---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No matter how closely we look, it is…"
description: "\"No matter how closely we look, it is difficult to find a mental act that can take place without the support of some physical function.\" — Moshe Feldenk..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99b/moshe-feldenkrais-24975_difficult_no-matter-how-closely-we-look-it-is-diff_3047138.png"
---

#  No matter how closely we look, it is difficult to find a…

![“No matter how closely we look, it is difficult to find a mental act that can take place without the support of some physical function.” quote by Moshe Feldenkrais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99b/moshe-feldenkrais-24975_difficult_no-matter-how-closely-we-look-it-is-diff_3047138.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99b/moshe-feldenkrais-24975_difficult_no-matter-how-closely-we-look-it-is-diff_3047138.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99b/moshe-feldenkrais-24975_difficult_no-matter-how-closely-we-look-it-is-diff_3047138.png)

> “No matter how closely we look, it is difficult to find a mental act that can take place without the support of some physical function.”

[Moshe Feldenkrais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/)

## About This Quote

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

Physical function underpins mental activity; mind and body are interdependent.

**In simple terms:** Body supports mind.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate physical health to aid mental clarity.

Themes

mind-body physiology awareness

Mood

reflective encouraging

Type

philosophical practical

When to use this quote

- rehabilitation
- sports
- daily exercise

Key Concepts

embodiment neuroscience

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your physical routine affect thinking?
- What body practices boost mental performance?

A Different Perspective

Physical limitations can hinder mental tasks.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Difficult Mental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-mental-3069258/) [Difficulty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficulty/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Fingers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fingers/) [Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/function/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Look Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-difficult-3380720/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Matter Closely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter-closely-5051223/) [Mental Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-act-1713376/) [Physical Function](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical-function-5051221/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Support](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/support/) [Touching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/touching/)

## Related quotes

> [Anyway, it doesn't matter how much, how often, or how closely you keep an eye on things because you can't control it. Sometimes things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/anyway-it-doesn-t-matter-how-much-how-often-or-how-closely-you-keep/)

[Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/)

> [Mental health is one of the biggest concerns, because now police are having to handle a lot of really difficult mental health problems on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/mental-health-is-one-of-the-biggest-concerns-because-now-police-are/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [The easier you make it look, the more difficult it is. Creating characters out of nothing, and making them interesting - and that's another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-collins/the-easier-you-make-it-look-the-more-difficult-it-is-creating/)

[Jackie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-collins/)

> [When you write, you're always revealing a difficult part of yourself. It may not be a part of yourself that looks as difficult -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/when-you-write-you-re-always-revealing-a-difficult-part-of-yourself/)

[Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/)

> [The most difficult mental process of all is to consider objectively any concept which, if accepted as fact, will toss into discard a lifetime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-monroe/the-most-difficult-mental-process-of-all-is-to-consider-objectively/)

[Robert Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-monroe/)

> [What I got, unconsciously, from admiring Fred Astaire was that he didn't want what he was doing to look difficult. What was difficult, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-donen/what-i-got-unconsciously-from-admiring-fred-astaire-was-that-he-didn/)

[Stanley Donen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-donen/)

> [When you resist doing what you know needs done, it is difficult. Find a mental way to enjoy it, and just do it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-vitale/when-you-resist-doing-what-you-know-needs-done-it-is-difficult-find-a/)

[Joe Vitale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-vitale/)

> [Each mental act opens up a new dimension of actuality. In a manner of speaking, your slightest thought gives birth to worlds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-roberts/each-mental-act-opens-up-a-new-dimension-of-actuality-in-a-manner-of/)

[Jane Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-roberts/)

> [“If there were a way of putting an end to himself by some purely mental act he would put an end to himself at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-coetzee/if-there-were-a-way-of-putting-an-end-to-himself-by-some-purely/)

[J.M. Coetzee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-coetzee/)

> [The mental act of sensation which issues in reflex movement is so simple as to defy analysis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-alexander/the-mental-act-of-sensation-which-issues-in-reflex-movement-is-so/)

[Samuel Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-alexander/)

> [A judgment is the mental act by which one thing is affirmed or denied of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-william-hamilton-9th-baronet/a-judgment-is-the-mental-act-by-which-one-thing-is-affirmed-or-denied/)

[Sir William Hamilton, 9th Baronet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-william-hamilton-9th-baronet/)

> [“I love incorrectly There is a solemnity in hands, the way a palm will curve in accordance to a contour of skin, the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-adamshick/i-love-incorrectly-there-is-a-solemnity-in-hands-the-way-a-palm-will/)

[Carl Adamshick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-adamshick/)

> [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/)

[Chaz Brenchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-brenchley/)

> [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [I nibbled my lower lip. "If you could see into my past just by touching my back, you'd have a hard time resisting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/i-nibbled-my-lower-lip-if-you-could-see-into-my-past-just-by-touching/)

[Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/)

## More by Moshe Feldenkrais

> [In order to change our mode of action, we must change the image of ourselves that we carry within us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/in-order-to-change-our-mode-of-action-we-must-change-the-image-of/)

[Moshe Feldenkrais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/)

> [A brain without a body could not think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/a-brain-without-a-body-could-not-think/)

[Moshe Feldenkrais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/)

> [“At every instant or stage of a correct act, it can be stopped, withheld from continuing, or reversed without any preliminary change of attitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/at-every-instant-or-stage-of-a-correct-act-it-can-be-stopped-withheld/)

[Moshé Feldenkrais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/)

> [We have more experience of movement and more capacity for it than of feeling and thought... We know much more about movement than we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/we-have-more-experience-of-movement-and-more-capacity-for-it-than-of/)

[Moshe Feldenkrais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/)

