--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whether you find it through mediation or…" description: "\"Whether you find it through mediation or sighing over tea or just turning all your devices off for five minutes, listening is an ancient lifeline by wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/mark-nepo-1670_ancient_whether-you-find-it-through-mediation-or_1550956.png" --- # Whether you find it through mediation or sighing over tea… ![“Whether you find it through mediation or sighing over tea or just turning all your devices off for five minutes, listening is an ancient lifeline by which we are awakened time and again. Once reawakened, we more easily find our way to each other, and so help each other live.” quote by Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/mark-nepo-1670_ancient_whether-you-find-it-through-mediation-or_1550956.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/mark-nepo-1670_ancient_whether-you-find-it-through-mediation-or_1550956.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d22/mark-nepo-1670_ancient_whether-you-find-it-through-mediation-or_1550956.png) > “Whether you find it through mediation or sighing over tea or just turning all your devices off for five minutes, listening is an ancient lifeline by which we are awakened time and again. Once reawakened, we more easily find our way to each other, and so help each other live.” [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Listening restores our awareness, reconnecting us with ourselves and others, fostering mutual support and meaning. **In simple terms:** Listening reconnects us with ourselves and others. Key Takeaway Practice regular listening breaks. Themes mindfulness connection awakening Mood calm reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - team meetings - family meals - digital detox Key Concepts presence empathy interdependence Questions to Reflect On - How does listening change your relationships? - What barriers prevent you from truly listening? A Different Perspective Listening alone cannot solve deeper relational issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Helping each other](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping-each-other/) [Lifelines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifelines/) [Mediation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediation/) [Meditation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditation/) [Tea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tea/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [For anyone who can only handle about 12-minutes-per-day of anything news related before needing to retreat into isolation, allow me to recommend spending those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kirk/for-anyone-who-can-only-handle-about-12-minutes-per-day-of-anything/) [Charlie Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kirk/) > [I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I'm in a cabinet meeting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan-ronald-reagan/i-have-left-orders-to-be-awakened-at-any-time-in-case-of-national/) Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan > [I have left orders to be awakened at any time during national emergency, even if I'm in a cabinet meeting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-have-left-orders-to-be-awakened-at-any-time-during-national/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [“They might be the source of some of my current problems, but they were also the only reason I had to keep going. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-higginson/they-might-be-the-source-of-some-of-my-current-problems-but-they-were/) [Rachel Higginson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-higginson/) > [We have to appreciate that we are part of nature, we must work with nature; the environment is our lifeline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-pugh/we-have-to-appreciate-that-we-are-part-of-nature-we-must-work-with/) [Lewis Pugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-pugh/) > [People who won't help others in trouble "because they got into trouble through their own fault" would probably not throw a lifeline to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/people-who-won-t-help-others-in-trouble-because-they-got-into-trouble/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Yes, older drivers are more likely to injure themselves and others when they get behind the wheel. But if you take that away, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-carlson/yes-older-drivers-are-more-likely-to-injure-themselves-and-others/) [Tucker Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-carlson/) > [my love isn't a weapon, it's a lifeline, reach out and take hold, and don't let go!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/my-love-isn-t-a-weapon-it-s-a-lifeline-reach-out-and-take-hold-and/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [The laboratory routine, which involves a great deal of measurement, filing, and tabulation, is either my lifeline or my chief handicap, I hardly know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-francis-richter/the-laboratory-routine-which-involves-a-great-deal-of-measurement/) [Charles Francis Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-francis-richter/) > [ I really think \[William\] Burroughs was onto something here, when he said, "Dreams are a biologic necessity and your lifeline into space." ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-s-crisp/i-really-think-william-burroughs-was-onto-something-here-when-he-said/) [Quentin S. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-s-crisp/) > [Usually, when you're talking about work with other writers it's because something seriously bad is going on with your work and you've absolutely thrown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chang-rae-lee/usually-when-you-re-talking-about-work-with-other-writers-it-s/) [Chang-Rae Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chang-rae-lee/) > [I think, with music in general, people just inevitably connect with feeling. The opportunity to hear expressed feeling. And that's what has always drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-hegarty/i-think-with-music-in-general-people-just-inevitably-connect-with/) [Antony Hegarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-hegarty/) > [My cell phone is my best friend. It's my lifeline to the outside world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-underwood/my-cell-phone-is-my-best-friend-it-s-my-lifeline-to-the-outside-world/) [Carrie Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-underwood/) > [No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a lifetime.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/no-one-is-born-a-good-citizen-no-nation-is-born-a-democracy-rather/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Prayer is our essential lifeline to God's throne and heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-graham/prayer-is-our-essential-lifeline-to-god-s-throne-and-heart/) [Franklin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-graham/) ## More by Mark Nepo > [“Often we find it easier to think our way around things rather than to feel our way through them:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/often-we-find-it-easier-to-think-our-way-around-things-rather-than-to/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [When we don't get what we want, there's a legitimate grieving, and then the spiritual journey truly begins, because not getting what we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/when-we-don-t-get-what-we-want-there-s-a-legitimate-grieving-and-then/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [Each soul on earth is complete unto itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/each-soul-on-earth-is-complete-unto-itself/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [“a living symbol that can call into my moment of sadness a deeper sense of plenitude and generosity that is always there, but not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/a-living-symbol-that-can-call-into-my-moment-of-sadness-a-deeper/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [“COMING OUT While there is much to do we are not here to do.   