---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For if there were a list of cosmic things…"
description: "\"For if there were a list of cosmic things that unite us, reader and writer, visible as it scrolled up into the distance, like the introduction to some ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2a/mohsin-hamid-798_books_for-if-there-were-a-list-of-cosmic-thing_2134710.jpg"
---

#  For if there were a list of cosmic things that unite us…

![“For if there were a list of cosmic things that unite us, reader and writer, visible as it scrolled up into the distance, like the introduction to some epic science-fiction film, then shining brightly on that list would be the fact that we exist in a financial universe that is subject to massive…” quote by Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2a/mohsin-hamid-798_books_for-if-there-were-a-list-of-cosmic-thing_2134710.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2a/mohsin-hamid-798_books_for-if-there-were-a-list-of-cosmic-thing_2134710.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2a/mohsin-hamid-798_books_for-if-there-were-a-list-of-cosmic-thing_2134710.jpg)

> “For if there were a list of cosmic things that unite us, reader and writer, visible as it scrolled up into the distance, like the introduction to some epic science-fiction film, then shining brightly on that list would be the fact that we exist in a financial universe that is subject to massive gravitational pulls from states. States tug at us. States bend us. And, tirelessly, states seek to determine our orbits.”

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

States exert powerful influences that shape individual destinies, akin to gravitational forces in a cosmos.

**In simple terms:** States pull and bend us.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and navigate state influences.

Themes

politics power gravity individual agency society

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- career planning
- civic engagement
- financial decisions
- personal freedom

Key Concepts

political theory social dynamics determinism

Questions to Reflect On

- What forces shape your life choices?
- How can you maintain autonomy?

A Different Perspective

State influence can be unpredictable.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Epic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epic/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Introduction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/introduction/) [Orbit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orbit/) [Science fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science-fiction/) [Shining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining/) [Shining Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining-bright/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [Only an empowered personality can distribute the holy name of the Lord and enjoin all fallen souls to worship Krishna. By distributing the holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhaktisiddhanta-sarasvati/only-an-empowered-personality-can-distribute-the-holy-name-of-the/)

[Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhaktisiddhanta-sarasvati/)

> [“Blacktivitiy" Bespattered with brilliant stars shining bright And suspended over the splendid, sable sea. Though all His works are wondrous beauties, God’s greatest paintings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-b-mays/blacktivitiy-bespattered-with-brilliant-stars-shining-bright-and/)

D.B. Mays

> [“Say whatever is in your heart,” Violet said. Her lips twisted wryly. “And if that doesn’t work, I suggest that you take a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/say-whatever-is-in-your-heart-violet-said-her-lips-twisted-wryly-and/)

[Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/)

> [The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate; He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-thayer/the-sneer-is-gone-from-casey-s-lip-his-teeth-are-clenched-in-hate-he/)

Ernest Thayer

> [“One naughty little woodpecker Another day pecking your holes Ruining the the forest, tree wrecker The angry wood god turned your little beak into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shiro/one-naughty-little-woodpecker-another-day-pecking-your-holes-ruining/)

Shiro

> [“Keep shining bright, even when others try to dim your light. Their negativity is just a reflection of their own insecurities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-dutta/keep-shining-bright-even-when-others-try-to-dim-your-light-their/)

[G.K. Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-dutta/)

> [Just like a diamond, you were shining bright, through the night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-van-dyk/just-like-a-diamond-you-were-shining-bright-through-the-night/)

[Paul Van Dyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-van-dyk/)

> [“On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981, Lily and James Potter lost their lives. Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/on-this-spot-on-the-night-of-31-october-1981-lily-and-james-potter/)

[J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/)

> [“You keep my light shining bright!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/you-keep-my-light-shining-bright/)

[Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/)

> [“Eirikr lies on the table, staring into the night sky, staring at the uncountable stars that are shining brightly down on him. What lives,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-sedgwick/eirikr-lies-on-the-table-staring-into-the-night-sky-staring-at-the/)

[Marcus Sedgwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-sedgwick/)

> [“You are enough. You are more than enough. You have always been and will always be enough. Keep shining bright, and never forget that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leyda-lazo/you-are-enough-you-are-more-than-enough-you-have-always-been-and-will/)

Leyda Lazo

> [“There's never been anyone but you, Bryn...ever. You've been that one shining star in the night sky, shining brighter than the others, until that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/there-s-never-been-anyone-but-you-bryn-ever-you-ve-been-that-one/)

[Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/)

> [I want to be one of the leaders that's going to keep the light shining bright.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-fournette/i-want-to-be-one-of-the-leaders-that-s-going-to-keep-the-light/)

