--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Conscious thought is the tidying up at…" description: "\"Conscious thought is the tidying up at the end.\" — Mason Cooley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/mason-cooley-92_conscious_conscious-thought-is-the-tidying-up-at-t_2985572.png" --- # Conscious thought is the tidying up at the end. ![“Conscious thought is the tidying up at the end.” quote by Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/mason-cooley-92_conscious_conscious-thought-is-the-tidying-up-at-t_2985572.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/mason-cooley-92_conscious_conscious-thought-is-the-tidying-up-at-t_2985572.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/mason-cooley-92_conscious_conscious-thought-is-the-tidying-up-at-t_2985572.png) > “Conscious thought is the tidying up at the end.” [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Conscious thought organizes and clarifies experiences after they occur. **In simple terms:** Thinking cleans up mental clutter. Key Takeaway Reflect to organize thoughts. Themes reflection clarity mindfulness Mood thoughtful introspective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - Journaling - debriefing after meetings - post‑mortem reviews Key Concepts Cognitive processing post-event analysis Questions to Reflect On - How does reflection change your perception? - When is immediate action better than reflection? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex emotions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Tidying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tidying/) ## Related quotes > [“Tidying in the end is just a physical act. The work involved can be broadly divided into two kinds: deciding whether or not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-kondo/tidying-in-the-end-is-just-a-physical-act-the-work-involved-can-be/) [Marie Kondō](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-kondo/) > [“Make rituals of the important elements of your work. It ensures that they get done without much conscious thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mani-s-sivasubramanian/make-rituals-of-the-important-elements-of-your-work-it-ensures-that/) [Mani S. Sivasubramanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mani-s-sivasubramanian/) > [The function of music is to release us from the tyranny of conscious thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beecham/the-function-of-music-is-to-release-us-from-the-tyranny-of-conscious/) [Thomas Beecham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-beecham/) > [“Belief is the unmitigated, simplest form of mental representation. It’s a psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-khatkar/belief-is-the-unmitigated-simplest-form-of-mental-representation-it-s/) [Michael Khatkar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-khatkar/) > [“life is simply one continual watch against the menace of death;—it has transformed us into unthinking animals in order to give us the weapon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/life-is-simply-one-continual-watch-against-the-menace-of-death-it-has/) [Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/) > [The first stage of meditation is simply to ignore thought; to become conscious that there is something beyond thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-first-stage-of-meditation-is-simply-to-ignore-thought-to-become/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [There's really not much conscious thought involved when I record. I just kind of record what feels good. I'm not trying to make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-rns/there-s-really-not-much-conscious-thought-involved-when-i-record-i/) [BØRNS](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-rns/) > [I back away from conscious thought and turn the problem over to my unconscious mind. It will scan a broader array of patterns and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-fry/i-back-away-from-conscious-thought-and-turn-the-problem-over-to-my/) Arthur Fry > [We have no proper understanding of the relationship between conscious thought and conscious sensation. The various forms of thought and sensation are underpinned by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-crane/we-have-no-proper-understanding-of-the-relationship-between-conscious/) [Tim Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-crane/) > [“What you hold in your conscious thought, you invite more of it into your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-mininni/what-you-hold-in-your-conscious-thought-you-invite-more-of-it-into/) [Lisa Mininni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-mininni/) > [“You are not who you think. You're not even the thinker. You are the one conscious of the thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/you-are-not-who-you-think-you-re-not-even-the-thinker-you-are-the-one/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [all conscious thought is a process in time; so that to think consciously about Time is like trying to use a foot-rule to measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/all-conscious-thought-is-a-process-in-time-so-that-to-think/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [“Every conscious thought you have, every moment you spend on an idea, is a commitment to be stuck with that idea and with aspects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-michel/every-conscious-thought-you-have-every-moment-you-spend-on-an-idea-is/) [Kevin Michel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-michel/) > [For most people on the planet, consciousness can be equated with thought. They haven't experienced what it means to be conscious without thought, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/for-most-people-on-the-planet-consciousness-can-be-equated-with/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [There is generally not any conscious thought; it's all instinct, and practice takes over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-nelson/there-is-generally-not-any-conscious-thought-it-s-all-instinct-and/) Cindy Nelson ## More by Mason Cooley > [Nostalgia keeps dissolving the ironic narratives in which I have contained my past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/nostalgia-keeps-dissolving-the-ironic-narratives-in-which-i-have/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The modernist writers found despair inspirational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-modernist-writers-found-despair-inspirational/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Even the most abject have a sense of superiority based on powerful though undefined merits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-abject-have-a-sense-of-superiority-based-on-powerful/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Money comes to life as it is