> [I believe that the unity of mind and body is an objective reality. They are not just parts somehow related to each other, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/i-believe-that-the-unity-of-mind-and-body-is-an-objective-reality/)

[Moshe Feldenkrais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/)

> [“Health is the ability to realize our avowed and unavowed dreams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/health-is-the-ability-to-realize-our-avowed-and-unavowed-dreams/)

[Moshé Feldenkrais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/)

> [Movement is life; without movement life is unthinkable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/movement-is-life-without-movement-life-is-unthinkable/)

[Moshe Feldenkrais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/)

> [Our breathing reflects every emotional or physical effort and every disturbance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/our-breathing-reflects-every-emotional-or-physical-effort-and-every/)

[Moshe Feldenkrais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/)

> [Learning to inhibit unwanted contractions of muscles that function without, or in spite of, our will, is the main task in coordinated action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/learning-to-inhibit-unwanted-contractions-of-muscles-that-function/)

[Moshe Feldenkrais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/)

> [Ultimately, we become aware of most of what is going on within us mainly through the muscles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/ultimately-we-become-aware-of-most-of-what-is-going-on-within-us/)

[Moshe Feldenkrais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/)

> [Make the impossible possible, the possible easy, the easy elegant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/make-the-impossible-possible-the-possible-easy-the-easy-elegant/)

[Moshe Feldenkrais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/)

> [People confound, misuse, interchange thinking and speaking, not realizing that speaking is for communication and thinking is for action...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/people-confound-misuse-interchange-thinking-and-speaking-not/)

[Moshe Feldenkrais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/)

> [“But willpower is necessary only where \_ability\_ to do is lacking. Learning ... is not the training of willpower but the acquisition of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/but-willpower-is-necessary-only-where-ability-to-do-is-lacking/)

[Moshé Feldenkrais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/)

> [There are multiple descriptions of the same real world situation. The only justification for language is to empower yourself. If the verbal description you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/there-are-multiple-descriptions-of-the-same-real-world-situation-the/)

[Moshe Feldenkrais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/)

> [My purpose is to allow people to move closer to actually being creatures of free choice, to genuinely reflect individual creativity and emotion, freeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/my-purpose-is-to-allow-people-to-move-closer-to-actually-being/)

[Moshe Feldenkrais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/)

[Explore all 23 Moshe Feldenkrais quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/)

## More Difficult quotes

> [Companies with cultures that celebrate diverse opinions and encourage the exchange of ideas have an advantage when solving difficult problems. A company that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-mcmillon/companies-with-cultures-that-celebrate-diverse-opinions-and-encourage/)

[Doug McMillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-mcmillon/)

> [I'm not a huge social media kind of guy, so I don't really know, I don't really ever get... at least in real life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-stroma/i-m-not-a-huge-social-media-kind-of-guy-so-i-don-t-really-know-i-don/)

[Freddie Stroma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-stroma/)

> [Consumers can choose organic cotton grown without pesticides, but it uses more water and requires more land than conventional crops. Organic cotton can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/consumers-can-choose-organic-cotton-grown-without-pesticides-but-it/)

[Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/)

> [It is extremely difficult to do anything constructive, let alone deep, on daily commercial television, especially on a talk show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-prager/it-is-extremely-difficult-to-do-anything-constructive-let-alone-deep/)

[Dennis Prager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-prager/)

> [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/)

[Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/)

> [It's only a little difficult to say no. You've got to believe that the work you're doing is ultimately more useful to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/it-s-only-a-little-difficult-to-say-no-you-ve-got-to-believe-that-the/)

[Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/)

> [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/)

[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/)

> [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/)

[Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/)

> [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/)

[Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/)

> [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

> [I want to make myself and the crowd happy by way of something different, and that makes things difficult. I'm never playing something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiesto/i-want-to-make-myself-and-the-crowd-happy-by-way-of-something/)

[Tiesto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiesto/)

> [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/)

[Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/)

> [Politics only makes the difficult challenge of marriage even harder, with the demands of the job and the public spotlight it casts on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/politics-only-makes-the-difficult-challenge-of-marriage-even-harder/)

[Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/)

> [To explicate the uses of the Brain seems as difficult a task as to paint the Soul, of which it is commonly said, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-willis/to-explicate-the-uses-of-the-brain-seems-as-difficult-a-task-as-to/)

[Thomas Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-willis/)

> [Someone else who liked what I did might turn around and say, "She's reworking and rethinking everything. She could just be making blankets now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/someone-else-who-liked-what-i-did-might-turn-around-and-say-she-s/)

[Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/)

[Browse all 13,132 Difficult quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "No matter how closely we look, it is difficult to find a mental act that can take place without the support of some physical function.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Moshe Feldenkrais"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/no-matter-how-closely-we-look-it-is-difficult-to-find-a-mental-act/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Difficult"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/no-matter-how-closely-we-look-it-is-difficult-to-find-a-mental-act/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99b/moshe-feldenkrais-24975_difficult_no-matter-how-closely-we-look-it-is-diff_3047138.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99b/moshe-feldenkrais-24975_difficult_no-matter-how-closely-we-look-it-is-diff_3047138.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/99b/moshe-feldenkrais-24975_difficult_no-matter-how-closely-we-look-it-is-diff_3047138.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No matter how closely we look, it is difficult to find a mental act that can take place without the support…” — Moshe Feldenkrais",
                "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": "Moshe Feldenkrais",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moshe-feldenkrais/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "No matter how closely we look,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/no-matter-how-closely-we-look-it-is-difficult-to-find-a-mental-act/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moshe-feldenkrais/no-matter-how-closely-we-look-it-is-difficult-to-find-a-mental-act/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