[Leonard Fournette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-fournette/)

> [Be calm, be strong, be grateful, and become a lamp full of light, that the darkness of sorrows be annihilated, and that the sun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdu-l-bah/be-calm-be-strong-be-grateful-and-become-a-lamp-full-of-light-that/)

[Abdu'l-Bahá](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdu-l-bah/)

> [“I arise from dreams of thee In the first sweet sleep of night, When the winds are breathing low, And the stars are shining…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/i-arise-from-dreams-of-thee-in-the-first-sweet-sleep-of-night-when/)

[Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/)

## More by Mohsin Hamid

> [Pakistan now is like a horror film franchise. You know, it's 'Friday the 13th, Episode 63: The Terrorist from Pakistan.' And each time we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/pakistan-now-is-like-a-horror-film-franchise-you-know-it-s-friday-the/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

> [A beard is something that is almost like a mirror to the viewer. When someone sees you wearing a beard, they're seeing something in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/a-beard-is-something-that-is-almost-like-a-mirror-to-the-viewer-when/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

> [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

> [“I met her eyes, and for the first time I perceived that there was something broken behind them, like a tiny crack in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-met-her-eyes-and-for-the-first-time-i-perceived-that-there-was/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

> [“muscularity, made more pronounced by her gauntness, and the near-inanimate”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/muscularity-made-more-pronounced-by-her-gauntness-and-the-near/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

> [“In this group, everyone was foreign, and so, in a sense, no one was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/in-this-group-everyone-was-foreign-and-so-in-a-sense-no-one-was/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

> [“It seemed to me then - and to be honest, sir, seems to me still - that America was engaged only in posturing. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/it-seemed-to-me-then-and-to-be-honest-sir-seems-to-me-still-that/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

> [When the uncertain future becomes the past, the past in turn becomes uncertain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/when-the-uncertain-future-becomes-the-past-the-past-in-turn-becomes/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

> [When the machine of a human being is turned on, it seems to produce a protagonist, just as a television produces an image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/when-the-machine-of-a-human-being-is-turned-on-it-seems-to-produce-a/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

> [I think fiction allows you to inhabit new domains and it's you, the reader living in that domain for a few days that results…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-think-fiction-allows-you-to-inhabit-new-domains-and-it-s-you-the/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

> [“Often, during my stay in your country, such comparisons troubled me. In fact, they did more than trouble me: they made me resentful. Four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/often-during-my-stay-in-your-country-such-comparisons-troubled-me-in/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

> [Americans need to educate themselves, from elementary school onward, about what their country has done abroad. And they need to play a more active…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/americans-need-to-educate-themselves-from-elementary-school-onward/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

> [I'm not a representative of Pakistan; I'm just an example that Pakistanis are different from each other. I believe it in my fiction and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/i-m-not-a-representative-of-pakistan-i-m-just-an-example-that/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

> [“end of a couple is like a death, and the notion of death, of temporariness, can remind us of the value of things,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/end-of-a-couple-is-like-a-death-and-the-notion-of-death-of/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

> [NYC doesn't have a big sign saying "You must love diversity and the rights of all people." And that's not what makes you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/nyc-doesn-t-have-a-big-sign-saying-you-must-love-diversity-and-the/)

[Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

[Explore all 361 Mohsin Hamid quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

Christopher K. Krebs

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

Markus Herz

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "For if there were a list of cosmic things that unite us, reader and writer, visible as it scrolled up into the distance, like the introduction to some epic science-fiction film, then shining brightly on that list would be the fact that we exist in a financial universe that is subject to massive gravitational pulls from states. States tug at us. States bend us. And, tirelessly, states seek to determine our orbits.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mohsin Hamid"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/for-if-there-were-a-list-of-cosmic-things-that-unite-us-reader-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/for-if-there-were-a-list-of-cosmic-things-that-unite-us-reader-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2a/mohsin-hamid-798_books_for-if-there-were-a-list-of-cosmic-thing_2134710.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2a/mohsin-hamid-798_books_for-if-there-were-a-list-of-cosmic-thing_2134710.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2a/mohsin-hamid-798_books_for-if-there-were-a-list-of-cosmic-thing_2134710.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For if there were a list of cosmic things that unite us, reader and writer, visible as it scrolled up into…” — Mohsin Hamid",
                "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": "Mohsin Hamid",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "For if there were a list...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/for-if-there-were-a-list-of-cosmic-things-that-unite-us-reader-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/for-if-there-were-a-list-of-cosmic-things-that-unite-us-reader-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
