/so-many-things-in-the-world-have-happened-before-but-it-s-like-they/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) [Explore all 262 Louise Erdrich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) ## More Hands and feet quotes > [Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/) [Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/) > [“What creature goes on four feet in the morning, on two at noonday, on three in the evening? Man. 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He is the God of life immortal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-is-in-truth-the-whole-universe-what-was-what-is-and-what-beyond/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 183 Hands and feet quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When she shut her eyes, her mind grew alert. Her senses opened. All around her, she felt how quickly things formed and were consumed. How there was so much blind feeling. It was going on beyond the wall of her sight, out of her control. Unheard, unnoticed, the blood dropped into her hands and feet, so that she was anchored. 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