Under the want to problem-solve is the need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/coming-out-while-there-is-much-to-do-we-are-not-here-to-do-under-the/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [The greatest thing we can do to be closer to our own lives and to the freshness of living is to open up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/the-greatest-thing-we-can-do-to-be-closer-to-our-own-lives-and-to-the/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [For though we stubbornly cling, believing in our moment of hunger that there is no other possibility of love, we only have to let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/for-though-we-stubbornly-cling-believing-in-our-moment-of-hunger-that/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [Perhaps the hardest thing I've learned, and still struggle with, is that I don't have to be finished in order to be whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/perhaps-the-hardest-thing-i-ve-learned-and-still-struggle-with-is/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [A successful creative expression is one in which the person who has expressed it was transformed for having encountered it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/a-successful-creative-expression-is-one-in-which-the-person-who-has/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [No amount of thinking can stop thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/no-amount-of-thinking-can-stop-thinking/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [“Yet beneath all the talk of tragedy and grace, I have come to believe that we are destined to be opened by the living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/yet-beneath-all-the-talk-of-tragedy-and-grace-i-have-come-to-believe/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [The glassblower knows: while in the heat of beginning, any shape is possible. Once hardened, the only way to change is to break.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/the-glassblower-knows-while-in-the-heat-of-beginning-any-shape-is/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [We work so hard to get somewhere, to realize a dream, to arrive at some destination, that we often forget that though some satisfaction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/we-work-so-hard-to-get-somewhere-to-realize-a-dream-to-arrive-at-some/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [Our job is not to expose the mystery but to participate in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/our-job-is-not-to-expose-the-mystery-but-to-participate-in-it/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [Pursue the obstacle It will set you free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/pursue-the-obstacle-it-will-set-you-free/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) [Explore all 217 Mark Nepo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) ## More Ancient quotes > [“We ought to know the history of our ancient ancestors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-ought-to-know-the-history-of-our-ancient-ancestors/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [In ancient times, those who wished to illuminate the world with virtue first brought order to their nations. Wishing to order well their nations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/confucius/in-ancient-times-those-who-wished-to-illuminate-the-world-with-virtue/) [Confucius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/confucius/) > [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“Whenever I think about ancient cultures nostalgia seizes me. Perhaps this is nothing but envy of the sweet slowness of the history of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/whenever-i-think-about-ancient-cultures-nostalgia-seizes-me-perhaps/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [I don't know if I've come of age, but I'm certainly older now. I feel shrunken, as if there's a tiny ancient Oliver Tate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-dunthorne/i-don-t-know-if-i-ve-come-of-age-but-i-m-certainly-older-now-i-feel/) [Joe Dunthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-dunthorne/) > [Tentatively I stood a great lump of wood on the chopping block and bought the axe down on it. It flew into two perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/tentatively-i-stood-a-great-lump-of-wood-on-the-chopping-block-and/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) > [Men must speak English who can write Sanskrit; they must speak a modern language who write, perchance, an ancient and universal one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/men-must-speak-english-who-can-write-sanskrit-they-must-speak-a/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The Tao is the center of the universe, the good man's treasure, the bad man's refuge. Honors can be bought with fine words, respect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/the-tao-is-the-center-of-the-universe-the-good-man-s-treasure-the-bad/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [So too, monks, I saw the ancient path, the ancient road traveled by the Perfectly Enlightened Ones of the past. And what is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautama-buddha/so-too-monks-i-saw-the-ancient-path-the-ancient-road-traveled-by-the/) [Gautama Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautama-buddha/) > [Ancient societies had anthropomorphic gods: a huge pantheon expanding into centuries of dynastic drama; fathers and sons, martyred heroes, star-crossed lovers, the deaths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/ancient-societies-had-anthropomorphic-gods-a-huge-pantheon-expanding/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [Those of us with this ancient compulsion to tell stories sometimes start with a single kernel of something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/those-of-us-with-this-ancient-compulsion-to-tell-stories-sometimes/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [All the stories I have told you are finally as useless as all ancient knowledge is to man and to us. Its images and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/all-the-stories-i-have-told-you-are-finally-as-useless-as-all-ancient/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [So what if I'm ninety-three? So what if I'm ancient and cranky and my body's a wreck? If they're willing to accept me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gruen/so-what-if-i-m-ninety-three-so-what-if-i-m-ancient-and-cranky-and-my/) [Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) > [Science has revealed a universe that is vast, ancient, violent, strange, and beautiful, a universe of almost infinite variety and possibility one in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-mlodinow/science-has-revealed-a-universe-that-is-vast-ancient-violent-strange/) [Leonard Mlodinow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-mlodinow/) [Browse all 2,415 Ancient quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Whether you find it through mediation or sighing over tea or just turning all your devices off for five minutes, listening is an ancient lifeline by which we are awakened time and again. 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