spent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/money-comes-to-life-as-it-is-spent/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Even the most fickle are faithful to a few bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-fickle-are-faithful-to-a-few-bad-habits/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Rage is exciting, but leaves me confused and exhausted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/rage-is-exciting-but-leaves-me-confused-and-exhausted/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Literary tradition is full of lies about poverty-the jolly beggar, the poor but happy milkmaid, the wholesome diet of porridge, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/literary-tradition-is-full-of-lies-about-poverty-the-jolly-beggar-the/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Experience teaches us, but we scarcely know what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/experience-teaches-us-but-we-scarcely-know-what/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The body has a mind of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-body-has-a-mind-of-its-own/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [In retirement, I look for days off from my days off. Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/in-retirement-i-look-for-days-off-from-my-days-off-mason-cooley/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [My intentions go one way, my desires another. Thus I feel both self-indulgent and deprived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/my-intentions-go-one-way-my-desires-another-thus-i-feel-both-self/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The Puritan sours his pleasures by disguising them as duties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-puritan-sours-his-pleasures-by-disguising-them-as-duties/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Unlike the actual, the fictional explains itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/unlike-the-actual-the-fictional-explains-itself/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Vacations prove that a life of pleasure is overrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/vacations-prove-that-a-life-of-pleasure-is-overrated/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Outside literature, high-flown sentiments are merely exasperating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/outside-literature-high-flown-sentiments-are-merely-exasperating/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) [Explore all 1,401 Mason Cooley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) ## More Conscious quotes > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [Woman, in short, has an unconscious life, man a conscious life, and the genius the most conscious life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/woman-in-short-has-an-unconscious-life-man-a-conscious-life-and-the/) [Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/just-as-everybody-has-the-vote-including-women-i-think-children/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [If you are not conscious of all of the different parts of yourself, the part of yourself that is the strongest will win out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/if-you-are-not-conscious-of-all-of-the-different-parts-of-yourself/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [One of the noblest words in our language is "grace," defined as "unearned blessing." We live by grace far more than by anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-elton-trueblood/one-of-the-noblest-words-in-our-language-is-grace-defined-as-unearned/) [D. Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-elton-trueblood/) > [Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability To lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/repugnant-is-a-creature-who-would-squander-the-ability-to-lift-an-eye/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [The goal of the Creator is for each entity to make a conscious choice to again seek Oneness, out of our own free will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilcock/the-goal-of-the-creator-is-for-each-entity-to-make-a-conscious-choice/) [David Wilcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilcock/) > [I know one thing: that you can do a lot of things but if you don't educate people into conscious anarchism it gets frittered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/i-know-one-thing-that-you-can-do-a-lot-of-things-but-if-you-don-t/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [All black people who are even minimally conscious, black people who have ever experienced Europe's technological power crusading in the vanguard of a civilizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-nkosi/all-black-people-who-are-even-minimally-conscious-black-people-who/) [Lewis Nkosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-nkosi/) > [ A mind conscious of right laughs at the falsehoods of rumour. \[Lat., Conscia mens recti famae mendacia risit.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/a-mind-conscious-of-right-laughs-at-the-falsehoods-of-rumour-lat/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [I don't think my paintings are self-conscious but you feel the consciousness of them. Without them being self-conscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-schnabel/i-don-t-think-my-paintings-are-self-conscious-but-you-feel-the/) [Julian Schnabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-schnabel/) Browse all 3,716 Conscious quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Conscious thought is the tidying up at the end.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mason Cooley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/conscious-thought-is-the-tidying-up-at-the-end/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Conscious" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/conscious-thought-is-the-tidying-up-at-the-end/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/mason-cooley-92_conscious_conscious-thought-is-the-tidying-up-at-t_2985572.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/mason-cooley-92_conscious_conscious-thought-is-the-tidying-up-at-t_2985572.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/653/mason-cooley-92_conscious_conscious-thought-is-the-tidying-up-at-t_2985572.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Conscious thought is the tidying up at the end.” — Mason Cooley", "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": "Mason Cooley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Conscious thought is the tidying up...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/conscious-thought-is-the-tidying-up-at-the-end/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/conscious-thought-is-the-tidying-up-at-the-end/#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 } } ] } ```